Information on Ear-Plugs

Best Earplugs for Listening to Music

When attending concerts the hearing protection as well as the sound quality of earplugs is important.

The same applies when going to clubs.

There are a few types and brands of earplugs suited for attending concerts or clubs. Below you will find the best earplugs given the following situations:

  • Medium or loud music and willingness to spend USD 200-300
  • Medium loudness (cheaper earplugs)
  • Loud to very loud music (cheaper earplugs)

Medium and Loud Music, Willingness to Spend Money

The best choice for earplugs are by far the custom-molded earplugs by Etymotic Research. They provide the best sound quality and are really just like the volume knob turned down a bit. An imprint is made at the local ear specialist and a few weeks later the earplugs can be picked up. The sound filter of these earplugs is exchangeable and available in 2 strengths: 15dB for medium loudness and 25dB for loud music (the 9dB is a special filter for classical concert musicians and not suited for listening to music). The only downside to these earplugs is that they cost around USD 200-300.


Medium Loud Music

There are a few brands of reusable earplugs available that provide a good sound quality at a reasonable price.

The best brands are (from best to worst):


They all cost around 20 USD for a pair.

These are all reusable earplugs.

They provide medium sound protection and will not protect your ears enough on really loud concerts.


Loud or Very Loud Music

Foam earplugs are very cheap to buy and provide high protection. But some earplugs really muffle the sound and it is not appreciated when listing to music. There are better and worse brands of foam earplugs and this makes a huge difference. The Bilsom 303 are among the best foam earplugs for listening to music, because they have a good sound quality. That means a good sound quality for a foam earplug, the ER25 filter mentioned above that costs more than 200 USD are significantly better.

We like the following foam earplugs best (best at top):


Other Types of Earplugs

There is another type of earplugs available: self-moldable wax or silicone earplugs. They provide medium sound protection, but the mentioned reusable earplugs above have a better sound quality.

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