If you DJ or go to electronic music shows and you don't want to suffer from tinnitus and hearing loss later on, I really recommend you wear ear plugs every time you go out. Every time. Just like a condom or birth control pill.


For a long time, there has been a limited number of choices.

- You can get foam earplugs for about a buck and they mess up the sound and make it hard to hear and converse.

- Then you could get Westone / Etymotic Research ER-15 custom "Musician's Plugs" if you visited an audiologist. They are custom moulded, sound good, look like a hearing aid. It sucks when you drop one in paya dust and you're on your hands and knees digging.. and everyone thinks you lost a pill.

- Then Etymotic Research came out with the $20 ER-20's (www.etymotic.com/ephp/er20.aspx) which sound good, except they're not comfortable and you look like a Teletubbie with these dumb plastic cylinders sticking out of your ears. Overall, I thought 'FAIL'


Finally, I am glad to report that I have discovered and tested a high-quality ear plug that only cost $25, and I think it is more comfortable and more fashionable than the custom-audiologist-moulded "Musician's Plugs." I haven't done an A/B comparison with the custom earplugs (I lost mine) - but it sounds damn good. It feels light and discreet (you can even trim the rubber stems to make it shorter - but harder to take out) - and it only blocks HALF as much sound as foam earplugs - and it sounds twice as clear.

They're called the "Alpine MusicSafe Natural Sound Professional Musician's Ear Plugs"

earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/aln...html
alpineearplugs.com/index.htm

I have them in now and I am listening to LOUD trance on my Sennheiser headphones and it feels totally comfortable and sounds great.
I have also tried them at clubs, rock shows and outdoor bass meltdown parties and they pass the test for me.

Lorin, check these babies out! And the rest of you people, there's no excuse anymore. Going to a party without filtering ear plugs is a lot more foolish than going to the beach without your sunglasses!

Be safe, family! Enjoy music for a lifetime!