What are Some Comfortable Earplugs for Musicians?

An earplug is a must-have accessory for every musician who values their health and wishes to make a name in the music industry. This protective equipment allows you to still hear the music you need to, but prevents loud sounds and tones from damaging your hearing. 

Take a look at the incredible benefits of this hearing device

• It helps protect against hearing loss
• Enables musicians to hear themselves better and other musician's instruments during performance, thus preventing singing off-key.
• Helps fight tinnitus

An earplug is a small piece of material put in the ear canal to protect the ears from loud music, water, foreign bodies, excessive wind or cold air. Musicians use earplugs to protect their ears from loud noises and hear their sound before getting to the audience. 

Musician earplugs work to reduce the volume without altering the music's frequency, making it possible for you to hear it exactly as it would in an ear without an earplug but at a reduced volume. 

The magic behind musician earplugs is that they have a wire connected to the transmitter and the singer's sound and other band members plus the equipment, which allows the singer to hear the voice through their ears instead of hearing it from the speakers. 

If your noise exposure as a musician goes anywhere above 85dB for a maximum of eight hours a day, it's time you considered getting yourself an earplug. 

Best earplugs for musicians

When looking for an earplug as a musician, the first step is to make sure whatever device you choose has these three essential features, great sound quality and good sound reduction ability and fits perfectly in your ears. 

Moreover, it would help if you considered your music's type and volume and your level of exposure to loud music. Take note that hearing loss is cumulative of the total time of exposure and loudness of the sound. 

What happens if you develop hearing loss?

Noise-induced hearing loss is incredibly common and can develop from improper protection in loud environments. If you’re diagnosed with hearing loss, you may require hearing aids to ensure you can hear and communicate clearly again. Some of the best options for hearing aids include:

In-the-canal (ITC) hearing aids

It fits neatly into the ear canal and allows the wearing of headphones as there is no unit hooking on the ear's back. They have additional microphones and manual controls to use in noisy environments. 

ITC hearing aids are also custom made, and this increases comfortability. The fact that they lie in the ear canal itself and cover little of the outer ear makes them very difficult to detect. This works to the advantage of many people, including musicians who may be conscious about everybody seeing them in hearing aids. 

In-the-ear (ITE) hearing aids

They sit in the outer bowl of the ear and are a bit larger than in-the-canal hearing aids. In-the-ear hearing aids are comfortable to wear with headphones and can put away feedback problems due to their larger size compared to the ITC hearing aids. 

ITE hearing aids cover the ears completely, giving you a chance to experience a clear sound from the music playing around. They are also easy to carry around and have a slightly bigger battery than their counterparts – the battery assists in power storage. 

Behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids

This type of hearing aids rests behind the ears. They are large compared to the other styles of hearing aids. Their large size works to their advantage as it gives them extra space to hold powerful speakers and extra microphones, providing better clarity in different listening environments. 

Behind-the-ear hearing aids also save you from having to replace or recharge the battery now and then – something made possible by their large batteries that can hold power for a long period. 

It goes without doubt that the ears are the most important body organ of a musician. They enable you to get feedback from the audience, communicate with them and produce quality singing, shaping your destiny in this industry. 

Although they play an essential role, the ears are also one of the organs at high risk for musicians. Exposure to long periods and high volumes of noise negatively affect them, and it is paramount to protect oneself by wearing quality and well-fitting hearing aids.   

As you start your hearing protection journey, note that not all audiologists are well informed about musician needs and products. You can contact Audiology and Hearing Aid Services at 912-351-3038 for quality services and unending support.