Ear Protection

Hi guys, new on here... first post!

Okay, so im starting to think that id maybe need to protect my ears a bit from the sound levels that theyre exposed to while playing! ive been playing since i was 3, im now 18 and the the drums get played a lot of hours in the day (some damage may have happened over these years im guessing?) ! I also teach so im listening to a kit in a room for prolonged hours!

can anyone recommend a good product to me, no tooo worried about the price (i mean as long as its not like hundreds!) that will protect my ears but retain the sound of the kit to as close to what it would be without any ear protection!
thanks!
 
There are also these Earasers that I'm considering trying out.

http://www.earasers.net/

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Earasers-Musicians-Plugs-109565986-i3022739.gc

Although, I'm a bit concerned because everything people are saying about these, I can say the same about my Hearos High Fidelity plugs. I mean, $40 for a pair of Earasers and $12.99 for the Hearos High Fidelity plugs. So, I don't know. I am considering giving Guitar Center a call to see if I would be able to return the Earasers if I don't like them (such as, if I think that they're not so much better that they're worth the extra cost).
 
This is Don Campbell, inventor of the Earasers. I understand that many retail stores don't want to get caught up in handling product that has body oils on it, and the potential liability therein. The Department of Health may have big issues with that as well. However, we stand behind our product, so much so that if it doesn't live up to all the hype you are reading online, then indeed....we will refund your money that you paid to Guitar Center (or any other retailer) within 30 days of purchase. How is that for 100% No Risk guarantee? I don't think you will find many manufacturers willing to refund monies spent at the retail level, but we want to be your Hearing Protection company for life! If you need anything please call! 1-800-789-6543 I'd be happy to talk with you!
 
This is Don Campbell, inventor of the Earasers. I understand that many retail stores don't want to get caught up in handling product that has body oils on it, and the potential liability therein. The Department of Health may have big issues with that as well. However, we stand behind our product, so much so that if it doesn't live up to all the hype you are reading online, then indeed....we will refund your money that you paid to Guitar Center (or any other retailer) within 30 days of purchase. How is that for 100% No Risk guarantee? I don't think you will find many manufacturers willing to refund monies spent at the retail level, but we want to be your Hearing Protection company for life! If you need anything please call! 1-800-789-6543 I'd be happy to talk with you!

In this day and age, that's pretty cool. I think it is refreshing for someone to believe in their product so much, that they have no problem standing firmly behind it. Good for you sir.

I am a big fan of ear protection. I went to my first loud concert when I was in seventh grade or so, (Metallica). That show introduced me to how loud live shows can get without protection. The SPL's where enough to make my t-shirt move. From there on out, I didn't go to shows or play drums without earplugs.

Currently, I used shooting muffs when practicing and plugs when we play out. I use the muffs because I can easily take them on and off to have a normal conversation about what we are playing. But this might be a nice option.

I am a little concerned about the decibel buffer (19 db) for the Musician's earasers. I am used to using something that blocks about 33 db. If I picked a pair of these up, will it seem quite a bit louder?
 
+1 for shooting muffs. I use Sensaphonics ear plugs with 25db filters. With the custom ear fitting, they were $190, but worth every cent. I love them.

sensaphonics.com
 
my right ear started cutting in and out a bit lately, drumming for 20 years and playing in very loud punk / metal bands for 15 of that didn't help.. i only started with plugs recently.

I just orders a custom fit set from a local hearing center. this is a great idea in my opinion. came to $200 but honestly there is no price on hearing. i just hope its not too late.

they are molded to your ears perfect.. and you have several choices for filters. im going to start with a 15 but he said they would change to 25 or more for free..

These work different as they bring down all frequency's equal. those construction headphones cut some frequencies 22/33 db, but will only cut others 10 so they change the sound... id rather it sound live, just quieter
 
I am a little concerned about the decibel buffer (19 db) for the Musician's earasers. I am used to using something that blocks about 33 db. If I picked a pair of these up, will it seem quite a bit louder?

I'm almost certain you aren't getting 33db of protection at most frequencies from any shooting ear muffs. That said, the better Peltor muffs are 29db rated. the 10db difference is about a perceived doubling of volume.
3db = double the energy
6db= double the amplitude
~10db=double the perceived volume.

I think 19 is good for a concert, but would want more, 25 to 29 to play the drums and be protected. That said, 19 is much better than nothing!
 
29? 33? You cant hear anything with that much. if they were actually at that level.

the in ear molded plugs i got are 15, a TRUE 15 and it cuts down SO much but still sounds crystal clear. a 25 would be nice but almost too quiet.
 
29? 33? You cant hear anything with that much. if they were actually at that level.

I can't tell if you are saying you think -29db is too much protection or seriously think you can't hear anything with them on.

Remember, sustained exposure to a SPL over 90-95 decibels can cause permanent hearing loss. A whisper is about 30 db. Normal speech is about 60 db, a dial tone is 80db, and a rock concert from the audience is 110-120 db. A drum set is easily 115 db and has peak SPLs that are much higher.

So a true 29db reduction would cause normal speech to sound like a whisper, and an average drum set volume would still be louder than a dial tone. In fact, it would be close to the volume of a gas lawn mower, which can still cause hearing loss.
 
sitting behind a drum set is not the same volume as a loud rock concert.

I have been to some LOUD concerts where your brain is basically shaking.... sustained...a loud rimshot will be maybe close to that volume for a short time but not constant.... I was just saying that most hearing protection (even the ones that say 32) are not actualy 32... some frequencies are cut out in the 32db range , some less, some more.

that's why they sound muddy, with lots of low end and sound like crap. the custom ones are they way to go.. with the filters in.... I'm OK with the 15dbs... it takes the edge off.. I think the 25db's would be on the border of too quiet. but my main comment was get custom fitted plugs... i friggin love mine.. won't play without em.

also.. Not trying to argue with you here.. but the decibel scale is logarithmic , or exponential.
so 15 db at the top end is not the same as 15db at the bottom end.. your whisper at 30 is not half as loud as talking at 60
 
also.. Not trying to argue with you here.. but the decibel scale is logarithmic , or exponential.
so 15 db at the top end is not the same as 15db at the bottom end.. your whisper at 30 is not half as loud as talking at 60


That's not argumentative, but I am very aware of the physics. For anyone who isn't, this may help:

10Log(P2/P1)=db - - - 10Log2=3.01 or about 3db.

so when pressure 2 (P2) is twice pressure 1 (P1), you call it a 3db increase. This doesn't mean 6db sounds twice as loud as 3db, just mean the energy is twice as high.

That's the easy part. The hard part is that our hearing isn't linear or logarithmic. Perceived acoustics are not well correlated with SPL/db. We use Sones to describe loudness or volume at 1000 hz, and at that frequency, people generally describe about a 10db increase as sounding "twice as loud". Pretty cool since it's actually >8 times the energy.

But, while you may hear a 10db decrease as a reduction of 50% at 1000 hz, it doesn't mean you'll hear a 10db decrease as a halving of volume at 100hz or 3000hz. That's why a 10db "flat" frequency reduction in ear plugs won't just half the volume. 90db at 3000hz will "sound" louder to us than 90db at 100hz. So a bass drum may not "sound" as loud as a guitar at the same spl, but it's still the same energy level. 90db at 1000hz sounds about the same volume as 100db at 100hz to us, despite the 100db being 8x the energy. You also may require more than 10db increase even at 1000hz to perceive a doubling of volume at higher db levels. Tricky stuff.

As BeyondBetrayal noted, drums have short peak levels, but I'd say they are still quite dangerous over time. Even the custom earplugs are cheap compared to losing your hearing.

Here's a good read that is low on physics :)
http://www.mikedolbear.com/story.asp?StoryID=1867
 
VERY good post..

the custom ones feel great too... I'm a guy who hates hearing protection because i like to hear the nuances of my kit/band...

thats what i was getting at.. they drop the sound but not the quality.. and you can get 25db and 40db in the ones that i have.

$200 is nothing compared to hearing loss.. and i ACTUALLY wear these
 
Side note, I bought a pair of hearing protectors for my children recently.
I looked at Vic Firth ear protectors for children which cost $30. On Amazon, I found children ear protectors by Pelton (for hunting) at $16 and it's the same design. I put them on my head and they work in cutting down on volume.
 
I'm not surprised the earasers aren't enough for hours of drumming. The even advertise that they only provide 19db at 3150hz, and less above and below that range. Probably OK for the occasional concert, but not for hours of exposure daily.

That said, your headaches may not be only from the sound coming in through your ears. I'd go talk to your doctor about the headaches. The could be migraine or tension head aches unrelated to the volume. Or they could be related to the volume, or even wearing the ear plugs.

There are lots of questions I'd ask in regards to headaches. Non medical ones would be:

Are you reading music while playing from a low music stand or table?
Are you playing drums in a small area?
Are the walls treated with some sound absorbing panels?
Do you wear glasses and is the prescription up to date?

Medical ones are just too much to get into here, and would relate to the headaches, other symptoms, medical history etc. Why I suggest you see your doc.
 
I use the Etymotic Research ER20 earplugs while drumming and at shows. I had been using Hearos Hi-FI plugs for the past 4 years and honestly can't tell a difference between the two. The ER20s were cheaper so I bought an extra pair to keep in the car. Just my experience.

However, I would like to get a custom pair sooner than later, hearing is one thing I definitely value.

ER20 link
 
I'm not surprised the earasers aren't enough for hours of drumming. The even advertise that they only provide 19db at 3150hz, and less above and below that range. Probably OK for the occasional concert, but not for hours of exposure daily.

That said, your headaches may not be only from the sound coming in through your ears. I'd go talk to your doctor about the headaches. The could be migraine or tension head aches unrelated to the volume. Or they could be related to the volume, or even wearing the ear plugs.

There are lots of questions I'd ask in regards to headaches. Non medical ones would be:

Are you reading music while playing from a low music stand or table?
Are you playing drums in a small area?
Are the walls treated with some sound absorbing panels?
Do you wear glasses and is the prescription up to date?

Medical ones are just too much to get into here, and would relate to the headaches, other symptoms, medical history etc. Why I suggest you see your doc.

TW, I appreciate your concern. I wore the Earasers to a concert I was attending, but not playing, and they were GREAT.

I wore them at band practice, 2.5-ish hours of playing and talking. Small garage, no sound treatment. No reading charts or anything else, just playing. Headache.

Wore them at a gig last week. Will watching the opening band they felt good. From behind the kit I didn't like them.

Don't wear glasses and never have charts or music in front of me when I play.
 
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