Tag Archives: earplugs

Testing “Vibes” Hi-Fidelity Earplugs

vibes hi-fidelity earplugs

Historically speaking, I’ve been going to live music shows for about 38 of my 53 years on this planet and for many of these years I also was a Heavy Metal drummer that kept an active rehearsal and live gig as a part of his everyday life. I also happen to live in New York City which is a pretty loud place almost 24/7 no matter where you find yourself. Now with the concerts being in mind, I’ve been one of those people who not only uses but also strongly recommends using some kind of protection and with this blog I’ve given a brief overview of the Flents, Etymotic and Eargasm offerings. Recently, I got my hands on a pair of “Vibes” Hi-Fidelity earplugs and I couldn’t wait to try them out.

They come nicely packaged as you can see by the images below and will be a good place to store them for those times that you don’t plan on putting them to use. In addition to the earplugs and the case/holder, you get several different sizes of the white rubber ear buds. This is great since not everyone has the same size ear canal. I’d suggest you keep the extra buds in the box or risk misplacing them like I did for a few days.

vibes hi-fidelity earplugs
Continue reading Testing “Vibes” Hi-Fidelity Earplugs

Testing Eargasm’ High Fidelity Earplugs

Hello again my friends, I’m back with another product review piece and one that follows the trend of sharing my views on the assorted brands of earplugs that I’ve been using in the field. In my quest to help prevent your suffering any substantial hearing loss I’ve discussed the products from Flents and Etymotic and have found that each particular company serves a need. Recently, I got my hands on a pair of earplugs by the folks over at Eargasm so let’s get onto some quick opinion about them.  Here’s a quick photo of the pair of plugs and their sturdy carrying case.  As you can see its also a keychain if you should choose to use it that way.

earplugs, eargasm

This close of up the earplugs showcase their sleek design and as you can see they are a little larger towards the rear which prevents any extra sonic waves getting through to your ear canal.  When I first tried to get these in place I did have a little difficulty based on the larger base and think that my ear canals might be a tad smaller than this implement can work with.  It took a little doing but I did manage to get them on and they worked very well with the super loud Heavy Metal band that I was covering the show of.   According to what I read about this model, they reduce the level of sound by 21db.

earplugs, eargasm

Closing Thoughts: While these worked fine upon getting them in, I think that a slightly slimmer model will work better for me. They are easy to remove and can be placed back into their container which is aluminum and has a screw on top. The case did set a couple of security guys at the gate some concern as they wanted to see the contents to prove it wasn’t drugs. True story as you can never be too sure nowadays. Personally speaking, once I am done for the night I tend to keep the earplugs in the small plastic zip bag that they came in. Also, I wipe them off first to make sure they go away clean. Once I’m home I use lightly soaped warm water and let them air dry. Good maintenance of stuff like this lets it work for numerous uses and keep you healthy as well. Overall this is another solid choice to use but you should be aware that such protection will run you a few bucks. Once you purchase these you will want to keep them safe or risk spending far too much money replacing them out of careless behavior. The link below on Amazon.com will bring you to these type of plugs but with two pairs and a different casing. Don’t play games with your hearing especially if you go to a lot of loud events.

Official Website: https://eargasmearplugs.com/

Testing Etymotic’s ER-20XS High-Fidelity Earplugs

etymotic logo

Some time ago I did one of those Public Service Announcements about wearing earplugs if you go to a lot of loud events like concerts and sporting things which was posted HERE. A couple of months ago I was investigating some options for our media enterprise and resultant of said perusing received a pair of Etymotic Research’s High Fidelity earplugs for my use. I’ve penned a few thoughts about them below the image. These are the actual earplugs I have been using but don’t you worry they are clean. I promise.

etymotic earplugs, earplugs,

For many months I had been using the Flents earplugs that were discussed in that other narrative but these Etymotic ones are of a different caliber and of course a higher price as well. As opposed to being soft foamy types, these are ribbed sectors on a harder piece of plastic and there is even a small grip to the end which allows for easier placement and removal. There is a cord included with the pair but I had to remove this since it got all tangled up in my camera strap and caused them to be pulled out right at a critical point in a recent Megadeth concert. Trust me my friends that is NOT the place you suddenly want to have your eardrums exposed. Like most Metal shows they are pumping at a solid 120db and I know this for a fact since I’ve been using a handy little app on my Galaxy Note 4. You readers should download that as well to see what you are exposing yourself too. So back to the earplugs – They are on the comfortable side which is important to me and while they are protecting me from the larger audio sonics I didn’t feel as though the show itself was being compromised which is also rather important since I am attending these shows for the sake of music reporting.
Continue reading Testing Etymotic’s ER-20XS High-Fidelity Earplugs

Protecting Your Hearing w Flents Earplugs

Hey there readers, can I just take a moment of your time for a change? Well, I mean outside of the usual taking a moment of your time. I can? That’s good because this is something that is rather important to me. It’s a quick PSA about protecting your hearing with the use of these little implements.

flents, earplugs

Now anyone who has seen me in public and read my PiercingMetal.com website knows that I attend a LOT of concerts over the course of any given week. A LOT OF CONCERTS. I should add that I am often also in very close proximity to the loudest part of the action since I am taking photos and close to amps, speakers and monitors. What many might not know is that I am always wearing a pair of earplugs during the Metal mayhem and while this might sound “lame” to you, I should say that they don’t keep me from hearing the crushing melodies at all and instead keep some of the assault at bay which lets me hear the doorbell, phone and general conversation the next morning 🙂 That is never a bad thing in my opinion. I recently refilled my technical utility belt with some more of these Flents brand earplugs because they are affordable enough and can be used a couple of times before discarding them. I generally will replace a pair a week and before you think this unsanitary, I do rinse them off and dry them before placing them back into my ears. That is just common sense. These particular ones are marked as an NRR 33 rating which means a “noise reduction rating” of 33 db (decibels). Rock concerts are often over 100db and that is LOUD my friends.
Continue reading Protecting Your Hearing w Flents Earplugs