DownBeats Reusable High Fidelity Hearing Protection: Ear Plugs for Con

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Wore these to the club. Saved my hearing.I m getting old. Not physically or mentally (these are for my clubbing nights) but in terms of wisdom. I now know that most people in their 30s have lost a good amount of hearing due to loud situations. Concerts, parties, clubs, etc. I want to preserve my hearing for as long as I can cos I don t wanna be that old dude that goes, huh? a hundred times a day.I got these for loud karaoke, club, and bar environments where the boom and high shrill of treble from music is too much. These still let in a good amount of bass (which you feel) and treble, making the music still enjoyable but at a reduced, more sane level.Rock musicians as they age tend to have better hearing than their classical counterparts. This, at first, makes no sense, but it s true because rock and pop musicians use hearing protection a whole lot more than conductors and instrumentalists of classical music.So wise up and start using protection unless you want hearing aids in your future. Those tiny hairs in your ear that allow you to listen can t regenerate! 5Low profile effective noise reduction.1. These aren t for shooting ranges or industrial use. If you see negative reviews, it s normally people complaining their AK 47 is too loud.Those people are challenged.2. These are for low profile wear at social situations (aka bars.)3. For that purpose they are perfect, but you have to understand that the low profile nature may make removal difficult. Just keep at it, they won t get stuck in there permanently. Just calm the f down, ok?4. Comfort for me is fine. No complaints.I have a weird thing where I couldn t go to bars/live music venues with friends. With these ear plugs I m just fine. It s still loud , but it honestly isn t uncomfortable. Nobody notices they re in there. 5Comfortable earplugs for audiophiles at concertsI love music. And as one of my favorite music professors always says, live music is always better than dead music.Just in the past year and a half, I've really started getting into the live concert scene. Let me rephrase that, I've started getting into the live rock concert scene. I've always been a frequent attendee of wind ensemble and orchestra concerts.I've also always have had a mild case of tinnitus, or ringing in the ears. This ringing is evidence of hearing damage, and it irreversible.Needless to say, going to rock concerts without hearing protection left me with a few nights of extra-ringing ears, and almost certainly hearing damage as well.More recently, I've actually been experiencing perforations of my ear drum and even just this year a full burst. Because of all of this, I decided to get my hands on a pair of ear plugs.The problem for me is that I can't just wear any old foam earplugs. I'm a bit of an audiophile, and those regular earplugs just make everything sound muffled, which for me defeats a lot of the purpose of going to a live show in the first place.That's where the downbeats come in. They are a special type of ear plug that lets most of the sound profile in, but cuts the volume to a safe level (they advertise 18dB noise reduction).Spoiler alert: they really do work as advertised. I wore them at a five hour metalcore concert this past weekend and I'm happy to report that I didn't have ringing ears after the show. I also was able to hear all of the frequencies, just quieter. I could still feel the music, and it wasn't *quiet* by any means, but it was not a damaging loudness.One thing to note is that unfortunately, these earplugs cut out conversation almost completely at a concert event. Conversations are hard at a concert event generally, because of all the noise, but these made it noticably harder to hear. I found myself removing one plug if I wanted to talk to my friends.Related to conversation, these earplugs tend to make you talk even quiter than normal. Because of how they sit in your ear canal, you end up hearing your voice pretty loud in your head, so you talk quiter to other people with them in. It's really a minor inconvenience, though, considering that these save your hearing. Again, you can just remove one when you feel the need to talk, and that solves the problem.The downbeats fit pretty comfortably, which is to say that I could wear them for the whole five hours of the show. To me, they feel like in-ear headphones. You definitely notice a pressure in the ear canal, but it's not terribly unpleasant. That means a lot from me, because I *despise* in ear headphones, because I find them incredibly uncomfortable.Luckily, even though these earplugs sit very similar in the ear to in-ear headphones, they stay in much better. One of my biggest fears in getting fancy earplugs was that they would fall out while I danced, jumped, headbanged, and otherwise moshed at the show. I am happy to report that these earplugs stayed in very well, and I never once had a problem with them slipping out or feeling loose. These are earplugs that I would recommend for metal, hardcore, rock, punk, etc shows.The downbeats also don't stick out from the ear very far, which is nice because you don't have to worry about catching a bump from the crowd and shoving the earplug too deep into the ear, damaging the ear drum (rock shows get intense). This also means that the downbeats are pretty inconspicuous, so you don't have to worry about everyone in the crowd knowing you're wearing earplugs.I didn't have any problems removing the downbeats from my ears after the show, although I have read reviews that said people did have some trouble with this. The included carrying case is also a really convenient storage system for when you take the plugs out, which is always a bonus. It's made of metal, and could definitely take a beating, although I didn't subject it to one.Overall, these are highly recommended by me. I liked everything about the product, and I look forward to taking them to more shows in the future. But even if you choose not to get this product, or if it doesn't work for you, wear earplugs to concerts, people. 4I didn't believe it...until I tried it!I very rarely write reviews for anything so the fact that I'm writing this should probably tell you something. I bought these ear plugs for a concert at a very small, loud venue. I had seen the band before at a different location, without any ear protection. I couldn't hear for two days afterwards so I knew that I needed to do something to protect myself. I read all the other reviews and couldn't quite believe that these $13 ear plugs were actually as good as everyone said. They are. I was able to hear everything--the band and my friends standing next to me. I totally felt like I got the full concert experience. Several people in my group noted how obscenely loud the concert was so when I pointed out that I was wearing earplugs (they couldn't see them in my ears!) I looked like a genius. But the real test of these ear plugs was that I had absolutely no ringing in my ears when I left the club. Nothing. Nada.Some people have made comments about the size of the ear plugs in their reviews. I have fairly small ear canals so I actually thought they were pretty big. I also didn't have any problems getting them out, but if you have large ears I suppose you might.In sum, I loved these and thought that the price was reasonable (especially if you have Prime). Keep in mind, though, I don't have anything to compare them to...other than not having them and that's not an option anymore. I will take these with me to every concert I attend from now on! 5Comfortable hearing protectionThese are great for protecting your ears at concerts, sporting events, etc. The clear design is subtle, and they don't fall out the way ear buds do. The moderate attenuation makes conversation possible while still protecting from loud music.However, after using them many times, the stems separated from the plugs while they were in my ears. Luckily, I was able to retrieve the plugs with tweezers and save myself a trip to the E.R. For whatever reason these things are molded in two pieces, and after time can separate. I am purchasing another pair, but plan on retiring them at regular intervals now.**UPDATE**The design seems to have been slightly updated, and the new ones mate more precisely and are holding up after many uses. 5Ear bud spine lodged deep in earThese worked excellent for a while but over the weekend at a music festival, I went to remove an ear bud and the small, hard plastic spine of the earbud came out and became lodged in my ear where it unknowingly sat for the last 4 days. Upon realizing I went to have it removed by a doctor and my ear drum is now bleeding. Don t buy cheap ear plugs, they can be just as damaging to your ears as the music. 1Best Plugs Of The Few I've TriedThese work very well. Just used them at a Zeds Dead show and I can hear fine and no ringing so they did their job. I like that people can't see them in your ear unless they are actually looking into your ear from the side. They are probably the most comfortable plugs I've used so far.I'll compare them to other similar plugs that I've tried at festivals the past year:Downbeats vs. Hearos (confident they're made in the same Chinese factory as the Etymotics):Sound quality - Slight edge to the Hearos. Though, that may be due to the fact that the downbeats have a slightly higher dB reduction so the Hearos are louder. My ears slightly ring after using Hearos at a loud show.Comfort - Definitely the downbeats. Hearos/Ety can get uncomfortable after a couple hours, but the downbeats don't annoy me.Style - Definitely the downbeats. Almost invisible, while the Hearos stick out.Downbeats vs. Dubs:Sound Quality - Very slight edge to the downbeats. To me, they have almost the exact same quality, but the Dubs reduce the decibels maybe slightly more. If you're sensitive to noise levels the Dubs could be slightly better here.Comfort - Tie. These are both very comfortable plugs and I've never had a problem wearing them for long periods. Though it always feels kinda good taking them out every couple hours for a break.Style - Slight edge to the downbeats. They are both pretty discrete, but the dubs are more noticeable from the side.Overall, great plugs and the best I've tried so far. 4Drowns out my coworkers loud chewingI have misophonia and my therapist suggested getting a pair of these when I told her about my coworker open mouth chewing her food every day. I went from wanting to put my fist through my computer every day to being able to calmly work next to her. The best part is I can still hear the voices of those around me, Would recommend! 5DownBeats compared to ER-20I'm a long-time user of the Etymotic ER20 attenuators. I have both sizes of Etys, and I just bought some of these DownBeats.Here's my comparison.The DownBeats come in a robust aluminum case. They don't rattle inside (there's a plastic liner), and the base doesn't unscrew and fall off the lid. It does clank on my keys, so I wrapped it in tape. It's easy to get the plugs out of the case.The Etys come in a rubbery plastic squeeze-case. Also fine on a keychain, but a little more bulky, lighter, and a lot less noisy. The rubbery case gets dirty and beat up over time. It can be difficult to get the plugs out.The DownBeats are shorter -- only two flanges against the Etys three, and a stubby stem. That makes them smaller and less noticeable from the front -- the stem doesn't poke out from your ears. But the stems of the Etys are clear, while the DBs are white; from the side the Etys are less noticeable for that reason.The shortness is an advantage under a helmet, hat, or laying against a pillow, but it slightly works against the DBs when inserting and removing. Only slightly, though.Now, on to comfort and fit.The flanges on the DBs are as fat as the large Etys. If you have small-to-medium ears, that might affect how well they fit.To me, with mid-to-large ears, both the white (large) Etys and the DBs are noticeable in the ear -- there's a constant gentle feeling of pressure when inserted. It's not bothersome, but you do notice it when compared to the smaller Etys.The Etys go deeper into the ear, and have a longer stem. That makes them less comfortable than the DBs. The comfort distinction is exaggerated if you're moving your ears or wearing something on your head -- the stem moves and applies pressure inside the ear canal.By contrast, the smaller blue Etys are slightly more comfortable than the DBs, but only if you stay still and don't move your face!Sound-wise: all three are good, and to most ears there won't be a difference in attenuation or sound quality. Fit is the most important factor to how these perform for you.Comparing back-to-back with good over-the-ear headphones is too close to call regarding quality: it would be dishonest to make a judgment. The DBs seem to attenuate slightly more than the blue Etys, which makes sense -- the blue Etys are probably a tiny bit too small for my ears. The DBs seem to have a more even attenuation curve, blocking heavy basslines a little better than the Etys.In conclusion: I'm carrying and wearing the DBs. I find them more comfortable, I prefer the way they sound, and I value the small improvement in attenuation.If you have small ears, have trouble inserting or removing earplugs, or want a soft case, you might prefer the Etymotic ER20s. If you find deep earplugs uncomfortable, need a lower-profile appearance, or want a hard case, go for the DBs. If you're stuck between the two, the DownBeats are a good choice. 5For the price, pretty good for loud concerts and smaller earsI was torn between these and Eargasm High Fidelity Earplugs, but leaning towards Downbeats because they were half the price, and they seemed like they would be less noticeable in my ear. Thanks to a sale I got both these and Eargasms and decided to test them.Basically, Downbeats muffled sound more than Eargasm earplugs did, but at loud volumes (like a concert) the muffle isn't that noticeable. Since I need earplugs that are clear at more normal volumes too (like a college lecture, background conversations in a large room), these muffled a bit too much to be helpful. It still wasn't a wasted purchase as I discovered these earplugs help with lessening noise when I need to fall asleep without muting too much (I still need to hear alarms, but I'm a very light sleeper), and the small size makes them comfortable for side sleeping.I didn't have a problem with removal like some other reviews said as I couldn't stick the earplugs far enough into my ear for it to be an issue.The picture is a size comparison of downbeats and the Eargasm high Fidelity earplugs (order is: Regular Eargasm plugs on the left, Downbeats in center, and smaller Eargasms on the right). The regular size Eargasm's middle flange is 1.5cm wide, and the Downbeat's smaller flange and the middle flange on the small Eargasm plug are both 1.3cm wide. 4

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DownBeats Reusable High Fidelity Hearing Protection: Ear Plugs for Concerts, Music, and Musicians (Clear Ear Plugs, Black Case)

DownBeats Reusable High Fidelity Hearing Protection: Ear Plugs for Concerts, Music, and Musicians (Clear Ear Plugs, Black Case)

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