Ear Protection & Drums. How Loud Is Too Loud?

Gareth, I'm sure this is typical of most outdoor concerts these day.

Yes, the speakers are on the sides of the two main stages. These were major concerts. Louder Than Life had Metallica headline two nights. Rob Zombie, Slipnot, GnR, Godsmack, Stone Temple Pilots. I think there were about 40 bands in the metal genre over the 3 days. Hometown Rising was a country version, with Tim McGraw, Frankie Ballard, Dwight Yokum, Trace Adkins, Little Big Town. Again about 40 acts, and 4 stages. Bourbon and Beyond had Foo Fighters, ZZ Top, Hall and Oates, John Fogerty, Robert Plant, Joan Jett, Flaming Lips, Blackberry Smoke, Allison Krause and more. I think attendance figures were around 100,000 per weekend.

I did enjoy reading some of the stories from local residents near the venue. While some people whined and moaned about "disturbing our peace", a bunch said it was really nice to sit outside on the back porch with a cold beer enjoying ZZ Top and Foo Fighers for free.
 
I'd rather see it as well though! :-) One thing I'd say though, is if it's 105dB at the mixing desk it must be louder than that if you're in the front row. :-)
 
Try Westone, mate. Just Google it, they come right up. They partner with audiologists all over the country to provide the molds and all that jazz. Trust me, it's worth every penny.

Hey Johnny, do you use the TRU Univerals, the TRU Customs or the EG49 Customs? They all look pretty good to me! :-)
 
Hey Johnny, do you use the TRU Univerals, the TRU Customs or the EG49 Customs? They all look pretty good to me! :-)

Now...it's been awhile since I got new products from Westone that were not just replacement filters...I'm in my early 40's so my ear shape isn't changing as fast as it used to, which would then require me to get new molds and new earplugs...so don't quote me here, but if I remember correctly, the ES (not EG) series is the high-end version and the TRU Customs are closest to what I use... and the TRU Universals didn't exist last time I purchased...so I'd say go with the TRU Customs...but it all depends on how much yer gonna use them.

In my 20s & 30s, I was not only touring a lot but seeing a lot of shows and trying to sleep in noisy vans or hotel rooms (and at those times I'd just pop out the filters and shove wet tissue in the holes...nearly dead silence and complete comfort, unlike foam earplugs), so had my Westones in my ears literally half of every day for years. The TRU Universals would have gotten old, fast. But, they're a lot cheaper and you still benefit from the excellent filters Westone makes, so that might be a good place to start. Then if you use them a lot, you could always upgrade to the custom molds.
 
Thanks. I’m not going to use them a lot. We practice roughly 14-15 times a year which is every two weeks in uni term times, roughly speaking. However, if in the future I’m in a band with a drummer who isn NOT a foreign student (or a student at all) we would do more practices. Obviously students go back to where they came from outside of term times!

I’ve got a few in mind to try out and I don’t want to just pick one and wear them forever. I would rather experiment with different ones and see which work best for me. The universals look very similar in style to the Hearos Multi-Purpose and those have a small and regular size (small orange packet, regular blue pack) so I thought I’d start with those in small and see how well they stay in.

If they pop out annoyingly I will steer away from that style and try the TRU Customs or ES49 Customs. However, if I get on really well with the generic darlek/cone shaped ones I will try out some other brands and filter strengths to see which I prefer. Westones (20 or 25dB) and Etymotics. I’ve seen a YT vid that said Etymotics are better for vocals so I want to check them out too.

I think TBH in the end I want the TRU or ES49 Customs but I’m going to try out a few of the cheaper generic ones first. Just so I know what they are like. Thanks again for your help.
 
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