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Custom Ear Protectors Designed for Musicians
Personalized Protection
Hearing protection is essential for people who work in loud environments. This is especially true for professional musicians, since they have to deal with near-constant exposure to noise.
The volume of the music and the duration of the exposure can cause significant and sometimes irreversible hearing damage such as tinnitus, hyperacusis and sound intolerance. A musician’s hearing is just as important as the instruments they play, and it needs to be protected accordingly.
Foam or wax earmolds from a pharmacy are appealing because they’re not expensive. However, they’re not very good for playing or listening to music, because they don’t allow some sound ranges to be heard properly.
In particular, over-the-counter earmolds tend to block high-pitched sounds the most, which can be a big problem for musicians when they play an instrument. This type of protector completely blocks the ear, which is a good thing when you want to protect yourself from loud sounds, but not as great when you want to play music.
Personalized Protection
That’s why custom ear protectors are the best solution. Musician’s ear protectors have holes in them, to which an acoustic filter is added. This prevents the ear from being blocked completely. The custom ear protectors still provide excellent protection, but they reduce sound evenly across all frequencies.
The three most common types of filters are ER-9, ER-15 and ER-25. The number at the end shows how many decibels of protection they provide. The filter you choose can vary depending on your needs, the instrument you’re playing or even your position in an orchestra or on a stage.
The filters are interchangeable, which is great for people who play multiple instruments or simply want to change how much noise is being blocked. These custom ear protectors are comfortable and create a better seal than over-the-counter earmolds.
With proper hearing protection, musicians can practice their art safely, without compromising the quality of their music or the joy of listening!
References:
- Berger, E. H. (2011b). The ER-15 - Development of a Good-Sounding Earplug, Canadian Hearing Report 6, 30–32.
- Chasin, M. Musicians and the Prevention of Hearing Loss. Singular Publishing Group.
- Etymotic. Which Musicians Earplug is Right for You?. Online. Consulted on January 29, 2020.