Customer Reviews

Hearos High Fidelity Ear Plugs

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High Fidelity Ear Plugs/filters

I play the trumpet in several bands and when I get stuck in front of the percussion section (particularly snare drums), earplugs are a necessity. I own a half dozen types of plugs, and they all block the sound, but they also muffle and distort it. These plugs simply lower the volume with a minimum of the muffling effect, so they are perfect for musicians in loud groups. Very comfortable, quick & easy to insert or remove.

They also seem perfect for concerts. For example, when Arturo Sandavol, the trumpet virtuoso, appeared locally, he used what must have been a 10,000 watt sound system. These ear plugs allow you to enjoy the music when a clueless sound engineer turns the volume three clicks past painful.

Note: Etymotic Research ER20BP High Fidelity Ear Plugs and Hearos High Fidelity Ear Filters are virtually identical, other than color variations.

Our band bought 5 sets of these for our practice space that can get quite loud.

Previously I had been using a Vic Firth Isolation headset while the others used nothing.

I can certainly hear more clearly than with the straight dB drop the headphones provide, can clearly hear the guitar and vocals without to much mudding of the sound.

The guitarists don't care for them though. They have a difficult time distinguishing the actual note they are playing. Our bass player uses them off and on dependent on the song and the level of accuracy he needs to hear.

I would recommend trying them as they are relatively inexpensive compared to a custom tuned and fit application from an audiologist.

If you are a drummer they will be more benefit to you than if you are guitar/keyboard/bass player from our joint experience.

These sound much better than those foam ear plugs. It takes some practice to get a good seal. A little water really helps.

I am a drummer, love the sound of my drums, and do not like to wear ear plugs because I can't HEAR them, not to mention the subtleties of my bandmates' playing. These simple devices, however, have converted me. I can hear all the colors of my instrument, and everyone else's, without blowing my ears out. Took a couple of times for me to just get used to them, that is having something in my ear canals whilst playing. Now I forget they are there, and really don't play LOUDER to compensate for the reduction in overall sound. Nuances remain. Foam plugs muffle everything, which is not a bad thing in most high volume settings. These just have the nice effect of volume reduction, without sacrificing the loveliness of the sound.

I should have bought a product like this years ago. You can still hear when people are talking to you although I don't find them comfortable when I actually play a few songs on stage. You might get used to them in this type of application, I have never tried. I would force myself to use them if I were playing for long periods of time or at practices. They work great for being in clubs or bars as an audience member. They are a little pricey, and I bought the high fidelity ones for about 14 bucks here and the Rock and Roll plugs for about 7 bucks in a shop. I don't understand the huge difference in price because there really isn't much difference in the level it protects you from and the fidelity. The Rock n' Roll ones do block out a bit more sound and are shaped totally differently. The Rock plugs look more like a baby's pacifier and the High Fidelity plugs have concentric disks. As far as fidelity goes, it is a selling gimmick. I compared these to a pair of my old swimming plugs that are exactly the same except the swim plugs are solid rubber, and there is almost no difference in fidelity. If you can find some cheap rubber swim plugs, they work just as well. Whatever you do, get some plugs for your ears. You will be glad you did later on when all your friends are having to wear hearing aids, and asking every five seconds, "huh, what's that? You say you just accidently pooped in your plants?" So you can wear stuff in your ears for a few minutes when you need to now or all the time when you are older. It is a no-brainer to me. At least I'll be able to hear when young thugs are getting ready to mug me from behind, and the names they are calling me as they are stomping on my liver.

These are good ear plugs to have when going to a loud concert, because no muffuling occurs in certain frequencies that would occur with disposable earplugs. And unlike disposable earplugs, you can carry on a conversation with these in your ears. The case that come with the ear plugs is a joke though. First day I had them the cap broke off, and the ear plugs can get stuck in the tube. I suggest to anyone getting these to get a mini altoids tin, and use that as a case instead of the one it comes with. It has worked well for me!

I bought this for a recent rock concert. It is supposed to modulate amplitude (loudness) without affecting frequency (pitch), and this pair of Hearos did that and more! I firmly believe I listened to a much better concert than other people because the Hearos seemed to also filter out unwanted reverberations. I removed the earplugs for a few seconds to determine if the lead vocalist sounded better with my ears unobstructed. What a heard was a screechier voice, instruments that sounded raucuous and nearly drowned out the singing, and a pounding sound that made my head ache. With the Hearos, the vocalist's voice sounded crisp, the instruments tight and distinguishable, and without the stadium echo that was too annoying even for a rock concert. From now on, I will always pack my Hearos for any arena concert event!

I wore these for the 1st time last week at the R.E.M. concert at MSG. Having attended several rock concerts over the last couple years I found that for hours after my ears were ringing enough that I knew damage must be happening. Once I got used to the feel of these they worked as advertised. I could hear the music fine but avoided the mega dbs that makes most ears numb. I would recommend these to anyone looking to hear beyond the age of 40!

These are fairly comfortable, and I can easily carry on a conversation with them in.. these have been well reviewed for concerts already. Because of the small size of the case, I had them in the purse for several weeks, so I tried them out in a few other situations as well.
You can have them in while at loud social situations like parties, but don't bother if the party isn't noise ordinance levels of loud. (At a loud dinner party, they helped slightly, but I always had the impression that I might be missing things that the people just behind me were saying.) In a crowded cafeteria, the sounds of the cafeteria and the background buzzes all vanish, but being able to clearly hear all the voices almost makes it louder in there.
In the end, I've decided to take advantage of the extra room in the case for a pair of old fashioned noise deadening plugs as well. Sometimes, you want superb hearing, sometimes, you don't.

Although some may not mind going to a rock concert without ear protection, I am not one of them.

These ear protectors not only save one from pain and the likelihood of permanent damage, they do it without distorting the sound. They are also reasonably priced.

Highly recommended!