Nina Raemont Writer
A recent graduate of the University of Minnesota, Nina started at CNET writing breaking news stories before shifting to covering Security Security and other government benefit programs. In her spare time, she’s in her kitchen, trying a new baking recipe.
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Due to natural aging and noise exposure, most of us will lose some degree of hearing over time. That’s why taking steps to protect it now is the best way to prevent hearing loss in the future.
The easiest way to do so is by avoiding loud noises that can damage your ears, particularly your inner ear. Exposure to extremely loud sounds (anything over 85 decibels) for a prolonged period of time, even if it’s a one-time thing, can cause hearing loss, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And damage to the inner ear or auditory neural system, the CDC says, is generally permanent. That means that just one loud concert or football game could do lasting damage. But it’s not just those intensely loud sounds that harm our ear health. Even the noise pollution we interact with on a daily basis can actually harm your hearing. Scary, right?
I tried out each earplug and wore them during my regular daily routine. I also took the earplugs to karaoke night to test them out in a loud environment.
Read more: Hearing Loss Is More Common Than You Think: 5 Signs You Should Get Tested
Best overall earplugs to protect your hearing in every setting
For loud concerts, noisy restaurants or deep work, I found the Minuendo Adjustable Lossless Earplugs, the most expensive on this list, to be the ideal earplug for all sorts of hearing protection. With the adjustable node on the side of each plug that reduces sound by from 7 to 25 decibels, you can customize the level of sound protection to serve you in moderately loud to critically harmful-to-your-hearing environments.
Best earplugs for hearing loss prevention
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These are the everything earplug, with a customizable node that you can adjust for your desired level of noise reduction and they come with 11 sets of ear tips and a carrying case. They are also conveniently magnetic, which is a thoughtful touch that makes them easier to keep track of.
The Minuendos were the most entertaining and environmentally versatile to use. You adjust the noise reduction node, which can reduce sound by 7 to 25 decibels, and hear the differences in sound reduction. While doing karaoke, these muffled the sound the best, out of all the earplugs I tried.
Not everyone wants or needs $160 earplugs. Avid concert-goers, musicians or anyone looking to invest in hearing protection would reap the benefits of the Minuendos, absolutely — and that’s who these plugs were designed for. But someone who wants an earplug they can wear in any situation, from loud restaurants and social gatherings to concerts and noisy transit would enjoy these plugs as well. And that’s not even considering how great they were at reducing the background noise of my office and apartment — the AC unit became inaudible once I put these on and turned them to the highest noise-reduction setting.
Pros:
- Variety of earplug tips
- Most customizable sound
- Easy to insert
Cons:
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As someone who lives on a busy New York street, it can be hard to focus deeply in my apartment without the constant interruptions of sirens or beeping cars or the occasional shouting passerby.
The Loop Quiet earplugs are an affordable option that muffle sound and allow for deep, uninterrupted work or sleep to take place. The Loop Quiet earplugs reduce sound by up to 27 decibels while working, sleeping, traveling or attending events. While they aren’t designated to serve super-noisy environments, the level of decibel protection surely provides a sound barrier that comes in handy in louder spaces, too. Alongside the Quiets, Loop also offers a colorful selection of affordable earplugs for concert-going, motorcycling, productivity, social gathering and parenting that screaming child of yours.
The Loop Quiet earplugs were easy to install and fit snugly in my ears. I slept with the Quiets in and found it much easier to fall asleep when the sound of my loud AC unit was reduced by the plugs. While working in my busy office, the Quiets made surrounding conversation nearly difficult to understand, which allowed me to further focus on my work. It wasn’t until I had tried these on that I realized how distracted I was by moderately audible office conversations around me.
For their price, style and sound-muffling qualities, these are a top pick for getting work done, sleeping and subduing everyday noise, but they could also be used in louder settings if need be.
Pros:
- Secure fit while sleeping and working
- Sleek design
- Variety of colors and styles
- Inexpensive
Cons:
- Not intended for extremely loud environments
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This is one unfussy earplug. It was the easiest to use and insert into my ear, and it properly dampened the sounds of the busy New York streets where I was walking and muffled the blaring sounds of karaoke songs.
The Hi-Fidelity earplugs come with a carrying case and three different plug sizes. Of the four earplugs I tried, the Hi-Fidelity earplugs, which reduce sound by up to 15 decibels, reduce noise the least amount, but they are still an effective and affordable choice for attending loud events.
These earplugs, according to Vibes’ website, are primarily for listening to live music. Wearing these during karaoke, I thought that they reduced the harsh noise well without making everything difficult to hear or understand. Some earplugs, like the Minuendos, are so good at reducing noise it is hard to interpret the world around you, but the Hi-Fidelity Earplugs balance both ends of that spectrum. With their 15-decibel sound reduction, you could also use them in other moderately loud environments, like parties or restaurants.
The Hi-Fidelity earplugs function as an inexpensive option for the occasional attendee of live events. Plus, they are simple to use and insert.
Pros:
- Easiest to insert and remove
- Lightweight
- Secure fit
- Inexpensive
Cons:
- Less sound protection than other earplugs
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You are going to have to put in some work to have the Decibullz Custom-Molded Earplugs work for you, but once they are fit to your ear, they reduce sound by up to 31 decibels, the highest level of sound reduction on this list.
What made these difficult to install was their finicky nature as you are heating them in boiling hot water and then molding them to your ear shape. You have to remove earrings and piercings before putting the hot mold in your ear, because there is a risk the mold will stick to them. My mold wasn’t hot enough the first time I tried to fit it to my ear; the second time that I heated the product, I had to exercise caution in fitting the hot plastic to my ear.
After the mold is fitted to your ear, you are instructed to wait five minutes with it in. Putting a hot product that comes with multiple warnings near a sensitive part of your face can be distressing, especially considering there are other earplug options that will protect your hearing without the customizing fuss.
The earplugs come with three sets of triple flange tips and one set of foam tips, a carrying pouch and thermoplastic custom molds, which you heat in boiling water and then mold to your ear for a tight fit. It can be a bit daunting to fit the product to your ear, but fortunately, if you don’t get it right the first time you can remold it. It can be uncomfortable to put something that has been sitting in boiling water into your ear, then press on it to shape it properly. I ran into some trouble with that.
While some of the other earplugs I reviewed were designed for concerts or moderately loud events, these are designed for the next level of loud environments, like shooting guns or construction work. For $26 you are getting stellar sound protection and a tailored-to-you earplug. But that’s only if the product is properly molded to your ear. What I found when I was using these during karaoke was that they didn’t work any better than the other earplugs I tried, even though they promised higher sound protection.
Pros:
- Remoldable thermoplastic custom molds, in case you mess up molding to your ear the first time
- High sound protection
- Variety of tips with triple flange and foam
- Inexpensive
Cons:
- Molding hot plastic to the shape of your ear can be uncomfortable
- If not molded correctly you don’t get the benefits of enhanced sound protection
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To test the earplugs, I wore them as I worked, slept and socialized throughout one week and considered the price, fit, comfort, quality of noise reduction and usability of each. I switched between the earplugs during my office work and while I was out at bars, walking around or on the subway. For earplugs that were designated to serve noisy environments, the Decibullz and the Vibes, I brought them to louder places, like karaoke and wore them on walks around my bustling block. For the Loop Quiet earplugs that were meant for reducing background noise, I worked and slept with them. For earplugs that could serve both environments, like the Minuendos, I wore them as often as I could. For more on how CNET tests the products and services it reviews, here is a full explanation.
- Fit and comfort: I wore these earplugs as I slept, worked, hung out and walked throughout the week to test their comfort.
- Noise reduction: To test how well these earplugs reduced noise, I would switch between different earplugs in the same environment to compare their noise reduction properties to one another.
- Usability: I considered the styles and accessories such as carrying cases and variety of tips that the earplugs came with, and how likely I would be to use them in my everyday life.
When purchasing an earplug for hearing loss prevention, consider the level of decibel protection it will provide. A higher number of decibel protection can take the dangers of loud arenas down a couple of notches. The earplugs I tried offered anywhere from 15 to 31 decibels of protection. Another essential factor to consider is the question, “will you actually wear these?” That all comes down to the style and fit of the earplug. Consider how comfortable it is to have the earplug in your ear, would you be fine wearing it for an hour? Three hours?
As I spent time with these earplugs, I began to recognize the various purposes for which someone would use this product. I don’t go to concerts as often as I do work in a noisy apartment, so an earplug that muffles the noise in my apartment suits me better than one that reduces the level of sound by 30 decibels. But a musician or someone who attends a live music event every week will demand more sound protection.
Read more: What Musicians Can Teach Us About Noise and Hearing Loss
We live in an incredibly noisy world and it can be nearly impossible to avoid the cacophony and protect our ears. Luckily, you don’t have to. That’s where earplugs come in.
Wearing earplugs in loud spaces like at concerts (being in the front row at a rock concert produces 140 decibels of noise, according to University of Iowa Health Care‘s website), at noisy restaurants (around 60 to 80 decibels), while using heavy machinery (around 110 decibels) or riding the subway (around 90 decibels) can not only prevent hearing loss but also tinnitus.
I should add that, before I wrote this article I was not an avid earplug user. But as I worked, walked around and traveled with these earplugs in, I quickly became converted to an earplugs-for-everything advocate. They helped me focus more on my work with less distractions. They made the commute on the subway nearly silent.
We’ve compiled a list of earplugs that will dampen the noisiest concerts and loudest subway rides, but also provide clarity as you work and move, because you shouldn’t only care about your hearing health in particularly blaring situations.
For more on hearing tips, here are 10 tips to lower your risk of hearing loss and five ways to take care of your hearing aids this summer.
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