Introduction
Air is a fluid. When a sound system is well-tuned and in a complimentary space it can be bliss. Feeling the heavy pulsations through the air is like the soothing intensity of sitting in a hot tub, and sometimes it feels good to crank up the heat even though it stings a little.
It sounds all hippie dippie but there is solid scientific evidence that shows that cells vibrate at resonant frequencies of 10 kHz - 30 kHz and 150 kHz - 180 kHz. Note how some of these are outside the range of what is considered “audible” to human hearing, but that does not mean the body can’t perceive it. Although immersion is possible with headphones, you’re not getting these full body sensations without listening to a sound system cranked at HIGH volume.
So if you’re like me and love to hang around the speakers that are blasting in every party and festival, you’re not wrong for loving it. But over time this can catch up to you very fast.
Tinnitus
Tinnitus is defined as the hearing of a continous ringing, buzzing or hissing sound in the absence of any actual sound in the environment. It is also sometimes known as ‘phantom sounds’ due to perceived hallucination of non-occuring sounds. This is commonly observed in people who are exposed to loud sounds on a daily basis, such as construction and factory workers. But one might think JUST ONE LOUD RAVE NIGHT wouldnt do permanent damage, would it? Sadly, you’re mistaken. Here is one reddit thread among thousands of people having permanent hearing damage after just one incident. So its very essential you take the right step to protect your ears before its too late. While Tinnitus is only related to ear damage, subsequent mental issues such as depression, anxiety and heart problems among others.
Heres a visual understanding of how Tinnitus occurs courtesy of Netmeds. You can read their medical blog on the same here.
Often times, you see lot of people standing right in front of speakers throughout the night. But if you look closely, they always ensure to have concert earplugs on.
Advantages of using the RIGHT concert earplugs
While many prefer to not spend much and use cork or chinese plastic plugs (some even stuff tissues), I wouldn't recommend this.
Firstly, using low quality plugs will block out most of the frequencies and you will end up listening to muffled sounds. It’s pointless to be going to a party with epic speakers if you are gonna do this to yourself.
Low quality plugs are not well designed and dont guarantee protection for your ears.
Good quality earplugs are always designed to block out only dangerous frequencies that can hurt you. Some work so well that you wouldnt have to remove them to have a conversation with your buddies.
The list includes only 2 products, one that is disposable while the other is reusable.
Hearos Ultimate Softness Series (Top in disposable concert earplugs)
Starting off with the cheaper disposable option, we have the Hearos Ultimate Softness. Thanks to their super soft texture, you can easily stuff it in your ear and have a comfortable experience. While they have not been designed specifically for concerts, they do their job pretty well and keep your ears safe. The best part is since its pretty cheap for a 14 pair, you are not going to feel miserable if you lose them after a very wild rave night.
Pros
In-expensive, disposable.
Won't get paranoid about losing them.
Protect your ears and block out sound pretty well.
Cons
The amount of blocking might be a bit too much as these are not designed for musical enjoyment.
These are a great option to start with and thousands of reviews worldwide make it a well proven safe option among all disposable concert earplugs.
Loop Experience Plus Concert Ear Plugs (Top in Value for Money)
While you may find numerous “VFM” options throughout that are 2-3x cheaper than this, they usually end up being a waste thanks to fitment or quality issues.
The Loop Experience Plus Concert Earplugs (not to confuse with the cheaper sleeping ones) are the top choice throughout the world for their good fit, comfort over extended durations while being very effective at overall damage reduction without causing any muffling. Having 4 different ear tips ensures to provide a fit irrespective of how big your ears maybe. Sound quality is preserved while reducing only the overall negative effects it could have over your sensitive ears.
Being an international favorite and having more than 14,000 global ratings on Amazon, you can’t go wrong with this purchase. The only better option in terms of performance would be buying custom moulded earplugs. These are currently not available in India while being very pricey in overseas markets.
Final Thoughts
With how expensive party and festival tickets have become lately, the price you pay to keep your ears safe with these high quality options seem like a good investment in the long run.
Having read countless sad stories across the web and having being partially deafened (temporarily) in the recent Psykovsky + Kindzadza rave in Origens, I decided to research and test out the above products and they both performed great.
Ps: If you felt the blog was helpful, please support PsyFyi and use the above affiliate links to make your purchase.