We're literally enveloped in sound almost all day, every day, and while the sound of life-in-general usually sticks to a reasonable volume level, sometimes, it can get too much. If you're playing with a band or you're in a DJ booth every night, then your ears will be bombarded with decibels on the regular. Even if you're a seasoned gig-goer or festival afficionado, things are going to get loud. Of course, you might just be a light sleeper in need of something that can shut everything out so you can get some real shut-eye. So, whether you're seeking the sound of silence, or need to keep your hearing fully protected and in full health, hearing protection isn't a choice - it's an absolute must.
Hearing Protection: It's Not a Luxury
Hearing damage is no joke. Even sounds we encounter everyday, like loud motorbikes and loud music can easily reach above the 80 decibel mark, so hearing damage can quickly mount up. If you're regularly subjecting your sensitive ear drums to loud volume levels, it can lead to frequency loss, or even tinnitus - a constant ringing in your ears. Whether you're a musician or a music lover, keeping your ears in good shape simply makes sense and is actually really easy.
The 'Technical' Side
Hearing protection can be roughly divided into two kinds. The first is a good-old pair of foam earplugs - those squishy little pellets that you can screw up and stick in both ears to close everything off. While these ear plugs are cheap, you can only really use them once, so if you pay a little more, you can get earplugs that can be used again and again and usually have specialised filters, sometimes a set of them, each designed to filter out and dampen certain frequencies while retaining the full sound of the music you're enjoying. Then there are ear defenders, which are placed over your ears like a set of headphones to shut off all of the noise of the outside world, and while they're much less discrete, you can use them forever.
Hearing Protection for All! Adults, Children and Even Babies
It simply makes sense to use hearing protection, especially at festivals and gigs where the volume will always be hitting the danger zone. While there's plenty of hearing protection designed for fully-grown adult ears, what about the itty-bitty ears of small children and even babies? Since their hearing isn't fully developed just yet, they're ears are actually even more sensitive to loud noises, whether it's at the fair, the swimming pool, or even just a birthday party. As such, you can get specially designed hearing protection just for kids and babies.
What Kind of Hearing Protection Can You Get for Children & Babies?
For small children, you can get ear-muffs that double as ear defenders for children. Ear defenders for babies usually have super-soft foam cushioning and a just-as-soft elasticated and adjustable headband to ensure a comfy and secure fit. Ear defenders for infants look much like ear defenders for adults, but are all sized for children's heads and are usually adjustable. Hearing protection is generally a good idea for children, and it can also aid focus in the classroom. All of that noise can be overstimulating and lead to problems with concentration, so a set of ear muffs can actually help children to follow the lesson, since they only soften louder noises so the child can hear the teacher perfectly.
Hearing Protection for Music & Loud Sound
A lot of hearing protection we stock at Bax Music is focussed on protecting your ears while you make or listen to music. So, we have hearing protection for professional musicians as well as the crowd-members - to keep their ears healthy and able to enjoy music for as long as possible. And while it's obvious that wearing a set of ear plugs on stage, in rehearsals, or at gigs and festivals is obvious, it's less obvious that you might need it in the studio. Understandably, most musicians hate wearing earplugs because they think it alters the sound, but this just isn't true. There are plenty of models available that dampen the sound evenly, across the entire frequency range, literally reducing the volume without messing with the sound. For drummers, there are specially designed
drum headphones
, which are really efficient at blocking sound from outside and are ideal when you need to follow a click track, loops, or backing tracks without having to crank up the volume. Music devotees could invest in a set of headphones with active noise suppression, which block out most surrounding noise so you don't have to turn the volume up too high to enjoy the music you're listening to.
Universal or Gig & Festival Ear Plugs
If you spend the winter months in sweaty venues and your whole summer following the festival circuit, then you'll definitely want to keep your ears fresh all year round. To help, we have a range of earplugs especially for gig-goers. Some are single-use, some can be used a few times, and some for the rest of your life. Some include cleaning tools and swappable filters. We even have earplugs designed for touring DJs that don't just protect their ears, but make sure they can fully focus on the mix. So whether you're looking for a set of universal earplugs you can wear on stage, as part of the crowd or in the DJ booth, or if you need specialised hearing protection, we've got you covered.
Made-to-Measure Earplugs
Simply because no set of ears is the same, most hearing protection is one-size-fits and made of material that warps to fit the shape of your ear canals. But you can also get ear-plugs in different sizes or, if you're not sure of your size, you can get plugs that include sets of different sized plugs.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hearing Protection
How does hearing protection work?
Hearing protection basically reduces the volume of any sound trying to get in your ears. Foam earplugs and ear defenders are designed to shut off sound completely, creating a shield against any noise. Most earplugs have a little sound channel with a filter that dampens the lowest and highest frequencies to reduce the volume.
Why do people wear hearing protection?
Even noises we encounter every day can reach levels of around 80 decibels, which is already in danger of causing hearing damage. And when you go to see a band play a gig or go to a festival, the volume level can raise through the roof - and so can the danger of hearing damage. Since hearing damage is usually irreversible, wearing hearing protection is a must - especially for young children.
How expensive is good hearing protection?
You can pick up a set of foam earplugs for less than £3, but if you're listening to music and want to hear everything, then you can get earplugs in various sizes, all of which reduce the volume while retaining the clarity of the music, and these can be priced anywhere between £14 and £40.
What kind of hearing protection is the best?
The amount of volume reduction a set of ear defenders or earplugs offer depends on the model. To counter really loud noises, you need some really strong ear protection. Foam earplugs and ear defenders are designed to shut off all sound, so don't differentiate between lower and higher frequencies. Earplugs fitted with filters are more refined in that they're designed to shave off certain frequencies and lower the volume so you can safely listen to loud music.
