Hearing Protection for kids (and adults?) at shows

Drowned Out · September 2011

I'm bringing my 8 year old daughter to the Calgary show and am having trouble deciding how hardcore to be about hearing protection for her.
I had row 7 last tour so I expect to be fairly close on the floor - good, loud sound...

I've read that most rock concerts run around 110 - 120 db, with permanent hearing damage occurring around 90-95db, sustained for over an hour...

Looks like I have 3 options:
-musician earplugs-have a small pair rated at 15db attentuation. Not positive if they're fitting her properly
-foam earplugs - have some rated at 30db attenuation. Again, not easy to tell if they're in properly.
-earmuffs - would have to buy some of these. Are they overkill for an 8 year old? Most of the reviews on amazon say they're being used for much younger kids to help them sleep thru concerts/fireworks etc...

I don't mind buying/bringing all 3. But...the kid has an ipod, always wants the tunes louder in the car etc. I'm not worried about her being freaked out by the noise...so I'm not sure if I should be insisting she wear the earmuffs or not....? Want to protect her but not screw up the experience for her. I've never once worn anything on/in my ears at a show, starting at age 12.

Opinions/experiences?

vant0037 · September 2011

I ALWAYS wear either foam earplugs (or use tissue if I forget) for every show I go to, PJ or not. My mom, in her hey-day, went to a handful of rock shows and now has pretty bad hearing. At 28, I've probably been to hundreds (200+?) of shows, everything from metal/rock to hip-hop and punk. I figure, my hearing's fucked by now anyway, but ear plugs at least prevents the ringing after the show or any further damage.

As for kids, I think you owe it to your daughter to get ear muffs. She's young enough to be stuck with the whim of what her parents decide for her (whether she goes to the show or not), and she doesn't have much say in terms of how she protects herself. Go with the ear muffs. Personally, when I see a kid at a show, I always cringe, but if I see parents acting responsibly and providing them with ear protection, it at least shows they recognize that a rock show can be pretty intense for a kid. It shows they care.

Go with ear muffs.

vant0037 · September 2011

One other thing: I find that ear plugs actually improves the sound of a show. It cuts out some of the distortion and you end up hearing a crisper show (EV's voice comes out a lot clearer).

Jason78 · September 2011

vant0037 wrote:

One other thing: I find that ear plugs actually improves the sound of a show. It cuts out some of the distortion and you end up hearing a crisper show (EV's voice comes out a lot clearer).

I second that. Good quality foam has always done the trick. Great walking out not feeling like you've just damaged your hearing. Don't know about you but I want to be able to rock out till' I'm gone.

Drowned Out · September 2011

Cool, thanks.
I don't really want to get into the morality of bringing a kid to a show....but to antagonize any potential moral police (not you vant0037), I'll throw this out there: she's also missing a day of school for the roadtrip :P hehe

I'm just concerned that the sound will be too muted to enjoy it in the earmuffs- from what I've read, they're basically meant to kill all loud noise...the musicians plugs mostly block the harmful frequencies, but don't seem quite adequate. Thought maybe the foam plugs were a happy medium...Guess I should insist on the earmuffs; best to err on the side of caution.

I know if I ask her opinion (which I realize is kinda silly to bother doing with an 8 yr old), or how it sounds when we're there, I know she'll say she'd prefer anything but ear muffs...

Drowned Out · September 2011

Jason78 wrote:

vant0037 wrote:

One other thing: I find that ear plugs actually improves the sound of a show. It cuts out some of the distortion and you end up hearing a crisper show (EV's voice comes out a lot clearer).

I second that. Good quality foam has always done the trick. Great walking out not feeling like you've just damaged your hearing. Don't know about you but I want to be able to rock out till' I'm gone.

But are foam adequate for a kid?
Someone tell me that if I'm asking, I know the answer...:P

ilockyer · September 2011

Hearing protection is a must whether an adult or child. The attenuating earplugs are best IMO. I have no idea on brands etc but a lot of us in the UK use a brand called Alpine. It may not seem very rock and roll, but better than losing hearing!

LikeAnOcean · September 2011

At age 8 I wouldn't have much liked to go to a concert. I remember being pissed because my mom had me up until midnight for a wedding reception.

Hopefully your kids are different, but at that age it would have been miserable for me. Have you talked to them about it?

Jason78 · September 2011

Can't remember the brand but Target/Wal-Mart sells them. They're non-cylindrical cone chaped and flesh toned. I've seen kids use them.

Drowned Out · September 2011

Gob wrote:

At age 8 I wouldn't have much liked to go to a concert. I remember being pissed because my mom had me up until midnight for a wedding reception.

Hopefully your kids are different, but at that age it would have been miserable for me. Have you talked to them about it?

I'm hardly dragging her there, man

She's been asking when she can come to a concert since she was 4. She's been dancing to PJ DVD's with me since she took her first steps....She likes staying up late whenever she can, and has seen other live bands in park/bandshell-type settings....She knows exactly what to expect (except the vids of kids on stage during RITFW has given her some pretty high hopes

). Her only concern is that she won't be able to see well.

Anyway...like I said...not interested in debating the morality of bringing her. The decision is made and there's no way I'm breaking her heart no matter how convincing any of you are...

Get_Right · September 2011

ear plugs are a must have unless you are in the back of the arena

http://www.earinc.com/p2-specialty-musician.php

I have been using the er-20's for the past 10 years or so-they are great and it is absolutely true that they make the sound better in most cases-I like the cord too!

JaneNY · September 2011

For Pearl Jam I find the musician type (I buy etymotic) adequate (and I find myself pulling them out a little during the show), but for Mudhoney the foam ones would be better, for you AND your child!

Have always used plugs - as others have said, I'd like to be able to enjoy music until I check out of this world.

TK15685 · September 2011

I am excited for you and your daughter. Hearing protection is a must; I am an audiologist. I use custom fit musician earplugs for shows and they provide great fidelity without the leftover ringing. Hint...ringing means you are losing your hearing and killing hair cells. Leads to permanent damage...just ask Pete Townshend.

I would recommend muffs or even possibly disposable Mack's wax earplugs. They are wax so they can be molded to her little ears. Should provide 15-20 dB of reduction and offer some protection. Foam is also an option. Either can be found in the drugstore in the eye/ear aisle.

Anything is honestly better than nothing. She doesn't need to feel the power of the sound to enjoy the show; and to set a good example make sure to use your earplugs too. ENJOY!

merkinball · September 2011

JaneNY wrote:

For Pearl Jam I find the musician type (I buy etymotic) adequate (and I find myself pulling them out a little during the show), but for Mudhoney the foam ones would be better, for you AND your child!

Have always used plugs - as others have said, I'd like to be able to enjoy music until I check out of this world.

Exactly what I do too. I've got a pair of etymotic earplugs (they are cheap on Amazon), that I've had for years.

I do need to pull them out just a bit too, but they work great.

curmudgeoness · September 2011

I wear foam earplugs at all of the shows, so do my kids.

If you expect to be up close, I'd get the earmuffs, anyway. Yeah, you might not need them, but with a young child and with you expecting to be pretty close to the stage, at the very least they are nice to have handy. Some of the opening bands (erm, Ted Leo and Bad Religion) have been so bloody loud that even with earplugs we had to step outside and/or cover our ears -- and I've never had "great" seats.

jwhjr17 · September 2011

I've been wearing the foam ones for the last 10 years or so, and as others have stated I think the show actually sounds better. I'm bringing my 11 yr old daughter to her 1st PJ show I'm Winnipeg next week and she'll have the foam ones in as well.

drummerboy_73 · September 2011

Get_Right wrote:

ear plugs are a must have unless you are in the back of the arena

http://www.earinc.com/p2-specialty-musician.php

I have been using the er-20's for the past 10 years or so-they are great and it is absolutely true that they make the sound better in most cases-I like the cord too!

I would also recommend something like these - looks like the "Baby Blue" color comes in a smaller size for youngsters.

I've used HEAROS available at Guitar Center for 15+ years. They have a cheap foam plug that runs about $10 for 8 pairs, or you can get the Hi-Fi version, which is a rubber, flanged plug and they do a pretty good job of cutting volume while preserving the overall natural frequencies in the sound.

PearlJam24 · September 2011

vant0037 wrote:

One other thing: I find that ear plugs actually improves the sound of a show. It cuts out some of the distortion and you end up hearing a crisper show (EV's voice comes out a lot clearer).

I too wear the foam ear plugs and agree it improves the sound of a show. I find it cuts out the talkers and bad singers too!

trabera · September 2011

These were posted in the upper link and I HIGHLY recommend them. They're not as expensive as the musician's plugs but allow for much better sound quality than foam:

http://www.etymotic.com/hp/er20.html

They take a bit of getting used to but when you do get used to them, man there is nothing better for the cost.

I usually clean mine off after the show and I replace them every year or so.

And as someone said above, they make a smaller size for smaller ear canals.

-JL

ceska · September 2011

Yeah, I like the Aearo/E-A-R brand too, though I prefer the pod plugs to the straight up foam thingies. Trouble is most pharmacies don't carry that brand, and you can only order in bulk from them. There's a Grainger near me, and they carry some lines of that company's product for individual sales.

At a Los Lobos show, I once saw David Hidalgo notice a young girl in the crowd covering her ears with her hands. In the middle of the song, he motioned to a roadie several times until the roadie understood to to bring her some earplugs. I thought that was very cool.

Drowned Out · September 2011

Ya, the er-20's are what I bought originally...they're advertized as 20db attenuation, but the box says 12db...I don't really know much about the frequencies, but the difference is prob fine print....
I agree with those who said I should bring the muffs in case...I'll order some tonight. I ran it by my girl - she was totally cool with wearing them if necessary (guess I overestimated her diva status). If she complains that it sounds muffled and wants to take them off, I'll let her try the foam plugs for a song or two...I'll wear the er20's myself as a good example, and to check how it sounds....thanks all

Now...any pointers on how to attend a show bone-sober?

Hearing Protection for kids (and adults?) at shows

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