anyone else use earplugs?

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normally i don't like things blocking my ear canals, but in the army i had to get used to it, due to noisy barracks mates and their 24/7 din. the kind meant for firearms are of limited utility in those situations, so i would take cottonballs and wet them, squeeze out the excess water, and stick them in each ear canal, that would block out everything above about 500 cycles per second or so, and attenuate lower frequencies by at least 15-20 db, good enough for government work, as it were.
when i mow the lawn i wear a pair of industrial noise suppressing ear cups, that are frankly about as effective as the moistened cotton balls but much more comfortable for me. i tried 2 pair of noise-cancelling circumaural headphones [audio-technica and bose], both were equally mediocre compared to the industrial noise suppressing earcups. interestingly, both of them also had the same mediocre sound quality when listening to music. somebody needs to make noise-cancelling [circumaural] headphones which also sound good, i mean neutral like a pair of AKGs or Sennheiser HDs.

I wear them quite often and since I have long hair they are not noticeable. I don't think there's any way I could tolerate our kids' sporting events without them. I also use them sometimes when I'm out shopping.

I like to wear sunglasses, too, but I usually don't when I'm indoors. Every once I while I will, though, when the brightness is just too much to handle. If I'm questioned about it (and I have been), I just tell people I have a headache and the lights bother me.

^^^
me too about the sunglasses whenever i'm outdoors, at least between sunrise and sunset. i also have to wear 'em in front of any computer monitor.

ear plugs are a life saver. I use them almost everyday, sometimes for most of the day. I like the regular ones from hearos, and the pink ones (altho those are more noticeable). I cut off the ends so that they are less noticeable, because when people are around is the time I really need them!

People think it is rude to wear earplugs if they are talking to you because they THINK it prevents my hearing them, but really it helps me focus on what they are saying because I'm not hearing as much background and distracting other noise. So the people closest to me have had to try to learn that I am not doing it to be rude or tune them out.

I also have the blue swimming earplugs from hearos and I like them a lot, it makes it much better in water aerobics to be able to have them and be able to pay attention.

I haven't tried the specific ones you were asking about, but they look interesting. Pricey, but the cost of the foam ones also adds up over time anyway.

Also, I have had a better time with my computer after I lowered the brightness of the display (it was under system preferences> display). I lowered it all the way as low as it would go and have been happy leaving it low.

My husband wears the squishy orange foam ones. He buys them at CVS in giant container. Been married 15 years and I can not recall him ever sleeping without them.

DITTO!

Last edited by mindset_2_0 on 21 Jan 2012, 11:51 am, edited 1 time in total.

Only when I'm shooting anything over a .22LR caliber rifle do I wear plugs.

For ASD stuff, I use a MP3 player with the volume turned up to drown out ambient noise when I'm out and about around people (all of the noise bothers me). It works.

Only for nocturnal storms, or the threat thereof. (Read: at least two nights a week in the summer.)

coming out of a typical 20-something inch rifle barrel, in an enclosed shooting space [like in a gravel pit, for example], this round is still sharp enough to cause hearing damage over time. it's not so much the volume as the velocity of the waveform leading edge, that does the dirt on the ears. a audiologist shooter told me that. i had an old remington 31" barrel "match" rifle [it was called that in jest because it was accurate enough to light matches with] was the only .22lr i'd heard that was safe outdoors sans earplugs, it was barely louder than a noisy pneumatic pump air rifle.

i don't dare wear earplugs [or ear-plugging ear phones] when i'm outdoors around vehicles or people because it reduces my situational awareness. i wear the kind that pass ambient sound, and i also keep my program material quiet, just loud enough to hear, unless i am someplace safely sans other people or their cars/bikes.

You're right with the enclosed space; it greatly magnifies the noise (or better, duration of the noise). I've had my ears ring from using a hammer indoors, and I've had the same happen from a closed breach .22LR rifle (I was shooting from my window with the muzzle inside. Ah, living in the country is a beautiful thing). I've never had my ears ring firing a closed breach .22LR rifle outdoors in the open (nor felt any discomfort at all. Indoors was another thing entirely).

From what I've read, 140 decibels is the cut-off for noticeable damage in regards to the impulse of a loud noise (non-sustained), and one can expose themselves to an unlimited amount of such without [noticeable] damage. Obviously, time between shots would be needed (a full auto .22LR at 140 decibels would make you deaf in short order). I read a workplace study that said the same thing for impulse noise. .22LR borders on 140 decibels from a closed-bolt rifle (I've seen numbers into 150 decibels from a .22LR semi-auto rifle due to the action cycling and gas escaping out the ejection port. That's loud).

I'm betting the peak pressure lasts longer when fired in enclosed spaces and indoors (the impulse is longer), even if it's not any "louder". Well, that makes sense to me and it jives with my experience versus indoors and out.

I carry both sound canceling silicone earbuds, and musician's earplugs with me every day. I use them all very often - my hearing is quite sensitive, and in addition to that, I find many sounds absurdly annoying. The best thing for me to do is either move to a quiet area, or put in some ear protection. I know it's not their fault they are making the noises, and that it normally would not annoy people or even get noticed by them, so I never get mad at people making the noise, instead I just block it out with the assistance of hearing protection.

I use ear buds they're less conspicous half the time there's no music playing

Here I have something for you that might be of interest - a comprehensive test of ear hearing protection:
http://www.slate.com/articles/life/shop ... ingle.html

I have done some research and my final conclusion - and solution for me at least - is as follows:
I will only use disposable ear plugs and only the types "3M E-A-Rsoft FX" and "Honeywell Howard Leight Max" for they offer the highest noise reduction capability and are likely to not hurt over time (and do not cost a fortune).

(very low frequency noise - sadly - can not be blocked out)

Same here. I sometimes get completely caught off guard by people asking me what I am listening to, lol.

Thank you Mindset! That is a very interesting article. I personally agree with the writer about Hearos, they are inexpensive (20 pairs for 5.99 thru drugstore .com) so it works for me, and they are soft, and if I lose them it is not a big deal.

I put my Ipod on with ambient music when outside as "earplugs", but I sometimes use earplugs when I want to sleep. I wear eyeglasses too but in winter, wearing eyeglasses looks a bit creepy :p