You just get it a pair of ears, so it’s a good idea to take care of them, and a good set of earplugs can be useful in all sorts of situations. A proper set is a much better solution for blocking noise at night than a pillow over your head and is more comfortable than headphones. What you are looking for in a set of earplugs really depends on what you want them to do. When you are sleeping, for example, comfort is paramount. Plus, you need an indiscriminate approach to blocking the snoring, traffic noise, or alarm of a car on the street.
However, if you are watching a band playing live, you want to maintain the highest possible fidelity and only cut back on frequencies that may be detrimental to your listening. The average gig produces about 100 decibels, but if you’ve ever seen My Bloody Valentine, you’ll know that some bands seem to have a personal revenge against your ears, and continuous exposure to sounds over 85 dB can cause permanent damage to your audition. This means that it is not really possible to choose a pair of earplugs that work in all situations. Instead, we chose six pairs that meet different needs.
Be sure to check out our other shopping guides, such as the best sleeping devices, the best wireless headphones, the best wireless headphones, the best mattresses, and gifts for people who need a good night’s sleep.
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