Ear Plug Superstore - Official Blog

A More Effective Ear Plug for Sensitive Hearing & Shopping at Costco

Q.I am looking for a more effective ear plug. I need this in situations like being in a noisy room, our loud family gatherings, a restaurant, in loud groups of people. I have very sensitive hearing, I seem to hear much more than most people, so says my family.

I have not found an earplug that really protects me from the panic I begin to feel in noisy situations, I will use toilet paper and stuff it in my ears. I need the noise to reduce significantly. I was at Costco this weekend with my husband and it was really loud, many more shoppers than usual, after 15 minutes, I went to the restroom and got toilet paper... I could focus on what he was saying and not be overwhelmed by the deafening noise of the shoppers.

I would really appreciate your help and recommendations. The irony is, we were at Costco to get his new hearing aids adjusted...go figure. I was completely happy in the audiologist’s quiet room....and then she opened the door....

I look forward to "hearing" from you.

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A. We call this type of hearing sensitivity ANS (Acute Noise Sensitivity). It's a catch-all term for a wide variety of auditory sensitivity issues with a different range of causes. Believe me when I say you're not the only one who struggles with loud, irritating, distracting, or even distressing noise. Here is an article discussing ANS that may help, though it probably just describes what you already know, far too well.

To get to the point, you share a sensitivity to noise with a large number of other people, and our primary recommendation is for the use of musician ear plugs. The best solution for most adults with ANS is to use a hearing protection ear plug that still allows for clear hearing of sound, but at a reduced volume - and that is exactly what musician ear plugs do. Designed for bands, music teachers, students, and performing professionals, these plugs cause little to no sound distortion, so you can still hear music and voices clearly - but they reduce the decibels that reach your ears, meaning you don't get assaulted by so much sound. Your next trip to Costco will be a whole lot easier to handle, and you won't have to stick toilet paper in your ears!

Please, don't stick toilet paper in your ears.

For more info about musician's earplugs and our specific recommendations, please see this short article.

Until next time, be safe and do the right thing.

Tom Bergman, Vice President
Ear Plug Superstore

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Hearing Amplification for Wild Turkey Hunting - With Hearing Aids

Q.I wear hearing aids and want a recommendation for amplified hearing protection with the best sound quality for wild turkey hunting. What do you think?

I have worn hearing aids for about 5 years. I own the Walker Razor that goes around your neck. Last Saturday I took it turkey hunting for the first time. Using it I could hear more but not good enough to discern the type of turkey call we were listening to. It just sounded like a noise. I want to find something that will increase the volume with better sound quality and protect my hearing when I am shooting my shot gun.

I purchased the Walker Razor because last year when I went turkey hunting my younger brother whom I was hunting with heard about 12 turkey gobbles and I did not hear a thing.

My problem is that we have hunted a lot and never worn hearing protection because we want to hear better. Now that I am older that is probably the cause of my hearing loss. Let me know what suggestions you have.

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A. Though I do not know precisely what the gain level is on the razor, since they are described as high gain, I would guess they are about as good as you can get without going to a real hearing aid. So, here is my suggestion: consider using a combination of an in the ear hearing aid and a shooting ear muff. Walker makes some excellent electronic muffs that will amplify low sounds and then shut off the electronics when a gun is fired, giving you the protection you need. By wearing these over the aids, you should be able to hear better than your brother, and wouldn’t that be sweet?

You could also go with a hunting hearing aid, which would eliminate the need for the muffs. The problem you may run into is that these are all designed to work for those with normal hearing, so they may not give you enough amplification alone. One of these could also be worn under an electronic muff just as with a regular hearing aid.

If you currently use BTE devices, perhaps you can get some low cost ITE aids that you can use for hunting. We have some starting at around $30, and going on up to around $2000. My guess is that most of these would work, and you can get pretty good quality sound from aids costing under $200 these days.

Until next time, be safe and do the right thing.

Tom Bergman, Vice President
Ear Plug Superstore

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