Q. I need some help in selecting from your electronic earplugs with noise attenuation. I am 61 years old; a pianist, artist, music lover and generally very social. I have Menieres in the left ear and SSCD in the right. I have about a 70% loss in the right and just a moderate loss in the left in the high pitches. Yes... what a mess. My condition is set off my sudden loud sounds (Tullio's Syndrome) such as a dog barking in close proximity. That happens almost daily since I have a dog that is practically glued to my hip and love her attention. We are working on training her not to bark but that is a process not an overnight cure. She is doing quite well... but... sometimes she forgets.
I have a hearing aid for the right but don't always wear it as my left ear has been my only ear my entire life and I do quite well with just the one ear.
My neurotologist has suggested that I try a pair of noise attenuation plugs such as the Walker's Game Ear. I found your website but need some assistance on narrowing down the choices. My research has informed me that dog barking is somewhere in the 80-90 db range, so it would seem that I need a device that would attenuate at that level or at least reduce the volume on that. I would like to be able to continue to hear with my left with minimal distortion. I would also like to enjoy playing the piano again without hyperacusis.
Please review my situation and make a recommendation based on my needs.
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A. I think your professional is misunderstanding how electronic shooting ear plugs such as the Walker GSM products work. These devices are designed to amplify ambient sounds, and when they get loud enough to reach a preset threshold, the electronics then compress the sound and limit the volume that reaches your ears. Here's the problem: in general, they do not limit sound until it exceeds 90 dB or so (there is some variance across products, but few of the manufacturers publish the thresholds used in their devices).
It makes sense, since most electronic ear plugs are designed for hunters, who want to be able to hear everything clearly except the actual gunshot noise. This is not going to help you much. Electronic ear plugs are just not going to limit the barking dog enough to make you comfortable.
So, what I think you need is a passive musician's ear plug. These range in price from a couple of dollars up to $60 or so, and the only way you will be able to find one that best suits your personal needs is to try them. Generally what you get for the higher prices is more accurate fidelity, and, surprisingly, a lower attenuation level. The best of this class of ear plugs are designed for very discriminating professional musicians who must be able to hear their music accurately, but who need the volume turned down a little. You may decide you want this kind of high quality sound and accuracy, but I would suggest you begin your search with some more mundane and less expensive alternatives. Below are some products I would suggest you consider, from low cost, general purpose musician plugs up to the professional variety.
Crescendo Music
These offer good quality sound and moderate attenuation (NRR 12) which works well for many situations. The package includes two sizes of plugs to help you get a great fit.
MusicSafe Pro
These offer not quite as good quality sound, but they include three sets of acoustic filters to let you experiment with different levels of attenuation (NRR 8/11/16), and/or change the attenuation level to suit your current activities.
Crescendo Vocals (NRR 10)
Crescendo Drummer (NRR 16)
Crescendo Woodwinds (NRR 7)
These three professional products feature three different attenuation levels, they have determined work for the named musical field. I cannot say how accurate are their assignments, but they are the best quality acoustic filters we know about, in terms of their accuracy.
Hope this helps!
Until next time, be safe and do the right thing.
Tom Bergman, Vice President
Ear Plug Superstore
