As a musician or stage performer, you have to live with loud noises daily, whether performing on the stage or practicing in the studio. However, long-term exposure to loud noises can put you at risk of permanent hearing loss. You may have tried out conventional, off-the-shelf earplugs. They are great at providing hearing protection, but at the cost of a poor music-listening experience because of the uneven attenuation between the highs and the lows of the incoming sounds.
At Hoffmann Audiology in Irvine, we provide specialized hearing protection for musicians and stage performers with our custom-made musician’s earplugs and in-ear musician monitors (IEMs). Not only do we prioritize a high-quality music-listening experience, but we also ensure long-term hearing protection for you.
Musicians play or listen to music for hours every day. However, prolonged exposure to loud noises can damage your hearing. Research reveals that 30 to 50% of musicians have hearing problems. Musicians can protect their hearing by accurately determining their hearing protection needs and acting accordingly.
Generally, musicians have unique needs to protect their hearing, which are:
Musician earplugs can reflect the natural response of the open ear. The sound you hear with these earplugs has the same sound quality as the original, but quieter. These earplugs help you feel the bass, distinguish each tone, and clearly hear the blend of music and speech. They come in both custom and non-custom options. Over-the-counter earplugs can reduce the noise levels by 20 decibels, which is enough to reduce harmful sounds. However, they don’t attenuate evenly—they attenuate highs more than the lows, resulting in a poor music-listening experience.
Custom earplugs can be made to fit deeply into the ear canal, sealing within the canal’s bony portion. This deep fit reduces occlusion (which is a booming or hollow sound especially noticeable with the musician’s own voice) that sometimes is experienced with lower-quality earplugs. Custom earplugs are a popular choice for musicians because of the sound quality they deliver while performing and practicing.
The musician’s earplugs are a great hearing protection device for the following music professionals:
Musician’s plugs also can be very helpful for frequent concert-goers.
You can order custom earplugs to enjoy ultimate comfort and better sound quality while protecting your hearing. Our trained audiologist will take your ear impressions to design your custom musician’s earplugs.
Musicians who perform for large audiences can wear in-ear musician monitors. IEMs allow you to hear your music and voice clearly while protecting your ears from outside sounds on a loud stage. They give you better hearing protection and improved sound quality if they are custom-made. Custom in-ear musician monitors properly fit your unique ear shape and reduce sounds to safer listening levels.
Musicians should invest in custom-made earplugs and monitors for the perfect fit, better sound quality, convenience, and reduced vocal fatigue. Custom earplugs and monitors help prevent ear infections, hearing loss, or damage better than conventional or over-the-counter products. Our audiologist is trained to take accurate ear impressions to design well-fitting and high-quality musician earplugs and monitors.
Call us at 949-536-5180 to schedule an appointment at our hearing aid center in Irvine, CA, or to learn more about our custom earplugs and monitors.
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