OFF: Earplugs, Metallica, Pat Boone, Zappa et al

[John A Swartz]

As far as earplugs go, I really like "Sonic II Noisefilters" (I think
that's the name), available in music stores.  The idea behind their
design is that they filter out more of the intense high-frequencies
which cause most of the "ringing" in your ears, while not giving you
that "plugged up" feeling in your ears.  You can carry on normal
conversations with them and hear fine.  Because of the way they are
designed, their decibel "rating" is fairly low - but that's because the
standard tests are done at I believe 1 KHz, which is not terribly
high in frequency, and not in the range where they filter the most.
Speaking from personal experience, I've used them at loud concerts
in both clubs and arenas, and I really like them.  They are a bit
large for my ears, so if they're in for more than a few hours they
start to hurt my ears a bit, but this is a minor temporary thing
that I'm willing to deal with to preserve my hearing, and not wake
up the next morning with "noise hangover".  They cost around $10 BTW.

John