I was going to say the same thing. The general name for these is attenuating ear plugs. A lot of musicians, especially drummers, wear them on stage so they can hear their own instrument over everything else, at a sensible volume.

They vary primarily in their frequency response: some are flat and others are designed to cut specific frequencies more than others (e.g, for bass players vs guitar players).

I found out about them from a drummer who was wearing them in a nightclub after a gig. I initially thought he'd left them in by mistake, but he swore it made having conversations a lot easier. That, and he had no plans to go deaf from the loudness of the music (and you don't learn the drums if you dislike loud music).

I see a lot of live music. I am very lucky a doctor long ago told me I need to guard myself from hearing loss (he was treating me for an ear infection).

I always carry earplugs when I go to shows. Sometimes it's the nice plastic ones; sometimes I lose those and go back to the foam ones. Sometimes I forget and uses pieces of tissue (don't do that. When those pieces get stuck, it's slightly terrifying picking them out of your ear).

Last time I took one of those free hearing tests, I could still hear everything I should for my age range. I can still hear high pitch ringing (like from old CRT monitors), so I think my hearing is in decent shape for being in my 30s.

Hearing loss is a big problem in the US and it's spreading throughout the world. You don't want to be shelling out money of hearing aids later on in life (some are covered by medicare, but still) and once you start losing hearing .. you start to become isolated from people and friends. You will miss things and people won't bother repeating them or you'll just laugh and pretend you heard. It's isolating (according to a sign language instructor I had -- who wasn't deaf, but very impaired).

TL;DR Take care of your ears! Always have earplugs if you see live music a lot!

I don't go to concerts often but when I do, I tend to bring foam earplugs: partly to protect my hearing, partly because otherwise the music is usually subjectively painfully loud. Sometimes when I haven't brought them I make do with tissue.

Problem is, even without earplugs I always find it pretty hard to actually experience the music, comprehend the lyrics, etc. at concerts because it's so loud and distorted. Earplugs reduce the loudness (not as much as I'd like), but they also muffle high frequencies, making it even harder. I've sometimes resorted to the somewhat silly approach of having one ear plugged and one unplugged, alternating every few minutes, so I can hear the music better, while still somewhat reducing the volume accumulating over time. Probably not the best idea.

I haven't tried fancy musician's earplugs yet. I know they're supposed to provide a more even attenuation curve, but they also have less noise reduction overall, which isn't great. I suppose I should buy a pair and see what they feel like at a concert…

But do you have any advice? What's your impression of sound quality at concerts when you wear plugs?

Foam earplugs are absolute garbage. The difference is night and day.

With foam, it's like being at a rock show underwater. With musician's earplugs, it's like being at a rock show at a reasonable volume. Spend the $20.

With the sorts of metal and rock shows I go to, it seems like the 12-15db that flat response earplugs reduce isn't enough. My ears still ring with foams that do 33db, even with the highs being muddy. Are there any really expensive ones that have a flat response to at least the 20db level?

I also feel concerts can be painfully loud without earplugs (though I find foam reduces the volume too much, so either we have different preferences or you aren't getting a good seal with the foam).

I have the exact Etymotic attenuating earplugs mentioned a few levels up. They don't reduce the volume as much as foam, but they reduce it enough for me, and the sound balance is much better. I can understand lyrics better with those earplugs than any other configuration I've tried, including no earplugs at all.

They aren't magic and they won't get the volume/balance perfect for you, but for $13 they are pretty great.

The triple-flanged hearos are all you need[1]. I played drums in a few bands and always used these when practicing and playing live. Nowadays I take em to concerts as well. They sound great.

[1]http://www.guitarcenter.com/Hearos/High-Fidelity-Series-Long...

I regularly go to concerts as part of the audience, and also as part of a band. Getting ear-molded linear -15dB protections has been my best decision ever since I enjoy and practice music. I definitely recommend you give some a try.

Those are the ones I have - they make loud concerts much more enjoyable actually, since sometimes the volume seems to be adjusted for people who are already half deaf, as a result of going to loud concerts... it's a vicious cycle.

To be honest, I'd rather go to a loud show with earplugs than a quiet show without. Half the fun of a live show is the visceral punch of the literal sound waves.

Also covers the sound of people talking during concert (sometimes I wonder if it's intentional).

(another happy user of etymotics earplugs, was life changing for concert experience)

Having said that, earplugs can't protect against lower frequencies (that bass through the bone, rather than the air).

Because of this, even with ear protection, damage still occurs at clubs/concerts.

Your ears compress sound to a degree when it gets loud, I wonder whether there might be a difference in that capacity. I also can't hear a word in a noisy environment, I'm relatively sure my hearing is "fine"

Question: When you wear these, do you get the same sensation you get when you put your fingers/expanding foam earplugs in your ears? It is hard to describe but almost like a humming/pressure sound? Depending on how I put them in I can get that sound or not. When I don't get it, I'm not sure if they are working. When I do, the quality of the audio suffers.

I've been using these [0] for years at the initial recommendation of a colleague who goes shooting frequently. They've been great for travel on airlines, and for nights out at loud(er) events.

[0] https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004DH0YOS

Nice. I use foam earplugs (usually worn by construction workers) when going to concerts.

I get some bad ringing in my ears for a few days if I don't wear them.

I'll have to try them out. I love Etymotic earphones and their support so far has been nothing short of fantastic.