Hearing damage at concerts, raves, and festivals is a real risk. Typically reaching 90 to over 120 decibels, live music events can cause temporary or permanent hearing loss, ringing in the ears, and muffled hearing. Damage can begin after 15 minutes at 100dB. Thankfully, there are dozens of options for protecting your hearing. But not all earplugs are created equal. From foam plugs to high-fidelity filters, each pair offers something different.
On a quest to find the best earplugs on the market this festival season, we tested the flagship models from three of the scene’s most popular brands: Eargasm, a highly visible festival favorite known for its high-quality sound retention; the Loop Switch 2, a fashion-forward option known for its customizable noise reduction modes; and Unplugs, a relative newcomer that toggles between two levels of noise reduction—one for conversation and one for loud spaces—with the click of a button.
Four members of the EDM Maniac team tested and ranked each pair for function and fit over the course of three festivals: Coachella, Movement, and Electric Forest. The Unplugs came out on top every time. Check out all the details in our three-way comparison below.
Good
Eargasm High Fidelity
Price: ~$47.00
Noise Reduction: 16db NRR
Sound Quality: Best sound quality, no noise level customization
Eartip sizes: 2
Material: Hypoallergenic silicone eartip shell
Included accessories: Screw lid carrying case with attached keyring
Eargasm earplugs are one of the longest-standing options on the market and offer the best sound quality, with flat noise reduction that doesn’t distort any audio. However, they lack the most enticing features of the Loops and Unplugs.
The Eargasm plugs come in two sizes (standard and small), and though we’d previously used this model for years, we continued to struggle with their fit. The standard pair protruded from our ears, and the small pair was too small to stay in place. If you want to switch sizes, you need to swap the tiny filter into the new silicone shell, which can be a tedious process.
Without customizable noise reduction control, it was consistently a chore to dig the Eargasm plugs out of our ears to wander through Electric Forest’s famous woodland art installations, and get them resituated in our ear canals when we returned to the stages. Over longer periods of wear, they put a lot of pressure on our ears and became uncomfortable.
At Coachella’s instrumental and acoustic sets, the Eargasm plugs provided balanced, high-quality sound, but among the booming techno kick drums of Movement in Detroit, they didn’t offer the same protection as the Loops or the Unplugs.
Better
Loop Switch 2
Price: ~$59.95
Noise Reduction: 17db, 21db, or 25db NRR
Sound Quality: Solid sound quality, some noise level customization, but spans a smaller range
Eartip sizes: 4
Material: Plastic outer with hypoallergenic silicone eartips
Included accessories: Snap lid carrying case with attached loop
Similar to the Unplugs, the Loop Switch 2 gives users the ability to choose their level of noise reduction with a small switch between three modes on the plastic outer loop.
However, we found the lowest noise reduction level still blocked too much sound to hear conversations with our friends—at 17dB of reduction, the Loops’ lowest noise reduction mode is even higher than the Eargasm plugs—and we were back to popping them in and out when we left the stage or wanted to chat.
The switch between modes on the Loops is also a bit cumbersome to change, so we often had to take them out to adjust the levels anyway. This defeated the purpose of the switch entirely, though they were still more comfortable than the Eargasm plugs and offered stronger hearing protection in louder environments.
The Loop modes are set in four-decibel increments, but all of them are at the higher end of the noise-reduction spectrum. If we’re honest, we couldn’t really tell the difference between the 17db and 21db modes, and while the Loops’ 25db reduction mode kept things quiet even in the front row at Movement’s concrete-covered Underground stage, at Coachella and Electric Forest, all the modes distorted the sound too much. The Loops are quite stylish, though, with the signature jewelry-styled design available in a wide variety of colors.
Best
Unplugs
Price: ~$65.00
Noise Reduction: 5db or 20db NRR
Sound Quality: Solid sound quality, easily customizable noise levels
Eartip sizes: 3
Material: Plastic outer with hypoallergenic, washable, medical-grade TPE eartips
Included accessories: Magnetic lid carrying case with attached carabiner, magnetic leash, FitWings
Unplugs execute the noise reduction toggle at the highest level, and gave us customization where we actually wanted it. With 20dB of noise reduction in plugged mode, they sufficiently shielded our ears from the loudest of bass hits at all three festivals, but unlike the Loops, we never felt like they turned down the volume too much, except when we were at the back of the crowd.
The solution to that problem was built in. The simplicity of the click mechanism meant we could instantly control the noise depending on our position: plugged to block the bass when we were close enough to feel it in our chests; unplugged to hear our new friends as we wandered the Forest.
Unlike the Loops, which still block a considerable amount of sound at their lowest noise-reduction level, Unplugs’ perfect 5dB of noise reduction in unplugged mode allowed us to fully hear our environment. Turning down the volume that little bit also helped calm some of our general festival anxiety as we walked through Electric Forest’s sometimes overwhelming maze of lights and sound. We actually left them in all night long.
When it comes to materials, Unplugs were the most comfortable. Their anatomical shape sits nicely in the ear and doesn’t protrude. Those of us with smaller ears could benefit from a fourth extra small eartip size, but most of us found our perfect fit. Unplugs are also hefty enough to keep track of, unlike other, more lightweight plugs that bounce all over or are difficult to feel in your pocket. The included carabiner case features a magnetic lid that is easy to open (no unscrewing or prying) and stays closed, so they were easy to remember to put back at the end of the night.
Available in four matte-finished colors—black, silver, nude, and iridescent—we actually prefer the look of the Unplugs to the shiny and obvious style of the Loops. And with a ton of free accessories included with each purchase—FitWings to lock them in place during vigorous dancing and a magnetic leash to keep them within reach—Unplugs became the obvious choice.
Those who act fast are also eligible for Unplugs’ limited-time launch offer, including a free pair of FitWings, a free magnetic leash, and free shipping to the U.S. For more info, visit unplugshearing.com.
Featured image courtesy: Unplugs.