# Best Earplugs, not for loud noises? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 5, 2014, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-earplugs-not-for-loud-noises/703736 "2014-11-05T12:01:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Henryunderborn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/58f4c7/32.png) [@Henryunderborn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Henryunderborn)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2014, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-earplugs-not-for-loud-noises/703736/1 "2014-11-05T12:01:01Z")
I want to stop all sound in my direct vicinity. Not at all, loud or thunderous or droning noises. I have very acute hearing, and have become quite receptive to the tiniest and faintest of muffled and echoed noises. I would like to try my hands at eliminating all sounds apparent. Can anyone recommend “sophisticated” ear plugs, that are directed more to blocking the faintest of sounds, rather than the largest. ---
**Author:** ![Fishtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ed655f/32.png) [@Fishtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fishtar)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2014, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-earplugs-not-for-loud-noises/703736/2 "2014-11-05T12:14:34Z")
Found this article on Slate > **[Quiet, please! Finding the best ear plugs.](https://slate.com/human-interest/2005/05/quiet-please-finding-the-best-ear-plugs.html)** > > The first time I used ear plugs, I thought I'd reached nirvana. I was trying to study in my college dorm room while my roommate blasted the Grateful... Also these look interesting [http://www.etymotic.com/hp/erme.html](http://www.etymotic.com/hp/erme.html) ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2014, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-earplugs-not-for-loud-noises/703736/3 "2014-11-05T12:17:23Z")
I have found using the standard silicone earplugs works best. They shape to your ear and are good for a couple of weeks. All foam ones suck. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2014, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-earplugs-not-for-loud-noises/703736/4 "2014-11-05T13:22:31Z")
Have you spent any time in the sound isolating booths for hearing tests? Obviously not a plan for how but with well above average they sort of freak me out. The sound of my breathing, the beat of my heart, the vibrations from every small move registering as noise conducted through my body… it’s creepy. Combining the best earplugs you can find with earmuff style hearing protection probably helps. At home modifying rooms for maximum sound absorption might also help augment the ear plugs. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2014, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-earplugs-not-for-loud-noises/703736/5 "2014-11-05T13:59:07Z")
I prefer quiet over noise, including most music… but silence gets under my skin. I’d suggest that your best option for what you want is comfortable closed-back earphones or buds, playing either soft music or faint nature sounds. That might give you more subjective isolation than true silence or sound blocking. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2014, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-earplugs-not-for-loud-noises/703736/6 "2014-11-05T13:59:21Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > I have found using the standard silicone earplugs works best. They shape to your ear and are good for a couple of weeks. All foam ones suck. And I find the exact opposite. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2014, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-earplugs-not-for-loud-noises/703736/7 "2014-11-05T15:30:27Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > And I find the exact opposite. And that’s the problem. Everyone has different ears and different ways of reacting to things be jammed or stuck into them. The foam ones that go into your ears just drive me crazy and I can’t sleep with them while the silicone ones can be molded both into my ear canal and outer ear forms and that doesn’t seem to upset me. You basically have to try a few different types and find out what works best for you as I doubt that there is a one size fits all answer here. Hear? ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2014, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-earplugs-not-for-loud-noises/703736/8 "2014-11-05T15:57:18Z")
A buddy used to joke about being the inspiration for “The Fall of the House of Usher” especially when it came to hearing. He got a doctor-fitted-and-prescribed pair of earplugs that have done wonders for him for a long time. His issue with most OTC (over the counter) options is that they are designed to muffle loud noises while allowing normal noise through. What he got blocks pretty much everything. In other words, if all else fails try a doctor. ---
**Author:** ![Henryunderborn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/58f4c7/32.png) [@Henryunderborn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Henryunderborn)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2014, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-earplugs-not-for-loud-noises/703736/9 "2014-11-05T16:13:55Z")
SilentEars - is commented on as the most definitive choice. Then equally comments contradict the definitive quality of the ear plugs. guess its worth the 10$ effort. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2014, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-earplugs-not-for-loud-noises/703736/10 "2014-11-05T16:48:49Z")
**Moderator Action** Since this is looking for recommendations and personal experiences about what works best, it is better suited to IMHO. Moving thread from General Questions to In My Humble Opinion. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2014, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-earplugs-not-for-loud-noises/703736/11 "2014-11-05T17:52:53Z")
What about noise-cancelling headphones? Pricey, but I tried some on at a Bose store once and they work, in much the same creepy/eerie way described upthread by \*\*DinoR \*\*and **AmateurB**. Not sure if they’re available in the U.S. but in Europe, there are earplugs that use a combination of cotton and some kind of wax, which is easily moldable and holds its shape pretty well. One brand name is something like Ohropax. ETA: country of origin = Germany, and oh look, they’re [available on Amazon](http://www.amazon.com/Ohropax-Wax-Ear-Plugs-plugs/dp/B0006NXBVQ). ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2014, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-earplugs-not-for-loud-noises/703736/12 "2014-11-05T18:21:39Z")
Double double post post dammit dammit… ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2014, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-earplugs-not-for-loud-noises/703736/13 "2014-11-05T18:23:02Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > What about noise-cancelling headphones? Pricey, but I tried some on at a Bose store once and they work, in much the same creepy/eerie way described upthread by \*\*DinoR \*\*and **AmateurB**. I have a pair of Sony NCs and I don’t like using the noise cancelling feature. For one thing, they work only on “noise” that the circuitry can detect and cancel, and do little for short and continuously-varying sound like speech and some music. (On planes, they almost complete mute the rumble and whoosh, but then conversations around you stand out all the more clearly.) So you get this underwater/faraway noise effect, but with speech and other sounds only a bit blunted. Real silence is a bitch to achieve without some kind of weird effect that might be more distracting than what you’re trying to block out, which is while I always suggest a combination of noise blocking and a soothing masking sound. That’s what works best for me when I really need to tune out audible distraction. ---
**Author:** ![Stringbean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Stringbean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringbean)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2014, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-earplugs-not-for-loud-noises/703736/14 "2014-11-06T00:22:40Z")
Sound waves do not distinguish between “the faintest of sounds” and the “loudest of sounds.” You need to be aware that ear plugs block out all frequencies but we have evolved to hear the mid-range especially well. So if you wear standard foam ear plugs (which are my recommendation) then beware that you will still hear faint sounds because those are in the most sensitive range of our hearing. Noise-cancelling headphones drown out continuous sounds through phase cancellation. Unpredictable noises can’t be drowned out and nothing will make faint, dynamic sounds disappear. There’s a whole different conversation we should have about using ear plugs at all if you are misophonic. ---
**Author:** ![Dobbs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Dobbs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dobbs)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2014, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-earplugs-not-for-loud-noises/703736/15 "2014-11-06T05:12:30Z")
I have custom made ear plugs I purchased at a gun show some years ago. Ear muffs don’t work particularly well with shooting glasses, and all the ear plugs available off the shelf either didn’t work very well, or were uncomfortable. After many years (10 or so) mine are still comfortable and preform well. It only took maybe 15 minuets, and, while I don’t rember how much it cost, it was tens, not hundreds, of dollars. The guy who made them said that his real job was fitting hearing aids. Maybe check the yellow pages for something hearing aid related and give 'em a call?