[Groomsy]

Hey all, I'm going to a show this weekend; the bands playing are Mastodon, Between the Buried and Me, Valient Thorr, and Baroness. To make it short, this will be a long show and it will be loud. The club where the show will be hosted is supposed to very small, and I have a gut feeling that the sound engineers will try to compensate for poor acoustics by cranking everything to high heaven.
 
I've always worn the cheap foam earplugs to shows and they've done their job well. But I've been considering buying a pair of ER20s. The question is, would they provide enough attenuation for a 4-5 hour metal show? I won't be standing near the front of the venue; I'll probably be near the middle to get the full house sound.
 
Any input?

 

[DanielCox]

A search shows that they attenuate by 20dB. From memory sound has to be louder than 90dB for a sustained period to cause damage. You'll have to guess how loud the concert will be for your answer.

 

[Groomsy]

If I had to take a wild stab, I would say it would be 110-115 dB at the least; maybe around 100 dB if we're really stretching downward.
 
But if we're talking normal metal concert volume, it's roughly 120 dB, give or take. And if Etymotic's charts are right, the ER20s would only be suitable if I wanted to stay at the show for about an hour and a half; which is clearly not the case. I would like to be there for the whole show if possible.

 

[beamthegreat]

No. Either get a higher noise isolation earbuds or dont go to the show.

 

[Groomsy]

Okay then. Looks like my trusty foam earplugs are going with me to the show. The NRR rating on them is 33 and truthfully, they've never negatively affected the sound when I've gone to shows. Case settled.

 

[Br777]

wish i would have been that smart in my youth/metal head days.. i remember some shows that were really painful and  my ears easily rang for a week afterward...   and i used to go to a LOT of concerts... and I played in a LOUD band every day!  Its a wonder I can still hear so well.
 

 

[necropimp]

note there is always a period of time between bands for takedown/setup of equipment so it's not like you're going to be dealing with such loud audio during the entire 4-5 hours it's going to be more like 30 minutes to an hour for each band with 20-30 minutes (maybe more) between bands
 
i've never had problems when wearing my ER-20s at metal shows

 

[skudmunky]

These have saved my ears through Dream Theater, TSO, Symphony X, and many other concerts. Highly recommended. Not only do they attenuate the sound, but if you're in an acoustically bad spot they seem to mute all the reverb as well - stick em in your ears and you hear the music from the PA system, not the crackly static bouncing off the walls behind you.

 

[Shark50521]

I just got a pair that are called noise isolators or something, similar to the 20's they did like 19db or so. I just saw Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper with them, the made it so I wasn't as deaf after the concert, not as much ear ringing and such afterward and did not cut down on my enjoyment at all. They don't just flat out deaden noise like the foam ones would which was a big reason I hated the foam ones.

 

[nikongod]

Quote:

Its a wonder I can still hear so well.  

HAVE YOU HAD YOUR HEARING CHECKED RECENTLY?
 
Im amazed by how many people dont know that they have hearing loss.

 

[odigg]

I have the ER20s and have concluded they do not attenuate enough for my preferred (and sane) volume level.  I don't believe they really attenuate 20db.
 
Hearos makes a number of earplugs that can be purchased locally (e.g. Guitar Center, Sam Ash) for cheaper than the ER20s. I use the Rock n' Roll plugs.  They really cut down the volume, but they are not "flat" in the sense that they reduce higher frequencies a lot more the lower.  The Skull Screws lower the volume 30+db and are decrease the various frequencies much more equally.

 

[Edwood]

120dB at a concert?
 
I'd wear all three of these if I could.
 

 

[anetode]

Unless you're moshing or chillin' by the pa, the er-20s are just fine