Ken Coker Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 Okay pop-pickers.. For reasons too complex to explain, I now seem to earn my income from lighting drum & bass/German techno* nights in various clubs in Liverpool and Manchester. Clearly this is no occupation for a 54 year old man, but it pays the rent and it's better than some young Cambridge graduate telling me what "Hamlet" is about.....again... I'd like to spend my twilight years being able to listen to those restful passages of Stockhausen and Bartok that my regular readers will know I cherish so much; I'd also like to be able to get out of my car after a gig without my ears ringing. So, recommendations on hearing protection please? The yellow throw-away earplugs don't work - in fact they seemed to make things worse by vibrating against my bone structure; I'm happy to fork out for something decent, but I want to to still be able to hear the fine rhythms produced by the visiting disc jockeys**. Lightweight is good, comfortable is very good - these are pretty long sessions. No doubt Mr. Lewis will have something to say. (Yes, I know that PPE,(no, not the degree my daughter wants to do!), is the last resort, but they're not going to: I) Move the lighting positionii) Turn it down.iii) Start playing Andy Williams records ***.) Many thanks KC (*Note to older readers: these are popular forms of beat-music, so my charming daughter tells me.)(**Note to older readers: they all seem to be Belgian or German these days and none of them have beards or cheery pullovers.)(***Note to younger readers: a recently departed and much missed crooner...oh, ask your dad...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the kid Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 ER20s off the bat, about £10 and last ages and are very nice. Specsavers seem to do hearing tests and I did enquire about ear plugs, they were about £100 but I do not know the range or db removal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Coker Posted October 9, 2012 Author Share Posted October 9, 2012 ER 20s indeed. Thanks KC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the kid Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 I am 100% not hot on sound and things, but when it comes to gigs, nights out, and general set building I use them. er20.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkPAman Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 ACS (nice people) do the ER20, which I find OK for a short time. But they also do the custom moulded jobbies with (interchangeable) filters at 9, 15 & 25 dB reduction levels. I do know of some people who find them uncomfortable, but I think they're great & I usually forget that I'm wearing them after the first 5 minutes. I have the 9 & 25 dB filters, which I use, or not, depending on how important it is for me to hear everything. You can (if you know how loud things are at your desk) work out your daily or weekly exposure using the calculators on the HSE site, which will give you an idea of how much attenuation you need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Lewis Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 Seeing that you asked.... ER20s are deemed to be "flat" - in reality it should probably say more flat than foam ear plugs or ear defenders. They are cheap enough for you to try out and see if they're comfortable. Amazon have them cheap, otherwise Boots and Specsavers (I think) have them. Not that such firms have a branch in Edale... The key to these things working is a proper fit. If it's not comfortable or doesn't feel right, it may not be providing the correct attenuation. You may possibly wish to consider the custom ear plugs that can give up to 25dB attenuation. At around £165, they're not cheap. Also, don't mistake them for Jelly Babies as I nearly did... Audio people tend to find 15dB takes a useful amount of noise off, with 20dB being a little bit too quiet for some. Of course, you should be aiming for an 8 hour LEq of 85dB, but if you do fry your hearing then for the time being the council will give you a free bus pass... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramdram Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 It might depend on how hirsute the inside of your ears are. I have to say that the yellow plugs "work" and then work loose...and ramming them back in is never comfortable especially if you have trimmed the hairs back to stubble. It may be that even the moulded plugs are not that much use in an hairy lughole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Coker Posted October 9, 2012 Author Share Posted October 9, 2012 OK team.....many thanks ER20s ordered, so that's a start.If I can borrow the SPL meter from my friend Lee, I'll do the other bits too. I'll report back after the weekend...http://www.chibuku.com/.... KC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kerry davies Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 Peter Tinniswood was an old drinking buddy of mine (died of it like most of 'em) and Uncle Staveley made me determined to protect my hearing. I used to DJ and produce some pretty hairy regular club and live nights and I cannot recommend ACS moulded plugs highly enough. You can get different value levels as suggested but you can get more than one and change the filters. I am saving up for some in-ear phones to go with them. Hairy ears are a Cornish problem, at least my Welsh hairy ears seem OK with them. The thing I always pointed out to those on courses was a simple comparison; moulded earplugs =£185 approx, good hearing aids =up to £3,000 and you still cannot hear the granddaughter tell you she loves you because the speech spectrum goes first and worst. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J Pearce Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 I never got comfortable with the ER20s, fine for half an hour or so, but not a whole gig. I got moulded plugs and yes they were around £150, but have lasted 4 years (£40/year for my hearing? seems reasonable), and have defended my ears from the attacks of brass sections playing Berlioz and Mahler, and DJs attempting to make all the red lights come on admirably. After 4 years the moulds are fine, but filters seem to have got clogged and are no longer anywhere near flat response. A new pair of filters is around £50. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GridGirl Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 We have quite serious noise problems in our orchestra pit (the Sydney Opera House looks spectacular from the outside...not so much on the inside...) and so a lot of our players wear earplugs. In the last year we've started to switch to the ACS moulded plugs and the musicians who have them are pretty much universally happy with them. There's one player in particular who is very, very noise sensitive and has tried a lot of other plugs and he is delighted with how comfortable the ACS plugs are and how well they work. Even Turandot and Salome, two of the loudest works in our repertoire, haven't caused him problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianl Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 I use the alpine musicsafe pro, quite good if your loking to spend £15 to £20 rather than £100+ for moulds.Changeable filters for different attenuation.I also use their sleepsoft when camping and can wear them all night Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete McCrea Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 The Hospitality night on the 19th looks like a good evening! But then I do like my electronic music... As for hearing, I got a pair of plugs similar to the ECS20's (Actually Alpine's as posted above) free from an event a few years ago, and they have served me well, but then I guess it's the fit into the ear canal that will determine the comfort. I do however need to get some moued plugs fitted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 I wonder if we'd get more comment if this was in general tech, rather than lighting - which seems to be what everyone here does? I'll move it. P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Coker Posted October 10, 2012 Author Share Posted October 10, 2012 I wonder if we'd get more comment if this was in general tech, rather than lighting - which seems to be what everyone here does? I'll move it. P I wanted lighting opinions, which is why I posted it there. However, I'll live..and I suppose there must be other old people doing drum & bass nights.(It occurs to me that the time to give up is when DJ means "Derby & Joan".......) KC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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