Loop Earplugs: Protect Your Hearing Without Ruining Your Night

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Who doesn’t love the thrill of watching one of your favorite acts live and in concert? But how often have you ended the evening with tinnitus — a buzzing in your ears that can take days to go away? Did you know that it’s possible to damage your ears so badly that the ringing never leaves? You need Loop Earplugs.

Sure, you can wear an inexpensive pair of foam earplugs, but they block the sound. You need something that will allow the music you’re listening to come through — and still sound good — while cutting the damaging decibels that can cause tinnitus and ultimately hearing loss.

Loop Earplugs manage to do this in three ways:

1. Acoustic resonance
Sound waves enter Loop via a small opening. They then travel through the hollow channel on the inside of Loop. This acoustic resonator has the same length as your ear canal and has a quarter wavelength resonance at 2700 Hz. By using the latest 3D printing technologies we were able to make this acoustic channel round and compact.

2. Advanced filter
At the end of this sound tube, we placed an acoustic filter which lowers all frequencies equally. This filter is installed in a laboratory by Dynamic Ear Company. To make sure there are no leaks, they use a UV light technology. Each Loop goes through a thorough quality control before shipping.

3. Closing the ear canal
In order to protect your hearing, all sound waves must go through the acoustic filter. To seal your ear canal comfortably, we use ear tips. Because each ear is unique, the earplugs come with both memory foam that adjusts to your ear and soft silicone ear tips in two sizes. Make sure to test all versions so you get a complete yet comfortable seal.

Included with each pair of Loop Earplugs, you’ll find two sets of silicone tips and one pair of foam tips; all you have to do is figure out which fit your ear best, and then remember to keep your Loop earplugs on hand inside their little zippered storage pouch.

Due to their unique construction, Loop Earplugs are able to provide a 20dB equal sound reduction across all frequencies. This is like giving your world a “volume down” button so that you can hear speech and music clearly, it’s just at a lower and less harmful volume.

Note the hole in the Loop earplug; that’s where the sound enters before it gets “turned down” before entering your ears.

Think about the last time you were at a concert; that’s when the sound can easily be over 100dB. Loop says that “irreversible hearing damage can occur as low as 85db” (a noisy restaurant’s level), but you can be in that environment much longer before the damage occurs than you can be at a concert — which can take just 7.5 minutes. If you have a Loop earplug in each ear, you can still enjoy even the loudest concert, hear what’s going on, but do it at a much lower level that takes hours longer to cause any kind of hearing loss.

Loops Earplugs are a deceptively simple solution to a serious problem. They are small enough to tuck anywhere — and you have no excuse to forget them or not use them.

Loops earplugs are comfortable, and they work. They are available in matte black, shiny black, gold, red, silver, rose gold, blue, and white — some of the flashier colors almost look like an interesting piece of jewelry, while other colors are less conspicuous.

Having something as small and pocketable (or that fits in the smallest evening bag) as the Loop earplugs is a smart way to make sure that I can be at the front center of the stage — without hurting my hearing.

Loop Earplugs come in plenty of fashion-forward colors and they retail for $29.99; they are available directly from the manufacturer. Loop offers free shipping and returns.

Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample

What I Like: Multiple tips included so you can find the right fit; Comfortable to wear; Included travel pouch; They cut 20dB off so that you can enjoy the music longer without hurting your hearing; Interesting colors so they can either be a fashion statement or inconspicuous; You still get clear speech or music — just at a lower level

What Needs Improvement: I wish that there was a discount for multiples

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About the Author

Judie Lipsett Stanford
Judie is the co-owner and Editor-in-Chief of Gear Diary, which she founded in September 2006. She got her start in 1999 writing software reviews at the now-defunct smaller.com; from mid-2000 through 2006, she wrote hardware reviews for and co-edited at The Gadgeteer. A recipient of the Sigma Kappa Colby Award for Technology, Judie has written for or been profiled by nationally known sites and magazines, and she has served on multiple industry hardware and software award panels. She is best known for her device-agnostic approach, enjoyment of exploring tech, gadgets, and gear, and her deep-diving, jargon-free reviews.