Hearing Loss and Protection

[rebeccac]

Reading with interest as I’ve been an avid gig and festival goer for many years, as well as nights out, resulting in me getting pretty bad tinnitus. It’s at a manageable level now but has put me off going back to Glasto, even though I would always wear my earplugs (by the sounds of it I need to invest in some Loop ones!). I don’t think there is much awareness around hearing damage, I’ve never seen anything anywhere and I am hyper aware these days. The NHS or govt should really be pushing the message as there’s going to be a hearing issue crisis in the next ten years or so

[iamsam]

18 hours ago, rebeccac said:

Reading with interest as I’ve been an avid gig and festival goer for many years, as well as nights out, resulting in me getting pretty bad tinnitus. It’s at a manageable level now but has put me off going back to Glasto, even though I would always wear my earplugs (by the sounds of it I need to invest in some Loop ones!). I don’t think there is much awareness around hearing damage, I’ve never seen anything anywhere and I am hyper aware these days. The NHS or govt should really be pushing the message as there’s going to be a hearing issue crisis in the next ten years or so

Don't let it put you off. It is manageable with some decent plugs and giving your ears a break in between the loudest sets.

[Jack01825]

Anyone else here have quite bad tinitus at a young age and still go to gigs/festivals?

Edited Wednesday at 10:12 AM by Jack01825

[Metal Monkey]

11 hours ago, Jack01825 said:

Anyone else here have quite bad tinitus at a young age and still go to gigs/festivals?

Not young but have tinnitus and go to gigs and festivals. Always wear earplugs at gigs. Always take them to festivals but often forget to wear them which doesn’t help. 

[charlierc]

11 hours ago, Jack01825 said:

Anyone else here have quite bad tinitus at a young age and still go to gigs/festivals?

Had it since I was about 18/19 due to earphone abuse, hence why I still wear full over-ear headphones and cannot wear pods or buds.

 

I still go to gigs but wouldn't be able too without earplugs. Annoyingly it's more expensive to get the plugs I like now, but then that could be said about a lot of things in this world compared to ten or so years ago.

[tigger123]

I started getting ringing after a few nights out in a row, so looked into which earplugs to get and came across these:

 

https://www.acscustom.com/uk/products/pro-series/pro-17/

 

Now they're pricey, but £149 to save your hearing feels worth it to me. Its equivalent to one or 2 nights out in terms of cost. You go to Boots or similar, get impressions of your ear canals done and then custom earplugs sent to you a few weeks later. Now clearly they're not as good as listening to music without protection, but they are leagues ahead of any other earplug I've ever used. Secret is to use them for half hour before you go to a gig/club/start playing drums/Djing etc as you become acclimatised to them and then the difference isn't nearly as noticeable.

 

Cannot recommend them highly enough

[StoneCircle]

I have severe hearing loss and tinnitus due to Ménière's Disease surprisingly, not too many loud gigs and festivals! My hearing aids have custom molds which I wear to gigs with the sound turned down low. This gives me the same protection as custom earplugs. 

 

There is help and advice available at the festival from the Deaf Zone stall very near the Info Point near the Meeting Point/TonyBenn Tower. You can also get basic earplugs at the Info Points should you forget to take any with you. 😊

[Jack01825]

11 hours ago, charlierc said:

Had it since I was about 18/19 due to earphone abuse, hence why I still wear full over-ear headphones and cannot wear pods or buds.

 

I still go to gigs but wouldn't be able too without earplugs. Annoyingly it's more expensive to get the plugs I like now, but then that could be said about a lot of things in this world compared to ten or so years ago.

 

Ahh i undeerstand , do you have a link to the ones you use? 

[charlierc]

10 hours ago, Jack01825 said:

 

Ahh i undeerstand , do you have a link to the ones you use? 

Etymotic ER20-SMF-C High Fidelity Reusable Earplugs [Clamshell Box] Ultra-Comfortable Hearing Protection for Concerts, Festivals, Sports Events, -20dB even volume reduction, Frost Tip Standard SIze: Amazon.co.uk: Health & Personal Care

 

Of late, I've been using these. I used to use ACS ones but they seem to have branched into making customs instead.

[Metal Monkey]

23 hours ago, tigger123 said:

I started getting ringing after a few nights out in a row, so looked into which earplugs to get and came across these:

 

https://www.acscustom.com/uk/products/pro-series/pro-17/

 

Now they're pricey, but £149 to save your hearing feels worth it to me. Its equivalent to one or 2 nights out in terms of cost. You go to Boots or similar, get impressions of your ear canals done and then custom earplugs sent to you a few weeks later. Now clearly they're not as good as listening to music without protection, but they are leagues ahead of any other earplug I've ever used. Secret is to use them for half hour before you go to a gig/club/start playing drums/Djing etc as you become acclimatised to them and then the difference isn't nearly as noticeable.

 

Cannot recommend them highly enough

I’ve got these, they are really good. I’ve had the same pair for years which I don’t think is recommended but they still fit ok and it still sounds great wearing them. 

[Ayrshire Chris]

I’ve been going to many many gigs for over 55 years. In the early days after seeing heavy rock bands such as Zeppelin Sabbath, Deep Purple in theatres my hearing would be dull, even the following morning. In more recent times  sound levels are obviously controlled more. 
For at least ten years now I’ve had intermittent ringing in my ears. The damage has been done, I take ear plugs to the festival but have to admit rarely use them. Worst last  year was what the other stage was blasting out before Jamie Webster came on. 

[Pipine]

Does anyone find that loops don’t cut it for them?  I’ve got tinnitus and a very slight loss of hearing in one ear from too many gigs and club nights parked right next to the speakers.  
 

My ears just seem really sensitive now , so even with loops in with their strongest foam inserts and centre blocks I still get worse tinnitus after some gigs.  I don’t remember having that issue with the rhubarb and custard foam ones I used to wear until loops came out. 
 

I want something a bit more refined than the old foam ones but obviously loops aren’t enough for me.. what’s the gold stand that musicians wear? The moulded ones? 

[Long Season]

On 1/8/2025 at 10:12 AM, Jack01825 said:

Anyone else here have quite bad tinitus at a young age and still go to gigs/festivals?

Yeah, I’m 28 and have had tinnitus for quite a while. A mix between listening to music at full blast on those old JVC earphones, loud gigs, and also working as a chef being around that high frequency klang of plates, pot/pans. I did go to the audiologist sometime last year over tinnitus and what I thought was hyperacusis, but was told my hearing is fine. Though they did help me in finding that the tinnitus I have is quite sensitive to hey fever, which block up my glands and puts pressure on the ear canal.
 

When it comes to going to live gigs, I just tend to play it by ear (lol). If it’s too loud and I can feel affect my ears, I’ll tend to just ask the bar for earplugs. But most of the time I find it okay, especially if the soundsystem is good. There are times where I can be a bit brazen and just put myself in the wall of sound (mainly at metal gigs, which tend to be in venues with pretty sh*t sound). But I do pay the price for that for sure

[Jack01825]

12 minutes ago, Long Season said:

Yeah, I’m 28 and have had tinnitus for quite a while. A mix between listening to music at full blast on those old JVC earphones, loud gigs, and also working as a chef being around that high frequency klang of plates, pot/pans. I did go to the audiologist sometime last year over tinnitus and what I thought was hyperacusis, but was told my hearing is fine. Though they did help me in finding that the tinnitus I have is quite sensitive to hey fever, which block up my glands and puts pressure on the ear canal.
 

When it comes to going to live gigs, I just tend to play it by ear (lol). If it’s too loud and I can feel affect my ears, I’ll tend to just ask the bar for earplugs. But most of the time I find it okay, especially if the soundsystem is good. There are times where I can be a bit brazen and just put myself in the wall of sound (mainly at metal gigs, which tend to be in venues with pretty sh*t sound). But I do pay the price for that for sure

I see, what sort of tintius is yours like? mines permanent high pitch ringing 

[upstream]

because of the work I do at the festival I often find myself in front of the speaker stacks and I have been using these for the last 2 festivals and they work really well and are very inexpensive

 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ear-Plugs-Concerts-Cancelling-Protection/dp/B07KQX2MLB/ref=sr_1_5_pp?crid=1AMB75LZCDCO7&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.yKaBtxGBtyQikAojbTMdQjZfLbLfel0FuNOiPaqWvt2JFqGkEkINbzU_omY1iOXCPPVKxP6oj0Jm0uM9xvdsosAW3NeSKFzo54ZJJuFO-NbHvVjYNzaI0vPCMUP1XC82X4qk4G-WoS9Cbi9bCvFZrT_RlPmMGavlv2dIZ0DlJx70VtI5HpjVYes8TPay8SsTwDnzzeUAwYs3v5Eal-20Al5xEuLnqEAST4u_KtFWcDBpJNtX0U_e8N1eBEcY-LV7SdSdtufPWpHlYLDQ7YZ5KjsUfuV4C_iTE8iSl-eAwhrOP1Roylab0gtHM0q8-7CDtcTYRIjzUtCD11qvl7VQfmb4xar4dig1lYmIOueSSQDPe1mPN2upXs8cfNIESuZ2Wm0gBJayLLwCiiCyk8wxHsnUbSMgV_8OteU82LtK3GlUv2O4DxFcPnH12kUlkRJW.wOJc51QRTexrN5w23SWFCbg4_nABLjxBzWhm3wDmXX0&dib_tag=se&keywords=earplugs&qid=1736498005&sprefix=earplugs%2Caps%2C113&sr=8-5

Edited 4 hours ago by upstream
spelling

[Long Season]

43 minutes ago, Jack01825 said:

I see, what sort of tintius is yours like? mines permanent high pitch ringing 

Yeah mine is the same, mainly noticeable at night these days after I’ve tried to keep it manageable over the past few years. Though the sensitivity comes in the form of a kind of rushing waves noise that can be physically painful when particularly sensitive and when the culprit noise is at the right freq/volume. I do think in my case it’s a bit dynamic based on certain factors like stress, sleep, hey fever etc. Despite that, the tinnitus is always there

 

I’d suggest to book in with the audiologist to help get an idea of what helps shape your tinnitus and how to alleviate it. Maybe sooner than before it becomes privatised !

Edited 4 hours ago by Long Season

[Avalon_Fields]

I developed tinnitus in my early 20's (Directly due to some hard rock gigs) which lasted maybe a year or so. But it came back with a vengeance 2 1/2 years ago (Out of the blue, not obviously due to loud music). I've got the expensive, moulded Ultimate Ears which are great but I rarely use them now, I prefer going to gigs that are not excessively loud, but did wear them at Glastonbury 2024 sometimes, when necessary.

 

Please, all, if I may say so, look after your ears!

[Ayrshire Chris]

Just now, Avalon_Fields said:

I developed tinnitus in my early 20's (Directly due to some hard rock gigs) which lasted maybe a year or so. But it came back with a vengeance 2 1/2 years ago (Out of the blue, not obviously due to loud music). I've got the expensive, moulded Ultimate Ears which are great but I rarely use them now, I prefer going to gigs that are not excessively loud, but did wear them at Glastonbury 2024 sometimes, when necessary.

 

Please, all, if I may say so, look after your ears!

Those 70s,80s heavy rock gigs, most in converted cinemas with bands using their own PA ramped up were far too loud but it was the norm. Think  they were desperate to get in the Guinness book of records. Im sure deep purple got the record as worlds loudest band in the 70s