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Best for Sleep
Loop Quiet
Alternative Sleep Plugs
Flare Audio Sleeep Pro
Best for Concerts
Etymotic ER20XS
A Sub-$50 Alternative for Gigs
NPR Music x Earpeace Pro
You only get one pair of ears, so it’s a good idea to look after them—and a good set of earplugs can come in handy in all kinds of situations. A proper set is a much better solution for blocking out noise during the night than a pillow over the head and is more comfortable than headphones. What you’re looking for in earplugs really depends on what you want them to do. When you’re sleeping, for example, comfort is paramount. Plus, you need an indiscriminate approach to blocking out snores, traffic noise, or a car alarm down the street.
If you’re watching a band play live, though, you want to maintain as much fidelity as possible and just cut out the frequencies that might be harmful to your hearing. The average concert pumps out about 100 decibels, but if you’ve ever seen My Bloody Valentine, you’ll know some bands seem to have a personal vendetta against your ears—and continuous exposure to sounds over 85 dB can cause permanent damage to your hearing. That means it’s not possible to pick out one pair of earplugs that’ll work in every situation. Instead, we’ve picked several that satisfy different needs.
Be sure to check out our other buying guides, like the Best Sleep Gadgets, Best Wireless Earbuds, Best Wireless Headphones, and Gifts for People Who Need a Good Night’s Sleep.
Updated May 2024: We added the Etymotic MusicPro Elite, Loop Switch, and Minuendo Live, and updated prices throughout.
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Photograph: Loop
Loop Quiet
There are no prizes for guessing where Loop earplugs got their name from—but the circular design is a long way from being purely aesthetic. The Loop Quiet look almost identical to Loop’s similar Experience earplugs, but there are two crucial differences: With no acoustic filter, they’re capable of blocking out more noise—27 dB rather than 18—and they’re made entirely from soft silicone, including the round protrusion that sits almost at right angles to the interchangeable tip. That means they fit right inside the concha of your ear, entirely flush with your head, so when you lie on your side there is very little force applied to the earplug and also less chance of inadvertently knocking them loose. That makes the Loop Quiet the most comfortable earplugs for sleeping.
The loop itself is made of silicone, but it’s still rigid enough that putting the earplugs in or taking them out is easy. They feel nice and snug when in situ without giving you that bunged-up feeling that comes with some pairs. You get four different-sized sets of ear tips (though actually changing the ear tips can be a pain), and the whole thing is washable in warm water. They even come in six colors, so you can match them to your bedsheets.
There is a newer pair called the Quiet 2 that we have yet to test, but which feature a smaller shape and allegedly more comfortable fit. We’ve kept the original Quiet as our top pick until we test those, but they’re like a good option, especially for folks with smaller ears.
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Photograph: Flare Audio
Alternative Sleep Plugs
Flare Audio Sleeep Pro
There are few things more likely to drive you over the edge than being kept awake at night by noise, but sticking things in your ears can make it hard to get comfortable enough to doze off, particularly if you sleep on your side. Flare’s Sleeep Pro differs from others in that you get two pairs of memory-foam tips per plug, which are connected together by a lightweight titanium stem (it also sells cheaper versions that use clear plastic or aluminum). They look a bit like tiny dumbbells. The softness of the outer tip makes it more comfortable to tuck them inside your ear and put the weight of your head on them when it hits the pillow.
It’s impossible to know what you haven’t heard when you’re asleep, but Flare claims an average attenuation of –32 dB—and as soon as you put them in, you can tell how effective they are. Sudden, loud noises will still cut through, so there’s no danger of sleeping through your alarm, but they add a layer of noise-reduction defense between your precious sleep and the ungodly sound of foxes copulating in the garden, the wail of nearby sirens, and other such things that make up the nocturnal soundtrack of modern life.
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Photograph: Etymotic
Best for Concerts
Etymotic ER20XS
Have you ever woken up the morning after a gig to find your ears still ringing from the night before? Normally it goes away after awhile, but what if one day it didn’t? According to the British Tinnitus Association, about 30 percent of people will suffer from the condition at some point in their lives. Wearing earplugs to live shows is a good way of combating it, but a lot of pairs also have a detrimental effect on how the music sounds, which isn’t what you want when you’ve spent $75 on a ticket to see the Young Nuns play their seminal debut album, Hairy Terror, in its entirety.
With the triple-flange tips attached, Etymotic’s ER20XS look a bit like tiny rubber Christmas trees. They’re not quite as comfortable as a pair with silicone or memory foam tips, such as Vibes or Flare Audio’s Isolate, but when watching the Stranglers live, they didn’t make things sound muffled as the others did. Etymotic claims they reduce the volume by 20 decibels—enough to remove the harshest elements but maintain all of the impact and clarity across the frequency range, which means the only thing that’s likely to spoil the show is somebody spilling their pint on your shoes.
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Photograph: EarPeace
A Sub-$50 Alternative for Gigs
NPR Music x Earpeace Pro
I recently went to see my wife’s favorite band, and the opener was a doom-metal duo with full stacks of amplifiers. I grabbed some foam earplugs from the bar, but I’d have fared much better if I’d had the Earpeace Music Pros on my keychain. These NPR-backed earplugs fit perfectly in my ears and come with a small aluminum carrying case. They’re super comfortable and can pull a solid 13 decibels from noisy signals—often the difference between some hearing damage and none—in a way that doesn’t suck all the high end out of the sound. Don’t just take my word for it. Legendary NPR music critic Bob Boilen says he has worn his at thousands of shows.
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Photograph: Vibes
Another Cheap Pair for Shows
Vibes High Fidelity Earplugs
I like how slim and easy to fit the Vibes High Fidelity Earplugs are. The clear plastic mushrooms hide well in your ears, so the kids at the venue won’t think you look like a loser for caring about your ears. (You’re not!) They lower sounds by an average of 22 decibels and are designed to lower every frequency relatively evenly, so you don’t lose all the high end when you put them in at a show. Three sizes of interchangeable ear tips mean they’ll fit most ears.
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Photograph: Happy Ears
Best Eco-Friendly Earplugs
Happy Ears Recycled
Just buying a pair of reusable earplugs is greener than using disposable foam ones, but Happy Ears has taken things a step further. The Swedish company offers two different sets of eco-friendly earplugs. The Recycled are made from the brand’s own production waste, while the OP are made from plastics found floating in the North Pacific and North Atlantic oceans. That’s appropriate, considering they look like tiny, flattened jellyfish.
We’ve picked the Recycled ones because they come in black, so they’re less prone to discoloration. But whichever you go for, they’re aptly named. They’re not quite as effective or as comfortable for sleeping as Flare’s Sleeep Pro, but the tiny Happy Ears are more than suitable for slumber and helped me nod off. Happy Ears claims they can reduce volume levels by up to 25 dB. While I didn’t have a decibel reader at hand when somebody with a pneumatic drill started digging up the pavement outside, these earplugs certainly deadened the most ear-splitting tones. It made it slightly easier to concentrate while writing this guide. Did I mention they’re tiny and come with an equally tiny case and arrive in recyclable/compostable paper packaging? They’re available in small, medium, or large, but you’ll have to buy a more expensive Discovery Pack, which includes all three if you’re unsure.
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Photograph: Loop
The Best Volume Adjustable Earplugs
Loop Switch
These earplugs from Loop look like the brands’ other doughnut-shaped buds, but with a special trick up their sleeve. You can toggle the outside of each bud between three positions for variable sound reduction. You can switch between a lot, a little, and nearly no noise, which makes these great for live festivals, where artists can vary in volume from “just a little loud” to “Dear Lord, I might never hear again.” I also like that they’re light and comfortable, with easy to clean silicone eartips and plastic outer shells. You can even get them in cute colors like blue and salmon pink.
Total noise reduction ranges from -17 dB to -25 dB from the noise around you, which I have found to be more than enough to take the edge off of nearly any live music. If taking that much off the top isn’t enough, I’d consider why you’re there in the first place.
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Photograph: Parker Hall
Best Eartip Assortment
Minuendo Live
If you’re the type of person that has a very particular inner ear, it can be really hard to find earplugs that fit right. Getting a proper seal on earplugs is essential for proper sound reduction, which is why I was super impressed with the Live earplugs. These come with foam, single, double, and triple flanged eartips in a variety of sizes, which makes it really easy to find the goldilocks shape for you.
These reduce sound by 17 dB overall, which makes them well-suited to most live music or performances, but you will want stronger earplugs for using heavy machinery. The brand also sells a more expensive pair ($155) with an adjustable passive high pass filter (read: it filters out super bright sounds for more reduction, much like the Loop Switch), but I don’t think it’s worth the extra price.
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Photograph: Parker Hall
Best for Live Musicians
Etymotic MusicPro Elite
I play drums in bands on nights and weekends, which is how I got this job writing about A/V gear, and also why I need to protect my hearing. I always wear earplugs when I play, but I find them (even many of the passive pairs above) annoying as a performer, because they can do well with my snare drum, toms, and kick, but they overdo my cymbals, making it so I can’t hear how bright and ringing they’re being, even when I’m really bashing them. That’s why I’ve fallen in love with this powered pair of earbuds from Etymotics called the MusicPro Elite.
They’re not cheap, but these act like a limiter for your ears; anything above 90 dB gets filtered out to be lower via a pair of mics in the rechargeable buds, or you can even set them to make things louder (but not exceed 90 dB) when they’re quiet, and still soften things up when they get loud, which makes these perfect for acoustic/electric songs, where you go from a gentle intro to something more rocking later on. I like that they come with robust hard case that easily slips in my drum bag, and that they come with both triple-flanged and memory foam tips. The only downside is that these still recharge with micro USB. What year is it!?
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Photograph: MirageC/Getty Images
What About Disposables?
Stick With Reusables
Considering some live music venues give away free earplugs at every gig, you might question the wisdom of forking out $15 or more for a pair of your own. You can even buy whole packets of disposable ones for a few pennies a pair. But if you’re going to be wearing earplugs regularly, there are good reasons for investing in some reusable ones. For starters, it’s better for the environment. The foam used to make most disposable earplugs isn’t biodegradable or recyclable, so they all end up going to landfills. It might seem like you get more for your money, but the cost soon adds up. If not properly inserted, they won’t do their job properly either, and with no acoustic filtering of any kind, they’re no good when audio clarity is important. Disposables are preferable to nothing, but you’re better off with a reusable pair. Just try not to lose them.
