There are quite a few choices for live performance earplugs these days, so that you don’t must accept the cut price bin foam bits that fully seal off your ears anymore. The PPE-grade merchandise fluctuate in design and efficiency, with some providing completely different ranges of noise discount. That listening to safety at all times comes with the promise that the earplugs received’t fully muffle the band, which is an actual downside when you need to accept the generic foam variations from the bartender.
Loop has been within the live performance earplug sport since its founding in 2016. In that point, its product roster has grown to embody 9 completely different fashions, together with devoted choices for sleep, journey, commuting and social occasions along with live shows, festivals and sporting occasions. The Swap 2 ($59.95) is Loop’s newest, an improved model of the unique Swap that debuted the flexibility to alter sound filter ranges whereas the earplugs have been nonetheless in your ears. To place the audio high quality to the check, I took them to a 100dB rock present in a small venue final month.
The Swap 2 delivers on Loop’s promise to securely filter loud noise with out overly muffling the sound for social gatherings, live shows, commuting and extra.
- Simple to regulate whereas sporting
- Very comfy
- Priciest mannequin from Loop
- Noise ranges on fluctuate by 3dB
Loop has maintained principally the identical design from its first mannequin. There’s a silicone ear tip, just like these on wi-fi earbuds, that’s connected to a round loop the place all of the protecting bits reside. Within the case of the Swap 2, the outer half of that loop rotates to can help you choose between three ranges of sound filtration: Have interaction, Expertise and Quiet.
These settings scale back noise by 20dB, 23dB and 26dB respectively, and also you don’t must take them out to make the adjustment. The corporate recommends Have interaction for social gatherings and conversations whereas Expertise works greatest for live shows and sporting occasions. Quiet’s most noise discount is supposed for commutes and downtime, which additionally makes them a strong possibility for journey.
For the Swap 2, Loop says it redesigned that dial for “smoother” modifications whilst you’re sporting them. I by no means tried the earlier mannequin, however I can inform you this new model means that you can rotate between modes with ease. I by no means felt like I needed to press the earplugs additional into my ear to make the change, and the dial stopped at every setting with a satisfying click on that I might really feel even when the venue was too loud for me to listen to it.
True to Loop’s recommendation, I discovered the Expertise setting was the most effective for the dwell present. My Apple Watch detected that the venue hit 100dB, a stage at which the Nationwide Institute for Occupational Security and Well being (NIOSH) says you must solely be uncovered to for quarter-hour to keep away from listening to harm. Clearly, with 5 bands on the invoice for the night, I used to be going to spend considerably extra time in a dangerously loud atmosphere. So, the 23dB discount at this setting introduced the noise stage all the way down to a a lot safer quantity for the roughly two hours I used to be there.
Since a set of earplugs is so tiny, I used to be in a position to simply carry each the Swap 2 and the Sennheiser SoundProtex Plus to the present for a direct comparability. Throughout each the brutal hardcore of Ends of Sanity and the chaotic steel of Dying Want, I might constantly hear extra particulars with the Swap 2. This was most obvious within the guitars, the place Loop’s possibility let in additional high-frequency sound, permitting me to get pleasure from all of the riffs each bands needed to supply. I just like the match of SoundProtex Plus, however the filtered sound is extra bass heavy and tends to favor the drums, so it loses some constancy in comparison with the Swap 2.
The Swap 2 comes with 4 sizes of ear ideas that can assist you discover the most effective match, and there’s a tough plastic case that’s simple to search out whenever you drop it in a bag. Once more, that is very compact (concerning the measurement of 1 / 4), so I simply carry them with me on a regular basis so I don’t have to fret about forgetting them earlier than I head out to a different live performance. The SoundProtex Plus, nevertheless, comes with three separate ear plugs in three completely different sizes. That pack additionally consists of 4 sound filters, with choices for 10dB, 17dB, 20dB and “full” noise discount.
The massive downside with Sennheiser’s model is that you could’t swap the filters with out eradicating them out of your ears. It’s a fast course of, however the filters are tiny, so it’s not one thing you wish to fiddle with mid-set in a crowded membership. Plus, you’ll have to recollect to pack these within the tiny pouch the corporate provides you earlier than you permit house. The SoundProtex Plus is now a way more enticing possibility at $50, which is $30 lower than they have been after I reviewed them. However, as I discussed, I feel the Swap 2 presents higher sound filtration and ease of use for simply $10 extra.
I’ve shut mates and former bandmates who’ve used Loop earplugs for years and so they famous the safe match of the ear ideas within the firm’s merchandise as a key promoting level. Among the competitors tends to work itself free after a couple of minutes, they mentioned, requiring fixed adjustment. For the Swap 2, the corporate revised these elements for higher noise discount within the most or Quiet mode, and so they nonetheless keep in place so long as you want them to. The one time I ever reached for the earplugs in the course of the present was to regulate the filter setting for testing functions.
I’ve been toting the SoundProtex Plus round with me since I began testing them final 12 months, and so they’ve served me properly. Nonetheless, the Swap 2 lets extra element by way of, which implies you’ll be able to hear extra of what the band has to supply in the course of the present. Plus, Loop’s newest mannequin presents extra noise safety at every stage, with even the bottom setting bringing a 100dB venue all the way down to one thing that’s safer to face in. And just like the Sennheiser bundle, the Swap 2 is licensed as listening to safety after thorough testing, assembly each EU and US security requirements.
