Loop Earplugs — Experiences? Can They Cause Damage to the Ear Canal/Eardrum?

Has anyone tried Loop earplugs? They say they are comfortable and knocks off 20 dB. They are made with some sort of technology that blocks out loud noise.

I’m terrified of inserting anything into my ear canal but at this point I feel like I don’t have a choice. The headphones I wear are causing too much pressure on my ears and causing pain. So now I’m considering earplugs.

It’s just terrifying because there is a warning that if they are inserted or taken out wrongly, it can cause damage to the eardrum. As if I need more ear problems than what I got right now ‍♀️

 

These don't look like anything remarkably different from what's already out there.

I think the only way you could even possibly damage your ear drum from inserting too deep would be if you were using a pair of plugs that were too small for your ear canal and you really jammed it in there. I don't really even know if even that would be possible... maybe with foam earplugs? But the ear canal is pretty darn long. Longer than any earplug. When I had molds made for my custom plugs, I was amazed at how long the molds were.

The only other danger of earplugs that I can think of would be pulling them out too fast. Earplugs usually create a seal that needs to be broken by carefully removing them slowly otherwise you'll get a very loud popping sound inside your ear canal.

You also want your earplugs to go as deeply as possible to remove as much occlusion as possible. There's no point in wearing earplugs if every step you take creates an 80 decibel thud inside your ear.

 

Are you supposed to hear no thud at all? No matter how deep I try to insert foam or musician plugs there's always a muffled thud on every step.

 

I've never been able to completely remove occlusion, but you can limit it by decreasing the open space between the plug and eardrum.

 

Loop Experience Pro is what I am using daily when doing noisy chores at home or driving, or being in a noisy environment (grocery stores, etc.). They do not go that deep into the ear canal (unlike Etymotic or Eargasm or 3M silicone earplugs), and make a good seal. The Experience Pro are rated at 25 dB (20 dB for the Experience only) but only reduce low frequency noises by about 10-12 dB (per Loop's own dB reduction chart).

On a couple of occasions, while walking in my neighborhood, I had "bad" encounters with people mowing their lawns — my tinnitus spiked, so the Loop Experience won't protect you from very loud noises nearby. The 3M 1100 offer better overall dB protection but would go deeper into your canal than the Loop, which, honestly, go only as deep as a pair of earbuds would. Regarding the occlusion "thuds" — I get those often with the Loop Experience Pro. And, yes - be careful how you pull them out, they tend to make a good seal, so do it more slowly.

 

@Chris S., how comfortable would you say they are? I already own some other types of hearing protection but I was thinking of trying these because they look more hygienic (has a grip on it) and since they don’t go super deep into ear seems like it would be more comfy.

I scratch my ear canals in my sleep and have small cuts at times so I try to reduce the amount of stuff I put in my ears (terrified of giving myself ear canal infection).

Anyways, these seemed like they would be nice for light hearing protection when I feel like someone has the TV too loud at home, driving, and some thrift stores put their music just slightly above what I find comfortable with tinnitus.

I was thinking of getting the sleep version but I think it muffled everything, not attenuated.

 

20 dB is not a lot in my humble opinion, and by looking at the form of these plugs, I fear they might shove ear wax deeper inside the ear canal.

I would suggest to have custom earplugs made if that is an option for you. They are way more comfortable than traditional earplugs, and they can also knock off up to 35 dB.

 

They are moderately comfortable. I am very doubtful of the 20 dB protection level and don't really use the Loop earplugs much anymore. Their protection level is closer to 12-15 dB at best. My tinnitus became quite severe (due to the Pfizer vaccine rounds) and is also quite reactive. I've been using almost exclusively 3M 1100 earplugs for the past 5-6 months and they really reduce noises by about 30 dB. Loop is fashionable, but its protection level is poor. Not useful in a grocery store when someone slams a shopping cart against other carts. Not useful when a low flying jet passes above me, generating 110-115 dB. If you wear them at home - they should be fine if the noises in your home aren't too loud. Outdoors - I don't trust them anymore.

 

No custom earplugs can have 35 dB, I have 3 pairs, all of them protect with maximum 10-15 dB.

Btw, for @stacey, here is a nice review:

https://noisyworld.org/loop-quiet-vs-loop-experience/

 

10-15 dB sounds incredibly little, even regular earplugs protect more than that.

I think I am just going to trust my hearing aid retailer on this.

 

As you please. I don't know what you mean by "regular earplugs", but if you mean foam earplugs, yes, they protect a lot more than custom silicon earplugs.

Try 3M 1100 deeply inserted and then put in your custom ones. You will be amazed by the results. Cheers.

 

@Taw, these come with up to 35 dB noise reduction. There are others too that provide +30 dB isolation.

https://pro.meeaudio.com/ct-earplugs-iso.html

 

What I am trying to say that all of the custom earplugs say "Up to 30/35/40 dB" but in reality they don't protect too much. I tried them (different brands), my friends tried them, and we were disappointed, when compared to 3M 1100. And they were all made custom for our ears.

Here are mine. As you can see, they look almost identical with the ones in the picture. If you want to believe the manufacturer, it's your call of course. But if you want maximum protection, wear foam earplugs.

 

I get you @Taw.

To me, personally, they would give more than enough protection though.

I have custom molded ones with 19 dB filter that go deep.