Which Earplugs Would You Choose for Cinema?

Which ones do you recommend? I plan to make new ones. The current ones I have, I had them done 12 years ago, they have no filter and their occlusive effect is annoying. I went to an audioprosthetist recently and they suggested me "Passtop" plugs, but they really look not discreet. So I don't know.. I'm trying to find other options.

 

I came back to Tinnitustalk after a gap, saw that there was a lot of gloom and doom and decided to try to help some people.

That's the second thread TODAY I saw Bill scaring someone.

Bill, shame on you. Really. Get a grip on your life before coming here to scare people.

@Sarah200 I bet a funko pop Thanos that you will be ok. A lot of people have Tinnitus, most of them don't ever come back to a forum like this after moving on. Those of us who do, do it scarcely. After the Avenger movie there will be Deadpool 2, or another movie, and then other one and so on. Get back on the horse and you will be ok.

Be well, you will be more than ok.

Best,
Zug

 

Thanks Zug, I need to get back in the positive mood and go back to being calm and relaxed about Tinnitus. I already know once I see Thanos I'll forget all about Tinnitus.

I got my spike in my left ear down to either not eating normally or when I had an argument with my brother. As I got very stressed he spilt coffee all over my assignment for University which took me 3hrs to finish so I got very angry then very upset once my anger went then I got stressed as I had to do it all over again. So I think it's one of the tow.

 

Only two threads? That’s a slow day.

It bothers me how much anxiety, the limbic system and their connection to tinnitus are dismissed and overlooked. Anxiety has a very real connection to increasing tinnitus. There are many posters who feel stress and anxiety played a role in causing or worsening their tinnitus.

I just had a very loud tinnitus spike. No loud noise exposure. Hanging out in my quiet house. Spike cause? Limbic system freak out thanks to getting upset. Loudest my tinnitus has been in a very long time.

 

go to the audiologist. every brand is essentially the same - it's silicon molded to your ear canal also fitted to accept filters. mine are Westone. if my tinnitus goes away 100% I'll still carry them everywhere I go. I haev a coworker whose husband has T. she does not - she carries earplugs everywhere. they're light. get good ones. they'll last a lifetime if you're careful.

lastly - occlusion is caused by the echo chamber between the plug and the eardrum. custom plugs get very close to the drum, so you shouldn't experience it too bad if they're properly made.

 

Thanks Tom

 

Went to see Red Sparrow with the missus recently, wore my -20 db Pluggerz earplugs. Average noise levels were by estimate 75 to 80 max with some peaks until 90 db. I’m still alive..
Would NOT recommend if your T is new, not settled and you’re still stressed/obsessing about it in the first year or so. Once you know your limits, you’ll be fine.

 

I had already made the decision anyway that no matter what I'm not missing this as Zug said the mad Titan crushing the Avengers

I've had Tinnitus for 1yr and 3months for about 10 of those months of pretty much ignored my Tinnitus to the point that sometimes I forgot I ever had it the only spikes if had have been recent , one a few weeks ago when my sister was watching Iron Man 3 very loudly and my spike only lasted a day and then yesterday I had a spike most likely due to stress only lasted a few hours as this morning my Tinnitus is back to normal.

There are loads of members on here who i have read were fine after going to the cinema as long as they have had their plugs and I can't wait I've waited 10yrs for this film and my wait is now only down to 10 days.

I've decided to buy both plugs and see which ones I prefer and am going to try them out while my sister drys her hair as her hair dryer is loud and reaches the 80db mark like at the cinema.

 

In the first years after my onset I went to the movies without plugs, this did not affect my T. Now I put plugs just to be on the safe side when I go there, I became more cautious with time.
I really think there is no risk of damage if you go there protected. Except if it's an extremely loud theater.

 

The woman I spoke to at the cinema I'm going to asked the projection team and they said that the speakers for black panther were tuned between 75-82db level and that infinity war will be the same.

I don't think 82db is too bad and with my plugs it will be 62db for me as my plugs reduce the noise level buy 21-22db

How many of you on here will be seeing infinity war?

Avengers: Infinity War - New TV Spot...

 

You are right, no need to worry in my opinion.
Have fun

 

I’m currently travelling and found myself twiddling my thumbs, so I reluctantly logged on again to see what was going on. As usual I agree 100% with @Zug, @Tinker Bell, @Michael Leigh, @Julien87 etc...

Most on here really do drastically underestimate the power anxiety has over us. Both in terms of our physical health and our emotional well-being as well. From my experience, tinnitus is more likely to kick your ass if you’re constantly worrying about everything (this really does create spikes). The ones who don’t believe this never will, so they continue posting alarming stories to newcomers which could very well set them back a few years, in my opinion. Remember, that by signing up to this forum you are opening the lid (Pandora’s Box) on the worst misery that tinnitus creates. It is intrinsically biased towards suffering because people who live quite happily with the condition aren’t going to sign up to a forum to tell the world about their life. It’s the same with negative reviews on other things; there will always be more because people are far more likely to complain about a bad experience. There aren’t many people who write about positive experiences.

@Sarah200, go to the cinema and take some filtered earplugs with you. We’ve already discussed the volume of cinemas in the U.K., and you know that most aren’t very loud. You will be fine.

Get your life back on track and slowly wean yourself off tinnitus related activities. This includes reading about it and talking about it. The less you care about it the better. If you take the other route it WILL become an obsession, and it WILL consume your life. That goes for anyone else reading this.

 

Anyone who doesn't believe anxiety or even emotions have an effect on Tinnitus then they really need to believe because I do this morning I woke fine my spike from yesterday had gone and then this afternoon it's back 20mins after getting stressed and angry again. So not only can anxiety cause a spike so can being angry and stressed. I need to learn how to keep calm?

 

I don't know if you need to learn anything. In time, Tinnitus will impact you less and less.

Here, After Avengers, we should watch this:

DEADPOOL 2 Official Final Trailer (2018) Ryan...

 

Definitely, looks good and enjoyed the first Deadpool.

 

I just went to go and watch avengers infinity war (reluctantly to appease a family member) armed with an array of ear plugs. I wore 32db ones but when I saw my phone sound app go into the 90s in the previews and even get to 112db, I left. That is clearly insane. It was set to process at a conservative level too for normal situations so may have been worse. The bass was a physical force.

I was expecting maybe 85-90db max here and there. I haven’t been to movies in years but gees that is so irresponsible. I wasn’t expecting gold class to be like that. But this country is clueless with sound related things. There is another screening of it in the same theatre complex with some new fancy sound system that the ticket people said was even louder.

I’m hoping things will be ok. Not a place for someone like me to be in. Never again. Never.

 

The trailers are always extremely loud, I miss them and just enter when the film starts. I used two DB readers watching Infinty War, the max peak was 92 and the average was 79 . I agree as the trailers are stupidly loud, and shouldn’t be allowed to be like that. If you felt uncomfortable you did the right thing in leaving, no sense in making yourself more anxious. Everybody is different and should follow how they feel, I’ve had no issues and I’m sure you will be fine.

 

What country are you in gman? It might be useful having an average cinema loudness reference guide on here - for various countries - so users can see what the approximate differences are. All it would require is the use of the same, or least a calibrated, decibel meter rather than a phone app.

All the cinemas I’ve been to in the UK (non-IMAX) have been approximately the same level. The same that is reported by myself and others on this thread and others.

 

Well, when the peak levels are reaching up to 112db on a conservative setting, then it doesn't matter how loud the average is. Anyway I don't put total trust in a phone app, as I would a real sound meter. The earth shuddering bass is enough to put me off.

A lovely one in SE Asia, but utterly clueless when it comes to noise pollution. I'm going to leave it in not too long, back to a slightly less moronic western country.

It is strange that cinemas don't say the peak level their sound systems are set at. There are no standards.
I think it's just easier to avoid the cinema. No loss.
Found this old but interesting article - things are definitely a lot worse these days.
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2003/apr/04/artsfeatures

 

What phone did you use and what was the name of the app? A lot of the apps ran high when I used them, so I wouldn’t rely on them for accuracy. However, I’m not doubting your experience. If you believe it was too loud then you was right to leave; there’s no point sitting there if you’re not enjoying yourself.

 

dB Meter with an iphone

 

Is it the one in the middle of this screenshot?

 

Decibel sound meter pro is the name on the appstore

 

Don’t think I’ve ever tried that one. It looks like one of the newer ones. The best two from professional tests (this is going back a bit, however) were Sound Meter by Faber Acoustical and SPLnFFT. Some apps can be wildly inaccurate, so it’s better to try a dedicated meter that has good reviews if you want a relatively reliable measurement.

 

I agree, if it’s uncomfortable, leave.... no need to worry or make yourself anxious. I used a phone app and an actual DB reader, the phone app was off by about 5db compared to the app.

 

Does it make a difference whether T was caused by noise or something else? I read someone here who said that it doesn't make a difference how someone got T, that damage is damage regardless of the cause. Are those of us who had acoustic trauma more vulnerable than others?

 

I keep reading that T is extremely common, yet I've never seen anyone wearing ear plugs or ear muffs. Of course, ear plugs can be hidden if people's hair covers their ears, but still, I have never once seen them. I meet hundreds of new people each year at my job. I live in a heavily populated place. If so many people have T, I should see ear plugs from time to time. This makes me wonder whether the number of people who have T is greatly exaggerated or if tons of people with T wear no protection and are fine.

 

@SugarMagnolia

In my opinion there is a difference between noise induced tinnitus (NIT) and tinnitus which was caused by hearing loss, Menier's, Otoslerosis or some other underlying medical problem that caused the tinnitus. I am not saying a person with NIT has the condition worse, I'm saying there is a difference in the way the cochlea in the inner ear has been affected. People that have noise induced tinnitus often have an overly sensitive auditory system that manifests itself as hyperacusis which can be quite severe. This has been brought on by the loud noise trauma that caused the tinnitus in the first instance. It is for this reason a lot of people (but not all) with NIT, find using headphones even at low volume can make the condition worse.

People that have tinnitus which wasn't caused by noise trauma can also experience hyperacusis or are sensitive to sound, but I do not believe it is acute as someone that has suffered loud noise trauma.

Michael

 

Stay out of movie theater. Usually, there will be good hi-fi stereo speakers in theater
and it is no good to your ears regardless good earplugs.

 

I can only speak for cinemas in America (the ones I’ve been to) and the many in the UK, but I can say that that statement is not true at all. Cinemas aren’t that loud (on average). In fact, even the gold filters on Alpine Classics are too strong for an average cinema. If you do use those, or similar, you will mainly sit and listen to your tinnitus during the movie. Personally, I found the sweet spot to be my 10db reducing filters (in my custom plugs) as they reduce the sound to TV like levels without affecting the dialogue or immersion.

If you have hyperacusis, however, this may be a different story. Stronger plugs may be required, or you may not enjoy the cinema experience at all, in which case, it’s better to start with strong plugs first and figure out if you can cope or not.