Please recommend hearing protection


My father is a professional musician. He plays sax.
He has been complaining to me that when he is working, he is frequently seated in close proximity to the drum kit and is beginning to notice some hearing lose on one ear.

He is asking me for an advise on hearing protection.

He has tried ear plugs, muffs and even Bose noise reducing headphones, but nothing really works the way he wants.

What he needs the hearing protection to achieve is the reduction of surrounding noise to an acceptable low level, without distorting/altering the sound of his sax. He still needs to hear himself and his concern with all the hearing protection he tried before is that instruments sound artificial and he can't really judge the sound he himself produces. He's a perfectionist when it comes to the sound of his saxaphones, so he's pretty frustrated at this point.

I suggested some sort of electronic hearing protection.

Would anyone know what is a good brand and model of an electronic(or regular) hearing protection device('phones, plugs) that can drop DBs and allow for accurate timbre of surrounding instruments?

Would an electronic hearing protection used for shooting work?

I would appreciate recommendations.
Thanks in advance!
128x128audphile1
Working around Jet Engines most of my life, I find that custom fit earplugs work the best. Some of my co-workers use these plus the muffs.
Musicians ear plugs are the best- available with 9,15 or 25db of attenuation they have a small metal chamber down the middle to allow HF and therefore have a much flatter response. Typical earplugs block the ear canal and kill the highs. They are custom made and you need to get an earmold made of your ears to send to them. Earmold design and lots of other places make them. Wholesale was about $40 so don't pay over $100.

ET
thanks!!!
I think we'll try the cheaper solutions first. For the price this would be an easy try.
Now that this thread is about done,I'd like to mention in a pinch,you can take the filters off a cigarette,strip off the paper and stuff the padding in your ear.Good luck,Bob