Earplugs for conerts?

Do what I do. Get yourself to the local concession stand, grab a napkin, tear off a quarter of it, fold it up and stick it in your ear.

It sounds like I'm telling you off, but this is actually what I do. I've never shopped for balanced attenuated earplugs, but normal earplugs cut out too much of the sound, leaving you with a sort of resonance-only hearing. The napkin will protect you from the ear shattering loudness, but is good at still letting the sound through.

Maybe I should patent it.

Each time your ears ring you are damaging your hearing. I used to go to concerts without ear protection until I had a very close call.

I walked out of the concert with the usual ringing in the ears. Except, after a day or so, my right ear KEPT ringing. And ringing. I let it go for a week, then went to see my doctor. He cautioned me that the ringing may never go away. I was very upset and depressed, thinking that one of my most pleasurable pastimes was threatened. The ringing ear kept me from sleeping, because it was hard to fall asleep, and it made me not want to listen to music because everything sounded wrong.

I was lucky. After a good five weeks, the ringing stopped. I'm sure I have some permanent damage from that, but now I get my hearing checked as part of my regular physicals, and I wear ear protection while doing lots of things.... like mowing the lawn, for example.

I don't think human beings were built to withstand some of the incredibly loud noises that we're exposed to almost every day. I would urge (I'm not too proud to beg) you to take care of your hearing.

We're all audiophiles because we enjoy the distinct, nuanced sounds that our equipment provides. How sad it would be to damage the most important component we have.... our ears.

Thanks, and I apologize if I sounded preachy.... but I like my fellow Audiogoners, and I don't want anything bad to happen to any of you.

ask pete townsend?