[kerb123]

I'm just worried about developing tinnitus, so what ear plugs would you recommend, if any at all?

btw when I say nightclubs I mean EDM events

[diving_queen]

No.

Unless you are dj'ing (thus have headphones)/the 'sound' guy or a lighting technician.
You won't need ear plugs.

EDIT: I think I need to make a point...I work in a bar/club. This music is LOUD. But I don't get tinnitus...or ear pain at all.
Bar staff can't wear them or they would'nt hear a damn thing. Worse than per normal.

So if bar staff can suffer 6+ hours serving drinks. Then people dancing can. And shouldn't stand right next to the amps. Thats just stupid.

Haha this post seems to be controversial! Interesting how no one has quoted me to explain why they disagree...
As a young member of the human species. I know NOONE. Not a SINGLE young human who wears ear-plugs clubbing. Its certainly not the norm.

[+ polarity -]

I have enough trouble trying to talk to people as it is.

[lyrical_lie]

No, why would you? :s

[SleepySheep]

Hahahaha silly billy. Ear plugs

Edit- rofl @ all the grandpas negging me. You know this is the student room, right?

[turbocharged]

I already have tinnitus. For a while I was a bit paranoid about going clubbing but you'll be fine. My ears do ring louder for a few hours afterwards but after that it's fine.

If you're still paranoid about it, try staying away from the speakers, it will make a big difference.

[astros4ws]

(Original post by kerb123)
I'm just worried about developing tinnitus, so what ear plugs would you recommend, if any at all?

If you don't wear earplugs in a night club then frankly you are an idiot. The sounds levels are enough to damage your hearing if you stay for any length of time (i.e. more than a few minutes).

"Yet a covert 2004 survey of 15 random UK clubs by the RNID found that the average volume in chill-out areas alone (three of the clubs didn't provide such areas, although taking a break from the music is proven to reduce damage) was 92.3dB, while noise levels of 110dB were found in the main room of at least one club. That's the same as a plane taking off, and the Noise at Work regs say no-one should listen to that for more than 90 seconds a day. Customers, by the way, are only protected by the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, which essentially says, y'know, try your best not to hurt people."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musi...ethoseearplugs

If you want cheap earplugs then I'd get a pair of these:
http://www.ministryofsound.com/shop/...8362/earplugs/ or http://www.hearingprotection.co.uk/i...=64&Itemid=125

They take 20dB off all frequencies so you hear exactly the same as everyone else except a bit quieter so you won't be deaf by the time you're 30.

If you have more money, go clubbing quite a lot or play a lot of loud music e.g. drums, guitar etc then these are the best ones you can get:
http://www.hearingprotection.co.uk/i...d=22&Itemid=76

Finally, no-one has ever commented on me wearing earplugs in a club but if they did I'd just tell them at least I'll be able to have a conversation in 20 years time without having to use a hearing-aid.

Hope that all helps.

[jaek13456]

(Original post by astros4ws)
If you don't wear earplugs in a night club then frankly you are an idiot. The sounds levels are enough to damage your hearing if you stay for any length of time (i.e. more than a few minutes).

"Yet a covert 2004 survey of 15 random UK clubs by the RNID found that the average volume in chill-out areas alone (three of the clubs didn't provide such areas, although taking a break from the music is proven to reduce damage) was 92.3dB, while noise levels of 110dB were found in the main room of at least one club. That's the same as a plane taking off, and the Noise at Work regs say no-one should listen to that for more than 90 seconds a day. Customers, by the way, are only protected by the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, which essentially says, y'know, try your best not to hurt people."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musi...ethoseearplugs

If you want cheap earplugs then I'd get a pair of these:
http://www.ministryofsound.com/shop/...8362/earplugs/ or http://www.hearingprotection.co.uk/i...=64&Itemid=125

They take 20dB off all frequencies so you hear exactly the same as everyone else except a bit quieter so you won't be deaf by the time you're 30.

If you have more money, go clubbing quite a lot or play a lot of loud music e.g. drums, guitar etc then these are the best ones you can get:
http://www.hearingprotection.co.uk/i...d=22&Itemid=76

Finally, no-one has ever commented on me wearing earplugs in a club but if they did I'd just tell them at least I'll be able to have a conversation in 20 years time without having to use a hearing-aid.

Hope that all helps.

My mum used to go clubbing all the time back in her youth. She hasn't got any hearing problems whatsoever.

So I'll have to disagree

[astros4ws]

(Original post by jaek13456)
My mum used to go clubbing all the time back in her youth. She hasn't got any hearing problems whatsoever.

So I'll have to disagree

Think you'll find that the power of modern amplification in clubs now is far louder than anything your Mum would have experienced 20/30/40 years ago.

[Fuzzpig]

(Original post by astros4ws)
If you don't wear earplugs in a night club then frankly you are an idiot. The sounds levels are enough to damage your hearing if you stay for any length of time (i.e. more than a few minutes).

"Yet a covert 2004 survey of 15 random UK clubs by the RNID found that the average volume in chill-out areas alone (three of the clubs didn't provide such areas, although taking a break from the music is proven to reduce damage) was 92.3dB, while noise levels of 110dB were found in the main room of at least one club. That's the same as a plane taking off, and the Noise at Work regs say no-one should listen to that for more than 90 seconds a day. Customers, by the way, are only protected by the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, which essentially says, y'know, try your best not to hurt people."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musi...ethoseearplugs

If you want cheap earplugs then I'd get a pair of these:
http://www.ministryofsound.com/shop/...8362/earplugs/ or http://www.hearingprotection.co.uk/i...=64&Itemid=125

They take 20dB off all frequencies so you hear exactly the same as everyone else except a bit quieter so you won't be deaf by the time you're 30.

If you have more money, go clubbing quite a lot or play a lot of loud music e.g. drums, guitar etc then these are the best ones you can get:
http://www.hearingprotection.co.uk/i...d=22&Itemid=76

Finally, no-one has ever commented on me wearing earplugs in a club but if they did I'd just tell them at least I'll be able to have a conversation in 20 years time without having to use a hearing-aid.

Hope that all helps.

Odd, particularly the bit I've bolded. Metal gigs seem a million times louder than nightclubs to me, so I wonder how they compare to planes taking off? A rocket taking off perhaps?

Or maybe the clubs I've been to are simply not as loud as the ones in this study you quoted, I think that's more likely the answer. I don't think many clubs are really that loud. Certainly I don't feel pain in my ears or tinnitus the day after, whereas after a gig without earplugs I would.

[Steezy]

Why are people finding this funny?

Whenever I go to a rave I use earplugs. They're great for really bassy nights.

I used to go to a lot of dub reggae nights where the bass just shakes your whole body and they go on until 5 or 6 the next day. The next day the ringing in my ears was so bad. Then I found out the organisers of the rave legally had to give you ear plugs if you request them, so I did, they tried to charge me & I said no, you have to give me them. So they did.

The music didn't lose any value, noone noticed I had them in and my ears weren't ringing at all the next day. Definitely worth it to avoid going deaf in later life.

[Skill]

What is tinnitus anyways? If I think about having tinnitus I get this screeching noise in my ears but I don't recognise it otherwise. Does anyone else find that?

[astros4ws]

(Original post by aliluvschoc)
Odd, particularly the bit I've bolded. Metal gigs seem a million times louder than nightclubs to me, so I wonder how they compare to planes taking off? A rocket taking off perhaps?

Or maybe the clubs I've been to are simply not as loud as the ones in this study you quoted, I think that's more likely the answer. I don't think many clubs are really that loud. Certainly I don't feel pain in my ears or tinnitus the day after, whereas after a gig without earplugs I would.

Metal gigs may well be much louder than night clubs. The basic rule of thumb though is if you're shouting into someone's ear to have a conversation then it is definitely too loud to stay there for any length of time without earplugs.

As you can see here: http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/vo...vel-d_938.html shouting is about 88dB at 30cm distance. You can safely listen to that for 4 hours: http://www.noisehelp.com/noise-dose.html.

If someone has to be much closer than that for you to hear them then the background noise will be higher and therefore the safe length of time for you to be exposed to the noise will be shorter.

Also, if you come out of a club with your ears ringing then you've damaged your hearing. Perhaps only slightly, but it adds up over time and the cells in your ears don't heal - once your hearing is damaged it is permanent.

[Megaross]

Tinnitus is serious business. I know every time I go to a gig/ club I'm damaging my hearing but I don't tend to wear them in the crowd.

Live on stage I wear a single earplug (drummer side for obvious reasons) an etymotic research et-20, had them about 5 years and they're a top piece of kit. Wear them at every band practise.
Unlike foam ones they reproduce the music accurately just at a lower volume.

I'm already quite deaf in that I have to slightly lipread in certain situations when others can hear conversation fine.
I'm also incredibly lucky, I had really bad tinnitus for a while, the doctors said it could go either way. I would never want to live with that.

Remember music is louder now than it ever used to be. And that people have different tolerances, some people will get tinitus/ hearing loss easier than others.

[zippyRN]

(Original post by SleepySheep)
Hahahaha silly billy. Ear plugs

except of course in the same location as workplace you would be subject to exposure time limits as well as a requirement to use hearing protection...

the cheap malleable plastic ear plugs are more than adequate for most gigs and clubs ...

well fitting and well designed hearing protection attenuates high sound pressures, and if you get in the realms of semi custom fit / hard earplugs that often include valves etc if they aren't in ear monitors ...

DJs wear headphones so they can hear whichever channel they pipe to the cans - else how do you beat match and cross fade when track A is belting out the Sound system and you want to cue up, beat match and fade across into track B ?

[Foo.mp3]

This isn't all that daft, some places do have the music up way too loud really.. I've come away with tinnitus on occasion (although it usually dissipates overnight)

Also, a bit of an aside, a very attractive deaf girl once came over while I was just jamming up in the club and got me to dance with her before pulling me (strange times) and her friend told me that she'd been able to hear fine until a year earlier when she was deafened by standing next to a huge speaker at a rave

[Captain Haddock]

(Original post by SleepySheep)
Hahahaha silly billy. Ear plugs

I'm a drummer, I've played for 10 years and for the first 5 or so of those years I didn't wear hearing protection while playing every day, or when going to gigs. It took it's toll on my hearing, and I developed minor tinnitus. That **** is irreversible, that ringing will be with me the rest of my life so you bet your ass I take care of my hearing now. I bring ear plugs to clubs, concerts, festivals, wherever there might be loud music. I don't always need to put them in but I don't see how it's 'silly' to take precautions against irreversible hearing damage.

[burgergetsbored]

I guess it depends on the person too. I know people who have clubbed for years and are fine, as am I. Although personally I don't think I've ever been into a stupidly loud club, all the ones around me have a good level of volume.

[kerily]

(Original post by jaek13456)
My mum used to go clubbing all the time back in her youth. She hasn't got any hearing problems whatsoever.

So I'll have to disagree

My mum used to go clubbing lots too; she's now completely deaf in one ear and not doing well in the other. Not that anecdotal evidence is exactly scientific, but my point is that it can go either way

[Pitt1988]

I spend too much time outside damaging my lungs to think twice about my lugs!