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I didn’t listen to adults when I was a kid when it came to hearing loss. Tbh, I didn’t listen to adults even when I became an adult when it came to hearing loss. At the peak of my concert going days, I would hit up a live show once a week at the very least. My ears would go with me, unprotected, often subjected to loudness of standing near the front of the stage. (Fellow shorties, you get me!)
“Huh?”
…is what I say a lot these days because I don’t catch everything that is said to me. I thought my neighbors were being annoying until I realized it was tinnitus that was plaguing me at nights. My hearing is especially bad in crowds when there are background sounds. This is a bummer because 1) I really enjoy hearing things, 2) I feel like a pest when I ask people to repeat themselves, and 3) there’s no fix.
There is no medical or surgical treatment for hearing loss caused by noise. Damaged hair cells do not grow back. As much as possible, you should try to protect your hearing. If you do have hearing loss, you should take steps to keep it from getting worse. – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
As I get older, I find myself trying to take those steps — not only with my ears, but with my body. You only get one meat bag! I tried going the cheap route and bought a box of Flents Quiet Contour foam earplugs. They weren’t terrible, but I found myself adjusting them and making sure they didn’t fall out of my ear holes a lot. Also, I don’t think I earned any cool points with them being BRIGHT GREEN. When I was down to my last pair, I decided it was time to try something new.
Why Loop Earplugs?
I honestly forgot how I discovered Loop Earplugs. I didn’t realize they were something trendy, so I didn’t discover them through an influencer, but their social media ad game is very strong. I don’t remember if the ads came first or if they followed me everywhere on the internet after I looked them up. Anyway, I did my due diligence and jumped into Reddit to see what others thought of them. I found generally favorable reviews, so the next step was figuring out which ones to get. There are so many models! Currently, there are the Quiet, Quiet Plus, Experience, Experience Plus, Engage, Engage Plus, Engage Kids, and recently, they launched the Loop Switch. I don’t remember their website having a quiz to help me pick, so I hemmed and I hawed on my own, reading reviews and asking for recommendations from my Instagram followers. I even considered other brands, but ultimately, my friends’ positive experiences with Loop Earplugs combined with the constant nagging of social media ads got to me. Since concerts seem to be the biggest culprit of hearing loss, I decided to buy the Loop Experience Plus.
So, are Loop Earplugs worth it?
For me? YES. Absolutely. I felt goofy the first time I put the Loop Experience Plus pair in, but then remembered they were not huge, bright green foam pieces sticking out of my head and instead were actually comfortable and somewhat discreet. The clarity of the music at concerts had me appreciate the live performances more. And when I took them out between sets? It really hit me how much noise our ears get pummeled with at large events. I wish I bought them earlier.
I liked my Loop Experience Plus earplugs so much, I ended up buying the Engage (used off eBay) and the Quiet. My reasoning was that I would wear the Engage when going out to restaurants and more lowkey events that involved conversations and crowds. However, I forget them all the time. 😬 However, the Quiet have been clutch so many times, namely times I’ve wanted to nap while the universe tried to plot against me with outside noises. The silicone earplugs are comfy enough that I can pop them in and doze away with no problems. And they stay in my ear! That’s more than Flents Quiet Contour foam earplugs could do.
When I travel, I make sure to bring my Quiet pair always, but I usually bring my Experience Plus or Engage pairs, too, depending on what shenanigans I’ll be up to. Although the earplugs come in a case, it is a bit rinky-dink and also easy to lose. All my pairs either have a keychain or an Apple Airtag attached.
And even though Loop Earplugs have a very slim profile, they are very recognizable, so I have been stopped by a few people who said they’ve wondered if they work. I tell them, “Yes, buy them if you can afford to! But ear protection either way!”
- Loop Earplugs make concerts better! I wear my Loop Experience Plus pair when I go to shows and the music honestly sounds better. There’s more clarity and less “boom” if that makes any sense. Plus, they cut down on the audience chatter which is worth the price of the earplugs alone.
- Even though it can be a little overwhelming, the many models of Loop Earplugs exist to best fit the scenarios you are in. My Loop Experience Plus earplugs are great for concerts, but its material makes them uncomfortable to sleep with. On the flip side, my Loop Quiet earplugs are soft and barely noticeable when I nap with them, but they would not cut down on enough sound at a concert.
- They stay snug in my ear holes and are pretty comfy. There’s multiple sizes of tips that come with each pair, and if you spend extra on a Plus model, you get silicone and memory foam tips.
- There’s so many colors to pick from in case you’re into that sort of thing.
- They are not giant, brightly colored foam chunks sticking (or falling) out of your ears.
- They don’t work for everyone. Even though most people I talked to love their Loop Earplugs, one friend said that even Loop Earplugs’ customer service couldn’t help them be more comfortable for her. If you buy them new, I suggest buying them somewhere that has a good return policy.
- It can be hard to talk to people at concerts. I’m not one to talk while a band is playing, but when sharing one-offs with your fellow concert goer, it can result a lot of “what?” and “huh?” Also, if you aren’t mindful while you have them on, you’ll be talking much louder than normal!
- This is a pro and a con: Loop Earplugs are small. While I love that they have a low profile while I’m wearing them, I’m paranoid they will fall out of my pocket if I don’t put them in their little rinky-dink case.
- These earplugs are pricey. They aren’t professional grade, so you are saving money if you’re comparing Loop Earplugs to them, but then again, you can buy so many foam earplugs for a pair of Loops. But remember, hearing loss is irreversible, so invest in some sort of hearing protection!
Overall Rating
Loop Earplugs review: Trendy protection for your ear holes
👍🏽 Better clarity of noises you want to hear and cuts down on those you don’t, different models available to fit your lifestyle, come with multiple tip sizes (and types if you buy a Plus version) and can be very comfortable, stay put in your ear holes, small profile with many, many colors to pick from.
👎🏽 Not for all ears, makes conversing during concerts harder (which might not be a negative!), their size and cheap case might make them easy to lose, much pricier than a big box of foam earplugs.
5 out of 6 thumbs up!
Do you love your ears? What do you use to protect them? Lemme know in the comments!
