By Monica Duve, AuD

            I had a very interesting question today. A patient called to ask if it was safe for him to wear hearing aids at a hard rock concert. This patient is quite young and already has a serious noise induced hearing loss, so I was so grateful that he wanted to learn more about how to preserve his hearing but still enjoy what he loves.

            It is okay to wear hearing aids at any concert, regardless of genre.  They do have a decibel limiter so it may be slightly safer with them in versus without.  Your audiologist can even create a special setting in your hearing aids for more aggressively controlling loudness yet enhancing music at the same time. 

However, hearing aids with noise reduction cannot be considered a replacement for actual hearing protection.  Length of exposure and proximity to speakers, even when high decibels are slightly reduced by hearing aids, is not hearing protection in the way that earplugs or earmuffs are.  In relation to hearing aid sound processing, what noise reduction really means is “not amplifying sound”. This is not the same as actual noise suppression to a lower volume than the sound is in real life, like hearing protection. In a nutshell, wearing hearing aids at a concert does not put you at a higher risk but is not protective either.  It is the same degree of risk with or without hearing aids. 

If you are a concert enthusiast, you may want to consider musician’s earplugs.  You can get generic fit ones online or at local music stores.  There are many styles. Look for the highest noise reduction rating (NRR) in the description. To explain, 24NRR is better protection than 15 NRR.   The difference between musician’s earplugs and standard foam type earplugs is that musician’s plugs have special filters that preserve the quality and fidelity range of music.  Foam earplugs are protective (if placed deeply) but can make speech and music muffled or dull.  We also can order custom fit musician’s earplugs in our clinic. These are formed to your ear shape and provide the best balance between maximum protection and preserving enjoyment of the music. 

Musician’s earplugs are named such because they are an essential tool for this population. Playing constantly in an amplified set or sitting in an orchestra pit creates extremely high risk of noise induced hearing loss, ruining their most precious instrument – ears. However, use is not limited to musicians.  Concert goers, motorcycle enthusiast, hunters, dentists, and many other populations can benefit from musician’s earplugs or other types of custom hearing protection. We, at Killean Audiology, are not just about treating the aftermath of noise damage. We are experts on all types of hearing protection. We would much rather help you prevent more hearing damage than treat the challenges that are inevitable with a battered auditory system. So go ahead, enjoy your concert, but consider ways to protect your hearing so you can enjoy the music of life to the fullest for years to come. Ask us how you can save your hearing.