I went to a concert from After Forever and Nemesea yesterday and it was really great! [img]smile.gif[/img] I was standing like 2 metres from the stage, boxes and the pit :D perfect place. Still feel my neck and have a beep in my ears that starts to get annoying but it was well worth it [img]smile.gif[/img]

When I came home though my dad said I should wear ear plugs which cap sound at 80dB (or something) so I want to know if anyone has tried those things and if they take away alot of the experience and fun. Do they block any sound higher than 80dB or only reduce it to 80dB? And just because I'm curious does it make hearing someone talking to you easier to understand lol.

I have a few boxes of earplugs right here. They kinda lower the noise, but you can still hear pretty much everything. We used them at the breweries where the sound of thousands of bottles passing by on the rinse line can do some serious damage to your hearing, i now use them because the snoring of the guest that stays at my place is driving me nuts. :rolleyes:

They'll give you SOME protection, but aginst THAT much noise i'm not sure if they would do any good. Still, it's better than nothing.

Apparently it were a lot of dBs :D Judging from the beep in my ears which would be about away now if I went to a club for example.

Thanks for the info [img]smile.gif[/img] !

Well If you do tend to go to alot of loud shows I would say wear them. I never have wore them my self. I have slowed down my show going since the kids are rolling out. ;) I have found them to be a little un-cool. But the un-cool people will have hearing at the age of 60. :D If I was as close as you were I would say wear them.

Being In an Alternative Band (Although A Mellow one in comparison to most of them) I know the meaning of loud, and earplugs are for girls. You big girl. [img]tongue.gif[/img] That ringing in your ears is a sign that your ears enjoyed it :D

Shameless Plug Of A Rough Amatuer Recording

[ 10-03-2004, 01:36 PM: Message edited by: Beaumanoir ]

That mp3 sounds great!

But well it doesn't come close to the heaviness of the concert I went to ;)

Yea thats one of our softerish songs. But something doesnt have to be heavy to be loud y'know. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

But you have to play it harder then to make my ears enjoy as much as with heavier music [img]tongue.gif[/img]

I agree with your dad. I went to a LOT of metal concerts since I was 14, and I mean a lot. In the first few years I never wore ear plugs but now I almost always do (although I have to say my concertgoing frequency has dropped quite dramatically) ;)
Your hearing is such a vitally important thing and you CAN damage it by going to concerts, they don't even have to be big ones. Concerts in smaller clubs can often do more damage depending on the equipment/sound set-up.
Anyway on the topic of plugs, you can go for anything between cheap 1 euro ones to custom made 100 euro ones (not the exact prices mind).
The cheap yellow things you can get at the pharmacy are just crap, don't use them. They won't give you a lot of protection and rather than lowering the dB they just block some frequencies. And they don't help with hearing what people are saying either. I wouldn't recommend custom-made ones either since I assume you're still in school so there's the price issue, and it would be overkill, they are usually used by more or less professional musicians. What I really would recommend is that you go to a music store like Feedback or something or any smaller shop that sells musical instruments, and buy some earplugs in the in-between price range (say 20 to 40 euros). I have some of those myself, and I can tell you they will truly increase your listening pleasure. The vocals will become much more defined and clear, you will have a much better bass sound than your reckless earplugless friends ;) and the overall sound will be more defined. I really suggest you get some and wear 'em!
Hope this helps!

[ 10-03-2004, 06:17 PM: Message edited by: Melusine ]

Last concerts I went to, I wore earplugs. I remember the thrill of sitting next to the amplifiers to see if I could get my ears blown out. You can...

I use pairs that I pick up in my work travels. I go to manufacturing plants fairly frequently, and I will bring home a new pair if I get one. I use them religiously if I fly on a smaller airplane (regional jet or less). It's amazing how much noise they block out...

Cool? Perhaps not. But neither is deciding to lose your hearing.