With rehearsals about to resume, I’m considering using Hearing Protection, especially in that I’m seated inches away from the snare and suspended cymbal which are sometimes played with enthusiasm. I have reviewed previous threads on the topic, but several years have passed and there are new products and perhaps new insight. I’d be especially interested in any specific product information you may have, and whether anyone here is regularly using ear plugs in rehearsal or performance.

My curiosity was also fueled, in part, by a recent promotional video from sheet music distributor J.W. Pepper which discussed several products for hearing protection.

My own prior experience was with low end plugs, and I found that they somewhat limited clarity and frequency response, caused my own sound to be more internal, and reduced my directional hearing (which mattered when I was a band director decades ago). Now, I just turn down my hearing aids or shut them off.