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Whether you’re someone whose entire year revolves around festival season or you book tickets for gigs at every chance you get, purpose-built earplugs can protect your ears without just dampening the sound.
More than one billion people between the ages of 12 and 35 risk losing their hearing because of prolonged exposure to loud music and other sounds at bars, clubs, concerts and sporting events, according to the WHO. With this in mind, it’s not without reason that more and more of us are bringing protective earplugs to the rave.
Normal conversations reach a level of around 60 decibels (dB), and exposure to levels of 70dB or higher for a prolonged period of time can start to damage your hearing. At nightclubs, bars, gigs and concerts, it’s not unusual for music to exceed 100dB, which was reason enough for the WHO to suggest stricter noise limits.
One way to protect your hearing is to wear earplugs to these events. High-fidelity earplugs in particular are designed to even out the music more and filter out the noise, rather than muffle it completely. They’re also made to last, as opposed to generic foam earplugs, as you can remove the filter and wash the ear tips to keep reusing them.
Earplugs can reduce the amount of noise by between 15-30dB, and you’ll want to aim to bring your exposure down to around 75-85dB for a safer experience, while still being able to enjoy the performance of your favourite artists.
How we tested
While we didn’t have any festivals scheduled during the testing period, we took these earplugs out for a spin while listening to live music and can testify that every single pair included in this round-up made a massive difference.
They all came with instructions on how to use and clean them, and for each of these earplugs, we tried changing the ear tips and cleaning (which was quite a fidgety job). We also wore them for at least four hours in a row to make sure they were comfortable enough to wear to a gig or concert, and did a little dance to check they wouldn’t fall out – imagine trying to look for an earplug in a busy nightclub. We gave extra credit for earplugs that came with different tip sizes, as one size usually doesn’t fit all, and who actually knows the size of their ear canal?
Why you can trust us
Dominique Boulan has recommended running trainers, coffee and more while writing for IndyBest. As per our scrupulous testing criteria, she has used each product as you would at home, to assess what matters, including functionality and value for money. Here, Dominique used each set of earplugs at real world music events, to be sure of their efficacy.
The best earplugs for concerts in 2025 are:
- Best overall – Fender professional hi-fi earplugs: £22.99, Gear4music.com
- Best for F1 fans – Alpine partyplug pro natrual: £19.95, Alpinehearingprotection.co.uk
- Best adjustable earplugs – D’Addario dbud volume adjustable earplugs: £49.99, Amazon.com
- Best for invisibility – Vibes hi-fidelity earplugs: £29.99, Sensorydirect.com
- Best for a rave – Blox xperience reusable earplugs: £23.81, Amazon.co.uk
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