If we’ve worked together, or been to a show together, or even if you just follow me, you have probably heard me talk about hearing protection.

As musicians, producers, mixers, mastering folks, we should all be protecting our ears when we’re exposing them to high sound pressure levels. Heck, as human being, even, we should be adamant about protecting one of the most important of our five senses.

For this simple reason, I’ve long been an advocate for wearing earplugs to concerts. A few months back, I had the opportunity to review Minuendo’s High Fidelity Adjustable Earplugs, and while they’re probably the nicest, earplugs I’ve used, they come with a hefty price tag. When Minuendo announced their new LIVE earplugs, at a more affordable price point, I was excited to get my hands on them.

My original plan was to review them the old fashioned way, at my house/studio, and by doing some stuff around town, but by happenstance, I had a trip planned to see the Eras Tour in the UK, so these became my “travel earplugs” right away.

While I wouldn’t typically review audio gear this away from my studio setup, a trip overseas for some concerts seems like a great reason to make an exception, especially considering the product. Earplugs are such a day-to-day item for folks in the music industry, so this was a great chance to try them out in a real world setting.

Initial Thoughts

Upon opening them, on the plane, I was met with a pleasant surprise. The first Minuendo earplugs I reviewed had one design flaw that knocked them down a peg in my rankings. They connect to each other via magnets embedded in the sides of the earplugs, but the first pair used ring shaped magnets glued into slots. After a few weeks, the magnets proved stronger than the glue, and they dislodged themselves from the plugs. These new earplugs have no visible magnets, no glue seal to break, they’re just…magnetic. So right off, major points to Minuendo for correcting the problem quickly with their next model!

So let’s dive in to the main categories that we’ll be using to review these earplugs!

Comfort

On the flight over, I wore these earplugs for around 4 hours to take a nap, and I woke up without any ear discomfort, thanks to the adaptable tips on these earplugs. It’s great that you can select between many different styles and sizes of tips to make sure you’ll actually wear them.

Comfort is a huge metric for earplugs, because you’ll never wear them if they’re not comfortable, negating the purpose of buying earplugs in the first place. These come with 11 different tip options, so frankly, just about everyone should be able to find a pair that fits comfortably.

Performance

These earplugs certainly meet my standards when it comes to noise reduction and sound quality. The main difference between the LIVE earplugs and the original Minuendo earplugs is the adaptable noise reduction. The originals have a sliding switch that allows you to adjust the level of sound rejected, while these LIVE earplugs do not. However, I found the noise reduction to be spot on. With 17db of noise reduction, that brings a typical ~100db concert down to a safe and comfortable 83db, which is loud enough to “feel” the music but quiet enough to prevent hearing damage.

Compared to typical foam earplugs, these LIVE earplugs offer a very high quality sound. They allow a mostly even level of all frequencies through, so the show doesn’t feel muffled or overly-bassy.

At some points during the shows, I took out the earplugs to compare the sound of the show to the sound of the show with earplugs. There was slightly more bass with the earplugs in, partly due to the earplugs, since the super harsh and bright high end isn’t hitting your ear drums directly, but also because bass frequencies are perceived by being “felt” through your body. Just because you plug your ears, you can still hear the music via the rest of your body vibrating. But reducing the highest of high frequencies does reduce the harshness of a loud show, so I consider it a step up.

Form Factor

These feel like a step up from the previous Minuendo earplugs. While the older version are still nice, these have a bit more “polish” to them, they feel a bit more refined.

The included case is the same, and is nice to have, so you don’t have loose earplugs floating around in your bag. I love their choice to use a soft case, since many other earplugs I’ve used opt for a hard case that eventually cracks and falls apart.

Final Thoughts

Overall, these earplugs, while slightly less feature rich than Minuendo’s more expensive model, feel like a step in a positive direction for the brand. These are high quality earplugs, and if you’re an avid concertgoer or find yourself in loud situations often, and want to have a “buy it for life” earplug, these are a great choice!

CLICK HERE to check them out on Amazon and get your own!