About 4 years ago, I was complaining about my ears ringing after officiating games. Those Fox40 whistles generate 115 decibels, about the same as a loud rock concert. Sometimes, especially after tournaments, it took 2 or 3 days before the ringing subsided. I had tried using foam plugs, but they either fell out or (after I cut them shorter) got stuck in my ear. As it happens, I was doing the complaining to my sister-in-law, who is an audiologist. She suggested I try some musician’s earplugs. So I did.
The plugs are custom molded to my ear canal, so they won’t fall out. I can also put in different inserts depending on how much sound I want to filter. (I use 15db filters, which isn’t so much that I can’t hear voices and activity on the field.) My ears still ring on occasion, but hearing damage tends to be cumulative, and I believe my threshold is lower now than it once was.
All in all I think they were a worthwhile purchase. Mine cost about $130, but Steve Hood got a pair locally for $99 that included a hearing exam. (He said he had hearing loss at the same frequency as his whistle.)
I’m planning to look for a dealer in the Indianapolis area that will give our association a group discount. I’ll pass along information as I get it. Meanwhile, feel free to contact me if you’d like to know more about my experience.
Jon Swain
