Whether you’re a keen festival goer, regular attendee of concerts or even a musician yourself, 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. So, it’s no surprise more of us are bringing protective earplugs to raves, Glastonbury or our favourite band’s gig.
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 IndyBest reviews
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 budget buy – Alpine partyplug pro natrual: £19.95, Alpinehearingprotection.co.uk
- Best adjustable earplugs – D’Addario dbud volume adjustable earplugs: £42.99, 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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Fender professional hi-fi earplugs
These were made specially for musicians, and it shows in their quality (as well as the case design). If used properly they can provide about 20dB sound reduction, and while this wasn’t even the highest reduction of the ones we’ve tested, the sound quality while wearing these earplugs was only matched by one other pair. They were also really comfy and fit snuggly into our ears – they come with silicone tips in a size M and L, so you can find the best fit for you. We thought the pick-shaped keychain case was a clever feature that any music lover would enjoy, too.
Buy now £22.99, Gear4music.com
Alpine partyplug pro natural
Our sister, who is a die-hard F1 fan, immediately recognised this brand as “the one everyone had at the races”. We tried Alpine’s “party plug” earbuds for this round-up, and while the brand has a specific option for races (£22, Alpinehearingprotection.co.uk), if the technology is good enough for F1, it’s good enough for some live tunes, too.
The team at Alpine says you can easily wear them all day – or night – and while we only wore them for four hours straight, based on how comfy the super-soft material felt, we have no trouble believing them. Noise levels are reduced by 21dB, and its filter leaves a very natural sound. Alpine has opted for an “invisible” look, and we found they were hidden quite well compared to others. They did only come in one size, but the added soft pouch case, cleaning spray and cord, so you can wear them around your neck, were nice touches.
Buy now £19.95, Alpinehearingprotection.co.uk
D’Addario dbud volume adjustable earplugs
These could have been our best buy, but they became a little uncomfy after multiple hours of wear. They might seem expensive too, but you basically get two thanks to its slider. This nifty design lets you switch between 11dB and 24dB reduction, while keeping amazingly clear sound at both. The slides do make them chunkier than others we’ve tried, and they fit a bit more like earbuds, which is why they caused some discomfort after a long period of use – so they probably wouldn’t be our go-to for a festival. But for a gig or concert, you won’t find much better. These also come with a comfy neck cord and the earplugs are magnetic so you can click them together, making the cord more of a necklace so it doesn’t slide off.
Buy now £42.00, Amazon.co.uk
Vibes hi-fidelity earplugs
While you can still see them, these were some of the most subtle earplugs we’ve tried, thanks to their minimalist design. The tips were soft and comfy and came in three different sizes for you to find the perfect fit. Do be careful when trying them out though, as the shape of these earplugs makes it easy to push them too far into the ear channel if you’ve chosen a fit that’s too small. But once they’re in, the sound is filtered nicely and reduced by 15dB. We did find them more fidgety to remove as the material on the ends is a little slippery.
Buy now £21.95, Amazon.co.uk
Eargasm high fidelity earplugs
Who says purchasing hearing protection has to be a boring experience? We enjoyed how much effort Eargasm has put in its branding with a light blue box with magnetic strip and matching instruction card. That said, in the end it’s all about performance and this pair did the job well, reducing the sound level by 16dB. While they already come in two sizes, they were still a little big for us, but the brand also offers a smaller earplugs set. You can also upgrade to special editions for a funkier coloured case and different colour filter.
Buy now £55.95, Amazon.co.uk
EarDial hi-fi invisible earplugs
While other earbuds in this round-up came with multiple ear tip sizes, these only came in one. But they do fit snugly and we wore them comfortably for hours on end. These aren’t “invisible” like the brand claims, but as they’re relatively small we could actually barely see them when wearing. And they filtered the sound well, with 11dB reduction.
The coolest feature is the mobile app you can download, which will tell you the sound level around you and how long you can safely stay there. The bullet-shaped keychain case they came with was tiny. On the one hand we appreciated this, as it didn’t make our set of keys huge, but on the other hand it was a little fidgety to take them out and put back in again.
Buy now £24.87, Amazon.co.uk
Blox xperience reusable earplugs
After more than four hours of use, these still felt really comfortable. Blox’s earplugs don’t come with different size options, but the three-ring tip should make them suitable for most people. We found them to be a snug fit. These come in a bright yellow and pink and should glow in the dark when used in UV light. Unfortunately, we weren’t in a situation to try this out but it does sound very funky. They filtered sound nicely while reducing levels by around 19dB.
Buy now £23.81, Amazon.co.uk
Earpeace music hi-fi hearing protection
We thought this came with three different sizes of tips, but it turned out there were only two sizes and you get a third earplug for both of them. This means you’ll have a spare if you drop one and can’t find it, which is handy. As the filter is not actually red (as it seems on the packaging) but see-through, you just might need it. These earplugs performed just as well as others in this round-up, filtering out exactly what they should do while keeping the music you’re listening to clear and reducing sound levels by 19dB. We also liked the silver hard-case key chain they came with.
Buy now £29.95, Amazon.co.uk
Loop Experience 2 earplugs
These are perfect for moments when you need to drown out the noise, increase focus or block out any loud noises. They do a great job of filtering out loud sounds, offering 17 dB (SNR) of filtered noise reduction. But if you choose to wear them overnight to improve sleep, you can still hear your alarm go off in the mornings. One of the best things about these earplugs is that, unlike a lot of other brands, they come with a selection of silicone pods so you can adjust the size to fit your ears perfectly. This also helps with improving the quality of noise filtration.
But they’re not only super comfortable, they also look great and are easy to remove. Loop earplugs stay put and are easy to take out – just grab the loop and gently pull. The benefits don’t stop there, as they also look beautiful – hence the many dupes on the market. The silver version looks more like luxe jewellery than something that’s meant to protect your hearing. But if silver isn’t your thing, they’re also available in a sleek gold and pearly white version, matte gold, glossy rose gold or bright neon yellow, red, chrome blue and matte black. A go for better sleep, protecting hearing health and soothing anxiety in loud surroundings, the Loop earplugs tick every box.
Buy now £29.95, Loopearplugs.com
The verdict: Earplugs for festivals and concerts
As we really couldn’t fault the quality provided by the Fender earplugs, these had to be our best buy. We also loved the option to adjust the dB levels filtered out that was provided by the D’Addario dBuds.
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