Month: May 2013

Foreign Beggars

Posted on May 23, 2013 by - Testimonials

I have been dj-ing over the last 10 years and have used Musicians’ Hearing Services ear plugs for half of that, now everyone in the group have a pair!

After a few times performing with the -15 db filters it became completely natural, and now I can actually hear things a lot more clearly on stage and in the dj booth than without them.

Tinnitus is a problem that a lot of young people I know have and proper hearing protection is the best investment I have ever made. Geraldine is the best in the game”.

James / DJ Nonames (Foreign Beggars)

Andy Spence, New Young Pony Club

Posted on May 23, 2013 by - Testimonials

3 people in NYPC use Elacin earplugs and we all agree they are the best way to protect your ears without ruining the sound you hear. Musicians’ Hearing Services have always been very professional and considerate when fitting the plugs so we don’t hesitate to recommend them for ear protection or any other hearing needs.

Andy Spence – guitarist
New Young Pony Club

Ben Watt, Everything But The Girl

Posted on May 23, 2013 by - Testimonials

It is hard to overestimate the importance of ear protection in clubs. 

I still believe in not wearing them for short periods to experience  the sheer tumult of load music as a physical experience from time to  time, especially on a well-tuned sound system with no distortion (the main culprit for ear damage), but as a DJ, I wear them for five out of every six minutes, removing them only to hear the transition from one record into the next as the club hears it. Otherwise I wear them at all times these days in all clubs.

I have used moulded earplugs from Musicians’ Hearing Services for five years now.  The sound reduction is pretty even across all frequencies allowing for accurate sound mixing. It also actually improves your ability to hear conversations as extraneous non-voice frequencies and distortion are reduced. I make use of the different filters too. 9db – 15db reduction in small clubs. 25db reduction for big systems.

If I could make one improvement it would be a modification where you could open and close the filter without removing the plug itself. This would make life much easier and prevent loss of both the plug and filter on the dark floor of every nightclub!

I would also like to see clubs obliged to provide improved and user-specific ear protection for all employees; bar staff particularly, who take orders from people shouting into their ear as well as enduring the loud volumes of the music. Foam plugs are not enough.

We live in an age where live music is loud and constant. Ear damage is for life once it strikes.

When you are young you expect the ringing in your ears will go away in the morning, but without precautions one day you will wake up and it won’t.

Ben Watt
Everything But The Girl

Mark Wilkinson, DJ

Posted on May 23, 2013 by - Testimonials

I wanted to let you know of my experience with Earplugs over the last 18 years of DJing.

A few years back one of my DJ partners got bad Tinnitus in his ears and had to protect them, as we were working together a lot at the time he urged me to get some, which I didn’t.

Anyway, I had a scare one day when I couldn’t hear properly after a gig and went and got some fitted in Harley St.  At the time I got the weakest  available (–15 Decibels), but I found them very difficult to use in Clubs as personally I think they are for bigger systems (like stadiums etc?), I felt cut off from the atmosphere of the club and it was impossible to mix with them in, totally defeating the object, having spoken to others I know a lot of DJs have the same experience.

So I didn’t wear them for a while, and kept on DJing without them, and guess what, ended up with a ringing in my ears so bad that it felt like it was deep inside my head, I have heard that people have killed themselves having Tinnitus and after that experience I can understand, thankfully mine was temporary, but the next day I went back for new earplugs, and here’s my point, they’ve now developed –9 Decibel earplugs, my girlfriend Alexandra and I got fitted with them that day, and haven’t looked back, they’re the best thing for club systems, I put them in as soon as I walk into a club now (even if I’m not playing), I DJ all night long in them, and take them out at the end of the night and feel great!

Also, Alexandra is a club chick, not a DJ, she was very dubious before we got them, but now she swears by them, trust me on this one, if you want to enjoy long club nights and not be deaf in later life protect yourself with these NOW, they take a mould of your ear and the filters in the plug are changeable so if you felt that you wanted stronger at any point you could upgrade to –15 or even -25 (which some DJ’s do use)

Mark Wilkinson
DJ

Ben McKeown, The Mustangs

Posted on May 23, 2013 by - Testimonials

The boominess of my bass disappeared, with the result that I could clearly hear every note as I played it.  I was able to play as tightly as I have ever played without any strain or effort.

Best of all, after each gig I was able to fall into bed without the usual ringing in the ears and feeling of being noise-battered.  The whole experience was far more enjoyable and less fatiguing,

Custom earplugs are an incredible piece of kit that I would recommend to any musician.  I intend never to play a gig without them again.

Ben McKeown
The Mustangs

Chris Whatley, University of Dundee

Posted on May 23, 2013 by - Testimonials

I’m not a musician but a history professor who listens to lots of music.  I have to travel a lot and take a long trip by rail or plane with a set of Geraldine’s custom-made, perfectly-fitting custom earbuds – into which can be slipped into the earphones from an i-Pod or Walkman – and you could be on your way to paradise.

Lose yourself in the sounds of your music, uninterrupted by anything other than a ticket inspector if it’s a train journey, or an air hostess if it’s a plane – who’ll ask you to take them out for landing and take-off.  They’ll struggle to attract your attention though; the ear plugs are that good, and you’ll be lost in another world.

Chris Whatley, Vice-Principal and Professor of Scottish History, University of Dundee