Living with two kids in a small space finally got to me last year. Yes, it’s cramped, perpetually cluttered, and sometimes stifling, but the thing that was driving me over the edge was the noise. So, when I saw an ad for Loop earplugs on Instagram I saw a glimmer of hope.
I’m not usually one to get sucked in by ads, but this one got me. Loop claims that their flagship product “[mimics] your ear’s function so the sound remains natural but at reduced volume levels.” That sounded like exactly what I needed. So, I bought them.
What They Do
An earplug is an earplug. At least, that’s what I thought…
Traditional earplugs are meant to muffle or reduce as much sound as possible. But, what if you wanted something in between noisy chaos and near-silence?
I bought the Loop Experience earplugs and they claim to do just that, by turning everything down by 18 decibels, which they say is low noise reduction. They “are designed to keep speech and music crystal clear, while still offering you the best hearing protection there is.”
Loop also offers a customizable earplug called Experience Pro. In addition to the Experience earplugs, this package comes with a few extras, incuding 2 sets of Loop Mute, which are low-profile attachments that reduce noise by an extra 5 decibels, for a total of 23 decibels.
For the most sound reduction, you can buy their Quiet earplugs, which reduce sound by 27 decibels. “Made of soft silicone, Loop blocks most noise to give you peace and make your world more quiet.”
What They Cost & What You Get
These earplugs aren’t average. So, the cost isn’t either.
The Experience earplugs come with 4 silicone tips in varying sizes and a carrying case, and cost $38.95 CAD.
In addition to the 4 sets of silicone tips and carrying case, the Experience Pro earplugs also come with 3 sets of foam tips in different sizes and the 2 sets of Loop Mute. These earplugs will cost you $51.95 CAD.
The least expensive set of earplugs are their Quiet earplugs, which come with 4 sets of silicone tips in different sizes and a carrying case, and will cost you $25.95 CAD.
Loop also offers a variety of accessory packages, that include varying combinations of extra tips and sets of Loop Mutes.
The pricing is pretty steep for an earplug, but if you spend over $34 USD, they offer free shipping.
How I Use Them
I use my earplugs for exactly what I bought them for and more. In fact, I used them to write this review, while my kids were playing less than 5 feet from me.
I use them the most at the end of a long day, while I’m cooking dinner. For some reason this is usually the time when my kids get squirrely and loud. Since our living/play room, kitchen and dining room are all one small space, it’s sometimes hard to focus on dinner. So, I pop in the earplugs and I’m good to go.
I also use them when I feel headaches coming on, and find that the reduced noise really makes a difference.
I’ve used them at family gatherings when I was already feeling drained and overstimulated, but still had to go and interact with people.
Basically, I try to have them on me at any time or place that seems like it could be overwhelmingly loud.
What I Like
How They Look & Feel
They don’t look like the traditional fluorescent foam. When I bought mine, the Experience earplugs came in 4 different colors: black, gold, silver and rose gold. And the Quiet earplugs came in 6 colors: white, black, navy, pink, red and mint. But, they’ve since added a new line called the Elements Edition to both the Experience and Quiet earplugs. The new line offers a red, lilac, cobalt and olive, all with a metallic finish.
My Experience earplugs are silver and I don’t feel self-conscious at all wearing them in public or around family. They’re so discrete that if you didn’t know they were earplugs, you would guess that it was some sort of piercing.
They’re also surprisingly comfortable because they actually stay in your ear. So, you’re not spending a ton of time readjusting them. Once they’re in properly, you’re good to go.
The Carrying Case
When I read that they came with a carrying case, I thought it sounded kind of gimmicky. I was expecting a cheap, ugly, flimsy pouch that my kids would snatch up and use to store one of their many bracelets, but that’s not the case at all, pun intended.
The small, black case is made of hard plastic, with a low-profile branded design. It’s lined with foam and just big enough for the earplugs to fit inside. So, your earplugs aren’t rattling around in the case at all. It also had a small loop, so you can attach them to your keychain. I love that the case is small enough to fit in any bag or clutch, or even women’s pants pockets!
What I Don't Like
I really only have one complaint about my Loop earplugs: your own bodily sounds, from the neck up, are amplified.
You can hear your hair when it brushes the earplugs and the sound of your neck moving. Your breathing is much more audible, and your own swallowing and chewing sounds are so loud in your ears that it’s impossible to have a conversation over dinner
I know this one sounds a little crazy, and I have learned to ignore it, or put my hair up, but I wanted to include it in case that kind of thing matters to anyone else too.
These things are unavoidable, though. And they come with the territory of wearing earplugs, regardless of brand or style. So, it’s not really a complaint. They’re just things I didn’t expect to hear.
My Overall Thoughts
It took me a few sessions to adjust to my Experience earplugs. I found that high-pitched sounds still carried through the earplugs clearly, but weren’t as piercing. Lower pitched sounds were quieter and more muffled. It was little off-putting in the best way possible, the first few times I used them because it’s not at all what I was expecting. You really do have to try it to understand what I mean.
My Loop earplugs have pulled me through a lot of noisy gatherings, kid’s tantrums, on-coming headaches, road trips with kids, anti-social trips to the grocery store and sessions of hardwork.
I highly recommend Loop earplugs to anyone with sound sensitivities, or anyone who just needs everything to quiet down once in a while. They’re comfortable and discrete, and they’re small enough that you can carry them anywhere.
It’s a lot of money for a pair of earplugs, but they’ve been worth every penny for me.
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