Sensitive to Sound? These Are the Best Earplugs to Calm the Chaos!
Looking for earplugs that turn the noise sensitivity dial down? Loop Earplugs are a comfortable and comforting addition to the disability aid space.
By Jacqueline Raposo for Reviewed
Image: Loop Experience, Experience Pro, and Quiet earplugs out of their case, as well as the packaging material and a carrying case.
Image: Loop Experience Pro earplugs. Photo by Jacqueline Raposo
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When you’re sensitive to sound, volume can affect how you feel in excruciating measures. Sure, car alarms, jackhammers, and truck clangs jolt everyone out of the moment. But when hypersensitivity to sounds of all sorts irritate cognitive function and increase pain, you need a disability aid that turns that dial down.
I’ve had the post-viral illness Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS) for many years. There’s an autonomic component to ME/CFS, so I soon identified that loud, unexpected sounds send my heart racing into fight-or-flight mode. Post-exertional brain fog and pain always follow. It took me much longer to realize that noise sensitivity to the subtle hum of electronics, street traffic, or water boiling can derail my baseline, too.
Most disability aids offered to those with sound sensitivity from autism, ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, or long COVID-19 center around noise-canceling headphones. These provide a sound vacuum or ambient noise to reduce overwhelm, and I’ve called upon them time and time again. But they’re often big, bulky, and not the most subtle of sound disability aids. They also need recharging and connection to a sound app, so they’re not a seamless option for when you want a simple sound escape.
Which brings me to Loop, a company that promises you can “live life at your volume.”
How do Loop earplugs work?
Image: Loop Experience, Experience Pro, and Quiet earbuds. Photo by Jacqueline Raposo.
Noise above 85 decibels is damaging for your ears. That’s equivalent to anything that makes you raise your voice to talk to someone a few feet away. Standard foam or wax earbuds reduce volume anywhere from 10 to 30 decibels (dB), muffling sounds as they do so.
By comparison, Loop Experience earplugs mimic the ear’s function. They reduce volume by 18dB, but remaining noise sounds natural.
Their Quiet buds offer a more standard reduction by 27dB. They’re built to be super comfortable so that you can sleep and travel with greater ease.
A Mute add-on inserted into the ring of either of these reduces volume an additional 5dB.
What I Like
They’re effective
Both the Quiet and Experience plugs help reduce my sound sensitivity migraines, body pain, and fatigue.
Working with the Quiet Earplugs in, I have more focus and can concentrate for longer stretches of time. Sounds like the jolting bark of my terrier soften, giving me a greater sense of calm. After a while, I don’t notice that I hear less noise. I only notice relief.
I don’t have an entirely equal result when working with the Experience plugs. I guess how many decibels you reduce does make a difference! That said, cooking and cleaning sounds are much more pleasurable. I’m not constantly distracted by trucks passing outside or the clatter of a pan on the stove. They also help when I spend time with a relative who has hearing loss and keeps the television so loud that I usually run from the room. With the Experience Earplugs in I still hear the noise, but it doesn’t drown me.
They’re customizable
Because of the two earplug variations and Mute add on, you get to choose how much noise you reduce. Quiet and Experience sets come with silicon tips in four sizes to guarantee a snug fit. Experience Pro adds four sizes of thermo-shaping memory foam, which adapt to the ear even more.
Each set comes in a variety of colors—from black to gold to pastel mint—so they’re a stylish option compared to other reusable earplugs. You can even order a colorful “Party Pack” of Mute to coordinate with your outfit or mood.
They’re comfortable
The Quiet Earplugs are made entirely from light, soft silicone, and they’re luxuriously comfortable. I rarely noticed I was wearing them—even after many hours. The Experience Earplugs are made from ABS (a non-toxic, durable plastic) and coated with a metallic finish. I found the Quiet plugs a touch more comfortable, but negligibly so.
What I don’t like
The Experience plugs don’t invite conversation
The Loop website claims you can carry a conversation while wearing the Experience plugs, but I do not find this to be true. I can barely hear others speaking at a volume I’d consider average, so I take them out and insert them again as needed.
The packaging isn’t perfect
The package design is beautiful. But the printed instructions come in a laughably small font. This doesn’t affect the plugs’ efficacy, of course, but it could make them frustrating to set up, especially for those with low vision.
Image: Loop Experience, Experience Pro, and Quiet earplugs with their packaging and carrying case.
Should you buy Loop earplugs?
If you’re looking to block out sound on a regular basis, definitely!
I live a quiet life alone in suburban and rural spaces and still feel better wearing them than I do without. If I was still living in New York City, they would be a miracle product.
If you’re looking for high volume reduction, I’d suggest the Quiet. I’d choose those for public transportation or anywhere loud that necessitates concentration.
If you want options and have to choose only one, I’d go with the Experience Pro. They’re a little more expensive, but they come with two kinds of buds plus two sets of Mute. This makes them a go-between the Experience and Quiet options.
But if you’re looking for a disability aid to subtly reduce noise sensitivity while keeping conversation easeful, I still recommend Flare Audio's Calmer buds. They’re equally comfortable. And while they don’t reduce overall volume, they significantly soften the blow. For those who want a more sophisticated solution, Loop Earplugs work as advertised regardless of the type you choose.
Image: Loop Experience Pro earplugs with their packaging showing additional earbuds and Mute extras. Photo by Jacqueline Raposo.
