Loop Switch 2 - A Review from an Artist's Perspective 

My hometown was off the tour circuit for many musicians and performers. While this did change recently, the nearest concerts to me were typically two hours away, and I had a family who were not willing to take me that far for...any reason at all.

So, being on the tour circuit and finally getting access to concerts was one of the many things that I looked forward to when moving to Minneapolis. After all, experiences are the kind of thing that I value, far more than objects.

Well, in anticipation of seeing a metal band where the timing lined up just right under a very busy schedule, I knew that I was coming into a genre that is known to be especially loud at live events. So, I got some Loop Earplugs. Specifically, the Switch2 model.

I soon found out that they are viral on the internet and influencers are pushing this brand. So, I may as well be a little shrewd and write about them.

So, here are my unbiased, non-sponsored thoughts on these things.

I freaking love them.

Seriously, these are the best $60 that I have ever spent. I find myself using these things more often than I thought I would.

Any time there is loud noise, I pop those bad boys in, and it is instantly so much better. So, here is my experience.

Noise blocking

Okay, so, this is where they are interesting. The Loop Ear Plugs don't silence the world around you completely. Instead, they filter out certain frequencies while preserving the range that the human voice falls in. (https://biologyinsights.com/how-do-loop-earplugs-work-acoustic-channels-explained/)

Meaning that when things get loud in my trade class, for instance, I can just pop these in to quiet things down, but I'm still able to hear the instructor.

Or when the janitor has the vacuum cleaner out during my job, I can put them on and still hear people who need something, a knock on the door, or other critical sounds that I need to hear in order to perform my duties.

Now, these loud noises are not blocked entirely. They just get quieter. At the same time, the human voice range can get a little muffled. So, if someone is, say, whispering, I might not be able to hear them at all, even on the earplugs' lowest setting.

Putting them on

I have tried using foam earplugs before, and I always found that I couldn't put them on. Maybe I simply don't know how to put them on, but foam earplugs always felt useless to me because of this.

Loop earbuds have a silicone-based tip. This means that not only can you clean them and reuse them over and over, but putting them on is pretty simple. You stick them in your ear and rotate them in place. When your ear feels full and the loop is flush against your ear, then you have a good seal.

The instructions do recommend that you tug your ears for better access, but I found myself able to put them on even without doing the tug.

Taking them out is as simple as reversing the rotation and pulling them out.

Different models may have different means of putting them on and taking them off. This is not something I would know, as I only have one pair, but it is something to keep in mind.

Switch 2

I guess I should finally go over the model I got and what makes it so expensive. After all, this is among the most expensive choices I can make out of all the models I could have picked.

You see, the Switch Loops have this mechanism that changes how many hertz of noise they block out. There are three modes that they have. I forgot what they are called. Casual, Festival, and Focus, or something along those lines.

I feel like there is a difference when I switch modes for sure. Though I'm a little less certain about this.

Don't mind me, my brain is made of swiss cheese.

Something to keep in mind

The mechanism is delicate.  You canàt have them be soaked when cleaning, and the switches themselves can get stuck if anything manages to get inside, especially earwax. Fortunately, with some gentle scraping/prying inside and careful wiggling, you can fix it. It is still something to be careful about, though, as the price would make it hurt to replace if you do break it. But if your Switch2 switch stops moving, then something being inside is the likely culprit.

At a Concert

I finally got to take my hearing protection to where I got them for. I never dared take them off, but I can say that they do work. For the most part, it made the metal concert sound more like you have your headphones slightly too loud, even though the music was actually loud enough where I can feel it go through my body and even the plastic bottle of my lemonade. Sometimes, frequencies did break through, but I do suspect it is because the hertz of the show was pushing the device's limit rather than anything wrong with the device itself.

I was still able to hear both the music and the performers clearly. Although, if you are talking to anyone before heading to the show, you may need to pop them out. Human voices do get muffled, even if they are audible, so I personally found it easier to communicate with them off,

So, I got to have all the fun with none of the hearing damage. 

Conclusion

So, could there be better brands? Of course. But this is an art blog, and not an earplug blog. This does not mean that earplugs are a completely irrelevant discussion when it comes to the arts.

The creation and enjoyment of certain mediums do need protection for your hearing, and blocking out many sounds can help artists focus. As such, it is as much of a tool to help control the environment as headphones, white noise machines, or whatever else someone may use to help increase their focus as they work.