Appreciation for good-quality music was a big part of my life largely influenced by the choices of my audiophile dad who exposed me to Hi-Fi equipment since I was a child.
But for someone who loves blasting upbeat music very often into her ears, somehow I never bothered to educate myself on taking care of my ears. Growing up, my household and family chatters were loud, and I was often exposed to musical dance events too.
Having recently taken a Mimi Hearing Test, I was unsurprised (yet panicky) that my hearing score was 80% on my right ear, and 78% on my left ear.
I might not be that old at 30 years old, but I definitely want to be able to enjoy all audio sensory experiences for as long as I live. So when we were offered the chance to try Loop earplugs (and that we do have a rave-lover colleague as well as an ADHD colleague who owns a pair), we jumped right into it.
Here's my review of the three main lineups: Loop Engage, Loop Experience and Loop Quiet.
Editor
Jodee Tan chevron_right
Table of Contents
Why Get Loop Earplugs
- Stylish & portable (the cases are small)
- Comfortable wear
- Comes in several sized (the ear tips)
- Each variant is reuseable for many situations and not just one
It's odd that people (including us) do not use earplugs on a daily basis. After all, the world today is much noisier, which means we are at a higher risk of developing lowered ear hearing abilities.
We found the earplugs to be great at what they do, and the fact that they are comfortable as well as stylish, it's a bonus for protecting our ears in this noisy digital world.
These earplugs aren't cheap, as the most affordable one (being the Quiet variant) is priced at RM90. Sure, you can get cheaper earplugs someplace else, but for the sake of daily wear and style, the Loop earplugs are very specific in their uses (which are plenty and not limited to just one scenario, but multiple).
Therefore, these are considered good investment for your ear health, and should be so for most of us.
About
Loop Earplugs are made to block out excessive noise without sacrificing your comfort and fashion style.
Coming in 3 earplug variants: Quiet (24 dB noise reduction), Experience (17 dB noise reduction) and Engage (16 dB noise reduction); each one is made specifically for different hearing needs.
Want to block out excessive white noise? The Engage lets you hear voices but cuts out the rest such as home appliance sound emission and so. If you find concerts to be too loud and that you can't hear the on-stage performance, the Experience reduces the overall volume of the concert noise without dampening music quality. And if you just want earplugs that reduces noise overall for focus or sleep, the Quiet is what you need.
Whicever Loop Earplugs you are getting, they are all certified as protective and that they come with several eartip sizes, all of which are made with silicone for extended comfort-wear as well as longevity (since they are reuseable). Best of all, they all come in a small carrying case so you can keep them safe. Of course, their "loop" circle design makes it stylish to look at when you wear them too!
Key info
- Certified hearing protection
- 4 sets of silicone ear tips (XS + S + M + L included)
- Stylish and secure (comes in many colours and finish)
- Reusable and easy to clean
Wear & Design
As mentioned earlier, the Loop earplugs are made of sillicone, and comes with several eartip sizes as well as a carrying case to keep your Loop earplugs. Because of how soft these earplugs are, they are comfortable even when you push them in to create a vacuum seal between your ear canal and the outside world.
Depending on which earplug you get, they also sport a similar look, except that the ear tips on the Quiets do not have a hole. They also come in many colours for your preference.
Each pair of earplugs come with 4 ear tip sizes, much like music earbuds. And each one are meant to be worn with a snug fit, with the ear tips wedged just outside of your ear canal, and the "loop" design pushed in between your ear cartilege to keep your earplugs stay in. A good seal is when the ear plugs create a vacuum-seal effect, and that they do not move when you jump.
Performance
Prior to choosing which earplug I, the editor, should go for, I was torn between the Engage and the Quiet. I had hoped to wear the earplugs for daily commuting as I want more focus for book-reading while I sit on the noisy Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) trains and bus.
The difference between the two is that Engage really cancels out all the white noise often emitted by home appliances and such. It's also good for focused listening, as I found the Engage to slightly enhance the volume of voices from others (partially due to the fact that white noise is now eliminated). Because of that, the Engage is great for daily wear. Because of their function in cancelling out white noise and such, this is also great for listening to headphones with (alongside the Experience).
Since I was looking to cancel out most noises and get focused, the Quiet was perfect for me. They sealed silence so well, that I could even hear my own heartbeat. And, I faced no pain from vacuum seal nor did I have any problems wearing them for long hours. I was also able to get a lot of reading done.
During a train ride between China provinces, there were a couple of families speaking loudly on the train. As I am a light sleeper, I took the opportuntiy to fish out my Loop Quiets and slept through the ride. They also got the job done of cancelling out 85% of noise from my sick snoring husband.
As for the Experience, I had my colleagues tried them out, who thought it was perfectly protective and stylish even for raves. The music quality was not affected even though the surroundings were noisy.
- End of review -