The best earplugs are the pair you'll use, whether it's for sleeping, for catching live music, or both. Hearing damage from noise or age can't be undone, so it's important to take good care of your ears.
Earplugs aren't one-size-fits-all, though. If you're trying to muffle street noise or a snoring partner, you'll want something more occlusive than you would if you're trying to filter out intense highs and lows at a concert while still maintaining fidelity. We've tested earplugs for both scenarios (in both scenarios) and have plenty of recommendations below.
Our current top picks, the Loop Quiet 2 and Earpeace Pro, are both excellent passive pairs of earplugs with slightly different purposes. The Loop Quiet 2 are great for sleep, because they aim to entirely block out the outside world, while the Earpeace Pro are designed to evenly lower the sound of the world around you for when you're in loud environments but still want to hear.
Be sure to check out our other buying guides, like the Best Sleep Gadgets, Best Wireless Earbuds, Best Wireless Headphones, and Gifts for People Who Need a Good Night’s Sleep.
Updated March 2026: We reformatted this guide and checked for accuracy throughout. We've removed some older picks and added new earplugs from Mack's, Eargasm, and Loop.
Table of ContentsAccordionItemContainerButtonLargeChevron- Best Earplugs for Sleep
- Best Earplugs for Concerts
- Best Cheap Earplugs for Shows
- Best-Looking Earplugs
- Best Adjustable Volume Earplugs
- Best Ear Tip Assortment
- Best Earplugs for Live Musicians
- Best Disposable Earplugs
- When Should You Wear Earplugs?
- How Does WIRED Test Earplugs?
The Best Earplugs
Best Earplugs for SleepCourtesy of AmazonSave to wishlistSave to wishlist
Loop
Quiet 2 Ear Plugs
$25Amazon
$25Loop
There are no prizes for guessing where Loop earplugs got their name from—but the circular design is a long way from being purely aesthetic. This is a newer version of the earplugs we originally tested, which have a slightly smaller shape. We're in the process of testing them but still recommend them due to the minimal changes compared to the version we first tried.
The Loop Quiet 2 look almost identical to the Loop Experience earplugs, but there are two crucial differences: With no acoustic filter, they're capable of blocking out more noise—24 dB rather than 18—and they're made entirely from soft silicone, including the round protrusion that sits almost at right angles to the interchangeable tip. That means these silicone earplugs fit right inside the concha of your ear, entirely flush with your head, so when you lie on your side there is very little force applied to the earplug and also less chance of inadvertently knocking them loose. That makes the Loop Quiet 2 the most comfortable earplugs for sleeping.
The loop itself is made of silicone, but it's rigid enough that putting the earplugs in or taking them out is easy. They feel nice and snug when in situ without giving you that bunged-up feeling that comes with some pairs. You get four different-sized sets of ear tips (though actually changing the ear tips can be a pain), and the whole thing is washable in warm water. They even come in four colors, so you can match them to your bedsheets. —Parker Hall
Best Earplugs for Concerts
Courtesy of EarPeaceSave to wishlistSave to wishlistNPR Music x Earpeace Pro
$43 $34 (21% off)Amazon
When I went to see my wife's favorite band, the opener was a doom-metal duo with full stacks of amplifiers. I grabbed some foam earplugs from the bar, but I’d have fared much better if I’d had the Earpeace Music Pros on my keychain.
These NPR-backed earplugs fit perfectly in my ears and come with a small aluminum carrying case. They’re super comfortable and can pull a solid 13 decibels from noisy signals—often the difference between some hearing damage and none—in a way that doesn’t suck all the high end out of the sound. Don’t just take my word for it. Legendary NPR music critic Bob Boilen says he has worn his at thousands of shows. —Parker Hall
Best Cheap Earplugs for Shows
Photograph: Louryn StrampeSave to wishlistSave to wishlistEargasm
High Fidelity Earplugs
$44 $35 (20% off)Amazon
$48Eargasm
These super-comfortable earplugs can reduce noise by up to 22 decibels, and they won't irritate your ears even if you wear them for 18 hours at a time. The silicone shell is easy to clean, and you'll get three sizes to ensure a proper in-ear fit, plus a handy metal keychain case where you can store them. I frequently wear them at some of the loudest bass music festivals in the world, and they do a good job at filtering out extreme highs and lows without muffling the sounds I paid to hear. My only complaint is that the silicone shells can get yellow over time, but the attenuators on my oldest pair are still kicking after five years. —Louryn Strampe
Best-Looking Earplugs- Photograph: Louryn Strampe
- Courtesy of Loop
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Loop
Experience 2
$35Amazon
$35Loop
I keep these on my keychain and wear them almost every weekend, whether I'm watching live dubstep or live hardcore. I love them. They're tiny, looking almost like jewelry when they're sitting in my ears, and they stay comfortable once they're seated properly (which does have a bit of a learning curve, so try them out at home before heading to the show). I like how visible they are when I'm wearing them, which serves the purpose of educating the youth on the importance of hearing protection and preventing my friends from thinking I'm ignoring them when I really just can't hear them. I also really like the limited-edition Swarovski style, but be aware that the metal can feel quite chilly if the environment is cold (and they're often sold out). I also like that the included case flips open, which is easier to use if you're in a crowd getting jostled trying to cram in your hearing protection compared to a metal case that unscrews. I've handed a couple of pairs of these earplugs out to my friends and they've echoed my approval. —Louryn Strampe
Best Adjustable Volume Earplugs-Offwhite-Background-SOURCE-Loop.jpg)
Courtesy of LoopSave to wishlistSave to wishlistLoop
Switch 2
$60Loop
$60Amazon
These earplugs from Loop look like the brand's other doughnut-shaped buds, but with a special trick up their sleeve. You can toggle the outside of each bud between three positions for variable sound reduction. You can switch between a lot, a little, and nearly no noise, which makes these great for live festivals, where artists can vary in volume from “just a little loud” to “dear Lord, I might never hear again.” I also like that they're light and comfortable, with easy-to-clean silicone ear tips and plastic outer shells. You can even get them in cute colors like blue and salmon pink.
Total noise reduction ranges from –20 dB to –26 dB from the noise around you, which I have found to be more than enough to take the edge off of nearly any live music. —Parker Hall
Best Ear Tip Assortment
Photograph: Parker HallSave to wishlistSave to wishlistMinuendo
Live
$129 $103 (20% off)Amazon
If you're the type of person who has a very particular inner ear, it can be really hard to find earplugs that fit right. Getting a proper seal is essential for proper sound reduction, which is why I was super impressed with the Live earplugs. These come with foam, single, double, and triple flanged ear tips in a variety of sizes, which makes it really easy to find the Goldilocks shape for you.
These reduce sound by 17 dB overall, which makes them well suited to most live music or performances, but you will want stronger earplugs for using heavy machinery. The brand also sells a more expensive pair with an adjustable passive high-pass filter, meaning it filters out super bright sounds for more reduction, much like the Loop Switch. But I don't think it's worth the extra price. —Parker Hall
Best Earplugs for Live Musicians
Photograph: Parker HallSave to wishlistSave to wishlistEtymotic
MusicPro Elite
$520Amazon
I play drums in bands on nights and weekends, which is how I got this job writing about A/V gear, and also why I need to protect my hearing. I always wear earplugs when I play, but I find them (even many of the passive pairs above) annoying as a performer, because they can do well with my snare drum, toms, and kick, but they overdo my cymbals, making it so I can't hear how bright and ringing they're being, even when I'm really bashing them. That's why I've fallen in love with this powered pair of earbuds from Etymotics called the MusicPro Elite.
They're not cheap, but these act like a limiter for your ears; anything above 90 dB gets filtered out to be lower via a pair of mics in the rechargeable buds, or you can even set them to make things louder (but not exceed 90 dB) when they're quiet, and still soften things up when they get loud, which makes these perfect for acoustic/electric songs, where you go from a gentle intro to something more rocking later on. I like that they come with a robust hard case that easily slips in my drum bag, and that they come with both triple-flanged and memory foam tips. The only downside is that these still recharge with micro USB. What year is it!? —Parker Hall
Best Disposable Earplugs
Photograph: Louryn StrampeSave to wishlistSave to wishlistMack's
Original Soft Foam Earplugs
$17Amazon
If you're going to be using earplugs on a regular basis, it's best to invest in reusable earplugs, which will pay for themselves after a few wears and not end up in a landfill immediately after you use them. Disposable earplugs also don't have acoustic filtering, which means they're going to muffle the sound and audio clarity is going to be nonexistent. But it's better to wear hearing protection than not wear it. I used to keep a container of these disposables in my car in case my friends or I forgot our hearing protection, and I still bring them with me to camping festivals for when I want to muffle sound and don't want to get my main earplugs all dirty or gross. Mack's makes a lot of reliable disposable earplugs in different styles, but these originals are my favorite. They're especially great for filtering out snoring while you're sleeping on the couch at your parents' house over the holidays. They reduce noise up to 33 decibels. And while they are disposable, you can reuse them a few times with proper care. But invest in a reusable pair if possible! —Louryn Strampe
When Should You Wear Earplugs?
AccordionItemContainerButtonLargeChevronEarplugs are recommended any time sound levels exceed 85 decibels, which is comparable to a noisy restaurant or heavy traffic. Exposure to 85 decibels over eight hours is the OSHA-approved workplace safety limit for hearing damage, which means you should be fine if you experience fewer than eight hours at that level per day. Many clubs and concert venues peak at 100+ dB, which is much too loud for prolonged exposure to be safe. Hearing loss is permanent in most cases, owing to damage to tiny hairs inside your ears.
If you're concerned something is too loud, put in earplugs! You can use an app (or smartwatch like an Apple Watch) to tell you how loud the environment is, if you want to be sure. It's always better to be on the safe side when it comes to noise exposure.
How Does WIRED Test Earplugs?
AccordionItemContainerButtonLargeChevronWe test earplugs by wearing them in the same environments you would—at shows and concerts, while out with our friends, and while sleeping. We check for comfort, ease of use, ear tip assortment, noise reduction, aesthetic appeal, and whether the case is user-friendly. Next up we'll be testing more earplugs from Loop and Curvd as well as mushroom earplugs and glow-in-the-dark earplugs.
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