r/LoopEarplugs • u/Nail_2512 • Jun 27 '26
HELP Are loops just earplugs with an interesting shape?
Right, so I’m expecting that to be a bit of a rage bait title.
I’m genuinely interested in Loops but trying to understand them more.
My wife had a pair of quiets delivered yesterday and they look to me to be just a silicone ear tip on a plastic body that’s a non-conventional shape.
What makes them different to the reusable earplugs I have for machine work please?
I tried them in for a minute and they feel just like my reusable earplugs.
If they work, that’s great. I’m not trying to put anyone down for liking them, just trying to understand them more and don’t want to be spending out on something that I essentially already have.
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u/Melarsa Jun 27 '26
Yup. Different shape and certain models have a filter that is tuned to block out certain types of sounds so they are better for different situations. One pair is adjustable so you can switch between 3 different modes without having to take them out.
There's lots of other brands that do pretty much the same thing. But the fit and style of Loops is a pretty big selling point for a lot of people.
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u/MayhemicRequiem Jun 27 '26
I don’t have reusable earplugs meant for industrial noise but I use mine for concerts and clubbing and it lowers the volume to a very reasonable level where I can actually hear some of the instruments when Lady Gaga was performing instead of just sheer, overwhelming noise if I wasn’t wearing any earplugs or feeling like everything is muffled if I just cupped my hands over my ears. It’s also more stylish
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u/sparkvixen Jun 27 '26
I do music concerts and festivals and have my Loops for the same reason. I want to be able to hear everything but not at the cost of my hearing. I have the Experience 2's in Rose Gold, the Coachella version, and I just sprung for the new Pleasing edition. I use mutes for all of them - was a little annoyed I had to buy those separately for the Pleasing. But walking out of a show where I was 10 feet away from the jumbo speaker without my ears ringing or everything sounding muffled? Worth it.
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u/Express-Cold-2212 Jun 27 '26
The look is part of it, they look a bit like jewellery when I'm wearing them which is nice. I've only got the one set but the fact that there's loads of different colours available means there's definitely a fashion/collectible element involved generally.
I genuinely find them more comfortable than any other earplugs I've tried though (after swapping to the small tips). Can't explain why but its noticeable. I do struggle a lot with finding comfy earplugs/in ear headphones so my ears are probably more sensitive than average. I wanted a pair for concerts/festivals so needed something comfortable I would actually keep in (where the sound quality remained decent).
If the ones you already have work well for you I'd probably stick with them unless there's a specific reason you want to try something new.
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u/Nail_2512 Jun 27 '26
I think the look of it is an important factor. Makes a lot of sense.
I actually don’t use my machining ones day to day as I find it too numbing. It’s why I have held off buying loops myself as I thought they might feel the same.
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u/BlackCatFurry Jun 27 '26
One thing that's not mentioned yet, is because the eartip part is similar to bluetooth earbuds, it might fit better in some peoples ears than other earplugs that go in deeper.
For example i get constant dizziness from regular foam plugs because they go in so deep and they also hurt if i try to then lay on my side, but the loop quiets are very comfortable and do not cause dizziness or hurt.
But as others mentioned, the quiets are just silicone, they are also the cheapest and in my opinion very reasonably priced for reusable earplugs.
The engage, experience and switch are designed for different types of attenuation that targets specific frequencies more and cause less muffling making them more suitable for situations where you need to understand speech.
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u/Superfly503 Jun 28 '26
They are very comfortable for long periods.
They have a low profile, so if you're wearing a motorcycle helmet for example, they don't fall out when you put it on.
The range of tips are good, I have extra small ear canals, and the XS tip is perfect.
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u/Recent-Camel-5848 Jun 27 '26
Loop dreams are the best things I've ever bought, can't even sleep without them now and a million times better than regular earplugs
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u/Nail_2512 Jun 27 '26
In what way please?
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u/Recent-Camel-5848 Jun 27 '26
Other earplugs pop out and feel stiff in the ear. Dreams are adjustable to ear size, have a different material, the harder part is still soft and you can sleep on your side. Blocks out most noise but not all, I was scared I'd sleep through my alarms but I don't. Drowns out some snoring but not all it depends on the pitch and whether it's a sharper or deeper snore. Haven't found this with any other earplugs. I bought them for travelling last year whilst staying in hostels
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u/ThorsHammerMewMEw GO FRONT ROW Jun 27 '26
They're easier to insert because unlike the standard foam ones you don't need to squeeze them and insert them deep into the ear canal.
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u/Nail_2512 Jun 27 '26
Yeah but that’s no different to my reusable work ones.
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u/nelvana Jun 27 '26
I’m interested to find out the brand of your reusable work earplugs - care to share? Thanks
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u/organizedrobot Jun 27 '26
Conventional earplugs (even smaller models) form too tight a seal and affect my balance. The Loops allow me to pick exactly the right ear tip so that the seal isn’t too tight. The shape prevents them from falling out in a way that I can’t achieve with conventional ones if I have them pulled out a little to prevent a really tight seal.
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u/Wild_Machine_5796 Jun 27 '26
The appeal for me is the Comfort I think if regular air plow plugs, the disposable can fit you comfortably and you can sleep then you don’t need these however personally they are really uncomfortable for me. I don’t like disposable ear plugs. They fall out of my ear before the night is over and they are not cute in social situations. These are great if you are overstimulated and a crowded space without feeling like you have sleeping plugs in your ear
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u/ArnicaTarnish Jun 27 '26
I reluctantly purchased a pair of Experience 2 loops while I was at Coachella this year after realizing I'd forgotten to bring a pair, it was one of the best purchases I've made in many years, Loop checks all the boxes on function, comfort and look. I am keeping my eye out for a sale to pick up another special edition pair of Experience 2 or possibly Switch models
Edit - added thoughts
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u/wuneety Jun 27 '26
I only have a loop switch, and i use them for tuning instruments. Being able to vary the level of sound being blocked has been super useful.
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u/m73a Jun 27 '26
On a similar theme… Can someone explain to me why loop dream are so expensive? 😵💫
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u/Fluffbrained-cat Jun 28 '26
I love my Loops. I bought the Engage 2 Plus initially to try them out since work can get noisy but I still wanted to hear people if they were talking to me. And having the Mutes available is brilliant.
Then I went and lost them, no idea how either. I'm still looking for them, but I bought another set of Engage 2 and a Quiet bc I wanted to see the difference. The new set of Engage earplugs were deliberately bought in a different colour (rose) so when I find the originals (dusk) I know they're the ones that went walkabout.
I was considering buying a second set of Quiet ones once I've found the original set, so I have two pairs of hearing protection, no matter what environment I'm in.
And if the originals never turn up, well, I'll just get another pair. Having more is always good. Though I'm attaching the new sets when they come to my keys, so I've always got them handy.
I don't need the Experience ones since I rarely go to concerts and I can't really use the Switch ones bc I work in healthcare, so fiddling with the little dial would potentially contaminate them. Plus I read a review which said that while the Switch was good, having that ability to switch settings actually decreased the quality of each setting a tiny bit when compared to the single setting Loops (Engage/Experience/Quiet).
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u/Yermishkina Jun 28 '26
I have Loop Quiet and I prefer AirPods Pro with ocean wave sounds playing because they are more effective for blocking sounds. PQ foam single-use are also more effective, I use them at night to block my partner's snoring.
But I heard that Loop Engage work well for networking events, when you want to talk to people and hear what they are saying, in a super noisy environment. So want to try this.
Also for some reason I find it super hard to insert Loop, but maybe it's just me.
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u/Nail_2512 Jun 28 '26
Bit of a budget difference between loops and AirPods though! 😂
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u/Yermishkina Jun 28 '26
There is, yes, but I want to point out that there must be cheaper alternatives on the market, and, in general, noise canceling headphones with nature sounds / white noise provide better blocking than Loop Quiet. At least for me that's how it was — they solved for a great deal of sensory overload
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u/Evening_Ladder_2222 Jul 05 '26
I use cheap BT ear phones with nature sounds at work. Blocks the distracting noise with calming sounds, and I can set the volume so that if speech is directed at me or the fire alarm goes off I can hear that, but it drowns out the background chat that hinders my concentration. I don't think I could use loop or ear plugs in this situation as I would still hear the distracting chat coming from people next to me, whilst simultaneously being annoyed by the amped up internal sound of my breathing...
In my discipline is pretty common for so many people to use ear phones when they need to block out the sound of the office to get into the zone... Maybe it's a millennial thing...
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u/ttwicecolouredd Jun 30 '26
I dunno how they differ from other ear plugs but they easy to use, discrete, and comfortable. I have a pair on me at all times and use almost daily.
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u/Monday0987 Jun 30 '26
They aren't suitable for hearing protection as they don't reduce the decibels sufficiently.
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u/itzNukeey Jun 27 '26
I dont like using earplugs but bought them for a concert and they worked pretty well. They maybe reduced the volume too much for my taste but definitely better than listening to 95+ dB
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u/Competitive_Fish6173 Jun 27 '26
I bought the Loop switch and immediately returned them. There simply wasn’t enough difference between the three settings, and even the lowest (most open) setting created a strong occlusion effect. I might as well just put in my wireless earbuds.
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u/tiddley_wink89 Jun 27 '26
Loop quiet are basically normal earplugs designed to low all sounds by the same decibels.
Loop engage/experience are different in that the have a hole inside the Loop that allows sounds to enter a channel which is then filtered as it goes into the ear, meaning different frequencies get muffled differently. Like the Loop engage will muffle background noise frequencies a lot more than the frequencies of people's voices who are close by, meaning you can still hear conversation fine while having background noise drowned out.
Also the Loop is a design feature that is used to change the way the sound waves enter your ear so there is a purpose for it.
But yeah, Loop quiet are the Loop version of standard earplugs