At DJWORX we wish we had known more about how to protect our ears when DJing and taken protecting our hearing in general more seriously when we were younger. Years of DJing, clubs and gigs take their toll and we now suffer a semi-constant high pitch whistling. You’ll obviously want to avoid this, or at least not make it worse. The answer is to avoid loud noises, but in our world that isn’t really a viable option.
We’ve tried everything over the years, from cheap or even free ear plugs right up to custom fitted ones. Note – Currently we are 50/50 on using IEMs to actually DJ in, they work well in certain venues but can be difficult if you need to interact with the crowd or venue you are playing at.
We purchased a pair of custom fit ACS ear plugs back in 2017, and have heavily relied on them ever since. They’ve been to gigs with us all over the world, and were always a solid choice. However over the last year I felt that we might be damaging our hearing and that maybe they were no longer up to the task. (I should add that I’ve probably gigged more in the last 12 months than for many years previously).
So we purchased a pair of Loops. If you haven’t seen them they are a relatively cheap solution and we love their design and overal aethistic. If you need something simple and effective then we definitely recommend them. However we do feel they can drop pout of your ears if you aren’t careful, as they aren’t custom fit to your ears. If you are in a mosh pit, or even DJing enthusiastically then there is definitely potential to lose one.
ACS Custom fit protection for ears when DJing
So it was back to ACS square one. We contacted them and discussed the issue. We didn’t know this, but it turns out that your ears are constantly changing shape. Which means that your ear canals are changing shape too. Which means that what was a perfect custom fit in 2017 may well not be a perfect fit in 2025. A gap between the side of you ear canal and the plug will obviously let in more volume than if it was a perfect seal. Who knew! In fact ACS recommend to update your earplugs around every 4 years for this exact reason. So it was a return visit to ACS headquarters in London to get a new pair.
Firstly, it’s a great experience visiting ACS. Based just north of King’s Cross in London, it’s clear you are getting personal, expert, professional help. Thinking high-end dentist or optician and you are close to the overall impression the ACS fitting studio gives off. Every fitting is individual, and takes around 40 minutes. Make sure you’ve had a good clean before you attend (of your ears..), we can recommend these olive oil drops. You’ll have a mould made of your ear canals. A strange sensation for sure, but with no talking allowed either during this 10 minute part of the fitting it’s worth just enjoying the peace and quiet.
Once set the mould is painlessly removed and the magic happens. At this point it’s worth pointing out that you need to leave around a 3 week window between fitting and receiving your new earplugs. Don’t turn up the day before your big gig expecting the ACS to be able to turn it around that quickly.
You need to choose which dB protection to have. We went for the 17db– Perfect for DJs. ACS offer a guarantee here as well “FILTER EXCHANGE: If you find the filters you have chosen are not suited to your use we will exchange them for a different type. Simply return your filters to us within 60 days of delivery, and on receipt we will send the replacement pair of filters that you have chosen.” – So if you need more or less protection you can just pop out the filter and get a direct replacement.
You can switch to 20 or even 26dB of protection, but these are designed for those people working at dangerous volumes – airports, oil rigs etc. If you do find you can DJ with these filters, let us know in the comments.
The editor with the moulds.
Once the talking recommences you’ll be asked to decide what colour you want your earplugs. Previously we went for lime green so we didn’t lose them in a dark DJ booth, but this time round we went for one black and one orange to match the DJWORX theme. There’s quite a choice, which also includes transparent. You can have your plugs engraved, so we put on our name on them. Naturally it’s pretty unlikely that another DJ is going to want to put in your custom fit used earplugs, but it’s a nice touch. Maybe put in a motivational message – You are the best DJ, live it, love it, be it” or something.
Then, the big cord question. To cord or to not cord? We are firmly in the cord team, we feel it reduces our chance of losing one by 50%. Your mittens were connected through your cost when you were very little for a reason. And don’t forget that your ACS earplugs come in a handily carry container, as well with some “comfort cream” (for your ears..) and a little pronger. These are modular, so you can take out the cord if you want to, or change the filter if you need a higher range.
Once done just wait for the delivery.
The end result
How much do custom made earplugs cost?
ACS ear protection cost £149 which considering the personalisation and level of customisation is a very good deal. See the whole ACS range. Note this prices includes VAT.
How to protect your ears when DJing summary
If you are a DJ then how to protect your ears when DJing should be near the top of your list of priorities
- Obvious – Try to keep volume down wherever possible. That monitor? Turn it down.
- Reduce the treble and middle a little.
- Give your ears a rest. Do you need to be listening to happy hardcore on the way to and from your gig?
- Beware instances of unnoticed high volumes – Football, weddings, very noisy trains etc. Take your earplugs wherever you go
- Give IEM’s a go. Generally you’ll be able to have the volume in them way lower than with standard headphones. The sound is going directly into your ears with minimal wastage.
- Some earplugs are better than none. If you only have foam ones you normally use for sleeping then at least use them in an emergency in a high volume environment.
- You can DJ with earplugs in.
- Loops are a great simple basic solution.
- For working DJs or those already with damage you need a custom fit pair, and the best route to that is via ACS.
