Effect of Musician’s Earplugs on Sound Level and Spectrum During Musical Performances

In this study, change in A-weighted and 1/3-octave sound pressure levels (SPLs) was used to assess the influence of wearing earplugs by musicians on their musical performances. Seven soloists and 3 music assembles performed 4 pieces of music with musician’s earplugs donned and doffed. They used silicon custom moulded earplugs with acoustic filters designed to attenuate sound by 9, 15 or 25 dB. Results showed that the use of earplugs affected the sound level and the spectrum of played sounds. This effect was the greatest for brass players. The difference between SPLs in high-frequency 1/3-octave bands and A-weighted SPLs with and without earplugs exceeded 5 and 15 dB, respectively. Similar changes for woodwind, percussion and string instruments were less noticeable than for brass instruments; they were more than 5 dB for 1/3-octave spectra and no more than 2 dB for A-weighted SPL.