Top products from r/Metal

As decreed by the kings of metal, MANOWAR you're both a wimp and a poser if you don't use hearing protection. Also foam earplugs are better for things like shooting or construction work where you don't really want to hear the sound. They're better than nothing and cheap but their entire purpose is to muffle the sound. For music, you want reusable earplugs that are meant to lower the volume evenly across the entire spectrum of hearing. These Etymotic earplugs are the ones that the sub recommends most though I haven't tried them. I use these Fender ones which are half the price and are effective enough that I can headbang against the speakers at my favorite venue without having to worry about the stem getting hit accidentally or having any ringing in my ears afterwards while still being able to hear the band perfectly. If you can afford it, it's best to get custom molded earplugs from an audiologist. They usually run around $200 which I can't justify spending but I hear is worth it.

My husband got me this cookbook for Christmas when we first started dating. We didn't know each other that well, but he knew I liked metal and cooking. Some of the recipes are pretty good, and it was fun to read through together.

Been using a few over the last few years:

Etymotics: good for shorter shows but after a while they start to bug me, YMMV

Eargasm: a little more comfortable than the Etymotics over longer stretches of time

EarPeace: the three different filter options are nice and easy to swap out, plus they include a third plug which definitely would've prevented that time I accidentally dropped an Etymotic onto the piss-covered floor of an Oakland bathroom and then spent most of the next band's set walking to the nearest Rite-Aid to get a pair of the shitty ones that make everything sound like you wrapped a blanket of mud around your head

All right metalhead can nerds and audiophiles, I need some new headphones! I posted this over at /r/headphones but got no reply. I figured this might be a good thread to try and grab a response or some opinions, and this sub is more likely to have an opinion specifically tailored to my music tastes and needs. Here's a copy of the format from their advice thread:

> Budget - $250-$300 MAX
>
> Source - MacBook Pro & a VERY basic DAC (will upgrade that later), also have a turntable and stereo setup
>
> Requirements for Isolation - None, Really
>
> Will you be using these Headphones in Public? No
>
> Preferred Type of Headphone - Over Ear, closed Back
>
> Preferred tonal balance - Heavy, tight Bass
>
> Current headphones - Audio Technica Air ATH-AD700
>
> Preferred Music - I listen primarily to sludge and doom metal (Electric Wizard, Conan, Windhand, and YOB for example)
>
> What would you like to improve on from your set-up - The Airs REALLY lack any "oomf" and are very very bass light so I end up using my Focal IEMs. I like their sound stage though. Ive been thinking about making a change to closed backs for the extra bass, but I still want a tight, strong, warm, controlled bass...not a mindless over saturated vibrating bass that loses detail & overpowers the treble and mids.
> I am willing to look in to a basic amp if needed, so that would not be an issue. Im also willing to look at open backs again as well if there is a good contender.

So far my main upgrade options ive been looking at are:

Audio Technica ATH-M50X (I HAVE developed a liking for the AT brand)
Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO (250 Ohm)

Thanks for any advice!

I'm an Audio Engineer (student...), so yes. I never used to before starting school, despite knowing full well how bad some concerts can be on your ears but needless to say my education has given me a much deeper appreciation (and sense of necessity, I guess) for taking care of my ears and my hearing. Like a lot of other people, I use ER-20s; cheap, effective, reusable. Perhaps down the road when I've got a bit more cash I can invest in some hearing protection that is a bit more permanent, though.

I have excess wax issues, and have to clean my earplugs (ER-20s are what I'm using at the moment) frequently, but in almost 20 years of wearing musician's earplugs I haven't had any significant issues with buildup caused by the earplugs themselves. I use one of these to help with wax removal, and it works pretty well. I've also used hydrogen peroxide and some other methods to deal with hardened wax on rare occasions. It sounds like your issues are more severe, but try not to let wax issues keep you from wearing hearing protection - cilia don't grow back.

You'll want to keep your ear canals clean, obviously. And try not to shove the earplugs too deep into your ear. I do this sometimes when I'm gigging and the drummer's really wailing on the cymbals, but it can result in the earplug picking up wax from the canal, and in your case could cause impaction. You might also look at MusicSafe plugs - they're double flange musician's plugs, and might not go as deep into the ear canal as the typical triple flange musician's plugs.

Those work very well for shows. They take the sound down ~15 dB, which is perfect for metal shows. Concerts will still be loud; you won't hear the person next to you. I don't know about the size or fit of those though, I have the [standard] (https://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-Protection-Earplugs-Standard/dp/B0044DEESS/ref=sr_1_4_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1487082806&sr=8-4&keywords=etymotic%2Bearplugs&th=1) ones and they fit great.

It has some pretty good reviews. I see there's also a Gangsta Rap Coloring Book and a Punk Rock Fun Time Activity Book by the same Author.

I'll be putting this on my Amazon wishlist and hoping.

Our High Fidelity Earplugs are definitely worth checking out if you're in the market for a set of concert earplugs. They look cool, fit flush to the ear so they don't stick out, and lower volume down on noise while preserving the full spectrum of sound. All our plugs also come with a nifty aluminum carrying case. Let me know if you guys have any questions, I'm happy to answer them.

http://eargasmearplugs.com/products/eargasm-high-fidelity-earplugs

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B019M576XW

Precious Metal - This is a collection of 25 expanded interviews conducted by Decibel on what they consider some of the greatest extreme metal albums. Really good read.

Slayer's Reign in Blood (33 1/3) - A fantastic account on the making of Reign in Blood.

I feel especially qualified to answer since I am a lady, a metal fan, and today is my birthday. I got Metal Cats which is perhaps the best present I've ever received. Concert tickets would be a good bet too. I always appreciate gifts that are more experiences rather than things.

I use Audio-Technica's ATH-M50x for most of my home listening. They're a flat response headphone designed for monitoring so they give you an incredibly accurate representation of whatever you're listening to. I find them to be the best route for me to go when it comes to listening to albums for reviews and whatnot. Also, Michael Bay movies sound great in them (excluding the dialogue).

For general use, I just use my iPhone earbuds. They sound fairly decent and they're easy to wear without my much physical/listening fatigue.

This book might be of interest to you. It's honestly just pictures, but some of them are really awesome.

These are the best pair I own so far. Having tried HearOs and Entymotics (or whatever it's spelled) I've really liked the low profile of these Eargasm plugs and they do a great job of cutting the dB level without cutting the sound quality.

I've been using the Alpine Musicsafe Classic for the past 6 years or so, and they've never fallen out for me. Much more comfortable than the Etymotic ER 20's I was using previously.

The trick in getting a secure fit is pulling the top of your outer ear to open up the ear canal, then doing a slight twisting motion when inserting.

I'm not much of an audiophile, and I'm pretty poor, so I can show you the lower end of the spectrum!

These are what I use: Sennheiser HD-280 Pros. Comfortable, good range, and durable. Also, Sennheiser has great customer service/warranties.

These ones come pretty highly recommended here. They work great for me.

I used foam ones I got from work, cut in half to reduce their effectiveness. Worked pretty good.

Bought a pair of these https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B015IQ6HI4/ref=pd_aw_sim_121_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=58PF4RVFRY0H537ZVHDM&dpPl=1&dpID=51Mve4CQjQL

The first show I went to (revenge, d666 and Watain) they worked great. Saw Primitive Man the other day and they didn't cut it. Not sure if I'm using the smaller ear fitting though. I'm at work so I can't hunt down the package and see.

Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces

I subscribe to the Decibel magazine, and I've read a little of this, mainly just the albums that interested me, but it's well written and generally a good read.

I have always enjoyed my Sennheiser pro headphone. I do not know the number off the top of my head...but they have always provided great range. Though plugging them into my computer makes a low humming noise.

EDIT: HD280

I have these and they work just fine. They pretty much have to go in the ear to be of any help, even the foam ones to some extent, but they are much too muffled and cut out all the highs to be useful.

You'll get used to it in about 20 min and you'll be able to hear in 30 years, i think that's worth it.

There is a really good book that talks about what happened between Varg and Euronymous called Lords of Chaos. They talk about the Meyhem story as well as Bard Faust from Emperor who killed a gay man. There are a good amount of interviews in the book. I definitely recommend it.

I use these for both concerts and practices with my band. They tend to roll off the low end a bit (which can be treacherous in practices) but tends to be beneficial when the sound guy at a concert is used to mixing EDM. I recommend them to everyone.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Standrad-Headset-Plugs-Etymotic-ER20-Clear-Stem-Blue-Tip/dp/B0044DEESS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405265099&sr=8-1&keywords=etymotic+ear+plugs

Etymotic is pretty good. I can hear the show and normal conversations without needing people to yell. Just don't go in the pit unless you want them tickling your brain.
http://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-ETY-Plugs-Protection-Earplugs/dp/B0044DEESS

I've been a big fan of these Sony headphones. They're reasonably priced and offer really solid sound quality. If you're on a lower budget for headphones, these are great.

I have used Alpine earplugs for years, and highly recommend them. The stems are short (used to DJ with them in, they fit underneath my headphones just fine) and have taken them to countless shows. You can change out the tips for higher decibel blocking, and I've worn them for hours at a time without issue.

I needed a low profile option so the popular Etys were too big, and I've never been dissatisfied with the Alpines; definitely worth checking out imo.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0032BYCWG/ref=mp_s_a_1_sc_1?qid=1457672828&sr=8-1-spell&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=Earplugsalpine

Personally I'm a bigger fan of closed headphones (it leaks less sound out and so on).

But I would've gone for the Grado-Prestige-SR-60i or the Sennheiser HD448. I bet you could find them at a cheaper price somewhere else though. :)

I just got mine from amazon. link. Unless you have huge ear canals, these should be the right size. I recommend them.

I love the Alpine plugs

I second this. I use these and they've been great.

Thanks for the recommendation!

Right now I'm deciding between Sennheiser HD-280 and the Grado Prestige SR-60i.

I am SHOCKED this hasn't been said yet. Musicians literally use these to record in the studio, from Slipknot to Taylor Swift.

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR7506-Professional-Diaphragm-Headphone/dp/B000AJIF4E

I have a pair and I have almost nothing bad to say about them. Great price and quality.

Black Metal at its core is about hatred. How that manifests itself is up to the band. Whether it's a hatred of the Abrahamic faiths, modern society that reveals itself through pagan or nature worship, or of humanity in general. Most of the shreddit recommended black metal albums list feature this in some way. Some points of note...

If you delve into the history of black metal do NOT start it in Norway. It's impossible to tell the story of black metal without mentioning the Norwegian scene but it did not start there. Bathory's "Under the Sign of the Black Mark" is probably the most important of the first-wave black metal albums for giving a sonic guide to how to proceed but this goes into my other point which is, despite the similarities black metal has with one another, black metal has NO sonic definition. Funeral Mist's "Salvation" sounds nothing like Mystifier's "The World is So Good That Who Made It Doesn't Live Here" which sounds nothing like Vattnet Viskar's "Sky Swallower" but it's all under the black metal umbrella. Some have differing opinions as to what constitutes a black metal band but it ultimately comes down to personal choice on the part of the band as to how they want to present themselves and that's what we are left to judge them on. This is the reason why I don't judge Deafheaven as a black metal band because they say that they are not one but do judge Liturgy as one because they say they are for example. This is not just my opinion. I interviewed Alan Averill, black metal vocalist of Primordial and Blood Revolt, who was around in the black metal tape trading days of the late 80s/early 90s who knows his shit about the history of black metal. Most of what I wrote here comes from him.

There is no one concrete philosophy about black metal other than what I mentioned above. Some good books so I've been told:

http://blackdogonline.com/music/black-metal.html <--- Black Metal: Beyond the Chaos

Black Metal: Evolution of the Cult: http://www.amazon.com/Black-Metal-Evolution-Dayal-Patterson/dp/1936239752/ref=pd_sim_b_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=11BWAB0R4N471SZ5AQ2J

Good luck. Feel free to write me if you want any clarification.

Kinda off-topic. Looking at the related products on amazon for stuff suggested here I stumbled upon this definitely getting that one.

I use these ones which are pretty good. They say they have flat attenuation but I don't know much about ear plugs either.

Can't recommend earplugs enough. You don't have to wear them, but at least bring them. Something like these or these if you are in America.

I have these and I love them. Would buy again if I lost them.



https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B015IQ6HI4/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501617561&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=Musicians+earplugs+etymotic&dpPl=1&dpID=51Mve4CQjQL&ref=plSrch

I second this. When I was younger I thought it wasn't cool to wear ear protection (of course I was an idiot). I now have minor tinnitus constantly. If I don't wear ear protection to shows now it gets almost crippling for a week after. Sometimes it gets to the point where I cannot think correctly and all I want to do is sleep so the ringing will go away. Don't make my mistake. I recommend these ear plugs.

I like my good-old reliable Sony V6's. Although I can't say they're all that comfortable... the stock ear-pads are shit, but they can be replaced with velour, which I would recommend doing.

hi, i have tinnitus, please wear earplugs okay.

These are good and cheap and come with a carrying case. If you have a patch vest, stick these bad boys in the inner pocket so you never go to a show without them

Etymotic ETY-Plugs High Fidelity Earplugs, Standard Fit, Frost Tip https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0015WJQ7A/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_6T.3Ab6DC4RT7

I use these Earplugs

They don't really distort the sound just take off the extra distortion from it being too loud and makes everything quieter a little big. But I dont feel like I have to yell to someone next to me and could carry on a normal conversation without difficulty. The only real difference I find is if I am playing drums the snare sounds more like a tom, but if I am at a concert, I don't really notice a difference.

This, if you're a fan of black metal.

I've been using these for several years and they've served me well.

I did some searching around and ended up buying these ones, some other users here recommended them...

I haven't used those specifically, but I have used a similar pair of silicone ones after I lost my etymotic ones. They worked okay, but they were kind of annoying, didn't stay in. They definitely blocked out noise. But I went back to these because they fit better and don't sound so muffled.

as /u/whereisthemcrib said, these are the earplugs to get.

This is the book btw:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/030681806X/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1525996609&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=precious+metal+decibel&dpPl=1&dpID=51Im6pNWUWL&ref=plSrch

http://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-ETY-Plugs-Protection-Earplugs/dp/B0044DEESS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374531630&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.ca/Etymotic-Research-ETY-Plugs-Protection-Earplugs-Clear/dp/B00G0PPTAK?ie=UTF8&ref_=pe_386430_121528420_TE_dp_1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0044DEESS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

Etymotic ETY Plugs ER20 Earplugs

https://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-Protection-Earplugs-Standard/dp/B0044DEESS#customerReviews

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0044DEESS/ref=mp_s_a_3?qid=1334330617&sr=8-3

https://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-Protection-Earplugs-Standard/dp/B0044DEESS I have a couple of pairs of these.

Here's what I use.

I use these when at shows Hearos High Fidelity Series Ear Plugs

Check out the Metal Cats photo book.

https://www.amazon.com/Swedish-Death-Metal-Daniel-Ekeroth/dp/097961631X

That book?

Black Metal - Evolution of the Cult - Goes through from first wave to current metal and all the other niche scenes that the majority of people overlook.

Probably you meant Black Metal: Evolution of the Cult.

My personal bible

They are over your budget, but consider the Grado SR-60i or Grado SR-80i

Does anyone have opinions on these?

https://www.amazon.com/Swedish-Death-Metal-Daniel-Ekeroth/dp/097961631X

If anyone hasn't already, read this cover to cover.
Also, here's some full demos then.

Obscurity- Damnations Pride (Full Demo, 1987)
Sorcery- Unholy Crusade (Full Demo, 1989)
Nosferatu- Decadence Remains (Full Demo, 1990)
Unanimated- Rehearsal Demo 1990
Dysentery- Crawling in Blood (Full Demo, 1991)
Megaslaughter- Demo 1991

Everybody should read "Choosing Death: The Improbable History of Death Metal and Grindcore." It clears EVERYTHING up, who started what, where it came from, influence and where they went. Really fun super nerdy read!

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/193259504X/qid=1096381955/sr=ka-1/ref=pd_ka_1/103-9365665-3832652

I'm sporting the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x and a FiiO E10K. I also use the Fidelia music player on a mac. It's definitely an upgrade from standard audio equipment but still under $250. You can easily go nuts and drop $1,000+.

FLACCs are still difficult to find from digital sources for lesser known bands. Not everyone's on bandcamp. I buy the physical CD then rip it to FLACC. 320kb/s MP3s are ok but if you opt for a higher fidelity setup I'd stick to FLACC, ALAC, WAV, or AIFF.

Sony MDR-V6s are quite nice, and fairly reasonably priced. One caveat, though: the earcushions are terrible and will fall apart in the most annoying way possible within a few years of purchase. It's not really a big problem, though. All you need to do is get some velour replacements (which are actually made for the Beyerdynamic DT250s), and you've got a set of cans that you can pass down to your grandchildren.

You can get the orange foam ones to protect your hearing, but I recently spent $15 on Amazon and can't recommend enough.

I didn't do earplugs until I hit my 30s and noticed that 2-show weekends produced ringing well into the next week, but now I put that shit in even while bands are tuning and sound checking.

I use these. The only other ones I've used are the shitty orange foam plugs you can get at CVS or other pharmacy stores, and they're pretty bad.

"Lords Of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground" is a phenomenal book on the history of the black metal scene

Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal https://www.amazon.com/dp/0380811278/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_9STOub1A3KTY4

Choosing Death: The Improbable History of Death Metal and Grindcore https://www.amazon.com/dp/193259504X/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_pUTOub10T8719