Loop Earplugs Review: An Honest, Hands-On Review Without The Noise

Whether you've seen them dotted around your office, in nightclubs, or simply shoehorned into the ad breaks of your favourite podcast, we thought it was time we put Loop Earplugs to the test in an extended, hands-on trial.

Modern life is a constant tug of war between increasingly competing demands on your time, and figuring out how to hone in on your most pressing tasks — whether they be work, play, or even sleep — can sometimes prove more challenging than we'd like to admit.

That's where Loop comes into the picture: they offer meticulously designed earplugs that can be used in a number of different settings — their 'Experience' earplugs are better for nights out or gigs, while the 'Quiet' earplugs I tried are far more suited for focused work or sleep — and experienced a massive boom during the COVID pandemic.

Why? Because people found themselves needing to share enclosed spaces with different people performing a number of different activities— we all had that unemployed roommate who made a racket during your Zoom calls, didn't we? Or the kids who needed entertainment while you wrote up that EOY report?

Point is: Loop is here in a big way and here to stay, so we thought someone should put them to the test.

Short For Time? Here Are The Quick Take-Away Points Overall Rating:9/10Price:From $34.95 AUD / 24.95 USDDelivery Time:2 DaysComfort:The comfiest earplugs we've tried.Style: Easily the most stylish earplugs out there. Noise Reduction: Up to 27db Are They Worth It?Definitely. Already Convinced? Buy It Now. Why Trust Us?

Investing in any purchase — especially one that could have serious ramifications for your productivity, performance, and ability to rest — requires a great deal of consideration and brings a wide range of factors into play including the purchasing process, cost, and effectiveness.

Figuring all of these out for yourself can be hard going, but that's what we're here to help with...

In short: you can trust us because we've tried them. One of our editors (who's writing up these very words) purchased a pair of Loop's Quiet earplugs and tried them out every day for twelve weeks.

Whether I was at home and trying to get some work done or tune into a book, whether I was in the office and trying to block out the noise of a video call going on two rows over, or whether I was just trying to get a good night's sleep, it's safe to say that I've tried these things out in every day-to-day situation you could imagine.

What you're reading now are my honest, unbiased, and unabashed thoughts.

A Bit About Me

First and foremost, I work and I work hard. This wonderful content you're reading now requires focus and attention to detail, which means not only do I need to be able to hone in on my work whilst I'm in the office but also that I cherish a good night's sleep. This gave me two important spaces in which to test the Loop earplugs right away.

In addition to this, I also share a small flat with my partner and — as so many of us came to realise during the pandemic — hybrid working means that we're all spending a lot more time working from home, either working alongside our family members and roomies or, often worse, working in spite of your cohabitants doing very little and somehow being very distracting.

Here are my Loop Quiet earplugs in their stylish carry case. Image: Finlay Mead/DMARGE

A final point that makes me a little more unique is that, well, I've got a strangely shaped ear. Don't ask me why because I don't know; it's been that way since birth. What that means is that I've always had a tricky time with in-ear headphones or earplugs. Ones that fit are a very special rarity.

Purchase Process

One of Loop's biggest selling points is its website. Clean, simple to navigate, and dangerously easy to make a purchase, it answers all your questions in — at most — a single click. Their FAQs section is particularly impressive and one of the best we've seen.

When you compare this to a number of its legacy competitors who are stocked through places like Chemist Warehouse whose site is incredibly well-populated and incredibly poorly designed, you really come to appreciate the Loop experience.

Delivery Time & Packaging

My Loop earplugs were delivered less than 72 hours after my order was placed, which fell at the faster end of Loop's promise that "most" customers in Australia will receive their earplugs in 3 to 8 business days. This appears to be standard across all their major shipping zones (USA, EU, AU).

In terms of packaging, there's very little to say about Loop earplugs in the best possible way. The package is small, sustainable, and very easy to navigate. They arrived in a small envelope, inside of which was a small box containing the earplugs, carry case, and a number of different-sized tips.

As I said, unremarkable in the best possible way.

The Loop carry case — containing the earplugs — as well as alternate tips. Image: Finlay Mead/DMARGE What Makes Loop Earplugs Different

These are the five claims that Loop makes about their Quiet earplugs. I thought these were worth sharing so that I could directly measure my experience against their claims...

Reduce the noiseUp to 27 dB of noise reduction Designed with comfort in mindFlexible soft-touch silicone for day and night comfort Certified Hearing ProtectionKeeping your ears safe for years to come Always a perfect fitComes with 4 interchangeable ear tip sizes  Reusable & easy to cleanUse them day after day, night after night

Additionally, I also wanted to share this diagrammatic drawing of the earplugs that Loop posts on their site, so you can understand which parts of the product I'm referring to and how they all fit together...

Comfort

As mentioned earlier, I've got a funny-shaped ear, so the Loop earplugs were really put to the test in terms of comfort, given that most in-ear headphones and earplugs either fall out of my ear almost immediately (very annoying) or become sore relatively quickly (also very annoying).

And yet, I didn't have any of these issues here. In fact, I can genuinely say that my Loop earplugs are the most comfortable bit of kit I've ever had in my ears, especially over an extended period of time. While it might take a couple of tries to determine which of the tips is most suited to your ears, once you've picked it out, you're away.

Not only did I work with these earplugs in for hours at a time, but I even managed to sleep an entire night through with them in as well. I thought this latter achievement was particularly impressive, given the discomfort that other earplugs or headphones can begin to 'dig in' to your ear canal whenever you lie on your side.

Here, you can see the earplugs' slim profile which makes them great for sleeping. Image: Finlay Mead/DMARGE

I think this is down to their very slim profile — pictured above. Bravo Loop.

Style

Where Loop really stands out is in its design. The earplugs are modern, sleek, and something you'd be happy showing off to friends or co-workers but can equally hide away if you'd prefer thanks to their minimal look.

When you compare this to basically every other product out there — especially the plug-and-play foam variants out there or, even worse, the mould-it-yourself silicon variants that look like something out of a NASA test tube — you realise just how hard Loop has worked to revolutionise how earplugs should look and feel.

The Loop carry case looks great... Image: Finlay Mead/DMARGE ... as do the earplugs themselves. Image: Finlay Mead/DMARGE

All of Loop's earplugs come in a wide range of colours with limited edition and seasonal variations rolling on and off the site; no matter your look, your vibe, or your 'core', you can make Loop work for you.

They're also very easy to clean, should you notice any waxy build-up from continued use; just use a wet wipe or soap and water.

Noise Reduction

Loop claims that the earplugs can reduce noise levels by up to 27dB and provide long-term hearing protection. While I can't speak to the specific decibel levels, I can definitely attest to their noise-blocking abilities.

I used these for hours at a time in the office when I just wanted to get my head down and focus on some deep work while my coworkers chatted around me or played music. The beauty of what Loop can do is that they somehow block out all the annoying ambient noise that gets in your way but keep you just tuned in enough that if anyone calls your name there's no awkward ghosting...

For sleeping, they were similarly perfect. We have a lot of animal life around my apartment block, especially birds that make ungodly amounts of noise at all hours of the day and night. The Loop earplugs gave me some of the first and only uninterrupted nights of sleep I've had since moving to Australia. This was a huge win.

Loop also offers other earplugs specifically designed for nights out and gigs. While I didn't try these ones and can't speak to their power, my experience with my Loop 'Quiet' earplugs gives me every reason to believe they'd live up to their claims.

Neurodivergence

Another interesting claim made by some users is that Loop earplugs can help those with ADHD, sensory overload issues, or autism by filtering out distractions or intrusive noise. I don't suffer with any of these so cannot accurately report on their effectiveness.

However, I thought this was an interesting dimension to the product regardless, and wanted to share Loop's own claims:

Loop earplugs have been highly praised by millions of noise-sensitive and neurodivergent users around the world. From helping them tune out triggering sounds in social settings without feeling so distant to helping them focus at work, Loop earplugs help people with ADHD, autism, misophonia and more get through their day at their volume.

Loop

Are Loop Earplugs Worth It?

Yes, absolutely. At this price point, no other brand comes close to what Loop earplugs can do.

Every aspect of the process is made simple and straightforward; from their website design, their packaging, their use and even their maintenance.

I managed to work with considerably greater focus and sleep with considerably increased ease, and I'm grateful to Loop for both of these.

In short, you won't regret buying these; give Loop a go.

Alternatives To Loop Earplugs

The post Loop Earplugs Review: An Honest, Hands-On Review Without The Noise appeared first on DMARGE.