Question about an earplug; a replica.
Hello everyone, I would like to talk a little about my case. I am a 30-year-old male and I have had tinnitus caused by acoustic trauma for several years. I have been buying some hearing protection devices that fit my budget. One of them, which I used today, is a Chinese replica of the Eargasm earplugs. Since the original Eargasm earplugs are not sold here in Brazil, either in physical stores or online, I decided to try this alternative. Today I attended a São João celebration, which is a traditional festival where I live. There was food, fireworks, and also a loud JBL speaker that my uncle had set up. Coincidentally, the celebration took place on the same day as my father's birthday. From the moment I arrived, I was already wearing the earplugs. However, because they are a replica, I do not know exactly how many decibels they reduce. They have a metal filter inside. I looked up the specifications of the original Eargasm earplugs and apparently they can provide up to 20 dB of noise reduction. My concern is that the replica I used today may not provide the same level of protection.
I inserted them as deeply as I could. Sounds were noticeably muffled, and I could hear my own voice resonating inside my head. Even so, I am not sure whether the protection was sufficient. I arrived at around 7:30 p.m. and left at approximately 12:15 a.m. During the event, I used a smartphone app that measures sound levels. According to the app, the average noise level was around 95 dB, with peaks reaching 112 dB. However, because there were fireworks, I am not certain how accurate those readings were or how much the noise levels fluctuated. I also spent some time outside the house, sitting on the sidewalk, to reduce my exposure to the noise. My question is: do these cheaper replica earplugs actually work as well as the original ones? I bought the transparent version because I thought it would be more discreet. Sometimes I wonder whether I should have chosen foam earplugs instead. My biggest fear is causing further damage to my hearing or making my tinnitus worse.
Today I woke up with a low-pitched tone on top of my tinnitus that would come and go within a matter of seconds. It has already gone away for now.