Attending the NAMM show this year started with a benefit
before I even arrived. The lovely folks
at Eargasm were giving away 100 pairs of earplugs and I was lucky enough to
secure one of them. Here are my
thoughts:
First off, let’s talk about the name. Genius, right? Couple that with delightful, light blue packaging and you have a winning marketing campaign. The packaging is indeed sturdy and classy. A padded cardboard box hosts the product. I have to remember that the customer experience will be a little different as I did not check them out prior. I did not go to a website to check them out, order online or in a store. I walked up to their booth and presented a QR code.
I was asked if I wanted clear or blue earplugs. My initial thought was that it would be hard
to find a clear earplug that was dropped on the floor so I went with blue. I headed off to lunch and opened the box
outside the show. The earplugs come in
tiny Ziplock bags, which are hell to open.
Again, not knowing how they worked, I saw two pairs of ear plugs. One clear and one blue. I was a bit put off, wondering why I was
given a choice. As it turned out, it was
a large pair and a small pair and there were only filters in the large. I would have to remove the filter and put it in
the smaller plugs if the large ones did not fit, which they didn’t. The small plugs, however, fit like a dream,
despite the thick rubber. Here begs the
question, if I am paying for two pairs of earplugs, why do I only get one that
I can use, one that does nothing without the filters and no spare?
Included is a solid container that attaches to your
keychain. This thing is like a small
safe and I trust it won’t open by itself like other earplugs I have tried.
The sound: Let’s get
to the most important thing, shall we?
How well do they work? Once I
switched the filters to the smaller plugs (not the easiest thing in the world
to do but not too difficult either), I immediately noticed a huge amount of
noise reduction. Of course, you would
expect this. In this case, however,
there was a higher clarity instead of just a noise reduction with a muffled
effect. For the first time, I could
actually hear conversations without having to take one of the plugs out. The really is the most important function,
after all. I can go to concerts, loud
events such as NAMM and even walk the Vegas Strip in comfort and protecting one
of the most vital parts of my body. Thank
you, Eargasm!!!
Overall, I think the packaging could benefit with some
tweaks. Maybe if they change out the bag
(or just carefully cut it open), change the sizes to include two small or two
large sets of earplugs to double the value for the consumer. $30 a set isn’t a lot to ask, especially for
this quality, but having a spare pair instead of a pair I can’t use would be
nice. Plus, if the filters are in the
wrong size pair, you have to switch them right away before you can do anything
with them. On the plus side, the noise
reduction, comfort and the fact I can hold a conversation while keeping my ears
protected is a dream!
Give them a try! For
more information: https://eargasmearplugs.com/products/eargasm-high-fidelity-earplugs
