Loop or Flare Ear Plugs?

[Canyoucheckonme]

Has anyone tried both and can give honest feedback please? I keep seeing adverts for both and am happy to spend £20 on trying some, but not sure which.

Basically, my hearing can get very sensitive at times and background noises in the office, people chewing, the kids' devices etc all add up to me feeling stressed. I also live on a main road and the traffic getting heavier around 5am wakes me up.

Which would be better? Does anyone know?

I have both. The flare calm are good, I am a teacher & I have 4 children, so they are incredibly useful. I like them both but have found the results very different.
The flare ones are pretty comfortable & I forget I'm wearing them most of the time. If I wear them for more than 4/5 hours at a time they can get a little uncomfortable so I have to take them out for a bit. I wear the container on my lanyard so I can store them.
The loop feel very different. I am more aware of them, but it doesn't hurt. I have the engage, and they really dull the sounds around me. I don't wear these while teaching because I can't hear clearly enough. The sounds are less crisp, kind of blurred and fuzzy if that makes sense. But I use them if I'm working in a room independently but there are others who I find distracting. They are also good for long car journeys with my chatty children!

Thank you - that's really helpful! You say the Loop ones make the sound a bit blurry and muffled, which is probably what I need for naps and sleeping but not daytime use. What are sounds like with the Flare? Can you describe it please?

I keep looking at their websites and reviews and honestly can't decide!

Bumping for the evening crowd!

My dd has both she couldn't get the flare ones to stay in her ears, she has about 5 pairs of loop quiet and they have been a game changer for her.

OP I thought the loop ones are around £40? I also really want to try them

DS uses the Flare ones and likes them, but he hasn't tried the Loop ones. I've spent a bloody fortune on them 🙈.

I sent the loop ones back, got whatever the top of the range version was and they were expensive! (Not in the UK) I sent them back within a few days as they muffled everything, and couldn't hear anything clearly, which was disappointing as id wanted more to have a muffled background noise.

I'm not sure that the Flare ones muffle noise as such, although I haven't used them personally. I read the website in detail to try to work out what they're supposed to do, and I've also spoken to DS about how they help him - in a way, I'm just glad they make him more able to deal with noisy environments.

Following

DD uses flare, after years of wearing hyperacusis devices. It’s really helped her transition

Ds is autistic and has tried both the loop and the flare. He says the flare ones work better and are comfier (they are very discreet).

To be honest I think it’s one of those things that different brands suit different people. Ds aged 11 has autism and wears them for school sometimes and if we go anywhere noisy and he has tried both and thinks the flare ones are useless. He has the Loop experience ones for school and the Loop quiet ones when he wants to block out more noise. He said the flare ones feel like he’s not even wearing anything.

Thanks everyone! Gosh, it's so hard to decide as sounds like they do slightly different things...

Think I'm going to go with Flare for now, as they look/sound more discreet too, and see how I get on.

@Canyoucheckonme sorry to revive an old thread but did you end up getting any? I’m having the same quandary as you were. Thanks

@Georgieporgie29 I bought the Flare ones. They're clear, relatively comfortable and discreet.

I only used them maybe ten times, but gave up as found they didn't make any difference to my misophonia or stress resulting from it. I've just learnt to do some breathing exercises to try and keep me calm. Tempted to try the Loop ones though to see if they're any better.

@Canyoucheckonme Thanks for the reply. Yes, looking at the reviews flare seem more comfortable but not as effective. Loops sound like they’d be better but they make you hear yourself louder and I don’t know if I could cope with that. I’ll keep researching I think.

Would either of these brands help to reduce the noise of snoring? Also, would they be comfortable to be worn overnight by a side sleeper? Thanks!

@Tinytigertail I use wax earplugs to block out snoring. Not 100% effective but they do enough to let me get to sleep (and I am very noise sensitive). You can get them in Boots and they are re-useable (till they get manky).

@Tinytigertail no, the ones I bought are these and are for use during the day, so you can still hear things you need to...

https://www.flareaudio.com/collections/noise-sensitivity

But if you look on their website they do have ones for sleep, too.

Thank you and @EdithStourton for your replies. I'm going to try the flare ones.

Loop are OK but I think Alpine Deep Sleep are the best.

Pulling up an old thread. I found my flare headphones I bought a couple of years ago. I have not used headphones before (except listening to music) but was finding noises at work overwhelming. I didn't find they did much, but Im giving them another chance. This time for home noises, including emotional 2 year old and washing machine/ pipes fridge humming etc. it made the child noises worse but the background noises better .I can't explain it properly, but without them the background noises sounded like they were in my head but with the headphones I could pinpoint they're location. Overall though it didn't reduce my stress much.

However, they've a bit uncomfortable. Is it worth getting the softer/nude products?

Anyone? There's so many in the range, can you recommend?

I never wear my Flare ones as they didn't make any difference, so am reluctant to waste money on Loops.

I just try and stay clear of noises that irritate me as often as possible...easier said than done I know!

I'm autistic and my loops are great for dulling home and neighbour noises. I have to take them out to eat though as don't like hearing myself chew 😆

I have the loops quiet.