Loop Switch earplugs review

If you’re in the market for earplugs, you’ve almost certainly come across Loop Earplugs. They’ve garnered attention from tons of notable influencers — but are they actually any good? We got our hands on the Loop Switch Earplugs, which have the unique value proposition of a physical switch to adjust noise reduction on the fly. We brought them into our lab to gather some objective noise reduction data, and I wore the Loop Switch Earplugs at a two-day music festival to find out if these earplugs are worth their hefty price tag.

Editor’s note: this is the first version of the article. Updates will follow as the market changes.

What I like about the Loop Switch earplugs

Like all Loop earplugs, the Loop Switch have the signature loop design to lock the earplugs in place in your outer ear. I find this design very effective for getting a secure fit. While dancing and jumping around at a music festival, I didn’t find the Loop Switch sliding out of my ears at all. The Loop Switch come with four sizes of silicon ear tips, and it’s important you use the right size for a tight seal to block out noise. Wearing Loop earplugs feels about the same as wearing most wireless earbuds. If you don’t like the way silicon ear tips feel in your ear canal, you should look at other options.

I appreciate that the Loop Switch earplugs come with a small carrying case. On brand, there’s a loop on the case that you can use to hook the earplugs onto a keychain. The case is small enough that I don’t mind leaving it on my keychain with my house keys, making it so I always have hearing protection when I need it in a pinch.

What I don’t like about the Loop Switch

While the loop design does ensure a secure fit, I found that it leads to comfort issues during long sessions. Since the loop part rests against the outer ear, I noticed some discomfort after a few hours of continuous use. Since the loop features a mechanical switch with moving parts to adjust between the three listening modes, the Loop Switch are heftier than most earplugs. That added size and weight means the Loop Switch aren’t ideal for long wearing sessions, or to use as sleep buds.

If you plan on wearing your hearing protection for hours on end, you might want to go for earplugs that don’t press against your outer ear. While Loop has made its name in its earplug design, there’s really no need for the loop portion of the earplugs. As long as you have something blocking your ear canal, you can achieve sufficient hearing protection.

How well do the Loop Switch earplugs block out noise?

The Loop Switch earplugs do an excellent job of blocking out noise, especially when using them in their highest setting, which Loop refers to as Quiet mode. While standing at the front of a large EDM music festival, I found the Quiet mode reduced the sound of the music to a very comfortable level. No ringing sound in my ears at the end of the night!

That said, the Loop Switch disproportionally reduce the loudness of high-frequency noise compared to low-frequency noise, which is typical of most earplugs. This meant I could hear pretty much all the bass at the concert, with a significant reduction in mid and high-frequency sounds such as vocals. Switching to Experience or Engage mode allows more of the mid-high frequency sounds through, which means you can hear the music closer to how it should sound.

The chart above shows the noise reduction performance of the Loop Switch while set to Quiet mode. As you can see, the earplugs reduce low-frequency bass sounds by around 10dB, and high-frequency sounds by up to 50dB. This is very significant noise reduction.

Above is our measured noise reduction performance of the Loop Switch while in Experience mode. There is slightly less reduction in high-frequency noise, peaking at around 35dB, while there is still 10dB of attenuation to low frequencies. This is a good setting for protecting your hearing without altering the sound quality too drastically.

Finally, we have the Engage mode. This mode provides the least amount of noise attenuation across the hearing spectrum. There is only about 5dB of noise reduction to bass sounds, and up to 30dB of noise reduction to high-frequency sounds.

Should you buy the Loop Switch?

There are many silicon earplug options out there for less than $10, which makes the Loop Switch price tag a tough pill to swallow. That said, the Loop Switch offers the unique ability to adjust noise attenuation, and our testing shows that they do reduce a significant amount of noise. If variable noise reduction is important to you, then the Loop Switch might be worth the money.

Loop Switch review: Frequently Asked Questions