Every pair of earplugs sold for nights out says the music stays clear. The numbers on the box tell you more. This guide covers how loud UK clubs and festivals get, what the rating on the box means, how filter plugs and foam plugs differ, and how to get a good fit.
We make Aura Earplugs, so we use them as the worked example. Their rating is from their certification, and every other figure comes from the sources listed at the end.
How loud clubs and festivals get
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) publishes Sound advice, its noise guidance for the music and entertainment industry. It lists these typical levels in clubs [1]:
- 94 to 104 dB on the dance floor;
- 93 to 99 dB for DJs;
- 89 to 99 dB for bar staff.
These are average levels over time, not the loudest moments. For comparison, UK workplace noise rules require hearing protection at 85 dB [1].
For concerts and festivals, HSE recommends that organisers keep the average across an event at or below 107 dB anywhere in the audience area, and tell the audience in advance when the average is likely to go above 96 dB [2].
Decibels do not add up in a straight line. Every 3 dB doubles the sound energy, and 10 dB is a tenfold increase [1]. That is why a few decibels either way matter, both in the room and on the box.
The rating on the box: SNR
SNR (Single Number Rating) is the rating used in the UK and Europe. Earplugs sold here as hearing protection are tested against the standard EN 352-2, and the SNR is worked out from laboratory measurements using the method in ISO 4869-2 [3]. Put simply, it is the number of decibels you subtract from the sound level to estimate what reaches your ear with the plug fitted as it was in the test.
Some makers also publish H, M and L values, which give the expected reduction for high, medium and low-frequency sound, and a table of reduction by frequency. These tell you more than the single number, especially about bass.
NRR (Noise Reduction Rating) is the US rating. It comes from a different test and a different calculation, set out in US federal rules [4], so an NRR and an SNR cannot be compared directly. Compare an SNR with an SNR. Wording such as "up to 21 dB" or "a 20 dB filter" is a description, not a rating.
Worked example: Aura Earplugs are rated SNR 18 dB, tested to EN 352-2:2020, and are CE marked.
What the number means on a dance floor
The quick sum is the level in the room minus the rating. HSE advises assuming that real-world protection is about 4 dB lower than the laboratory figure, mostly because plugs are rarely fitted as well as they are in a test [5].
For a plug rated SNR 18 dB, like Aura, that means taking off about 14 dB. On a dance floor at 94 to 104 dB, roughly 80 to 90 dB reaches the ear.
Two cautions. First, the SNR is meant to be subtracted from a reading that counts bass in full, while club levels are usually quoted with a weighting that counts bass less [1]. In a room heavy on sub-bass, treat the sum as the optimistic end. Where a maker publishes an L value, that is the better guide to bass.
Second, more reduction is not automatically better. HSE advises against protection that brings the level at the ear below 70 dB, because talking gets hard, people feel cut off and they tend to take the protection out [6]. For staff working a full shift, HSE's own table suggests an SNR of 25 to 35 at 95 to 100 dB, and 30 or more at 100 to 105 dB [6]. A night out is shorter than a shift, but if you plan to spend it by the speakers, those figures are worth knowing.
Filter plugs or foam
Filter plugs put a small acoustic filter in a reusable tip. HSE describes "flat" or "uniform" attenuation plugs as reducing sound "almost equally across a broad range of frequencies", so music sounds more natural than through ordinary earplugs [1]. It also notes that off-the-shelf filter plugs are generally not as flat as custom-moulded ones [1]. Where a maker publishes a frequency table, you can check for yourself.
Foam plugs are compressible and meant for a single use. HSE lists them as inexpensive, simple to use and effective at high levels. It also notes that they "remove more high frequencies than low", get in the way of speech and "require careful insertion" [1]. HSE's example is a foam plug that cuts 125 Hz sound by 25 dB but may cut 4,000 Hz sound by almost 40 dB [1], which is why music can sound muffled through foam. Check the SNR on the pack as you would for any other plug.
Fit makes most of the difference
HSE says the seal between the plug and the ear "is fundamental to its effectiveness" [1]. A plug that is too small leaks sound, and a plug that is too big works its way out.
- Choose plugs with more than one tip size. Aura comes with four sizes of tip (XS, S, M and L), with medium fitted.
- Try every size at home, not in the queue. The right one feels snug, stays put when you talk or move your jaw, and makes the room sound noticeably quieter.
- Straighten the ear canal as you fit them. Reach over your head with the opposite hand and gently pull the top of your ear up and back while you insert the plug.
- Give it a few nights. HSE notes that all hearing protection changes how things sound and can take a while to get used to [1]. Your own voice may sound louder at first; that is normal with any earplug.
- Keep them clean. Fit plugs with clean hands. Wash reusable plugs as the maker says (Aura's tips wash with water and mild soap), let them dry, and keep them in their case.
How to choose
- To keep the music close to how it normally sounds and still talk to friends: a filter plug with a published SNR, in the right size.
- For a long night by the speakers, or a bass-heavy room: look for more reduction, such as a higher-rated plug with a published L value, or stand further back. HSE's event guidance keeps audiences at least 3 metres from loudspeakers where practical [2].
- Either way: check the rating is an SNR from a test to EN 352-2, compare like with like, and check the fit before you leave the house.
Aura Earplugs: SNR 18 dB, tested to EN 352-2:2020, CE marked, with four tip sizes and a carry case. See Aura Earplugs.
For more on how high-fidelity earplugs work and how they compare with foam, read The Complete Guide to High-Fidelity Earplugs for Music Lovers.
Earplugs reduce your noise exposure when you wear them properly. If you are worried about your hearing, speak to your GP or an audiologist.
Sources (all read on 29 September 2026)
- HSE, Sound advice: control of noise at work in music and entertainment (HSG260). hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/hsg260.pdf
- HSE, "Noise", event safety guidance. hse.gov.uk/event-safety/noise.htm
- ISO 4869-2:2018, Acoustics: hearing protectors, part 2. iso.org/standard/65582.html
- US Code of Federal Regulations, 40 CFR 211.206-1 and 211.207. law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/40/211.207
- HSE, "Accounting for 'real world' factors". hse.gov.uk/noise/goodpractice/hearingrealworld.htm
- HSE, "Over-protection". hse.gov.uk/noise/goodpractice/hearingoverprotection.htm