WAYFARING GEAR: “Say What?!” - Loop Switch 2 Adjustable Earplugs
“Say What?!”
Having experienced hundreds of loud gigs over the past 40 years, I’ll admit I never paid much attention to the toll it was taking. When you're standing in front of a wall of speakers, the vibrant, persistent resonance and throb of the music always seems like an obligatory rite of passage—a necessary tax for becoming a self-confessed “prisoner of rock and roll.”
Lately, though, I’ve finally had to wake up and face the music. I’d begun chalking up the slight hearing loss—and that frustrating struggle to isolate a single conversation, whilst trying to lip-read, in a crowded, noisy pub—simply to "getting older."
But the passage of time shouldn't mean waving a white flag whilst retreating into a muffled world.
It turns out there is a massive, rapidly growing market for ear defenders specifically geared toward music lovers who want to keep their hearing intact without trading off the energy of a live gig.
Enter Loop.
Loop Switch 2
Loop Switch 2 earplugs (Image: Damien Wilkinson)
Loop has carved out an ear-shaped niche by turning ear protection into something sleek, functional, and devoid of that medical-supply or health & safety aesthetic. Put simply: you don’t need to look as though you’re about to operate a pneumatic drill.
Their range spans from around £20 to £60, covering everything from sleep and travel to work focus and live events.
The model I’ve been putting through its paces is their top-tier offering: the Loop Switch 2.
At roughly £55–£60, the Switch 2 essentially combines three of Loop's standalone earplugs—the Engage, Experience, and Quiet models—into a single piece of kit. With a mechanical flick of a tiny, tactile switch on the body of the earplug, you change the internal acoustic chamber to block different levels of ambient noise (rated at 14, 17, and 20 dB of true noise reduction).
No batteries, no charging cables, no apps. Just a well-engineered companion.
Loop Switch 2 earplugs (Image: Damien Wilkinson)
Similar to standard earphones they arrive with Small, Medium and Large sizes of silicone ear tips to ensure a proper seal and a robust little keychain case to stop them from instantly vanishing into the depths of a jacket pocket. And for those who care about the aesthetics, they come in a variety of finishes—from obsidian black and graphite grey to a surprisingly bold papaya. I chose the classic Silver model.
Loop Switch 2 earplugs (Image: Damien Wilkinson)
The Field Test: Shepherd’s Bush Empire
As thankfully I don’t have any neighbours who grew up with Lemmy, testing these around the house felt pointless. To truly audit the Switch 2, I needed a proper cauldron of sound.
I took them down to London’s legendary Shepherd’s Bush Empire for a gig by US Indie-band Rilo Kiley. It’s a beautiful, compact, indoor venue—it’s walls almost throb with the sounds that many legendary bands over the years have bombarded them with, but can leave your ears ringing for 48 hours if you aren't careful. Standing in the crowd as the support act wrapped up and the room packed out, I slotted the loops in and clicked them to Engage mode. This is designed for conversation, and it worked like a charm; I could actually hear the person next to me without the usual mid-gig shouting match.
It did take some calibration though, to avoid the Dom Joly shouting into a phone scenario, I initially went too far on the talking quiet front and had to turn up my own vocals!
As the house lights went down and Rilo Kiley took the stage, I clicked the dial over to Experience mode—the sweet spot for live music.
The result was an instant shift in perspective. The crushing, distorted edge of the volume was shaved right off, but the clarity remained. It didn't feel like I was listening to the band through a pillow; Jenny Lewis’ vocals retained their trademark, crystalline clarity; Jason Boesel’s drums kept their punch; Blake Sennett’s guitar seared and scorched, and Pierre de Reeder’s bass still hit me square in the chest.
I spent a couple of songs experimenting, flicking over to Quiet mode during a particularly raucous track, which effectively pushed the band into the background—perfect if you ever need an immediate break from the sensory overload.
Leaving the venue and stepping out into the cool London air, I noticed the real magic. Usually, a gig at the Empire leaves me walking away with a low, ambient hiss in my ears—a stubborn reminder of the night's volume. This time? Total silence. My ears felt completely normal.
It’s a Hit
“Gotta write a hit. I think this is it. It’s a hit”
In the words of the band themselves, my verdict is simple:
It’s a hit.
The Loop Switch 2 has officially earned a permanent spot in my gig-going arsenal. They are discreet, remarkably comfortable for long stints, and they put you back in the driver’s seat of your own sensory environment.
Moving North of Here isn't about giving up the things that make us feel alive—like the roar of a live guitar track. It’s about finding smarter ways to keep enjoying them for the next 40 years. If you want to protect your ears without sacrificing the sheer vibrancy of a loud, sweaty gig, these are well worth your consideration.
Loop Switch 2 earplugs (Image: Damien Wilkinson)
