How Can Security and Event Staff Hear Their Radio in Loud Venues?

Yes, you can hear your radio in a loud venue, and the trick is to stop fighting the room with volume. A custom earpiece shaped to your ear keeps radio calls close to your eardrum, and a filtered or solid earplug in the other ear turns the crowd and the speakers down to a safer level. That pairing lets you catch every call without cranking the radio all night.

Here is how it works, what the research says about noise for people who work in music venues, and how to set yourself up for a long shift.

Quick answer

• The problem: clubs and concerts are often loud enough that you have to shout to be heard 3 feet away, so radio calls get buried.
• The fix: a custom-molded earpiece in your radio ear, and hearing protection in the other ear.
• Why it helps: when the room is turned down, you don’t need to turn the radio up.
• From Big Ear: the Custom Single Ear Radio Earpiece is $105, and The One filtered earplugs start at $224.95.
• See a doctor or audiologist if ringing after a shift is new or getting worse, or if your ears hurt.

How loud does it get where event staff work?

Louder than most people guess. The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders lists concerts and sporting events at about 94–110 dBA. The same page explains that sounds at or below 70 dBA are unlikely to cause hearing loss, while long or repeated exposure at 85 dBA or above can.

NIOSH gives a handy rule of thumb you can use on the floor. If you have to shout to be heard by someone about 3 feet away, the noise is probably 95 dBA or more, and NIOSH names bars, nightclubs and large sporting events as examples. Its recommended limit is 85 dBA averaged over an eight-hour day, and for every 3 dBA above that, the safe time is cut in half.

So a full shift next to a stage or a loud bar adds up fast. At 94 dBA, the NIOSH halving rule gives you about an hour before you reach a full day’s recommended dose.

What did researchers find in music clubs?

One of the clearest studies looked at staff in eight New York City music clubs. Researchers measured overall average levels of 91.9 to 99.8 dBA, and averages during performances ran from 94.9 to 106.7 dBA. The workers they surveyed were mostly bartenders, plus servers and sound and lighting crew.

A few findings stand out:

• Staff in the louder clubs reported more ringing in their ears after work.
• 17 of 31 people (55%) said they couldn’t hear as well as they did before they started working in clubs.
• 55% said they never or rarely wore hearing protection, and only 16% wore it often or always.

The study was small and is now decades old, and it didn’t include security staff. Still, the people working the floor share the same room and the same speakers, so the lesson carries over: venue noise is real, and protection only helps when it actually gets worn.

Why do people pull their earplugs out on the job?

Mostly because they need to hear. NIOSH notes that workers “might take off their hearing protectors to hear properly” when protection blocks too much speech or warning sound. It also warns against overprotection, since too much reduction can make you less aware of what’s around you.

For security and event staff, hearing the radio is the job. If a plug and a stock earbud compete for the same ear, or the earbud keeps slipping, the plug usually loses. NIOSH also says comfort is the key to consistent use. That’s why the setup below gives each ear one clear task.

What setup works best for radio users in loud rooms?

Think of it as one ear for the radio and one ear for the room.

• Radio ear: a custom earpiece made from an impression of your ear. Because it’s shaped to you, it stays put through a long shift, and the radio sound sits right at your ear.
• Other ear: a filtered earplug if you need to hear guests and coworkers, or a solid plug if your post is right by the stage and talking is rare.
• Volume: set your radio just loud enough to understand, then leave it. NIOSH lists keeping personal device volume low among its everyday tips for protecting your hearing.

NIOSH describes communication protectors, with built-in microphones and speakers, as one way to help workers talk in noisy places. A custom earpiece is a simpler cousin of that idea: it brings the signal closer to you so the room doesn’t have to win.

How does Big Ear handle this?

We hand-build every piece in the USA from impressions of your own ears. For a radio setup, these are the pieces that fit together:

The One uses a two-part, analog, non-electronic filter system: a non-linear filter sits in the canal in every pair, and a flat filter sits on the outside face. The flat filters come in 9, 15, 20, 25 and 30 dB, and they’re interchangeable, so you swap levels in seconds with no new mold. We suggest 9–20 dB for quieter settings. Venue noise varies a lot from one room to the next, so give us a call and we’ll talk through which levels suit your post.

If your radio setup is unusual, call us before you order and we’ll talk it through. Every order is built in 40 business days from the day your impressions reach our lab.

What if my ears ring after a shift?

The NIDCD explains that loud noise can cause a temporary hearing loss that goes away 16 to 48 hours later, and that it can also cause tinnitus, a ringing, buzzing or roaring sound. NIOSH lists ringing ears after leaving a noisy area as a warning sign of too much noise, even when it fades.

If the ringing is new, getting worse or not fading, or your ears hurt, please see a doctor or audiologist. Our guide to why your ears ring after a loud event explains more, and a hearing test gives you a baseline to track over time.

Frequently asked questions

Can I wear an earplug in one ear and a radio earpiece in the other?

Yes. The plug turns the room down on one side, and the earpiece carries your calls on the other.

Will a filtered earplug stop me hearing guests?

Filtered plugs turn the volume down rather than shutting sound out. NIOSH notes that flat-attenuation protectors reduce all frequencies evenly, which preserves the fidelity of sound. Start with a lighter filter and step up if the room is very loud.

How do you get my ear impressions?

Your order includes a free Home Impression Kit with a guided video. It ships in 2–3 business days, takes about 15 to 20 minutes with a helper, and the return postage is paid. If an impression can’t be used, we send a second kit at no charge.

What if the fit isn’t right?

Every pair comes with our 30-Day Fit Warranty: tell us within 30 days of delivery and we’ll make it right. There’s also a 1-year manufacturer defect warranty against manufacturing defects (loss isn’t covered). Custom products can’t be returned, since they’re made for your ears.

Ready to hear your calls without the noise?

Start with the free Home Impression Kit, or use Find my pair to match your post to the right pieces. Want to talk it through with a person? Call us at (719) 271-4528. Shipping on your order is $10, and we keep your impressions on file for up to ten years, so reordering is easy.

Sources

• National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (updated 16 Apr 2025)
• NIOSH, Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (reviewed 30 Jan 2024)
• NIOSH, Provide Hearing Protection (updated 28 Oct 2026)
• Gunderson E, Moline J, Catalano P. Risks of Developing Noise-Induced Hearing Loss in Employees of Urban Music Clubs. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 1997;31:75–79 (via CDC Stacks)