Best of 2003: Best Ear Plugs For Your Next Concert

Dietsch's Hearing Aid Center, North Park
3952 30th Street
619-297-4145
(Also El Cajon, Pacific Beach, and Mobile Service)

Savvy rock stars order hollow plugs with special filters to protect their ears. They're not going deaf...why should you? For best protection, you need earplugs molded to your personal ear canals, says audiologist Provi Alvira. To get the kind the rockers use -- with filters to reduce all frequencies evenly -- you're looking at $145. Many of Alvira's customers are surfers trying to avoid surfer's ear deafness caused by cold water. Custom plugs keep water out and float if lost in a wipeout. They cost about $75.