Loop’s New Volume-Adjustable Earplugs Are Effective and Comfy

I spend a lot of time reviewing products for WIRED that are supposed to help you hear more. But there are plenty of times when what I really need is to hear less.
I’ve long been a fan of Belgium-based Loop Earplugs, largely because its earplugs fit my ears so well and because, thanks to the namesake loop, they always stay in place. And, yes, they look great. But Loop now sells at least nine different styles of earplugs, each designed with a different level of noise reduction or suggested use—sleeping, concerts, deep focus, and more. Choosing the right one can be complicated, and if you have multiple pairs of earplugs for different environments, keeping them straight can be difficult because they all look roughly the same.
The original Loop Switch solved this conundrum. It’s three earplugs in one, each corresponding to a different decibel cut level. Now Loop is back with a new version, the Switch 2, which offers “major improvements in comfort, design, and performance,” at least according to the company.
Like its forebear, the Switch 2 adjusts thanks to an ingenious mechanism built into the loop portion of the earplug. By rotating the loop forward, you reduce the decibel (dB) cut. Dial it backward and you block out more sound by engaging additional internal noise-dampening features, which variously include a membrane, mesh filter, and acoustic channel.
There are three volume options: Quiet mode (a 26-dB cut) is the highest level of noise reduction, while Experience mode (a 23-dB cut) filters noise but is designed to “preserve rich sound.” Engage mode (a 20-dB cut) is intended to temper ambient audio but preserve your ability to understand speech. All of these dB cut levels are improvements over those on the original Switch (25, 21, and 17 dB, respectively).
To see how well all of this worked, I tested the Loop Switch 2 in several circumstances, including in the crowd at the recent Austin City Limits Festival. (Full disclosure: Loop provided me with tickets to the event with the explicit goal of testing its product there.) I found the results to be uniformly excellent.
To start, I tested the Switch 2 alongside a pair of Loop Experience 2 (17-dB cut) earplugs I’ve been using regularly for months. There’s definitely a difference among the various modes, though the impact is most noticeable at lower ambient audio volumes. Indeed, I could make out conversation fairly easily with the earplugs in and set on Engage mode, while the stronger Quiet mode is much more muting in nature, and it left me struggling to hear and having to read lips.
In a loud environment like a concert, I didn’t see as big a difference among the various modes, though when I was closer to the stage, I preferred the higher muting effect. Audio remained immersive and present in all modes, with booming bass lines tempered and the performance generally evened out across the board. Screeching guitar lines were filed down to more approachable levels, and I was much more likely to understand lyrics with the earplugs in than without—a perennial problem for me at live performances. Yeah, I’m at that age.
The Switch 2 is smaller than the original Switch, and the control dial is easy to manipulate by touch, even while the earplugs are in your ear. It’s available with your choice of four finishes, and it comes with Loop’s standard collection of ear tips in four sizes—gray silicone nubbins that are easy to swap out so you can find the best fit.
It comes with an easily pocketable plastic case for safekeeping, but I gravitated to wearing them on the Loop Link cord ($25), a lanyard that attaches to each earbud and uses a magnetic closure to securely clip the two earplugs together when they’re not in use. With the Link attached, it was so much easier to get them in and out of my ears without having to fish around in a pocket for the case every time—and not having to worry about dropping one in the dark. I like the Link so much that I don’t think I’ll ever go back to the old way of carrying them around.
Does the dial-a-decibel approach of Loop Switch 2 change the game for earplugs? No, and had I never been exposed to the concept I probably would have been perfectly happy wearing my old Loops to concerts and other loud events. But now that I’ve been using them regularly, I do find I appreciate the added flexibility, even if the upgrade is relatively minor.