The best earplugs are the pair you'll use, whether it's for sleeping, for catching live music, or both. Hearing damage from noise or age can't be undone, so it's important to take good care of your ears.

Earplugs aren't one-size-fits-all, though. If you're trying to muffle street noise or a snoring partner, you'll want something more occlusive than you would if you're trying to filter out intense highs and lows at a concert while still maintaining fidelity. We've tested earplugs for both scenarios ( in both scenarios) and have plenty of recommendations below.

Our current top picks, the Loop Quiet 2 and Earpeace Pro , are both excellent passive pairs of earplugs with slightly different purposes.…