First, I was taken into a quiet room. Dr. Maryrose McInerney, the director of the hospital's audiology department, examined my ears to ensure there were no blockages. She then inserted tiny foam plug-like devices into my ear canals. I was given a buzzer to press once I heard sounds through the plugs.

McInerney then went into a room, visible through observation glass, and played tones at various frequencies. Most sounded like electronic buzzing.

After several minutes of my responding to the tones, the earplugs were removed and I was handed headphones. My ability to pick up high frequencies would be tested. This time, higher-pitched, soft tones buzzed in my ear through the phones.

The final test focused on my ability to understand speech. Through a microphone in the facing room, McInerney asked me to repeat words such as "toothbrush" and "hot dog." She covered her mouth with a piece of paper to prevent me from reading her lips.

I passed the hearing test easily, largely because of my age. Most healthy 24-year-olds don't have significant hearing loss.

After the test, I was fitted for musicians earplugs that would filter out 15 to 20 decibel levels. Unlike foam earplugs, which can cut sound by as much as 40 decibels but muffle sound quality, the musicians earplugs filter out sound across all frequencies - eliminating much of the distortion.

Alex Pareja, guitarist for New Jersey hard rock band The Number 12 Looks Like You, uses such earplugs every time he plays music or listens to a concert.

"I keep earplugs in the whole show," he said, adding that before using earplugs, "every time after a show, I'd go home and my ears would ring. ... I was scared that by the time I turned 40 I would be deaf."

To make the custom-fit plugs, small circles of black foam were first attached to strings and inserted midway into my ear canal. Then a purple molding goo - similar to the consistency of dough, but less sticky - was packed into my ear. It hardened within four minutes and was easily removed.

The perfect purple mold of my ear canal can be sent to a high-fidelity audio manufacturer, such as Illinois-based Etymotic Research, which makes custom earplugs. The cost ranges from $150 to $175, said Gail Gudmundsen, an audiologist and director of sales and market research with Etymotic.

The company also makes standard plugs for $10 to $12, available through etymotic.com. These earplugs, which fit most ear canals, reduce sound by about 20 decibels across the board without distortion.

"The high-fidelity [plugs], they just reduce everything," Gudmundsen said. "It is like turning down the volume. They used to be very expensive ... but now they are very affordable. I wish they had them in all the music venues."

By Catherine Holahan