Abstract: An apparatus for preventing hearing loss having a body made of a soft compliant material having first and second ends and a channel extending therethrough, an acoustically limp material adjacent one of the ends of the body with the acoustically limp material having a hole therein aligned with the channel extending through the body, and a component film, disc or other structure covering or sealing the opening in the acoustically limp material. The film or disc may be formed of a high-strength polymer material and may be less than 10 micrometers in thickness. Rather than having a single channel extending through the body, a plurality of channels may extend therethrough and a plurality of corresponding holes may be provided in the acoustically limp material. The film, disc or other structure covers or seals the plurality of holes in the acoustically limp material.