I’m getting ear plugs. My exhaust is too loud.

Check if it's legal in your state. It isn't in many states.

I just checked. Over the ear and ear plugs are not permitted however hearing aids are. In many ways these are more like non electronic hearing aids since they do the same as attenuation but it’s a stretch that it’s gray enough to fight in court.  If I get ticketed I will reap the consequences since they are advertised  to lower the attenuation  by a little and have plenty for situation awareness.  
I should get in trouble for my loud exhaust but fortunately it’s tolerated in my state along with speeding.  Maryland is generally lax with enthusiasts and citations compared to neighboring sates like VA. 

Realistically you won't have problems with the law but it's a possibility and something to keep in mind. I'm the first to point out safety issues but I don't think this is necessarily an issue here. 

I looked deeper into the exceptions. Looks like I’m good. That’s a relief of one less thing to worry about if I get pulled over. What is prohibited is if it’s connected to an audio device like a music player.

Exception:
A person wearing personal hearing protectors in the form of custom earplugs or molds that are designed to reduce injurious noise levels. However, custom plugs or molds shall be designed in such a manner as to not inhibit the wearer's ability to hear a siren or horn from an emergency vehicle or a horn from another vehicle

I have a set of ear plugs just like these which I bought to fight exhaust drone. They helped me a lot. I've since found them incredibly helpful in other environments as well. 

I use them in stagecraft. I have a hard time "filtering" sounds in loud environments. This doesn't make for a good stagehand during a show. With these in I can hear people speaking to me directly much more clearly in loud environments. They will also likely prolong the life of by hearing, since I have a loud car and am around loud live events frequently. Recommended for concert use as well. Sound is still clear, just not as loud. At shows that are too loud anyway (which is many) sound quality could likely be improved by wearing these.

Same for industrial environments or any other loud places.

I also use these when I shoot now. The ones I have really knock down sharp percussions. Shots just sound like "bang" instead of "BOOM". I don't even have to take them out to have casual conversation with others while shots are not being fired. 

I have an expensive electronic headset made in Sweden. Since I don’t shoot anymore I use them  religiously for yard work. They amplify certain sounds like the blades of my riding mower so I know what’s going on.  
Good to hear they help with exhaust drone. The company that makes the ones I’m going to try makes the best IEMs.   I lusted after them in the 90s  because it had a flat frequency response and it  is what some recording engineers use to mix albums.  They were just too expensive at the time and now I finally own them. 

I got the plugs. Nice quality but its not exactly what I expected. I had to do a bit of tip rolling and found the perfect tips from my Etymotic IEM box as they came with a verity of sizes and types. 

These do reduce the sound quiet a bit but at this same time you can hear everything around you and speech is clear not muffled.

The problem I have is everything bone conduction is amplified like foot steps, coughing and at times I can hear my heart beat.  The other problem I have is the tinnitus is now amplified.  I suppose it will go away in time and I will get use to it. I haven't driven with them yet but hopefully I will have a chance next week after the rain clears. 

if the tinnitus stops you are most likely dead,

just hope it doesn't worsen with time. some people it does.

mine is not so bad only hear it in total silence. 

actually I hear it all the time, I just try and ignore it

@cspidy

 Its mainly on my left ear.  I suppose it might be a getting older age thing as at one time I could tolerate loud noises. I would hate to wear hearing aids later in life. 

 Mine is also in total silence and when I use the ear plugs its amplified.  For waking around these earplugs are not that great but I did have a chance to drive with them in my other car and they seem to work without being distracting.  I can also break the seal a little and adjust the effect.  

This may not be your case, but in my Kswap a lot of what I thought was exhaust boom was very much reduced by changing my pass-side Urethane motor mount back to the OEM mount.

Posted by: @dblotii

This may not be your case, but in my Kswap a lot of what I thought was exhaust boom was very much reduced by changing my pass-side Urethane motor mount back to the OEM mount.

 I was actually thinking the same thing the other day. I think that is going to be my next move. The resonance is probably causing the low frequency hum.  When I free rev the engine the exhaust note sounds distant. 

I have decreased cabin resonance in my car by removing the Kirk inserts from the front torque mount.

I have also decreased resonance further by getting rid of the Cobb, or any cone style intake. I am using a small airbox I pulled out of a junkyard Corolla. Much less noise, and lower IATs, even before I built a ram air into it. It is difficult to fit thou, and does not look pretty at all. 

Posted by: @marsrock7

I have decreased cabin resonance in my car by removing the Kirk inserts from the front torque mount.

I have also decreased resonance further by getting rid of the Cobb, or any cone style intake. I am using a small airbox I pulled out of a junkyard Corolla. Much less noise, and lower IATs, even before I built a ram air into it. It is difficult to fit thou, and does not look pretty at all. 

Im way too gone for with all of that.  My Cobb intake is loud but so was the intake before it and I didn't mind it so much as its what I was happy to tolerate. I have been living with urethane mounts for a very long time and although it shakes a little at take off, Im fine with it but I did notice a major change when I added the urethane side mounts. I have a strong feeling that when I had the exhaust leak that harmonic from the exhaust wasn't being amplified and now its hitting the right frequencies to be unbearable. Its like one of those frequency Tesla experiments. I do believe its undesirable amplified resonance though the cabin. 

 I just ordered a new OEM passenger mount. $140 but at least its new and its fluid filled. 

Posted by: @marsrock7

I have decreased cabin resonance in my car by removing the Kirk inserts from the front torque mount.

I did the same on my 2GR swap.   The poly front mount would cause the dashboard to rattle at idle.  Back to stock rubber and it’s gone.