I have a very good understanding of my struggles. Sounds waves and noise are the same. The problem is multi-faceted. Very few auditoriums are acoustically correct. Speaker placement, wall construction and placement and other things all combine to cause a chaotic sound. My brain hears all of the echos. I have found the best spots to minimize the echos but still would be exhausted for the rest of the day.

btw, I have a friend who has been designing sound systems for churches for 30 years. He has helped me understand what those sound waves are doing. He has a difficult time designing good sound systems in buildings that are focused on maximum occupancy and visibility and not sound/acoustics. There are too many large flat walls reflecting the sound. Worse yet are to concrete walls that act like giant reflecting speakers. Even when he does his job well, the sound board people will mess it up with total disregard to his expertise and recommended settings.

Add to that the obscenely repetitive lyrics commonly used in CCM and my brain gets fried as those repetitions continue.

I use the foam ear plugs because they reduce the volume by the same decibel level as headphones, about 28 to 30 dB. With the foam plugs, I can still hear conversations because they mostly reduce the peak levels. Headphones reduce the whole spectrum. Plus, head phones create an echo within the headphone cups sort of like holding a sea shell up to your ear that competes with the sound. When I fly, I use both.

Your husband is so fortunate.