I had the same problem with the trickle on a wet suit hood.

I switched to a dry hood - no trickle; however, it is a lot tighter. I usually only wear it when rolling and I don't need to worry about hearing someone.

When wearing a hood it is almost impossible to hear someone unless they're almost on top of you and screaming. It might be good to review some common hand signals to use when vocal communication is compromised. If I'm in cold water paddling with a group, I'll risk the trickle for the possibility of having a little better vocal communication - for safety.

That - and I try not to go swimming.

Never tried earplugs. How much is hearing reduced ?