Did you try asking for earplugs? They don't give one to everyone, but they do provide them on request, even in Y.
That being said, I will admit J on SQ, while being very good, is not unequivocally better than everyone else's J product. There are many things that make SQ better, but in some instances it comes down to a matter of preference. Hence, I don't think it's unreasonable to prefer other carriers to SQ in J.
I fly SQ all the time anyway, because their Y product, hard and soft, is just much better than everyone's else's. Then when I get to fly in J I do it with SQ to retain my status for the times I'm flying in Y.