Research ER20 High-Fidelity Earplugs (Concerts, Musicians, Airplanes, Motorcycles, Sensitivity and Universal Hearing Protection) - Large, Clear Stem w/ White Tip

These little friends here do what they are supposed to do. They filter noisy levels of sound, and the quality of sound isn't reduced. You can hear what other people say in loud environments. I find these plugs usable in clubs, venues, concerts, or noisy places that can cause ear damage from the high levels of sound that can reach you. Just beware about colors and sizes. I dont know this well, and i would like it to be specified in the product information, but i think that colors are related to the size of the plugs. I bought these white pair of plugs and i think that they are large size, still they fit me well. To put them well just make sure to follow the instructions that come with them, believe me that they will make easier to put them, and they will fit better and filter better. They dont slip nor fall off your ears, so you can be sure that you can talk, walk, run, jump, dance, bla bla bla. You sure will hear your voice funny, just like when you put your fingers inside your ears. Now, for Djs i found these to be great. as it will help you take care of you ears. With huge headphones and with moderate care, you can put your headphones, while wearing the plugs. That I found great because they will protect your ears really well, and you can still hear the music with great quality. Even if these cant be used with your headphones, try then the surefire, because they don't have the little stick outside your ear, and can be used with headphones. I compared them with another plugs, and so far these can filter great the noise and still get nice quality of music and voice from other people. Will buy another pair in a different color :D

These things are great. As a bassist, I'm always stuck right next to the drums at my gig and these earplugs have definitely saved my hearing. I'm only twenty years old and because I've consistently worn earplugs at loud gigs, my hearing is already much better than other musicians my age. I hate whenever I accidentally leave them behind because I know that the ringing I get in my ears coming home from a night of being blasted by the drummer's cymbals has effectively damaged my hearing. That's one less frequency I can hear...which is why I bought another pair to keep in ALL my gig bags so I never forget them! As for how they sound while wearing, they definitely sound a lot better than disposable foam earplugs. The frequencies aren't quite reduced equally, but music is still musical, I can still hear the rest of the band while playing, and can especially hear the band leader call the next tune, which would be a lot harder with disposable foam earplugs. ONE THING TO NOTE: For most people, the standard fit is what will fit best. Unless you know you have an abnormally large ear canal, don't order the large fit. I accidentally ordered the large size, and they are too big for my ears, making them very uncomfortable to wear. My standard size plugs on the other hand fit my ears perfectly.

To start, these are very comfortable earplugs and fit very comfortably. I originally purchased the smaller earplugs, but they were not quite big enough. That being said, I don't think I have particularly large ear canals, so I definitely suggest going with the larger size even if you're just above average in size. The actual sound quality with these earplugs was very good; as many other reviewers remarked, the effect is almost exactly like turning down the volume knob. However, since everything is quieter and so uniformly across the audible spectrum, the signal to noise ratio does not change, so high pitch noises . Naturally, this makes it harder to believe that the decibel reduction was as much as the packaging claimed, so I had to test it myself. Using some very non-laboratory conditions (a quiet location, a stereo, and an smartphone decibel meter app), I determined that my threshold of hearing came out to about 12-15 dB louder with the earplugs on, even though I made sure to insert them very deeply as instructed. Not bad considering the sound quality, but definitely nowhere close to the 20 dB that the package claimed. Still, this is enough of a reduction to make most loud situations tolerable (a 103 dB concert reduced to 91 dB would be "safe" for about 2 hours before hearing damage occurs). Of course, at a really serious rock concert with the sound jacked up to 120+ dB, these earplugs won't cut it.

I am a professional musician (percussion/drums) who regularly plays a wide range of gigs from Symphony orchestras to music theatre, and from jazz to rock shows. I ordered the larger size earplugs and they fit quite well, needing only a little adjustment (angle) to get a snug fit. (As a reference for others trying to pick the correct size of ear plug, I have a slightly larger ear canal and I tend to use the larger molds for in-ear monitors and sound cancelling ear plugs.) I usually hate performing while wearing earplugs. Most of the cheap/disposable earplugs block out too much sound for a musician; in a performance/rehearsal situation this makes it very difficult to play your best. Overplaying becomes an issue and it is easy to feel detached from the other musicians. This is not the case with "Etymotic Research ER20 ETYPlug" ear plugs. These earplugs block out enough of the damaging frequencies to protect my hearing but not so much that I can't hear the other musicians/vocalists clearly. I also use them while teaching my college applied music lessons and I can hear my voice and the student clearly. Of course, no earplug will ever sound as good as your natural ears but these are pretty darn good! If I'm attending an extremely loud concert I will most likely still use earplugs that block out more dB. However, in playing situations, where I need to clearly hear what's going on around me, these are the plugs I will use. These earplugs will save your hearing while allowing you to still perform at your best with minimal distraction due to your hearing being muffled. These are the next best thing to custom molded earplugs. Spend a little extra cash on these plugs instead of the disposable ones. You'll notice a huge difference and your ears will be thankful!

I've used "regular" ear plugs before, the sort that you can get in a pharmacy, but I found them extremely uncomfortable and gave me a muffled sound. I'm a musician reharsing 2-3 times a week, playing guitar in a pop band, so I definitely need protection. Well, this is the cure. The first 2 or 3 insertions feel rather awkward, but then it will become second nature. As soon as they go in, you literally forget about them, even is using them 3-4 hours straight. The sound infinitely better than it is with any regular plug, it is about 70% as good as having nothing on. High end and speech are slightly muffled, only a bit, but vocals on stage will sound clear. Oh, but all of this without any of the pain associated with: 1-Not using anything at all (ringing ears) or 2-Using crappy ear plugs. I strongly recommend them for both musicians and sound engineers; using them in a very loud environment, it actually becomes easier to discern the individual sounds of the instruments and voices. It includes a cord - Thanks to Etymotic for that, and a little case. The case is a bit hard to open, but I'm thankful for it nonetheless. You'll have to wash them rather often, which is easy - you only need water. They are very discrete, unlike the hideous yellow/orange "look-at-me" plugs from pharmacies. So, if you want to conserve your good hearing even after hitting 70 years of age, then get these: They're awesome and it'll only cost you a few dollars.

After using these at a concert, and comparing them over and back and whatnot, I can say two things. Its quieter, but is not uniform. The higher notes lose sharpness, cymbals noticeably are slightly muffled, and higher string are less sharp. Bass and deeper end is good, and seems well, but for rock you will be disapointed. Notes with large impact are amplified though, and you will feel these notes more. Comfort wise, depending on how you insert them, they either are comfy, or awful for me. The thick plastic tube meets halfway with the third flange of silicon, so trying to insert to the third flange is very uncomfortable, and has a large feeling of hard pressure. Personally id reccomend proffessional over wasting your money on these. Also I got blue stems, not clear, minor annoyance.

so i've become really whinny about my hearing in the last few years, and as much as i feel like no smoking in a public building is a great thing to impose on people i feel like music that permanently damages your hearing should possibly be outlawed as well. now that's kind of extreme. i love loud music, but lately i feel like clubs are just pushing the limits on how loud it should really be. when it literally hurts my ears and my friends are actually yelling 1 inch away from my ears and i can still barely hear them.. i think they could turn it down just a little? but! there is hope.. i started wearing earplugs at loud places several years ago, but hate that it muffles the sound so much.. sure you can still hear it well enough and it sounds ok .. still i have craved more expensive earplugs that would filter out harmful stuff and just turn the noise down! and these really do that pretty well! when i first tried them i wasn't sure if i had them in right because i could still hear the music clearly. but then taking them out you can tell.. and i love it! i've never tried really expensive earplugs so i'm sure there's something better out there... but these are awesome for the $$ ! USE THEM!! you will never look back at those annoying orange plugs again!!! peace out ugly muffle plugs! i love the little case they come with too! SAVE YOUR HEARING!!! YOU WILL BE GLAD LATER!! USE EARPLUGS!! it's the cool thing to do! i feel smarter than everyone not wearing them because i care about the future of my ears and hope to hear good loud music for many more years! think about it!

Introduction: When I first entered college, I discovered that the dorm is often a loud place. There are students talking in the hallways, doors shutting everywhere, and often bass from a distant party. For the first few weeks, I wasn't getting very much studying done and sleep since I was used to quietness. I decided to order these ear plugs. Included with the package: The plugs came with a small carrying case and a string with little plugs on each end for securing the plugs around the neck. What the earplugs do and when they are useful (in my experience): These plugs work great. They block out most of the noise but still allow you to hear what is going on since they seem to just lower the sound level. By that I mean that distinct words from the conversation outside became lowered so it felt like I was in a relatively quiet coffee shop and conversations were not distracting me as I was sleeping or studying. Music and other sounds became lowered so I could barely hear them. If I could hear them, the sounds had to be pretty loud (which they are sometimes in college.) That being said, I could still hear sounds from any alarms or anyone calling for me. The bottom line is that these ear plugs work great if you want to hear what is going on, but at the same time just want to hear less of it. These plugs are best for studying or when you need to perform a task but still be aware. They work decently for sleeping. The biggest drawback is that the transparent cylinder part sticks out of the ear so you can't sleep on your side. You can also still hear what is going on so if you need perfect quietness, these plugs are not be enough. These plugs work well with any activity near loud objects (machinery, instruments, etc.) If someone calls for you, you can clearly hear them through all the noise! These plugs do not work for things as loud as firearms so do not attempt to use these as my ears were ringing after firing a 9mm. (The best way to see if these plugs work for what you're doing is to get a pair and try them out.) Maintenance and how to use them: The life of these ear plugs is exactly one year. The flanges started to tear on mine after one year of use. To clean them, you just have to use warm water and soap and then leave it out to dry. To insert them, you have to pull back the earlobe toward the back of the head and then insert the plug until the last flange seals the ear canal. Overall, the use is pretty simple. Conclusion: If you just want to lower the volume in your life for a while, just get these. Make sure you find the right size for your ear! I'm a male college student that's toward the big side and the white, large ones fit well. If you want perfect quietness or protection from extremely loud environments, get something more effective.

These are perfect for gigging and not losing my hearing in the process ! Keeps the jam spirit up also as the instruments can still be heard well enough.

very good but I lost them the day I tried them out but really good would buy again for my next show

This is probably the 5th or 6th pair I've bought. As a referee in a very noisy indoor sport - roller derby - hearing protection is vital. These are tons better than loops (which I also like but they're just not good enough for sport). They come with a strong cord too which means I can pop them out with no worry of losing them.

This type of earplug was initially recommended to me many years ago by a musician. I have used them for 8-10 years hunting with my dogs... for protection against shotgun blasts, and more importantly protection against my shrill dog whistle. Has worked well on both counts. The plugs are sold in STANDARD SIZE and LARGE SIZE. I bought some of each.... and found the standard size just fall out of my ears. I'm only 5' 8"... not a big man. Had a friend of mine try these...same thing... standard size just wouldn't stay in his ear. So... this is a good product... but sizing is important.

Adepte de concert hip hop, c’est parfait pour se protéger les oreilles. J’avais peur de moins bien profiter du son, mais non ca filtre parfaitement et on peut mm tjr discuter si besoin. Les oreilles disent merci le lendemain matin !