Etymotic ER20XS ETY Earplugs Set - High-Fidelity Hearing Protection - Up to 20 dB Sound Reduction - Reusable - Includes Large Clear Eartips, Foam Eartips, Neck Cord & Case

First off, I am rating these with the foam ear tips that are available. I highly recommend that you buy those too if you buy these earplugs. The flange ear tips are not as effective at reducing noise as the foam ones. I have used these ear plugs for almost 20 years for various occasions. These are really good for use at rock concerts. You can reduce the volume to a fairly safe level and still hear the music without too much dulling of the sound . Truthfully, I think rock concerts sound better with these because you can really hear the music. Best part is no ringing of the ears after. That should be the main reason why you would want to have these. I can imagine many other needs for earplugs like this where you want very good fidelity and to protect your ears. The price of these and the foam ear tips are so worth your money to protect your ears. That investment will last many, many, many years of use. I still have and use the pair I bought almost 20 years ago. The most recent pair I bought and reviewing was for a friend who was using regular foam earplugs at a concert we recently attended. After seeing that, I felt obligated to give them a pair of these (with the foam tips :-) ) so he can protect his ears and hear future concerts better and safely. I fully recommend these ([broken record playing ] with the foam ear tips).

I have mild tinnitus and mild hyperacusis, so I wear these to protect my ears from my new twin babies' piercing screams/cries. I also need to wear these earplugs while driving, as the road noise caused by the rough freeway I drive on aggravates my ear conditions. These earplugs work very well because despite the protection, I can still hear my babies, my wife, other cars, and other environmental sounds that I need to hear for safety and situational awareness. Basically these earplugs attenuate all frequencies evenly, so the quality of the sound I hear is not altered, just quieter. I love listening to music, so wearing these does not affect the quality of the music I hear while it protects me from my babies' unpredictable screams and squeals. Because of my ear issues, I sometimes need to wear these at work during meetings. The transparent material, and the short stubby base of the earplugs also make these plugs relatively discreet, so it is not that noticeable when wearing outside the home. I did have to remove the tab that was intended to assist in pulling the earplugs from the ear because when installed and accidentally hit, it makes a lound sound inside my ear which was very irritating. Even without the tab, I find it easy to remove the earplugs from my ears. Overall, I love this product as it allows me to live a somewhat normal life despite my ear issues. In fact, I love them so much that I bought 3 more pairs (just in the large size as I now know that "large" fits me better) so that I have a spare pair in the office, car, and at home.

I got these as I go to lots of shows and my hearing is suffering for it. I read quite a bit about ear "filters", and decided to give them a shot with these. Overall, I would say they are good but not great. I wore them for the opening act of a show I went to the other day, and they definitely sound a lot better than ear plugs. I could hear more clearly than with plugs, and could do conversation and such without issue. However, when the bands were on I was losing a lot on the low end. For something described as "just turning the volume down", it didn't live up to that hype. It's definitely uneven sound, and you're getting a lot more of the high end through so things sound dry (but not tinny). They also fit snuggly. They go in really deep, so I was a little worried about the string getting yanked in the mosh pit, so I took it off. However, they hold really well in place (rare for my ears), so there was not much risk of them getting jostled out and lost forever underfoot. Overall, I'm going to keep this product and use it during opening acts and in generally loud environments. Ultimately they DO do what I hoped of them, which was cut down on the input. However, for moments I really want to enjoy or partake in, they are coming right out. Thankfully they have a little case that comes with them to make that easy. I'm glad I got these, but I think when it's time to replace them I might shop other brands and see if there is a difference, or if this is just as good as it gets and my hoping for more is unreasonable. We'll find out!

I got the standard fit ER20XS, which fit very well. I wore these ear plugs for a 4-day hard rock music festival. The sound quality was very good. The plugs are fairly nondescript when you have them in. Nothing flashy, just effective. No lying in bed with ringing ears. They stay in and aren't painful. I actually wore the Etymotic plugs all 4 days, which for me is really saying something! I was impressed. I'll definitely be using these for the upcoming summer concerts. Once I learned how to take them in and out of my ears, I found it easy to pop them in when approaching a stage versus having them out while walking around or listening from the back. At one point the little storage box popped open without me knowing and I lost the cord, which I wasn't using anyway. Make sure you snap that container all the way shut. I have tried other foam earplugs at concerts before and found they distort the sound and block too much of the music. I always ended up abandoning them. No such disappointment with the Etymotic ear plugs. I definitely recommend these.

Having done the orange Mack's earplugs thing for concerts before, I really wanted to avoid the generic in-ear foam plugs (or any over-ear headphones) for going to live concerts. Regular plugs muffle EVERYTHING to the point that the music I've paid to hear sounds like the Swedish Chef screaming into a pillow. I settled on these Etymotic plugs based on a single recommendation after having posted a request for recs on Reddit. The stipulations were: 1) They had to be in-ear. The reasoning being over-ear protection is very bulky for anything that actually protects well enough to use. I'm old enough where I don't care what anyone says about how "uncool" I am wearing ear protection. 2) They had to include a non-flange option. My wife cannot use flanged ear plugs due to numerous ear piercings on different spots of her ears. For the same reason, she cannot wear over-ear pro as in #1. I was pretty sure she'd be stuck with regular foam plugs until I found these. I did see a "moldable" plastic ear plug set exists from another manufacturer, but I read extensively that they are very uncomfortable to wear after only an hour or two. 3) They couldn't cost an arm and a leg to buy without knowing how they'd function. Each set of these plugs was $25 at the time of my purchase, so they weren't about to break the bank for a "risk" purchase based on a lone recommendation. Overall: yeah, these are definitely a winner. The flanged tips were comfortable for me. The foam tips were comfortable for my wife. We were both pretty happy with the total volume reduction (no ear pain/ringing at the end of the concert) and exceedingly pleased with the limited distortion to the music/vocals. There definitely is SOME distortion, but, compared to standard foam plugs, these are definitely high-fidelity. We're looking into professional custom-made plugs for both of us, but I'll definitely return for more of these if the custom plugs don't happen and if/when my current set of these wears out.

Functionally they're fine. Not as muffled as foam plugs. They reduce overall noise levels, yet also do preserve enough of the mids / highs to allow for conversations to still be had, and I can certainly see how they'd allow for more of the richness of music through at a concert (hence the "high-fidelity"). As others have said, they do tend to make ears itch after a while, and it can take a few tries to get them to fit right. If any of the ridges don't seat right in the ear canal, they do hurt. Getting them wet, and pulling the ear out & back before insertion does help with getting them to fit right, and once they do they do a good job. But let's be honest ... There's maybe 30 cents of material here. And being my first pair, I got sampler kit with the 3 tip options. The foam ones I got were dried out and very uncomfortable. The neck cord is pretty much worthless. And the new case is terrible. It doesn't stay closed at all. Very disappointing. For the price Etymotic should offer a MUCH better case. Fortunately I had a nice clamshell case from another brand that I could use instead. Ended up staying with the default silicone tips. But I wouldn't buy again. I'd definitely try a different brand.

Fantastic! I bought these to wear at a recent rock concert at a small, loud venue. I knew the crowd was going to be exuberant and I wanted to be in it so I was worried that the regular ER20 with the long stem might pose a problem, so I went with these low-profile versions instead. They worked beautifully. Was the music as sharp and clear as if I hadn't worn earplugs? No. HOWEVER: Were my ears hurting and ringing by the end of the night? No. Could I hear everything well enough to still feel like I was hearing them loud and live, including guitar and soft vocals? Yes. Could I still hear people around me? Yes. Did they stay in my ears comfortably through all three bands' sets during which I was in the pit the whole time getting shoved around, jumping up and down, singing, sweating, and having a blast? Yes. Yes. Yes. I bought the universal fit package because I have a hard time wearing ear buds and so I was unsure of the fit if I only got the standard and I only had a few days before the concert. When they arrived, I put the standard fit in to see how they were and to get used to them before the show. They did seem to go in a little far and I could feel the stems but, given other reviews, I thought maybe it was just something to get used to. After about a half hour of wearing them, they actually hurt more and I took them out, swapped out the standard tips for the large tips, reinserted them and they did not hurt at all. I did not bother to remove the tabs either because they do aid in the removal of the earplugs. With the angle these plugs sit in my ears, I could swivel the tab around so it didn't just stick straight out. Everyone's ears are a little different though so I can't say if this would work for anyone else. (Though I also bought a pair of these in just the standard size for my sister who was also going to the same show and she swiveled the tabs around too to keep them more out of the way.) The low profile earplugs were nice too in that I wasn't worried about an elbow to the ear knocking the plug further in or completely out. I highly recommend these earplugs to anyone attending concerts, especially if you know you're going to want to be part of the main floor/pit crowd.

Read a lot of reviews for many similar items before taking a chance on these. Arrived quickly and as described, no surprises. Not much to these things; figure out what size you need (could have saved myself $5 if I’d known, as I suspected, the large), put the plugs on the stems (a bit of effort but nothing crazy), attach the lanyard (if desired), and you’re Ready to use them. Form: the tech is not high but it is clever. A small piece of plastic with a hole in each end allows some sound to enter from outside the ear pass through the changeable mounted tip. Fit: okay, I’ve got large ear canals so I choose the large silicon inserts. They are a decent fit although to seat them well (and not have the plastic bit used to grab and remove them sticking out). They have to go quite far in the ear canal. This it a bit uncomfortable at first, takes some getting used to, but I felt the slight discomfort was worth the overall result. I’m glad that I got the universal set as I see being able to use the large foam tips as a secondary before reordering the large ones again. Function: I’m surprised I like these as much as I do. They cut the wind slap on my ears and reduce the pain on any length ride...in both my full face helmet and half helmet! I feel I’m riding better because I can hear the engine more clearly and I’m not distracted by the irritating noise in my ears. I can still hear my music well from the fairing speakers! I haven’t had to turn them up and the fidelity seems better. Summary: I think these are worth the price! If I lose them or the become damaged I will buy another pair. Biggest hassle so far with these is the lanyard. I’m certain I would drop these, step on them, lose the, without it but trying to wrangle that thing back in the box after use is super frustrating. I’ve figured out if I wrap the cord around the earplugs and place them in the box with the end of the lanyard down (under the wrapped plugs) and move with the speed of a mongoose, I can get the lid shut without part sticking out roughly 80% of the time. Final thoughts: I’ve ridden a few times the past few days with both helmets WITHOUT the earplugs and regretted it.

bien, le bruit est atténué mais reste présent

Veo reseñas que dicen que estos tapones son un timo. Me temo que muchas de estas personas o han comprado mal la talla o no se los saben poner. Recomiendo seguir las indicaciones del fabricante. Para que los tapones funcionen como es debido hay que empujarlos dentro del canal auditivo, profundamente. Son los mejores que he probado. Los resultados son tan buenos que hacen que no merezca la pena pagar 150 euros por unos tapones a medida (también los he tenido y en la comparación los Etymotic no salen tan mal parados). OJO: no son para dormir con ellos. Yo los uso para conciertos (tocando y como público).

Honestly this are really bad only reduce 5db max and there is hi cut when you use it not flat at all

Went to a live music concert the other day and the only decent place was near the speakers (probably for obvious reasons). Had Etymotic ear plugs in place and had the feeling of being 20 meters away from the speakers. There was no music quality loss and thoroughly enjoyed the concert.... The next day, no buzzing noise in my ears!!!! The people that came with me didn't even notice I had them on... until the end of the concert because I told them. Hopefully they will change their minds also....

Fui al concierto de Fall Out Boy que tiene bastantes fuegos artificiales y para nada ni el sonido más fuerte me incomodó, tengo algo en el oído izquierdo que provoca que con el ruido fuerte escuche como bocina tronando, pero con estos taponcitos solo un momento sentí la sensación, por lo demas estuvo excelente! Los recomiendo mucho para conciertos ya que la reducción de sonido es buena y te deja escuchar bien al artista, el precio está muy bien