Etymotic Research ER20 ETYPlug Hearing Protection Earplugs, Standard Clear Stem with Blue Tip (Clear)

Full Overview

Hearing loss from exposure to loud sound affects millions of people. Noise-induced hearing loss is preventable. And it's easy to prevent. ETY-Plugs were developed to provide low cost, one-size-fits-most high fidelity earplugs that can be used in a variety of noisy environments. The goal of the ETY-Plugs design was the same as Etymotic's famous Musicans Earplugs: to reduce noise but preserve sound quality; in effect, to turn down the noise but not muffle voices, environmental sounds, or music. These high-fidelity earplugs are effective or anyone who needs to hear accurately in noise: attendees at concerts, clubs, other loud performance venues; aircraft personnel; construction workers; industrial workers; medical/dental workers; workers in environments with loud music such as concert halls, nightclubs or bars; emergency vehicle personnel; athletes; participants in motor sports; truck drivers. Each purchase includes high fidelity earplugs, black cord, carrying case, and instructions. Easy to carry in your purse, backpack or pocket. Available in standard size or large size.

Technical Details

- Low cost, ready-fit hearing protection with cord and case
- Replicates the ear's natural response
- Sound quality is preserved
- Speech is clear, not muffled
- Noise Reduction Rating - 12 dB.

The ER20 plugs do work well. I'm a fulltime musician and love them. BUT, the last pair I got turned out to be the "Baby Blues" which are made "for small ear canals". The descriptions here are very weak and it's easy to make that mistake. The actual sound filter is inside the stem, but the silicone plug (the blue part on these plugs) is smaller than normal, too small for my adult male ears. I'm not sure the seller understands this. Be careful.

Bought these for a photo shoot at a concert. Was right up front near the monitors and was able to shoot without any discomfort and left them in for the entire 2 hours. Was able to hear everything and the frequency response was perfect. It was just like turning the volume down on the stereo - just made the sound lower without muffling it like regular foam plugs do. Was also able to carry on a conversation with them in as well. And the best part - no ear ringing for days after the concert either.

We use these at school for my son. He's in first grade and has sensory processing disorder, which makes it very difficult for him to tune out noises and focus in the classroom. These earplugs diffuse just enough noise to allow him to attend to his work and to the teacher. He also uses them during assemblies and in the cafeteria where it's very noisy. They're much more discrete than the headphones often used to help children in classroom settings.

I only went to 32 concerts last year but I could tell it was affecting my hearing so I thought I'd try these. They're great--I think essentially the higher the frequency, the more that gets cut.

Pros:
* Even if the music is turned up too loud and distorted, it sounds fine with these.
* No more ringing ears.

Cons:
* You can't hear what's going on right around you.
* You still have something in your ear.

This was the first brand of earplugs designed with the music listener in mind that I heard of, but instead of ordering online, I bought a different brand that was available at the local music store. This was a mistake - they cost about the same, but they were absurdly large and simply did not fit in my ears at all, so I wound up buying these as well.
These fit perfectly in my ears and would fit just about anyone's ears, I expect, and do a fabulous job of filtering noise. I wear them while practicing the violin, and they reduce the sound of the instrument (long-term exposure to the violin can damage a violinist's hearing) and also the surface noise of the bow rubbing against the violin. While someone standing a few feet away listening to a violinist won't hear that noise, the hissing or scratching is very audible to the one playing the instrument, and wearing these earplugs allows me to listen to my sound with the ears of someone standing a few feet away. As a performer, this is very helpful as it gives me a much better idea of how I sound to others. I would highly recommend purchasing these if you are a musician or if you like to go see live bands, which can often be overwhelmingly loud.

I forced myself to buy these plugs after I went to a Slayer/Megadeth/Anthrax concert and had rining in my ears for the next 4 days. I am not as young as I used to be and I was really close to the stage in front of some large speakers. I saw someone wearing plugs like these and kicked myself for not investing in them sooner.

I bought the plugs specifically for an Iron Maiden concert I went to on Saturday 04/16/11 in Fort Lauderdale at the BankAtlantic Center (closed theatre - no sky) and I have to say they stood up to the test. They work exactly as described, they lower the volume that is all. In fact you can hear some things a little more clearly, but I think it depends on the event. I found Bruce Dickenson's vocals to be a little clearer.

My girlfriend and I were both wearing them and it didn't change the experience at all, it was just as enjoyable with the plugs in having the added benefit of keeping my hearing and not having any ringing in the ears afterwards.

I only have one complaint, but honestly I think this is just a physical constraint of the device itself, it was a little uncomfortable to wear until I found the sweet spot, then it felt just right. It is soft silicone (as opposed to flexible rubber) which is a big plus. This is not a big deal, just stating it.

What I did in order to make it fit just right was just rotate it slowly while in the ear and move it around until it just doesn't feel weird. Either that or just remove it completely and insert at a different angle. If it is not in just right it will distort the sound, make sure there is an air-tight seal from the ear canal to the plug, if there isn't you will know.

I recommend these plugs.

Oh man I love these earplugs. After one too many nights in bars and clubs with SUPER loud music, I was fed up with feeling my poor little hair cells withering away and dying. And ever since I got these earplugs, I've been pitching them to all my friends too. I just used them last night at a bar and was so glad. The music was normal loud at the beginning of the night, so I decided to be safe and put them in. But then the DJ got volume dial happy and the music became SUPER LOUD. I could tell because I was wearing earplugs and the music started sounding slightly normal loud to me. That was mildly horrifying and I felt really bad for the people around me. When we left, I took them out and my ears weren't ringing at all. I know I'll be able to enjoy good music for many, many more years, so I encourage everyone to get a pair for your own ear health. I don't really write reviews, but my experience last night made me want to share the awesomeness of these earplugs and give a big thank you to Etymotic.

Pros
* They fit really well (I got the blue ones to fit my smaller ear canals)
* Clear stems make them inconspicuous to wear
* I can hear both conversations and music clearly (it really does lower the volume uniformly...I'm actually considering getting an extra pair or giving them to my friends as gifts so I won't be the only one able to understand conversations when we're out)
* Easy to carry around all the time for impromptu usage
* Washable and reusable
* This is the big one: if the music is terrible, you won't feel the tragic pain of knowing you're losing your hearing to something you don't even like, depriving you of enjoying incredible music later

Cons
* My own voice sounds muffled to me (if you plug your ears right now with your fingers and start speaking, that's what it sounds like), which makes it a little harder to tell if I'm speaking loud enough for people to hear me
* Lowers the volume a little too much for music that's not super loud (but you'll appreciate it once they crank up the volume)

I'm a working adult who struggles with ADD. I've been experimenting with ear plugs at work, at home studying and at the library to block out subtle envinronmental noise and I don't think it's too much of an exaggeration to say that my quality of life has *dramatically* improved since making this small change.

THESE guys though... They're reusable, washable and the.. little.. outside stem part is totally clear, which means they're not immediately noticeable by too many coworkers.. (I added a picture of my ear. :)) AND they only block out 12 decibels, which means I can work with them all day, take phone calls, (sometimes I have to turn the phone volume up, but not always) and have regular conversations.. and they're pretty comfortable..

Flat response at reduced dBs. Comfortable to wear over hours of use. Nice carrying case. Discreet appearance when worn properly.

I've played in bands since high school. These are great, much better than standard industrial earplugs, even better than some other name brand musician earplugs. They stay clean, nice little case, decent price. They protect my ears with just a bit of sound change.