EtymoticResearch ER20 High-Fidelity Earplugs, Frost with Clear Stem, 1 Pair Standard Fit, Clamshell Packaging

Wore these to one concert so far, and it sounded good, much better than with cheap foam earplugs. Relatively even volume reduction across frequencies. Definitely going to keep using them to protect my ears.

I use these to block the TV noise in an adjacent room. It works well for my purpose.

They fit so well I wasn’t sure how well they did until I tried another pair.Love these!

I have tinnitus, and bought these ETY (noise reduction 12 decibels) to replace the exact same kind from this brand that I lost after 8 years of wearing regularly. They protect my ears from loud music in Spin class, and when I attend sport meets, or loud restaurants where I still want to be able to converse. Unlike the squigy disposable orange buds that work fine but block sound, with these, I can hear conversation and music, but my ears aren't aggravated afterwards. However, if I were operating extremely loud machinery, I would opt for ear protection that blocks sound out completely.

I'm a concert photographer who has been working live shows for about two years now, and after last weekend when I went home with my ears ringing through the following day (permanent hearing damage, ugh), I decided to make the decision to invest in some good earplugs. I hate those cheap standard squishy ones since those feel uncomfortable, clogging up your ear to the point of total discomfort, and reduce your sense of hearing to garbage. Stumbled across these cheap babies and decided to take a shot.The complete package alone is pretty nice. They come in a cool, very compact semi-rigid case that comes on a beaded chain and it also includes a little cord that attaches both plugs so that you can wear these around your neck between songs, taking a break outside a club, etc.I don't have a concert to attend until Saturday, so I figure I would give them a thorough test run: Every day on my 30 minutes drive home from work, I wear these, just to get used to how they feel. They were a little jarring at first (I dislike things in my ears), but you get used to the feeling very quickly and not long after you truly forget they're there. I was paranoid about them falling out, but they're pretty snug and WITHOUT feeling like you have marshmallows in your ears. So, as far as comfort goes, they're a 10/10 stars for me. I also gave them a "head bang" test via some Pantera and Rammstein tunes, and they stayed in the whole time. Didn't slip once.Now comes the fun part: testing the sound quality and clarity. (Keeping in mind that I'm used to loud music.) My little Hyundai's radio starts becoming a little uncomfortably loud at about setting 20 if I'm listening to the radio and at 15 when I'm listening to my mp3 player via the auxiliary port. The max setting is 35, which I also call "beyond ungodly loud." I put in these earplugs and listened to the normal volume settings, and it did NOT sound the least bit muffled. I could still make out every instrumental part, it only sounded like the volume had been turned down a lot. Then I cranked the radio gradually until I maxed out at 35. (I knew it was loud given that everyone in my apartment complex that walked by and gave me a cold stare and a scowl.) The music was STILL clear, a little loud, but clear and not super uncomfortable. The only distortion I heard were from the crashes in a few Motley Crue songs, but I'm confident that it was merely the speakers in my Hyundai crying out for mercy. I listened to some Rush and Queensryche on every volume setting, namely songs I'm not super familiar with, and I could still make out and clearly identify each instrumental part. These babies do exactly as marketed: no sound is muffled, only made quieter. 10/10 stars for clarity of hearing.SO, to sum up:If you're like me and frequent loud concerts on a regular basis, are constantly exposed to loud sounds, and like me love getting right up front and by the house speakers at shows ... these are a must.The greatest asset to a musician or to a music lover is their sense of hearing: PROTECT IT, and as you age you can continue to enjoy your favorite music!

Update: 9/16/2015I only use these as a back up pair now. My new favorite pair of hearing protection is by far the Earasers. I feel like they turn down the volume instead of blocking so many frequencies like these do. These are almost overkill. If you are in the front row or in front of some of the biggest stages in the world, then perhaps these are your choice, but for clubs and being in the middle of the crowd, Earasers hands down.Original review:These are the first ear plugs I've used to lower the volume at a concert. I thought these would lower the volume, which they did, but it's just not the same as not using ear protection.They do as advertised, which is block harmful bass hits or just loud volume. I had no problem hearing my friends or any one speaking, but when I talked to them, they couldn't hear me because I couldn't tell how loud I was speaking. Odd, but who cares.I knew I had small ear canals because I always use the smallest earbud whenever I use earphones and even though I'm a large grown adult, I need the smaller ear plugs (blue). I thought they fit well and were comfortable.The one outdoor concert I went to, I had them in 90% of the time and I experienced no hearing loss or discomfort after the show. My friends said their ears were ringing for quite some time into the next day.So they do the job they are meant to do. But I consider myself and audiophile and I can pick out a lot of frequencies, not to brag or anything, but I've even done tests where you can compare which frequencies are +1 decibel in the frequency range or -1 decibel. I also have a pretty high end home theater system and love listening to music all day, so I definitely have a good ear for sound quality. With that in mind, these lower sound quality and block some of the frequencies depending how the venue is set up and what frequencies they want you to hear. They do a good job blocking the extreme highs and lows.Overall they did their job of protecting my ears, but I thought I would get a little more quality sound out of them. Also, once in the ear, you can only see the straight clear part.I'd like to try a couple of different hearing protection devices to compare, so this makes it kind of tough to rate.I'd like to give them a 6.5/10 or 3.5/5...