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

Don't be foolish kids, wear protection especially when young and exposed to loud noises.

High fidelity Earplugs will allow you to hear at reasonable volumes and preserve sound quality

Etymotic sells a few varieties: http://www.etymotic.com/hp/

http://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-ETY-Plugs-Protection-Earplugs/dp/B0015WNZ9K

Yep. Get yourself a pair of these https://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-High-Fidelity-Earplugs-White/dp/B0015WNZ9K and you’ll be protected without the loss of fidelity the foam ear plugs cause.

Protect your ears kids! You want to be enjoying these shows for life!

Did the same thing about 6-7 years ago. Playing a gig, wearing earplug protectors (like these), gig ended, pulled earplugs out, and one had a goopy glob of brown wax (lighter than this) about the size of a pea stuck to it. Slimy, yet satisfying. :)

I really like the Etymotic ear plugs.
These are what I used before our band went with IEMs.
Etymotic

I wear these at every event I go to. I keep them on my keychain.. They have smaller versions too that don't block out as much sound, but do something (and are small enough to have headphones on with). I'll see if I can find them.

Edit: The smaller ones looked like these. They worked OK...

I'm 30 and I just started picking up drumming again after playing nearly every day from like 6 years old to 18. I bought these and I can't believe I've been going this long without ear protection. It's so much better knowing that I'm not completely destroying my ears.

I love my ETY ER20 Plugs. Inexpensive, comfortable and sound great. Just used them throughout Moogfest. Links below for folks not familiar.

The bigger question is, how do you avoid forgetting them?!

https://www.etymotic.com/hp/er20.html

http://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-ETY-Plugs-Protection-Earplugs/dp/B0015WNZ9K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1398874091&sr=8-2&keywords=Etymonic+Ear+Plug

I bought the "Etymotic Research ER20 High-Fidelity Earplugs" for live shows. They work well. http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0015WNZ9K
There is a new version that does not stick out as much.
http://www.amazon.ca/Etymotic-Plugs-Fidelity-Earplugs-Standard/dp/B00RM6Q9XW/ref=pd_bxgy_121_img_2
I have not tried it.

If you don't want to go straight from $0.25 earplugs to $160, Etymotic makes some non-fitted earplugs that you can pick up on Amazon for around $15 that make foam earplugs seem like just cramming dog shit in your ears. I use them instead of the higher quality ones because I hate owning things worth over $100 that are small enough to fit in the crack of the elevator.

I use the ER20s (Amazon link)

The foam ones they give out restrain too much sound. I was in the second row and I couldn't hear much. I had to take them half way out and adjust them every 5 minutes to reach a comfortable level of loudness. I'd recommend getting silicone ones made for musicians with reduction less than 20 dB

Etymotic's are pretty well-received by musicians and audiophiles.

If you don't wanna order online just go to a local music store and ask an employee for musicians earplugs. Most are good. I've used Fender ones that are pretty good. They're all pretty cheap so you can test out a bunch if you have the cash.

Don't buy the orange construction ones that you find at a drug/convenience store. Those aren't for music.

I second this. I use these and they've been great.

I stand by Etymotic Research ER20 High-Fidelity Earplugs . I wore them to a My Bloody Valentine concert, front row center inside an auditorium. Now if you know the reputation of My Bloody Valentine, they play really fucking loud, when I took my ear plugs off to hear my favorite song it sounded like organized sounds of raw electricity, it was amazing. The mid-higher frequency are still there but they just sound lower. If they can stand MBV without dampening the higher ends, than it will surely do the same for Godspeed.

Interesting to see that these are made by Etymotic, the same company that makes the ER20 earplugs - used by a lot of musicians because they don't muffle the sound... just make it quieter. Really worth it if you go to a lot of concerts.

I use these. The only other ones I've used are the shitty orange foam plugs you can get at CVS or other pharmacy stores, and they're pretty bad.

>How long have you had it?

I'm 22, had it my entire life (of what I can remember)

>What have you found to be helpful?

Sleeping for me requires the TV to be on, even if it is really quiet, otherwise it takes me hours to go to sleep.

These have been quite helpful for me, because I work in a warehouse and it gets rather loud, without them, I would be unable to work there due to Tinnitus. Amazon also has a less dampening version (from -20db to -10db) here

>Treatments?

Every morning I take vitamins that help me out quite a bit, I'm no expert in the field, but I have had success with it, you might not though. Also it took a few weeks for me to really notice any difference.

50mg Zink

1000mcg B-12

500mg Magnesium

>Success stories?

Sorry, none here.

>Are you hopeful?

Not particularly, I also deal with depression so hope is something I tend to lack most often.

>Does it even bother you anymore?

absolutely, I cannot go to concerts, often leave parties because they are too loud, it is a terrible inconvenience that only fuels my depression even more.

--------------------------

Any other questions?

My recommendation for a cheap solution.

Another audiophile here with plenty of experience in this topic. Bose sucks, i've never heard a pair of active noise canceling headphones I was impressed by, and closed are the better audiophile option. Most of the general bases here have been pretty well covered, if you want my outright advice, i'd go etymotic research ER-4 S, but you have to want in-ear phones for that. If you want to assess comfort, they sell a pair of musician's earplugs called the er-20's, that in addition to being the perfect thing to bring to concerts (They block out some sound, but not enough to muffle the bass), they feel identical in-ear so you can assess their comfort level for day to day use. You can find a pair here:

http://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-High-Fidelity-Earplugs-White/dp/B0015WNZ9K

One more idea though, have you looked into www.head-fi.org and their headphone meets? If you geographically live near one, it gives you a chance to try out some very expensive headphones you wouldn't be able to play with otherwise before making a decision.

I have these and they're exceptionally good. Got them initially because of loud environments but they're so good, comfy and practical that sleeping with them on is pleasant. Comes with a range of fittings too. Not as comfy as spongy sound dampeners but fantastic at noise reduction. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Etymotic-Research-High-Fidelity-Earplugs-White-Tip-Clear-Stem/dp/B0015WNZ9K

Ear plugs with a valve. Something like this will allow you to still hear the quiet parts, but the valve kicks in and blocks when it hits a certain DB. I dont have experience with this set in particular, I generally rock Surefire Sonic Defender EP3's if i'm at a concert (cause I already use them for shooting sports), but I'd imagine ones made specifically for concerts would be your best bet. They'd be much better than foam plugs you'd have to remove/reinsert as the volume changed throughout the film

For music, Shure earbuds with foam inserts. Acts as earplugs, music volume can be low but still enjoyable. Only problem is getting them to stay in when putting on a full face helmet.

For protection alone, Etymotic Earplugs. They lower volume rather than cut out all noise, so they're useful for hearing sirens. These guys live in the coin pocket of my jeans, 24/7. Useful if you wander into a loud bar with live music. White are for large ear canals, blue for regular.

Do it people, you want to listen to DP forever don't you?

Can't get much better than these earplugs for the price and for going to concerts. Etymotic-Er-20's, about $20.

I went with a pair of these:

Etymotic ER20

I'll test them out beforehand. I've needed sound protection for various environments anyway, if they aren't useful for this I'm sure they'll be useful for something else.

>buy some disposable ear plugs before you get to the event for next to free.

Disposable ear plugs? No.

Get yourself some reusable musician ear plugs, a la: linky

For $15, you can get proper earplugs that attenuate.
http://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-High-Fidelity-Earplugs-White-Clear/dp/B0015WNZ9K

Don't damage your hearing:

http://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-High-Fidelity-Earplugs-White-Clear/dp/B0015WNZ9K/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1377192046&sr=1-2&keywords=etymotic+plugs

These make the sound better IMO. Not so harsh like it is a lot of time.

Even the cheapest of earplugs don't really dull the sound in my experience. All it does it cut out really high annoying frequencies.

http://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-High-Fidelity-Earplugs-White-Clear/dp/B0015WNZ9K

Something like this though is still fairly cheap, more comfortable, and more consistent.

I carry these with almost everywhere I go.

Concerts, movies, TV, saws, etc. I couldn't live without them

My tips on earplugs.

If silence and isolation from the loud world around you is your thing, Moldex Pura-Fit is your ear plug. They are not the largest nor the densest plugs out of the foam plugs. I found them to block the most sound.

Product | Price | Type | Comfort | Noise Blocking | DB blocking |
---------|----------|----------|---------|----------|----------|
Moldex 6800 | Cheap | Memory foam | 3/5 | 5/5 | 27 DB|
Macks-Silicone-Putty | Cheap | Putty | 5/5 | 3/5 | 32 DB|
Hearos Xtreme | Cheap | Memory Foam | 3/5 | 4/5 | 33 DB
DuraPlugs | Cheap | Memory Foam | 2.5/5 | 3.5/5 | 32 DB |
Mack's ultrasoft foam | Cheap | Memory Foam | 4/5 | 3/5 | 32 DB |
Howard Leight | Cheap | Memory Foam | 2/5 | 4/5 | 32 DB|
Etymotic Research, ETY Plugs | Medium | Flanges | 3/5 | 4/5 | 19 DB |
Crioxen Earplugs | Medium | Flanges | 4/5 | 5/5 | 21DB|
Eargasm Earplugs | High | Flanges | 3/5 | 3/5 | 22DB |
Surefire Defenders | Medium | Flanges | 3/5 | 5/5 | 20 DB |




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I got some of these, bought the large fit after buying the standard ones and realising how tiny the standard fit seems to be (the large earplugs are more or less the same size as standard sony earbuds etc, and the standard are more or less the same size as the small earbuds).

They take away the very high pitched noises like the hissing of drums while keeping the low and mid more or less the same so you'll still be able to fully appreciate the music, have conversations with people etc, just you won't experience the hissing tearing your eardrums apart, especially when you move nearer to the speakers. Also, you won't experience any ringing in your ears the following day which is such a big plus.

Highly recommend picking some up, losing your hearing really sucks!

I think i found the ones you're talking about for $13. Not sure what the difference between that and the $20 one you linked was. But besides the difference in ear tips and the different design I'm pretty sure that both of ours do similar reduction in dB. Both around 20dB reduction. Yours do seem to be more hidden though, because the exposed part is a lot smaller.

Those are the same as the Etymotic ER20 in the US. I've been playing drums with them and taking them to live shows for many years and they're outstanding. Nice dB reduction while still providing a flat response, unlike foam earplugs or earmuffs. They're also rebadged and sold under other names, but the hyperlinked ones are sold at the lowest US price.

Why would blocking the hearing make things worse? I'm just looking to reduce background noise in extremely noisy environments like even centers or anything with tons of people.Here is what I am interested in getting.

I am willing to do anything to work on my sensitive hearing even if it is difficult. It is so bad that I cannot even be in those loud, stimulating environments. Thank you for that link, I really appreciate it.

I use those but the standard size is a little too small. I would suggest the larger size, I love them.