Etymotic Research ER20XS High-Fidelity Earplugs (Concerts, Musicians, Airplanes, Motorcycles, Sensitivity and Universal Hearing Protection) - Universal Fit, Standard/Large/Foam Tips

It seems to lower nose a little bit and stay in the ear better than the foam ones I bought last time

I have better results with multiflanged silicon earplugs than foam earplugs, ymmv. These are excellent for a person who might be a light sleeper, or for a person with a snoring bed partner.If your partner snores like an unmuffled chainsaw- you've got problems that earplugs won't fix and a sleep study might be a good idea.These are also great hearing protection for loud concerts!Some people suggested it's not a great value.Debatable.I haven't found better for this price.A LOT cheaper than eargasm earplugs for concerts!Hopefully, people will understand that an earplug is only as good as the seal you get. Same goes for Bluetooth earbuds. Chances are if you don't have a good seal, they won't work- so KNOW YOUR SIZE!So- if you take S,M or L eartip for your apple or samsung earbuds- that's the size earplug you'll need.

So these do work. They lower the volume as opposed to blocking the sound (like a foam earplug would). However, at least for me, you do lose the feeling of the music. You lose a lot of highs. Mids sound fine, maybe a tad muddled. Bass sounds fine too. But losing the highs definitely takes away from the soul of the music.Now, with that being said, it is MUCH better than foam ear plugs. It *IS* like turning down the volume, but it's also like switching from your expensive home audio system to a portable bluetooth speaker.The genre of music DOES matter. For anything with instruments I almost never wear these. I'd rather hear the full body of music. But for EDM these things are LIFE SAVERS. Er, ear savers, I guess. EDM is more about the lows and mids and less about the highs, so these earplugs don't ruin the sound as much. I was just a few rows away from the stage during a Bassnectar show, so I was close to some gnarly loud speakers. Not only were my ears very well protected, but everything still sounded great. My friends had to retreat to the back because their ears were hurting so much, but I was able to stay up front.Later in the year I purchased "EarPeace HD Concert Ear Plugs - High Fidelity Hearing Protection for Music Festivals, DJs & Musicians (Standard, Red Case)" (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076VTXWBP/). In comparison the EarPeace was much more comfortable. The Etymotics start to dig into your ear and become uncomfortable after a while. The EarPeaces fit much more softly in your ear. However, the Etymotics had far superior sound quality than the EarPeaces. The EarPeaces sounded much more muddied than the Etys. Granted, I only tried the mid-grade sound dampening filter of the EarPeaces (they came with three filters, most dampening, some dampening, least dampening). Next time I will try the least to see how they compare to the Etys.Now back to the Etys. I never tried the foam plugs. The carrying case sucks, it's difficult to use and open. Also, don't get caught up on having a lanyard. With both the Etys and the EarPeaces neither plug would simply fall out of your ear without coercion. And when you take out the plugs and use the lanyard to rest them on your shoulders, it honestly feels like the lanyard could fall off me at any moment. The EarPeaces didn't come with a lanyard, which had me worried. But when using them in the field I realized I didn't need it and I was better off putting them directly back into their case anyway. (Which, btw, EarPeace has the superior case).So yes, the Etymotics do work. They don't work great, although they work better than EarPeace. They aren't very comfortable, however, I've found that you can't rely on someone else's definition of comfort. Everyone's ear canal is shaped different.

Whether you are playing in a school band or orchestra, a professional musician, or simply going to a concert (non-classical), these musician's earplugs are essential to the longevity of your hearing. The normal, disposable orange earplugs are great at blocking out harmful volumes of noise, but also skews the perception of sound for those playing in a musical group or listening to a concert. These earplugs, as marketed, are "high-fidelity," meaning that the effect of wearing them is more similar to "turning the volume down" rather than blocking out certain frequencies entirely. A rock band will still sound as great with these in, just at a volume that will not damage your ears.For those who are in a band or orchestra, these earplugs have some weird side effects that take getting used to. Unlike the experience of a mere concertgoer, the act of playing an instrument (especially one that is in contact with your body) changes the way you'll hear yourself. As a clarinetist, these earplugs alter how I hear myself dramatically due to the nature of how the instrument is played. For musicians, these earplugs are essential to saving your hearing for a long and enjoyable career, though they take getting used to. I recommend acclimating to them by practicing with only one earplug, and alternating between ears (depending on which side you need to protect during rehearsals/concerts).

The flanges are way too long and dig into the insides of my ear canals so they hurt my ears.