Etymotic Research ER20 High-Fidelity Earplugs (Baby Blue with Clear Stem)
by Etymotic Research
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List Price: Our Price: $11.95 You Save: $0.05 (0%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Etymotic Research ER20 High-Fidelity Earplugs (Baby Blue with Clear Stem)
Customer Review: Functional but Way overpriced
Summary: 2 Stars
These are fucntioanal but way overpriced. They are essentially just a set of the common rubber type earphone inserts but instead of being mounted on an earphone, it's mounted on a empty piece of plastic, i.e., a short plastic stub, which also serves as a handle to remove the plugs from your ears.
If you ear canal isn't small enough, you'll have to clip off the outer, smallest cup. In extreme cases I can imagine that the middle cupps will need to be clipped off too. This trimming isn't hard to do at all and is the kind of instruction you get with earphones with that come with this type of ear-canal insert -- however, with these plugs, the instructions don't say anything about trimming for size. In fact the instructions don't say much of anything.
The only reason they're charging $10-$20 for these things is because some folks must be paying it. Certainly they could be sold for a couple bucks and still yield a hefty profit.
They do work, slightly softening the sound level, and they work pretty evenly across the audible spectrum, but they are way overpriced at $12. For $12 you could buy some cheap earplugs and probably get very close to the same effect. Or you could buy decent, quality earphones and use those and get comparale results. These are more convenient, but whether that extra convenience is worth $5-$15 dollars to only you can decide.
Customer Review: Didn't work for me!
Summary: 1 Stars
I attended a concert a few weeks ago and, stupidly, did not wear ear plugs. As a result I have some hearing loss in my right ear and tinnitus. In an attempt to mitigate any further damage, I've been researching ear plugs. I thought these looked like a great option; I could still get a sense of the music and what was going on around me, but would still protect my ears.
However, these were EXTREMELY uncomfortable and actually sent me to a local emergency clinic! First off, I do have small ear canals, which is why I ordered the baby blue version. I inserted them properly, and thought they were pretty uncomfortable because they're so stiff. But I survived and acclimated somewhat. However, when I removed them it seemed pretty painful, but I figured that might be par for the course.
However, after using these a second time, I noticed blood upon the ear plugs after removing them! I was a bit freaked out and was afraid I'd punctured my ear drums or something (unlikely, I know, but better safe than sorry) so I went in to the local emergency clinic to have my ears looked out. The doc said my ear canals were "all ripped up" and bloody due to the ear plugs.
So, I'm really happy these work well for most people! However, if you have small ear canals or very sensitive ear canals, you might want to pass these up.
Customer Review: Amazing choice for this price range.
Summary: 4 Stars
So from years of working in music equipment stores, working live sound at concerts and working at guitar stores, I have developed tinitus. It;s not as bad as it could be, but going to a concert of any type will surely give me a day of pain right afterwards. I also don't want to damage my ears more than they already have been. So I had the idea to get some custom ear plugs made, something that was better than the standard "made-for-all" plugs that were out there. I would have liked to purchase some plugs that not only allowed me to protect my hearing, but to still hear the music as it was intended to be, just at a lower volume.
Looking around for some custom plugs that I could make myself, I stumbled upon these Etymotic Research ER20 plugs. I have never heard of this company before, but I liked the premise of the plugs and the reviews overall were good. They were also very cheap, so even if they didnt work as well I would like, it wasn't a big loss money wise. Te plugs came very quickly, and from the initial tests, they work very well. The sound is clearly dropped, but the overall feel of the music was not as muffled/hindered as it is with other plugs. I am sure they are some better alternatives for plugs that protect your ears while not destroying live concerts, but for this price?
Customer Review: Excellent, but be aware of the size.
Summary: 5 Stars
I found these earplugs to be just what I was looking for. They performed as claimed by the manufacturer. I was looking for a plug that allowed me to still hear sound, but at a moderately lowered level. Standard disposable foam plugs lower both frequency and decibel levels unevenly, and to too great a degree. Some of the roads that I bike on are too loud for comfort, so, for safety, I wanted to be able to hear vehicles and road noise, but not be assaulted by those sounds. I thought that these would be worth trying, especially at such a reasonable price. When I tried them on a ride, they worked as I had hoped, plus they were comfortable. They are well-made, and mine came with a small case and cord. **NOTE: be sure to get the correct size for your ears. Luckily, I knew that I had small ear canals, since I'd had experience with personal music device plugs. If the plugs are the wrong size, not only will they be uncomfortable, but they won't perform as needed. If you don't know your size, try out a friend's pair of his unused sizes of music buds; they often come in three sizes with the device. That will give you an idea of what you need. E.g. I find that I always have to use the smallest music buds available, and this held true for these Etymotics, as well.Customer Review: You'd have to be stupid not to wear ear protection
Summary: 4 Stars
At today's live music events, the sound engineers are criminal. They are permanently harming every member of their audience with each event. How this hasn't been addressed in legislation is beyond me. It doesn't have to be hard rock music either. It's everything.
But they won't be harming you if you wear ear plugs. And if you wear Etymotic ear plugs, you won't be missing out on any of the music.
Foam earplugs protect fine, but they don't make a level reduction across the audible frequencies. These are a much more level reduction and the music will sound great.
The only difference is that your ears won't be muffled or ringing from permanent hearing damage after the show.
These "baby blues" are for smaller ear canals. I have a giant head but for some reason I have small ear canals and these are great. A few minutes after insertion I get a kind of itchy feeling in my ears which is solved by lightly tapping on my ear right next to the plugs. Then a few minutes later, I don't feel a thing and am in comfort for the rest of the show.
Don't be an idiot, buy these.