[greenhorn]

I don't like them. I mean, they are OK, but to my ears they do NOT tame all frequencies in a quasi-linear manner, as advertised.

To my ears they almost block completely the highs and tame significantly the mids. The result is a big-bass sound during live performances.

To my ears they are definitively better than foam plugs but inferior to a pair of cheap no-name tri-flanges (the ones sold for 5 euros during lound concerts).

So, how do other people consider the Etymotic ER20?

 

[Golden Monkey]

Well, I'm in between, but voted that they work as advertised. ANY earplug is going to affect SQ somewhat, and these are no exception, BUT they work better than anything else I have tried. They did a great job at a really loud metal show I went to recently. They completely tamed the sound level, but I see what you are saying about the low freqs. I think that's more to do with subsonic noise though...you feel it more than hear it (hence "subsonic"), but everything was clear and unmuffled, and music sounded like music.

 

[MrJoshua]

I've worn these recently at a Jungle (Drum and Bass) Rave that had an incredibly loud sound system. They allowed me to enjoy the music all night without any fatigue to my hearing (even the next morning I had no ringing), however I did find that they attenuated the high end a little too much.

Still, much better than having to leave early due to sore ears and then not being able to hear properly for a few days after the event!

I voted: Close, but no cigar!

 

[Luminette]

I don't like the pair I got. They stick out wayyy too far and it really sucks if they get bumped / touched while hanging out

And I felt they really didn't dampen things much.. maybe for low frequencies but I was strill penetrated horribly by highs at live music. Bummer.

Edit - just read the post from the guy above me - I chose to leave early and wow my ears were ringing even worse than I thought. I went home and the ringing was the worst I'd ever had. Of course this is firstly the fault of the show (George Acosta Valentine's Day trance show in some odd church hall.. i think the acoustics were horrible and the stuff was too loud (louder thant he typical too loud) )

Still. I refuse to go to live music from experiences like this. It sucks. Would love for a solution that is actually a solution. My ears are /really/ sensitive, at large, and especially to highs.. but my hearing is in perfect shape, got it tested recently and passed with flying colors. I want to keep it that way

Wondering if the Ultimate Ears stuff may be worth looking into.

 

[The Actual]

I use ER20 all the time. Had a pair for 2 or 3 years which got used so the rubber tip ripped off so I am now on my second pair.

They are not perfect. They do claim "all sound is reduced evenly by 20DB" in the ads, but I don't hold that against them. I take all advertisements with a grain of salt, so I find it OK for them to say this even though they really mean "more evenly."

Clearer sound than any other earplugs I have used. Sometimes they aren't quite enough though, especially at punk shows.

 

[Duggeh]

I'm still using the older 16db version, compared to foam earplugs there is no question whatsoever that they provide a balanced attenuation. Bass is inherently going to be less blocked in perception because its more readily transmitted through material interfaces of changing density. Basically, the bass your body feels your ears still hear. This applies less as frequencies increase.

 

[warpdriver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duggeh /img/forum/go_quote.gif Bass is inherently going to be less blocked in perception because its more readily transmitted through material interfaces of changing density. Basically, the bass your body feels your ears still hear. This applies less as frequencies increase.

I believe that is right on the money. The ER20 does a pretty good job of attenuating frequencies across the spectrum *as measured at the eardrum*, the same way that their earphones are pretty much linear, but it doesn't take into account the psychoacoustical and transmission properties of the sound, and how you perceive that sound when you are actually there.