Review: Etymotic Earplugs
I've been promising this one for a while. I finally got around to buying Etymotic earplugs. Why? Well I find that I can only get foam earplugs into my ears the right way one time in 5, and the silicon ones that go over my ears aren't all that comfortable either. I wear earplugs for concerts (bands/clubs, not classical music), airplanes, and if there's noise preventing me from sleeping. I was looking for something more comfortable, easy to use, reasonably priced, and good sound quality.
Etymotic earplugs fit most of these reasonably well. I chose the "Baby Blues" which are their smaller size - I have trouble physically fitting foam earplugs into my ear canal, and silicon earplugs I always pull off 1/3 of the material prior to use or else there's a huge lump sticking out from my ear. I made the right choice in size, I'm glad to say. I got the set with a lace to connect the two earplugs - don't pull the lace to take them out, or you'll yank the lace off and have a heck of a time putting it back on. Yeah, I did that. They cost some $13 + $6 shipping so $19 total, a reasonable price.
Sound quality is excellent - cheap earplugs cut off more high frequency sound than low, so that you can't hear yourself talking and have no chance whatsoever of carrying out a conversation. Sounds just seem muffled and distorted with cheap earplugs. These earplugs cut off all frequencies evenly, and do reduce the noise more than cheap earplugs. Instead of things sounding muffled, they simply sound *quieter*. I expect they will be excellent for concerts. Unfortunately, because of this they are not as good for snoring as I'd hoped, but they're not any worse than cheap earplugs.
They're much easier to "install" than foam earplugs - moisten them a bit, and slow shove into your ear canal until it gets uncomfortable. You can't really do it wrong, every attempt works. To remove, grab the part sticking out and gently wiggle it out. They are definitely more comfortable than foam earplugs, and slightly more comfortable than silicon ones - I still get some of the ear wax feeling that silicon ones give me but less of it, and some of the ear-popping but less, and also a little bit of the pressure/discomfort of it on the inside of the ear canal but not much. The problem comes in trying to sleep - unless you sleep exclusively on your back, these are NOT really a good choice for sleeping. The little plastic handle that sticks out will hit the pillow and push in on it, increasing the discomfort. You can get around this if you shove your pillow up towards the top of your head and only lean the top of your head on the pillow, but it's not really all that comfortable either.
Conclusion: these'll be great for concerts, probably very good for airlines, but I think I'll stick with silicon for sleeping.
Etymotic earplugs fit most of these reasonably well. I chose the "Baby Blues" which are their smaller size - I have trouble physically fitting foam earplugs into my ear canal, and silicon earplugs I always pull off 1/3 of the material prior to use or else there's a huge lump sticking out from my ear. I made the right choice in size, I'm glad to say. I got the set with a lace to connect the two earplugs - don't pull the lace to take them out, or you'll yank the lace off and have a heck of a time putting it back on. Yeah, I did that. They cost some $13 + $6 shipping so $19 total, a reasonable price.
Sound quality is excellent - cheap earplugs cut off more high frequency sound than low, so that you can't hear yourself talking and have no chance whatsoever of carrying out a conversation. Sounds just seem muffled and distorted with cheap earplugs. These earplugs cut off all frequencies evenly, and do reduce the noise more than cheap earplugs. Instead of things sounding muffled, they simply sound *quieter*. I expect they will be excellent for concerts. Unfortunately, because of this they are not as good for snoring as I'd hoped, but they're not any worse than cheap earplugs.
They're much easier to "install" than foam earplugs - moisten them a bit, and slow shove into your ear canal until it gets uncomfortable. You can't really do it wrong, every attempt works. To remove, grab the part sticking out and gently wiggle it out. They are definitely more comfortable than foam earplugs, and slightly more comfortable than silicon ones - I still get some of the ear wax feeling that silicon ones give me but less of it, and some of the ear-popping but less, and also a little bit of the pressure/discomfort of it on the inside of the ear canal but not much. The problem comes in trying to sleep - unless you sleep exclusively on your back, these are NOT really a good choice for sleeping. The little plastic handle that sticks out will hit the pillow and push in on it, increasing the discomfort. You can get around this if you shove your pillow up towards the top of your head and only lean the top of your head on the pillow, but it's not really all that comfortable either.
Conclusion: these'll be great for concerts, probably very good for airlines, but I think I'll stick with silicon for sleeping.