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I live in an extremely loud city. Day or night I can hear car horns, people’s conversations in the streets, fireworks, dogs barking, cats meowing. You get the picture. All of that makes it extremely difficult to concentrate whether I’m reading a book, writing emails or working.
It’s also taken its toll on my ears which have now become extremely sound-sensitive and I’m worried about hearing loss. So I decided to search for the best sound-insulating ear plugs and my research has led me to etymotic ear plugs, currently the hottest thing to protect your ears from the loudest of noises.
Therefore I’ll be reviewing five etymotic ear plugs from Amazon, in the hope that I’ll find one to suit my lifestyle and the city I live in.
| Title | Image | Feature | Purchase |
| Etymotic GunsportPRO Earplugs |  | Allows natural hearing when no background noise is present and gradually | VIEW PRICES |
| The Etymotic ETY-Plugs High Fidelity Earplugs |  | Reduces risk of hearing damage from loud noise such as concerts, theatres, airshows, parades, athletic and motorsports events | VIEW PRICES |
| Etymotic ER20XS |  | Eartips are interchangeable and replaceable, making them the most cost-effective high-fidelity earplug | VIEW PRICES |
| Etymotic ER20 ETY-Plugs |  | Replicates the natural response of the ear, so sound quality is the same as the original, only quieter. | VIEW PRICES |
| Etymotic ER20XS |  | Eartips are interchangeable and replaceable, making them the most cost-effective high-fidelity earplug | VIEW PRICES |
Etymotic Ear Plugs and Sound
I will be reviewing here five etymotic ear plugs featured on Amazon and their success in negating noise and sound as well as their setbacks. I expect a good sound insulator which is easy to use and won’t irritate my ears even if I wear them all day long. I expect them to be aesthetically appealing too and I don’t want to pay much for them. The Etymotic ear plugs are marketed as a product that will reduce sound without losing sound quality in the sense that some sounds would be muted while others wouldn’t. They’re especially designed for musicians who need to hear certain sounds better over others. However they’re also marketed for attending concerts or loud clubs, festival or performance locals; aircraft personnel, construction, industrial or medical and dental workers, as well as workers in places with loud sounds such as concert halls, nightclubs, bars; emergency vehicle personnel, athletes, motor sports participants and truck drivers.
Products Overview
The first product I will review are the Etymotic GunsportPRO Earplugs, Electronic Hearing Protection Designed for Hunters, Shooters and Gun Enthusiasts.
Pros:
- The Etymotic GunsportPRO Earplugs are designed specifically for hunters, shooters and gun enthusiasts so I expect a lot from these earplugs.
- These are heavy –duty ear plugs, seeing as they're designed for people who are into gun sports as the name suggests: GunSportPRO Electronic Earplugs.
- The main technology used in these earplugs is called adaptive attenuation, which basically means the earplugs will adjust to protect your ears from loud noises and allow you to hear safer levels of noise such as conversations and so on.
- They also provide up to 15dB of hearing protection when noise levels exceeds safe modes, such as blasts and fireworks, exactly what I need.
Cons:
- Unfortunately the fact that I have to use new batteries every time I use them is highly inconvenient to me, and is off-putting.
- The Etymotic GunsportPRO Earplugs also extremely easy to lose if you're not careful as they're extremely small, and I'm not the most organized person.
- They also don't seal noise that well compared to the Westone TRU Universal WM16 Professional Hearing Protection Filter Ear Plugs - 16 dB Advanced Filter Technology, which I tried and will be reviewing shortly.
- However they are cheaper so if I lose them I won't be as sad as losing a Westone earplug which is more expensive. The GunSportPRO earplugs also don't have an "off" switch, so to turn them off you'd need to take the batteries out every single time, which is inconvenient to me.
- They also seem to be designed mostly for men's ears- despite the fact that they're super small – which are often bigger than women's ears as they kept slipping from my ears which was quite irritating and uncomfortable to have to reposition them so often.
Conclusion
The Etymotic GunsportPRO Earplugs are not bad for the price, and I would certainly use them for the sound pollution in my city which they seal off quite well. However since I’m not the most organized together individual I would most certainly easily lose them as they’re super small. Also I’d get quickly irritated by the fact that I’d have to turn the batteries off every time I needed to stop using them. Bottom line, it’s a maybe purchase for me, I’d highly consider it but after a lot of thought.
Pros:
- The Etymotic ETY-Plugs High Fidelity Earplugs duplicate the ear's normal reaction therefore maintaining normal sound quality, but at a lower pitch.
- They are one size and come with a cord so it's highly unlikely that I will lose them.
- They cancelled most of my city's noise quite well and I was able to hear conversations and the louder noises were muted effectively.
Cons:
- The Etymotic ETY-Plugs High Fidelity Earplugs, Standard Fit, Frost Tip are not as straight as they appear and are slightly bent, so although they are one-size-fits-all they do stick out of my ears when I wear them.
- They also kept slipping out which I found quite inconvenient and bothersome. In addition, they filed to cancel out the firework sound level and that's a constant sound n my city that I desperately need cancelled.
Conclusion
I would definitely consider buying the Etymotic ETY-Plugs High Fidelity Earplugs, Standard Fit, Frost Tip as they’re super effective in sound reduction and have a cord so I won’t be losing them anytime soon even if they do stick out of my ears a bit and slip out now and again. I might shop around first though before I make that final purchase because of their failure to cancel out firework noise which is most irritating, but overall great product.
Pros:
- These Etymotic High-Fidelity Earplugs Ear plugs have been upgraded so they wouldn't stick out of your ear and fit inside my ear quite well.
- Designed for musicians, they allow you to hear sound at a muted level so you can hear conversations quite well while loud sounds are reduced significantly.
Cons:
- While Etymotic High-Fidelity Earplugs, ER20XS Standard Fit do fit quite snuggly in my ears, after a short while they started hurting my ears unfortunately, so I don't think they were designed for long-term use as they hurt after about 15 to 20 minutes of wearing them.
- They also slipped out quite easily so I think they were designed for men's ears which are bigger than women's. They also failed to cancel out the fireworks noise when I tested them.
Conclusion
I don’t think the Etymotic High-Fidelity Earplugs, ER20XS Standard Fit is the product to buy for long wear as they slip out. Also, you need to try them on to see if they fir your ears properly so I can’t simply click and order them from Amazon. The fact that they come with a cord is great for me so I wouldn’t lose them and the sound cancellation isn’t bad except for the fireworks which is rather bothersome so I don’t think this is the product to purchase for those reasons.
Pros:
- The Etymotic High Fidelity Earplugs, ER20 ETY-Plugs, Standard Fit Blue Tip work extremely well and I could read and work through the city noise pollution.
- They also come with a cord so I won't be losing them anytime soon. Their blue tip look hip too so that's quite a plus.
Cons:
- Etymotic High Fidelity Earplugs, ER20 ETY-Plugs, Standard Fit Blue Tip failed to fit comfortably and snugly in my ears and although they cancelled out noise quite well, they kept slipping out of my ears and I had to readjust them.
- As with other ear plugs they also failed to cancel out the loud firework noise unfortunately.
Conclusion
The Etymotic High Fidelity Earplugs, ER20 ETY-Plugs, Standard Fit Blue Tip are definitely a product to consider buying as they cancel out regular noise quite well but if you’ve got super sensitive ears like mine they may not be the product for you if you need a stronger sound muter for fireworks, the gun range or concerts. So I’d think twice about purchasing these ear plugs, but they’re on my short list.
Pros:
- These Etymotic High-Fidelity Earplugs, ER20XS Universal Fit Hearing Protection fit quite well in my ears and they also have a cord which makes it less likely that I would lose them.
- They cancelled out a lot of noise and I was able to function well with my city's noise pollution. The case is so attractive-looking too.
Cons:
- Again the Etymotic High-Fidelity Earplugs, ER20XS Universal Fit Hearing Protection failed to cancel out the fireworks sound which is a staplesound in my city unfortunately.
Conclusion
While the Etymotic High-Fidelity Earplugs, ER20XS Universal Fit Hearing Protection earplugs cancelled out most of my city’s noise pollution they failed to cancel out the noise of my pet-peeve: fireworks, so I’ll be still shopping around for a better quality of earplugs for that situation. On the other hand they fit quite well and didn’t protrude from my ears, a major plus in my books, but not enough to purchase them however.
