I want to like these, but IMHO they distort music really badly. For concerts etc. I much prefer silicone "swimming" plugs - seal them tight, and peel an edge back a tiny bit, in effect reducing the ear canal opening to a tiny slit. No guarantee how much "protection" this gives, but it substantially reduces the perceived volume, and unlike wearing these Etymotic plugs doing so doesn't remove the pleasure of listening to the music...
thrijidI've gotta ask... Are you trolling? These are carefully designed and tested to give a flatter response than just plugging up your ear with silicone. See
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and while the NRR is 12, their clinical testing shows 20dB
FearlessleaderR&D is fine, but my experience is that these plugs detract significantly from music, end of story. Not sure why you posted the graph as it does not include silicone plugs.
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Silicone putty can be molded for an exact fit and it does not expand, contract, or loosen in any meaningful way. This does mean however that more or less putty will block more or less sound, and as my recommendation was to slightly deform them to create a tiny opening, the attenuation of high-frequency sounds (shorter wavelength) would be reduced. Also note that my plugs are the rebranded SafeHavenSound version, which are identical other than the inclusion of a nice aluminum case for the same price.
KyleLThe blue line is the product being dropped here - which does have flanges made of cured silicone, but otherwise has naught to do with the discussion at hand. :)
thrijidYMMV, but my experience is the opposite; the sound fidelity is really good, just with the volume lowered. I don't go to the movies or a concert without them.