High Fidelity Ear Plugs for Hearing Protection - Discreet, Clear for Concerts, Festivals & Noisy Events - Up to 18dB Background Noise Reduction Reusable - Comes with Aluminum Case

I need ear plugs of some kind for a number of reasons. I have extremely sensitive hearing and tend to get uncomfortable adrenalin surges when loud and sudden noises occur. I also like to attend concerts from music types from orchestral traditional music to jazz/fusion to all-out metal rock music. In the work I do (IT, office-based business), I am called to conference rooms for meetings several times a day. Inevitably, someone on the conference speaks mouse-quiet and someone has the microphone permanently embedded in their teeth so that not only are they louder than anyone, we get treated to breathing and mouth noises for an hour at a time. Also, inevitably, the person running the call has the speaker/speakerphone turned up to its maximum volume. With some folks, this isn’t a bad thing. With most, however, it’s really grueling to have remote callers screaming at you at 125 or more decibels for long periods of time. This is the PERFECT time for the DownBeats ear plugs. They fit my small-medium ear channels, and they aren’t grossly obvious to my colleagues. This is a life saver for me: it really is excruciating when a caller is screaming at me through low-fi speakers in the room for what seems like a lifetime. Some have asked about the color of the stems. My family has four sets of DownBeats, and all of them have clear stems. It might be a manufacturing batch or maybe a supply difference that causes some to have white stems. None of ours have white stems and hide very nicely in our ear channels. When I go to concerts, the DownBeats aren’t quite as attenuating as I would like. They work great and are very unobtrusive to my ears (as in, how they feel in my ears) and are unobtrusive to the sound quality, save a little shaving off of the high trebles and a bit of the mids. For me (this is a personal thing), I would like for them to attenuate a little more when I am at a loud concert. When the sound technician is attempting to produce the current show as if she/he was engineering The Who in the 70s, I find the DownBeats lacking a bit. At a recent Pat Metheny concert, I couldn’t have been happier: the Carolina Theater in Durham had the balance, EQ, and volume just right (and besides, Path Metheny and his folks understand a little –used thing called dynamics). To give you an idea of the flexibility of the fit of DownBeats, I can use an Apple ear phone reference to help you: my ears channels are small to medium. Apple EarPods and ear buds don’t fit in my ear. I’ve never been able to use them because they don’t even slightly fit in my ear channels. My wife, on the other hand, has much larger ear channels and comfortably wears both Apple EarPods and the older ear buds. Here’s the punchline: The DownBeats fit both our ear channels just fine. They are flexible and soft enough to really do the trick. One more thing about comfort… They’re very shallow. I have deep ear pockets and my wife has shallow ear pockets. In my case, I have learned how to grip the DownBeats by their stems and push them in my ear channels in just the right way. It takes a moment to get them settled in or get them out, but in neither case is it hard to do. In addition, I can wear them for a few hours at a time without having ear-compression issues or ear-contact sounds that are irritating. With my wife, the DownBeats are really easy to pop in or out, as her smaller fingers and larger ear pockets give her more room to get the DownBeats just right. Overall, I’m very happy with them. We have a couple of pairs in her purse and one on my keychain. I also have a set at work I keep on my badge for ready use for those lovely multi-continent dial-in meetings. The DownBeats beat the pink foam ear inserts for me at concerts because DownBeats don't kill the best parts of the sound spectrum - although pink foam inserts to make loud concerts quieter.

I'm a long-time user of the Etymotic ER20 attenuators . I have both sizes of Etys, and I just bought some of these DownBeats. Here's my comparison. The DownBeats come in a robust aluminum case. They don't rattle inside (there's a plastic liner), and the base doesn't unscrew and fall off the lid. It does clank on my keys, so I wrapped it in tape. It's easy to get the plugs out of the case. The Etys come in a rubbery plastic squeeze-case. Also fine on a keychain, but a little more bulky, lighter, and a lot less noisy. The rubbery case gets dirty and beat up over time. It can be difficult to get the plugs out. The DownBeats are shorter -- only two flanges against the Etys three, and a stubby stem. That makes them smaller and less noticeable from the front -- the stem doesn't poke out from your ears. But the stems of the Etys are clear, while the DBs are white; from the side the Etys are less noticeable for that reason. The shortness is an advantage under a helmet, hat, or laying against a pillow, but it slightly works against the DBs when inserting and removing. Only slightly, though. Now, on to comfort and fit. The flanges on the DBs are as fat as the large Etys. If you have small-to-medium ears, that might affect how well they fit. To me, with mid-to-large ears, both the white (large) Etys and the DBs are noticeable in the ear -- there's a constant gentle feeling of pressure when inserted. It's not bothersome, but you do notice it when compared to the smaller Etys. The Etys go deeper into the ear, and have a longer stem. That makes them less comfortable than the DBs. The comfort distinction is exaggerated if you're moving your ears or wearing something on your head -- the stem moves and applies pressure inside the ear canal. By contrast, the smaller blue Etys are slightly more comfortable than the DBs, but only if you stay still and don't move your face! Sound-wise: all three are good, and to most ears there won't be a difference in attenuation or sound quality. Fit is the most important factor to how these perform for you. Comparing back-to-back with good over-the-ear headphones is too close to call regarding quality: it would be dishonest to make a judgment. The DBs seem to attenuate slightly more than the blue Etys, which makes sense -- the blue Etys are probably a tiny bit too small for my ears. The DBs seem to have a more even attenuation curve, blocking heavy basslines a little better than the Etys. In conclusion: I'm carrying and wearing the DBs. I find them more comfortable, I prefer the way they sound, and I value the small improvement in attenuation. If you have small ears, have trouble inserting or removing earplugs, or want a soft case, you might prefer the Etymotic ER20s. If you find deep earplugs uncomfortable, need a lower-profile appearance, or want a hard case, go for the DBs. If you're stuck between the two, the DownBeats are a good choice.

I like the downbeats, although they are a little bit too big and are noticeable, and I probably should’ve ordered the smaller fit, but it was going to take 1-2 weeks to get here, the sound quality is not that bad, but it amplifies internal sound. The earplugs are very hard to put in my ear, as they are large, but do a good job at protecting my ears and made the vacuum sound like someone taking and sounds are much more manageable. They are pretty good for $13.

I got these mostly for events at small local venues with terrible sound systems, and it made the experience so much better. It feels like it muffles the sound more than I want in daily life (testing the fit before hand) but it doesn’t dull the sound at the concert. It just stops my ears from maxing out and the sound turning crunchy, and I don’t have tinnitus for the rest of the night when I get home. Also toned down the crowd noise a little bit so I felt less exhausted by the time I got home (social gas tank wasn’t run dry). I’ll use these at every concert going forward. My ears are on the small side and these fit perfectly and were comfortable to wear for hours. My ear canals being so sweaty did feel a tad odd, but that was barely noticeable. The little keychain case is handy as well.

Let me preface this my saying this is how my concert experience usually ends up: We arrive early so my wife can be right up front so she can be there when the main act comes on stage (rock/metal concerts). By the time the opening act is done everything sounds sort of muffled, almost has a digital feel to it.. By the time the final band is playing it's all just a mess of sounds and muffled everything. Once we leave the venue is when I can hear the truly bad tinnitus and the ride home consist of having to turn the radio up to double volume and even then I can barely hear the treble or anything but a ringing and the bass of the music. This tinnitus and muffled hearing will make sleeping that night nearly impossible and will stay with me for at LEAST 2 years. Finally being tired of this and knowing one day my hearing may never come back, I read the reviews and gave these DownBeats a chance and I am blown away. Normally I can not stand stand earbuds that go into the ear so I was worried about earplugs in general. Surprisingly, I had no issues with these earplugs; they didn't feel unnatural and didn't annoy me when they were in. What really got me with these was how I kept feeling like I didn't have them in properly as I could still hear everything around me, converse normally with my wife between acts, and the music seemed as loud as it normally does but that's where they're magnificent. The ONLY way I knew these were in was when i spoke, I sounded much louder than I normally would to myself. I also loved how they're practically invisible unless you know to look for them. Another thing that steered me away from the standard "orange foam" earplugs was how dorky some people look with them in. I was much less self-conscious with these things in. Many aspects of the concert still seemed rather loud to the point where I kept checking to make sure these were inserted properly and they always were. There were even parts of the concert that were still overwhelmingly loud. By the time the final act came on I could hear perfectly fine; no discernible ringing, no muffled sounds, and no "digitizing" of background noises. It wasn't until we left the venue, got in the car, and I removed the earplugs that I was truly amazed: I had minimal to no tinnitus. The radio was at the normal volume it always is and I almost couldn't believe I just went through a concert that felt as "loud as normal" with no perceivable side effects. How these things manage to keep volume levels at perceptibly normal levels and yet still protect your hearing is truly a marvel. I chuckled when the instructions said "it's science!" but it's true; these things are nothing short of miraculous and I deeply thank whatever scientist(s) made it their life's work to create these things.I no longer have to worry about going deaf before I hit 35.

i've never tried it actually at a concert but it's been wonderful for taking the edge off of all the incredibly overwhelming sensory situations that happen working a coffee shop without getting crap from controlling bosses or having to take them out constantly to hear customers properly. it takes a bit to get used to how they feel (like they're barely in your ear when they're actually quite far in), and i have to gently readjust them a few times throughout the day, but they work wonderfully. loud sounds that i used to tolerate like scooping ice, the blender, or the echo created by large steaming pitchers in use are now completely intolerable when i don't have any earplugs in. which means i was TOTALLY LOSING MY HEARING A BIT and now they're back to normal! even if you aren't autistic, there are many dangerous sound levels slowly dulling your sense of hearing that you can avoid with plugs like these!

They do will do the job of noise cancellation at a concert, or a loud event and a good price. However they were tricky to insert due to their shape.

I use these ear plugs daily. My typical uses are on roads with heavy traffic, public transportation, loud environments, and movie theaters (I have not worn them to a concert yet but I believe they would work well). These are quality earplugs that are durable, comfortable, and useful. The case makes it easy to have them on you at all times. There are size options that allow for a perfect fit. For sleeping, these ear plugs do not block out enough noise and are a bit uncomfortable.

Works very well, the fit is very comfortable and the case is very convenient for storage and when you take it to concerts/events. You can still hear everything clearly, If there are other ones that reduce noise by a greater amount I might purchase those as well since some concerts I went to would still be pretty loud but these DownBeats did a reduced it by a great amount, I personally feel I need more reduction.

I go to a lot of gigs and only decided to start wearing noise filters recently. The difference is remarkable. I read about Downbeats in Noise Mag and they compared very favourably to more expensive products. So far I've used mine loads and have no complaints. In fact, the music sounds much better with these as there's a lot less noise and the music is far more defined. I seem to be able to appreciate and enjoy the gigs much more than than my fellow gig-goers who don't use noise filters, so guess they must be working. The handy container is also great - I never forget to bring them as they're attached to my keyring and they're completely unobtrusive, so people don't even usually notice I'm wearing them until point it out. I'll def buy a second pair, just in case.

Una maravilla, los probé en un concierto de metal (Candelabrum fest) y la verdad, fue una experiencia inolvidable, los bajos se escuchaban muy nítidos, ningún grave que molestará, ni agudos que producen el clásico zumbido en los oídos. La combinación de escuchar todo tan claro y al mismo tiempo poder sentir las frecuencias subsónicas, fue increíble. Los volvería a comprar para tener un repuesto o regalarlos para fanáticos de conciertos. Muy cómodos, los traje más de 10 horas continuas, en ocasiones olvidaba que los estaba usando. Daba algo de comezón a ratitos y pues eso me recordaba que los traía, ya que descubrí que puedes estar platicando con los tapones puestos sin problemas. Sólo tener cuidado de no tirarlos, ya que son blancos y muy fáciles de perder .

ottimo isolamento per aree rumorose come concerti discoteche cantieri ma anche per studiare in pubblico riducendo il brusio di fondo. nessuno si accorgerà che le avrete nelle orecchie. La qualità del suono perde un pochino ma per il prezzo è migliore della media, nell' orecchio non danno fastidio ma la loro rimozione ed inserimento non è delle più rapide, sono pensate per rimanere salde al loro posto anche nelle situazioni più concitate; un bene perchè i tappini essendo cosi piccoli e trasparenti sono facili da perdere in giro e se cadessero per terra sarebbero impossibili da ritrovare durante un concerto od una serata in discoteca. Essendo in silicone una volta rimosso il filtro si lavano semplicemente immergendoli nell'acqua calda

good i like these. feel they are fit for the purpose intended