Etymotic Research MP9-15 MusicPRO High-Fidelity Electronic Earplugs, 1 pair

As a pro flute/piccolo player, hearing protection is a must. With these ear plugs, I can hear the quiet nuances in the music, as well as have the hearing protection when playing the loud, high piccolo notes! (not to mention the sound of other instruments as well, like brass & percussion!)

I am an aging rocker that provides vocals and guitar for a rock band playing small gigs. I am often right next to the drummer and close to the speakers. My hearing has suffered marked noise damage in the mid range over the last 40 odd years of playing, resulting in bad tinnitus and pain when exposed to loud noises. I have tried many types of passive earplugs, but these all result in muffled sound, cutting out the midrange, and making it very hard to hear clearly what is going on - everything just gets drowned out by the bass that doesn't get well attenuated. I find it difficult to hear pitch under those conditions, and wander out of key, never a good thing for a singer! Moreover, I thought I was going to have to quit playing because of the continuous ringing in my ears... Then I discovered these. As other reviewers have remarked, they do seem to cut bass quite a bit more than mid range - whether that is a hearing perception or reality I don't know (the makers claim the response is flat). But for me that is extra bass reduction is perfect, possibly because it balances my own midrange hearing loss. Not only do these protectors drop the overall volume, they cut out the booming bass, and allow me to clearly hear my guitar and thus accurately hear pitch and sing in tune. Now, as a vocalist, these devices do take some getting used to. The effect of putting anything in your ears is to increase the coupling of your own voice into your ears (hence singers famously often stick their fingers in their ears to hear themselves more clearly). As everything else is reduced in volume, at first, you get the feeling you are singing far too loud. At lower volumes, in your head, you can even drown out the instruments you are hearing with your own voice, while in reality being too quiet. So when I first used these at practice, I almost gave up. I had problems gauging how loud I was singing relative to the instruments etc. But after a while, I found I 'recalibrated', and now I've got a good idea of how loud I am. At lower volumes, here the 9dB switch is useful, because it actually gives the sound a 6dB lift, and that compensates for the perceived increased volume of your own voice. As things get louder I switch to the -15dB setting. So it does take a few hours of practice and training and getting used to, before you feel comfortable, but the result is a whole lot better gigging experience, and much reduced ringing in my ears the days after. One thing to note about these is that, like any earplug, you have to have a good seal. I use the baffle type earpiece and wet the seal (lick your finger and rub on it!). Test the fit/seal first with no batteries. With no batteries, they act like passive earplugs (unlike noise reduction earbuds for instance, which go transparent when the batteries are dead), so you can test the seal and practice getting it right. When you have got the fit sorted, put the batteries in, and then you're good to go. Of course, at low volumes they don't attenuate, so its hard to know at first if the seal is right, but as soon as it gets loud, you will know if they are sealing. I use these for about 4-5 hours a week, and the batteries last about three weeks, opening the battery door when not in use. But the batteries are cheap (by a 60 pack) so frequent replacement is not a big deal.

I bought there since they are tagged music in their product name and I wanted the advantage which active ear plugs bring. In my band we mostly play metal, while generally doing a decent job some of the frequencies from cymbals go straight through and I had tinnitus after a four hour session, something I’ve never experienced with normal/passive ear plugs. Maybe they work if you play softer music. Mine are collecting dust

Apart from the fact it's quite fiddly to turn them off/remove battery you won't get a better pair of ear protectors for the die hard clubber or festival visitor! They actual seem to make some sound better.

My first impression of the MP9-15s was excellent. I wore them around the house, and a time or two at work (I work in a commercial kitchen) and was impressed with how quickly the compression kicked in/out, and how really natural everything sounded. It also took some doing, but I did found an appropriate ear plug (several available in the box) which created an excellent seal (super important), but also didn't hurt to wear for extended periods.Wearing them while watching movies and playing videos made them vanish quite quickly, and the "enhancement mode" was very cool although at quiet volumes, a touch too bright.Unfortunately, using them as a sound technician (my second job) is nearly impossible. They create a substantial disconnect between you and your PA. This is may be the fault of it's flawlessly gradual attenuation (making things seem quieter than they truly are) but they almost completely removed my ability to listen critically. While using them and mixing, I had to often find "references" or "anchors" to mix to. (Example, if the keyboard was too quiet, I would have to raise or lower it compared to another instrument I knew was appropriate , say the guitar, because I couldn't tell if the piano was actually getting louder or quieter....but I COULD tell if it was louder than the guitar. If that makes sense?) Removing them instantly restored my ability to both mix the instruments together, and also gauge an overall volume for the PA compared to the audience. (Again, wearing the plugs removes your sense of volume...so I could hear both the crowd and the PA, but couldn't tell if either one was actually loud.) Another fault I struggled with was it's lack of low end. Sometimes I also mix several DJs, often in night club settings, where bass is very prominent and important; these plugs have a really poor ability to replicate anything under 100, I'd wager they begin to fall off around 120-130, and under 100 they're nearly empty. I would have to blame the lack of a dual driver component; but I'm not a hardware engineer, lol. But this did it make it difficult in a night club setting (and also mixing bass guitar, bass drum, or keys, etc).However, I would imagine these plugs would be EXCELLENT for musicians (as they are called "musicians plugs" after all, lol. If I didn't have to listen to the entire project or collective, but simply just play my own instrument, but often came in and out of song to talk with the other folks or engage the crowd, these would be ideal. They are incredibly accurate (tonally) and as mentioned before, the compression is SO invisible, you often wonder if the battery has died and the device isn't working (pulling the plugs out though quickly reminds you they are infact working just fine lol).Overall, they are incredibly accurate (above 130hz) , and the compression is almost immaculately invisible. Great for musicians (minus bass guitar/cello/etc) , stage hands, or others working in the industry (bar tenders, security, etc). They are NOT good for anyone who has to listen critically. The concept of overall volume is completely gone (likely due to how gradual the attenuation is) and again, anything under 130hz isnt replicated well enough to criticise. So, they have their place, and do what they market pretty good actually, but writing "great for audio engineers / sound techs" is a bold face lie, hence three stars instead of four or five.Also to note: not sure if this is just a one off, but one of my plugs stopped working, and I am now going to begin a warrenty claim. Wish me luck ..TWF