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Price
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Sound Clarity
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Comfort
4.3
Summary
For the price the ER20’s are a perfect entry unit into the earplug market. They have two sizes available and fairly good frequency response. While not as good as some other models you can’t get much better at this entry price point. Grab yours from Amazon
Tech Specs:
- Low cost, ready-fit hearing protection with cord and case
- Replicates the ear’s natural response
- Sound quality is preserved
- Speech is clear, not muffled
- The package lists NRR = 12 dB. NRR is a value derived by mathematical formula that underestimates the effectiveness of flat attenuation earplugs. When ETY Plugs are used correctly, expect approximately 20 dB of sound isolation
Pros
- While not perfect, the ER20’s are very effective. They have a natural response in much of the range of the human voice, meaning that when you’re listening to your favorite song, you’ll clearly hear the lyrics. That’s a huge plus. Instruments might sound dull or different, but the vocals are usually what people focus on.
- If nothing else, the slightly dimmed highs make the bass sound bigger.
- These units come pretty close to halving the sound coming in, judging based on my headphone and stereo tests. The TV show I had on sounded almost the same.
- Comes with a nice case. The carry case is big enough for the two plugs and the included neck cord. Seems sturdy, and has a good seal to make sure you don’t lose a plug. Like one of the picture notes says, simply squeeze the sides and it opens easily.
Cons
- Not quite as natural sounding as advertised, but I doubt you could fault them for that. To the untrained ear you might not even notice a difference in in the sound spectrum
- My unit arrived slightly deformed. The bottom cone on both plugs was squeezed slightly by the packaging meaning it’s not exactly the right shape. Doesn’t seem to affect the performance, but it irks me. Unlikely to happen to everyone but worth noting.