Music Pro and Music Pro Elite Electronic Earplugs by Etymotic: Verification Measurements

[@GeekOfAudio]

Very helpful, thank you! I'm both an audiologist and a professional musician, and have been trying to decide between the Pro and Elite. Not sure if this has been mentioned already, but Etymotic informed me that the compression threshold on the Elite is set at 60dB, whereas the Pro is 70dB. I'm leaning toward the Elite for this reason, although it's a bit unnerving to know that the attenuation was not as consistent as with the Pros..

[@lucgrillet5972]

your vids are awesome, literally cant thank u enough!!

[@TunedCare]

Glad you like them!

[@christianyanez2449]

I own the Music Pro Elite, I have used it as a drummer and guitarist in band context. Main advantage of the Elite version, a side of being rechargable, is it won't clip, there is a known issue with the Music Pro clipping with loud cymbals which ruins the whole experience, they fixed that on the Elite version. The amplification on the high level is very noticeable when people talking, you can hear them better, even better than with naked ears, I believe that's the main purpose of this and works as intended. There is a bit of hissing if you try them in a quite ambience, but in a loud environment you won't hear it. The Elite version are very recommendable, they are very transparent, not perfect, but probably the best thing I have tried and I've tried a bunch of passives ear plugs for musicians.

[@RafaelSax]

Hello Dr. Laura Sinnott, thank you for the very nice video. Would you recommend other alternative like this one, since this is out of stock. Thanks, Rafael

[@dnem7762]

Thank you so much for this info. I am a guitarist in a classic rock band in BC Canada that developed extreme tinnitus post Covid. I tried the adaptive transparency mode in my AirPod pro 2’s at a gig. I expected great things but my tinnitus was worse for 3 days afterwards. I am undecided whether to go for the music pro’s or the 3d me’s. Cost in not an issue when it comes to my hearing. How do the two compare in terms of quality and engagement? Thx again, your content is pretty unique.

[@leonbarron368]

Hey! In the same aituation as you so was curious what you went for and how're getting on with them?

[@mindseye4914]

Very well made video but I am struggling still. I was thinking that MPE would be the answer to my concert woes. Currently I'm destroying the experience with foam earplugs where the entire audio spectrum of guitar tones and bass and drums just turns into an oatmeal of sound atrocity. I was hoping that MPE would solve that. But it doesn't seem like thats the case. QUESTION: Which active earplugs would you recommend that protect hearing but also let pass through a balanced frequency range where I can hear the notes and tones clearly but at a much lower volume? Would love to get your recommendation, price point not being an issue.

[@joeychee1544]

Thanks so much for this in-depth review. I wonder if it makes much sense to compare these electronic earplugs to something like the AirPods Pro 2? Certainly they have different target users, but is there not enough overlap to provoke a comparison?

[@TunedCare]

Oo that will happen when more hearing protection features are released with the APP2! However, right now the Airpods Pro 2 do not have enough overlap to compare. See my other videos on whether Airpods Pro Gen 2 can be used as earplugs. Quick answer - as of now (April 2023), the Airpods Pro Gen 2 only kicks into gear AFTER 85 dB (SPL?) and not even all sounds are attenuated.

[@donaldcoulter1297]

Hi, Thanks for your review. I have a few questions so I appreciate your patience. I work as an Electronic tech riding subway trains. I'm 65 with substantial hearing loss from age and environmental issues. I need to be able to block as much sound as possible. How does the MPE mode compare to foam ear plugs? From your chart it looks like at 2000Hz the SPL is reduced by appx 30Db, which is about the same as ear plugs. Does that make sense? I'd like to turn 1 or 2 of them off to momentarily hear conversation. How long is the stem that holds the flanged or foam adapter. Do flanged or foam work better for noise reduction? I find the foam more comfortable as the flanged can hurt my ears after a long time. Thanks again.

[@reflection1119]

Thanks for this. One of the only videos on these product I could find. Whilst I'm very keen to protect my ears (and limit the chances of my tinnitus worsening), it would also be great to know how you perceived the sound quality to be with either of these earbuds. Did the music sound balanced and natural when the earplugs were worn and in different attenuation modes?

[@TunedCare]

That's why I made this video! Very niche but for those who are wondering, it's important. Sound quality - in my opinion, better fidelity than a passive earplug, but there IS compression so it's not as natural in terms of dynamic range compared to passive earplugs. @reflection111

[@reflection1119]

@@TunedCare thank you. That's very helpful. I ended up getting the music pro but will pick up some passive plugs to see what I prefer. Minuendo plugs seem interesting as they are passive but have passive attention.

[@nhuguenin]

A review based on actual data! Great job! Thank you! Would have loved some objective measurements of the impulse responses, though. As a drummer, I'm always on the hunt for the "perfect" earplug and I had tried the "promising" Music Pro (non-Elite) in 2015. The kick-in reaction of the limiter was too slow for live drums: I'd still hear most of the transients untamed (cymbals and snare) and it would cut right after it... The result was an aggressive choppy sound, unmusical to say the least, and useless in my case scenario. I wasn't expecting this poor behavior in an expensive product from a company that allegedly also offers gun blast ear protection. Great idea, bad implementation. It was a long time ago though, so maybe they updated their product since then? Does this match your experience? Could the Elite be any better in this aspect?

[@TunedCare]

Hi Nicolas, no, the Elite won't be much different in terms of the limiter and compressors. The Etymotic engineers told me that the compression attack/release time is 5 ms attack with an adaptive release time. They also explained that the "Blast Protection" means "the maximum output of the device is limited to about 115 dB SPL." So yes - transients of up to 115 dB SPL will still come through. I'm pretty sure you'll be happy with the 3DME by ASI Audio x Sensaphonics. I just inquired about the specifics of the limiter attack time. You control the threshold of the limiter. We'll let you know when we hear back. A note - the best music audiologists are available for consultations through Tuned! @Nicolas A. Huguenin

[@nhuguenin]

@@TunedCare Thank you very much for the extra data! It does match my experience and fully dissipate my doubts. I didn't know about the 3DME, will check it out and yes please, let me/us know when you get actual figures from ASI...

[@humblebeginnings4434]

@@nhuguenin did you get a chance to try 3DME and, if so, how did you find its kick-in reaction time + fidelity when compared to the MusicPro and/or other models you've used? Thanks in advance.

[@nhuguenin]

@@humblebeginnings4434 No, I did not. They're not that easy to come by around here, and I couldn't really justify the heafty price tag. I've sticked with passive earplugs (or wired KZ with triple flange tips for IEM situations)

[@waltergaleazzi]

Hello, thanks for the information. Up to what volume can we use them being safe? when the volume is at 110 db, how much we receive in our ears using the music pro elite?

[@luigimario4458]

Sorry but who's the doctor in the video?

[@jeffbellin8224]

I'm wondering, in terms of keeping music sounding natural, with all the harmonic structure and dynamic range kept as intact as possible, are these better than a good pair of custom passive earplugs for musicians?

[@jeffbellin8224]

@drlaurasinnot Thank you so much for the detailed response. My health insurance covers hearing aids but not earplugs, as though forestalling damage isn't important. (I was recently diagnosed with a form of duplicusus binauralis). The 3DME are $800, compared to the Music Pro Elite at $400. The latter are offered with a 30-day money back guarantee, so they may be worth trying. I imagine that the 3DME, with what looks like an external power supply, would be the best dynamically. That's often the case in audio. I have tried three off- the-shelf earplugs thus far. The Loop Experience Plus (Pro) were pretty bad in my ears - dynamics, tonality, and higher end just completely squashed. The Earos One rolled off quite a bit and the rest of the frequency spectrum was uneven and even let it some distortion (and only supply two size tips). The Decibullz Professional model wasn't bad. Was the most musical, so to speak, but still rolls off quite a bit on top, losing sonic air and some overtones. I have dealt with an audiologist who works with musicians, but is currently seriously backed up and difficult to reach. Also, which type is going to be better for a singer? Earplugs seem to give me an odd sense of my voice.

[@jeffbellin8224]

I am now trying the Music Pro Elite. First off, it's mostly better than the Decibullz in that it provides better tonal balance top to bottom. It's relatively more open on top, for one, not overly killing the top end the way the three passive earplugs I tried did. That being said, there ARE some odd things about listening through these. And I'm testing these through a fairly high-end hifi system. 1) The top end is still a slightly rolled off. It still doesn't maintain the air on top of the sonic soundstage. 2) The end sounds tinny. It's the type of thing I'd ordinarily attribute to poor digital sound. 3) Frequency response seems a bit uneven. And I can hear the dynamics being pushed and pulled a bit. Softer passages along with the noise floor, is pulled up a bit at times. And it amplifies odd low level ambient sounds when the room is quiet, although this is rarely an issue. 4) These earplugs reduce presence and bloom in the lows and lower mids to a noticeable degree. It may be due to the compression selected by the design team. 5) They don't preserve the natural soundstage. My speakers (Reynaud Cantabile Jubilé are terrific at recreating 3-dimensional soundstages, placing images specifically within it). The Music Pro Elite mushes that up a bit. So they lack some precision a good musician might want. So overall, I'd rather listen through these than any of the passive earplugs I have mentioned elsewhere, they're not entirely satisfying either. They're tonally decent, better overall than passive ones. One other major plus over passive ones is that you can hear voice and room ambience. That's a big one for singers. I saw a pair of returned ASI 3DME on Amazon for over $100 off so I'll give them a try. For concert-going, they may be overkill and/or too much to futz with. We'll see.

[@massiollahwarez8894]

Is this for sleeping?

[@alexd3159]

Wanted to buy these for raves but apparently the decibals go up to 120. Will I get a significant distortion at 105db with the music pro elite?

[@alexd3159]

Thank you so much for your response Dr! So the distortion is more of a problem with the music pro vs elite. Also appreciate the recommendation, but at nearly 800 dollars it’s seems a bit expensive in case something happens to them at the concert! Is it really that much better than the music elite pro. In terms of passive protection I have tried eargasm and I really don’t like it. It’s like a muffled experience for me. Is custom passive a lot better? Thank you so much for your help.

[@TunedCare]

@@alexd3159 Great question. Custom passive will be better than Eargasm (or any over-the-counter universal fit earplug) because the filter is a bit more balanced (doesn't reduce QUITE as much of the high end) and you can choose a 15 dB filter, whereas most OTC earplugs reduce more than that. It will be a step up, and they will fit you snug as a bug (in a rug do they say?) so they'll feel super comfortable. However it won't feel like you have nothing in your ears, you'll notice the high end roll-off. The Music Pro and Music Pro Elite will definitely maintain the high end, but I'm still weary you'll notice distortion at levels that high! Also, seal and fit is crucial which is harder to guarantee with the Music Pros. It's a tough decision! Remember to get your hearing checked so you can identify permanent changes. Ask your employer (if you have one) if you have a hearing benefit (and remind them to talk to Tuned if they don't).

[@alexd3159]

Oh great I will look into custom passive some more. Last question lol I’m just wondering if you have any idea what the difference is between the music pro elite and the noizebarrier micro high by Otto. The two products nearly look identical and I don’t believe the noizebarrier micro is made for music..