Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

First let me say I have no affiliation with any earplug manufacturer. I am a doctor of audiology. I have spent 40 years of my life trying to protect the hearing of people exposed to loud noise. I have published journal articles on this subject and did my master's thesis on this topic. Further, I am Director of the US largest consumer-test group for hearing aid users. As such I feel my data on the V-MODA Faders(tm) VIP should be considered over many of the favorable opinions given in these reviews. Specifically, the manufacturer of this product states "The V-MODA Faders(tm) VIP reduce harmful noise levels evenly by 12dB* across the spectrum... allowing you to hear music and speech with crystal clarity while protecting your ears." They further claim that "Conventional earplugs often sound muffled and others, including customs, can be positioned too deep within the ear canal compromising the overall sound." None of this is true. Let's start with the claim of equal sound attenuation across frequency: We have a real-ear measurement system that allows us to measure sound attenuation across frequency directly at the eardrum of the listener while taking into account the listener's unique open-ear resonance. Our data on the V-MODA Faders(tm) VIP is shown in Figure 1(available through email provided below) while being worn by one of my assistants. What you see in this figure is a disproportionate decrease in high-frequency gain relative to the low frequencies. This is how every earplug on the market works except for one. In Figure 2(available through email provided below) you see the same data from a musician friend of mine who purchased the Etymotic Research Musicians Earplugs(tm) (see [...]). Specifically, this real-ear measurement was made while my friend was wearing the ER-15s. As you can see these earplugs really do give an even 15 dB attenuation across the frequencies 280 to 16000 kHz. Not everyone can easily afford the custom-made ER-9, 15 or 25's (referring to the amount of real-ear attenuation in dB) which is why Etymotic also makes a non-custom ER-20 which are significantly less expensive, but to my ears less comfortable for over two hours of use. Etymotic Research also manufactures electronic earplugs for those who need to hear really well yet are routinely and repeatedly exposed to dangerously loud blasts. All Etymotic Research products are available at many audiology facilities around the country. Finally, V MODA claims that "Customs... can be positioned too deep within the ear canal compromising the overall sound." This is contrary to the science of acoustics. To achieve the desired equal attenuation across frequency the earplugs need to go deeply into the ears. Under the leadership of founder Dr. Mead Killion, Etymotic Research has produced Musicians Earplugs attenuators for almost 25 years, which are based on a patent by his mentor Elmer Carlson. A deep canal fitting is required to achieve the equal attenuation. If you want to get what the V MODA faders claim to provide, buy the Etymotic Research ER-20 ETY-Plugs Hearing Protection Earplugs which are available from Amazon for ½ the price of the V MODAs and really achieves what V MODA claims to do. Please email rleavitt668@gmail.com if you would like our real-ear data on both types of earplugs.