I’m back! I got a few pairs of universal plugs, Loop Switch 2, Westone TRU Music and Westone TRU Travel, and I also have a pair of Etymotic ER20XS I’ve had for a long while. The Loop can attenuate at various levels, including 20 dB, 23 dB, and 26 dB. The TRU Music attenuate at 10 dB and the TRU Travel attenuate at 7 dB. The Etymotic attenuate at 13 dB.

The Loop Switch 2 are pretty versatile, but also kinda strange. Unlike the other plugs, they are single-flange. This makes getting a good seal not as easy, and even when they do seal, they might not stay sealed as well. Single-flange does make them much more comfortable than other offerings, they wear exactly like standard in-ear monitors. They’re also much more “fashionable” depending on what you subjectively consider to be fashionable. When you wear the Loop, people know you’re wearing them because they announce their presence with a unique shape. The three switchable modes are great! The 23 dB “Experience” mode seems ideal for concerts, with the most balanced quality compared to the 20 dB “Engage” mode and the 26 dB “Quiet” mode. The Engage mode would be adequate for everyday use if you’re getting around a city and wanted enough spatial awareness whilst also making things more comfortably quiet. The Quiet mode dampens the upper end by a lot, and sound quality is terrible when using them. Quiet mode would be ideal for sleep or focus.

The Westone TRU plugs are triple-flange tips with slightly different acoustic filters. They are both pretty great, and they both come with two sizes of silicone plugs in the box, but only one pair of acoustic filters (you can remove the filter and put it in the size of your choice). Not as comfortable as the Loops, but I’m also more confident in their seal and they are also much more discreet. You could wear these plugs without people knowing you have ear plugs in. The 7 dB Travel are great as “everyday” plugs, with enough attenuation that you can hear everything around you well enough, but attenuated enough to make louder sounds more comfortable and take the edge off. I would not wear these at concerts though, unless you’re going to a small concert that won’t be very loud. The Travel plugs would be fantastic for use in a busy office though. As for the 10 dB Music plugs, they sound very natural and would be pretty good for use at concerts, but that’s assuming the concert isn’t going to be playing too loud for too long.

The Etymotic ER20XS… I hate these things. These are the ear plugs that made me think all universal ear plugs must suck. Before I had my custom-moulded plugs I had these, and even though I had these I would always opt for foam plugs. I won’t even try to talk about the sound quality, I cannot wear them long enough to enjoy music because I’m too distracted by the pain in my ears to enjoy a concert.

Here’s what I’ve learned: universal ear plugs can actually be pretty comfy! The ER20XS are just horribly stiff and my ears hate them.