We recently received a pair of downbeats earplugs which could not have been better timed. This would be perfect for our Solids (a very loud next coming of dinosaur Junior from Canada) concert in San Francisco. Downbeats claims to be high fidelity hearing protectors whose catchphrases cut the noise keep the sound. They are reusable, low-profile, 18 dB reduction, small and good.
They are easy to use simply gently push them to give them a slight twist until the flanges seal the ear canal. The downbeat come in a cool little metallic case which can be attached to your key chain for the avid concert nerd. The Haight Street club was a small echo chamber so the downbeat's were worth their weight in gold. I'm a stickler for fidelity especially at live shows so I would only give these a short chance and if they did not live up to their claims I would've chucked them ASAP. But they really did enhance the live experience and actually made the band sound even better. We give the downbeat's a Nerd Stalker thumbs up, you can get more information downbeats.com.