phattioMy issue with the Etymotic's (and most other music earplugs) is the way they fit with the triple-flange design. In order to get a good seal, they were protruding way too deep into my ear, creating pain/discomfort. Or else they wouldn't seal at all. The shorter design of the Alpine's worked much better. Your mileage may vary, but that's my experience. When I did seem to have a seal with the Etymotics, I wasn't impressed with how much they did distort the music, considering the Etymotic's are supposed to among the best. My previous pair of Alpine's (classic version, IIRC) with the lightest filter in created the best concert experience for me. To my ears, the Alpine's are the most comfortable music earplugs of the several that I've tried. Plus, they're not super obvious. I haven't received my Massdrop order yet, but I'm expecting these to live up to my high expectations from my last pair.