They tend to slip out a bit, and they have to be lodged in quite solidly to totally block out the sound but they are as discreet as they can be and do the job. I still had the "post club ringing" in my ears afterwards - but at a much lower level, so they don't totally block out all dangerous sounds but they do significantly reduce them, also, you can hear people quite easily in the club when they talk. I will be using these for life, until they come up with a more transparent version. Years of raving/clubbing without them has given me very low level tinnitus and i'm not going to let it get any worse. Yes, these are not bad at all.