Yamaha silent brass tuba mute

[BopEuph]

I once borrowed a first generation euph mute 20 years ago, but I think my thoughts still stand:

Is using headphones vs earbuds with this device better for ear/hearing health?

This is more personal preference. Hearing health will deal more with volume than anything else. Personally, I use in-ear monitors for gigs, but I don't really like to use them when I don't need to. "Cans" just look ridiculous; and, let's face it, stage performances are largely visual. IEMs start giving me minor earaches; and especially when I try to use them for hardcore exercising. Pressure seems to build up in them when I overheat. Also, IEMs can give a similar feeling you get when you plug an ear while playing--i.e., you hear as much of the buzz as you will the instrument's sound.

I like over-ear headphones vs. on-the-ear, mainly because my earlobes feel crushed after some time.

Which model is preferred? Can you add a little reverb?

I haven't kept up with the models, but yes, you can add reverb. The first generation had a few hall profiles, like "recital hall" and "cathedral" and "performance hall," which all just basically added a longer tail and room size. Looks like there's a few more features now, and the reverb is just a knob where you can dial in as much or as little as you like.

If you had/have one, what are your pros and cons as related to my comments above?

For me, I borrowed one for a month while in college, as my classmate wasn't using it much. I ended up with the same experience: after about a week, the novelty of the headphone amp wore off, and I just used it as a traditional practice mute; as in, I just popped the mute in and practiced as normal. You can hear enough to play it unamplified. The downside is that it's significantly heavier than, say, a Dennis Wick practice mute.

I've thought about getting one nowadays; but not for practicing, but to "electrify" my horn. Mute as much of the acoustic sound, and I can run the instrument through some processors. The thing that caused me to not even bother is it's pretty darn expensive for what it is, and I'd want to gut one and upgrade the microphone.

All in all, if I just wanted a practice mute, I'd get a Dennis Wick.