I will not shoot any of my crossbows without them now. When we were at Dan's place I dry-fired the bow and Dan and Mike and I think Alton were yapping away and the noise did not get their attention. Dave(Xbowking) was slack-jawed in amazement. After the shot I was looking for my arrow in the target. The noise isn't much more than a normal shot. This is a positive indication that the STS absorbs the excess energy on a dry-fire which should help in protecting the bow limbs. The noise factor is a big thing for me. I hear loud noises all day and don't want to hear the annoying noise of a crossbow without silencing efforts when I am not at work.