The volume reduction is very good with this mute, which is what I was looking for (my family and neighbors thought this was very good too). It also is a great help in highlighting intonation deficiencies. However, there is a huge amount of resistance when playing - too much. The mute changes the whole way your horn plays - with the mute in I can get high notes that I wouldn't usually be able to get and after about a week or so of playing with this mute in I find it hard to play without it.