We had Astrolites at 'CC, both in the tower and the centre. I had the thinner castellated ear-pads with cloth or tissue 'muffs' and never had a problem, even as a spectacle-wearer. I couldn't thad the thick ear-pads. Several colleagues had sealed ear pads which were like being underwater. It was almost impossible to hear conversations on adjacent sectors. When the unit split into TWR/APP and Area, the aerodrome side got some really rubbish kit, and one pilot asked why tower/approach sounded like the 'medium wave'. The Sennheisers were lighter, but the sound quality was nowhere near as good.