No, my guy. Louder at the ear and muzzle. With rare exception are flow through silencers more quiet than conventional baffles, regardless of tuned gas. Louder all the way around. Also, heavier too.
Feel free to scroll down the list to Huxworx.
Here's a video that shows the same thing.
What I’m getting at is what this compro below showed. Using a piston and DI host, the dB’s between a flow through and trad can are about the same to that shooter (Flow 556 vs RC2). Not exactly the same, I’m sure (i.e. TBAC’s test), but close enough for government work.
I’m not one to geek out too hard on dB numbers. Differences of about 3-5dB don’t sway me.
The big differentiator in the test is gas to the face (Flow 556 wins) and maybe flash (RC2 wins, but 3D printed cans might spark for a while so that clouds the flash test somewhat). For me, less gas is the priority.
I’m usually wearing double ear pro all of the time (100% of the time in my left ear) and I’m suppressed 100% of the time. A suppressor’s biggest benefit for me is the elimination of most of the concussive effect of firing.
I can see if you’re not wearing ear pro when shooting (you really should, though) that your values would be different.
A weakness of the test I posted is he didn’t seem to tune the piston gun’s gas.
And I don’t think he had an AGB on the DI gun. He DID have an AGB on the DI rifle, but “left it at its factory setting”? Whatever that means. As long as he didn’t change it between the Flow and RC2.
The weight between the RC2 and RC3 is the same, the Flow 556 is an ugly little bastard lol and a flow-through will also expand my gas “choices” or flexibility if I get another upper, one that might be a DI and without a AGB.
If TBAC had a flow-through can at this instant…well, that would make my choice much harder.
In short, I’m not saying you are wrong. I’m just explaining what I value and how I reasoned myself into buying a RC3. I’m probably a dumbass.