Now, in this warren of rooms, except for the muffled sound of the crowd above, the only sound was the whooshing of an underground stream, redirected here from Roman times for irrigation and cleaning.

FORBES: Seeing The Colosseum As The Gladiators Did

Performers wore wireless microphones, not hidden inside their costumes, where the sound would be muffled, but outside, in full view, as close as possible to their mouths.

WSJ: Les Mis��rables | Hugh Jackman | Anne Hathaway | Russell Crowe | A 'Les Mis��rables' Whose Intimacy Is Front-Row Center | By Joe Morgenstern

The fire crackles like a straw broom on cobblestones, but the only sound from Henry is the muffled slap of his coat sleeves.

NPR: Excerpt: 'Woodsburner'

In a move we truly appreciate, the company placed the two speakers on the front of the device, so the sound won't get muffled if you set it down on a table.

ENGADGET: Kobo Arc tablet hands-on (video) Hands-on

As the hearse drew away, the half-muffled bells of St Paul's began to ring, the solemnity of the sound hanging in the air.

BBC: Margaret Thatcher: the end of an era

Unfortunately for anyone hoping to get a sense of the PSS110's sound quality, though, the speakers are not exposed, so the best one will hear is a muffled version of what the device can output.

ENGADGET: Switched On: Philips PSS110, The Little Boombox That Can't