Ah, you're an auditory person. I agree on wanting to hear, but I need to see as well. It might have something to do with the stereotypical "guys are visual" thing, but I don't really know. While the 'lee not being able to see the attacker is a good thing sometimes, the kind of mask I'd want is too large; I'd not want any of my face seen, and that would be boring. =P
The begging element, though, is a thing of beauty when done right. It's very hard to find begging that is totally real and not artificially induced by the 'lee, so when it appears, it is grand.