Confronts loud experts (5)
I believe the answer is:
faces
'confronts' is the definition.
('face' can be a synonym of 'confront')
'loud experts' is the wordplay.
'loud' becomes 'f' (short for forte - 'loud' in music).
'experts' becomes 'aces' (ace is a kind of expert).
'f'+'aces'='FACES'
(Other definitions for faces that I've seen before include "With 1a [NEW], TV talent show" , "Confronts" , "Mugs" , "Meets defiantly - moves head accordingly" .)