Etymotic Research ER6i Isolator In-Ear Earphones (Black)
by Etymotic Research
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List Price: Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Etymotic Research ER6i Isolator In-Ear Earphones (Black)
Customer Review: great earbuds, but many misconceptions
Summary: 5 Stars
The process of finding earbuds that looked like the right buy to me was a long and slow process. I finally settled on the er6i and am very happy with my decision. I was hesitant to make my purchase because of some negative aspects I read in some of the reviews and is what I am going to address in my review.
First off, I like my music loud. With these earbuds my rock-out level is about 30% of my iPod Touch's volume meter. This is a decrease from 60% max volume from my previous earbuds. When I talk about music quality and volume in my review, please take into account that I am listening at what I consider ear-poppingly loud music at only 30% of an iPod's max volume.
--What other reviewers said--
"You can hear the cables loudly when they brush against clothing."
"You can't hear the music over your breathing."
While these in-ear canal earbuds do amplify the above sounds, the problem is overblown. In the case of breathing sounds, I have to make a VERY loud hum to create a volume that approaches 1/2 of the music volume. A nearly inaudible breathing sound can be heard in -silent- parts of music. However, I do not use these earbuds to workout with because when you have them in you cannot hear ANY external sounds. I believe this is an extreme hazard in an outside jogging or inside gym environment. I simulated heavy breathing and some in-place jogging for the review, and can report that the breathing is still nearly inaudible as are heavy footsteps.
The reported cable issue is also overblown. If knocked around violently, the cables do create some dull popping sounds, but the problem is only in the first 6" of cable if used properly. The earbuds come with an included shirt clip that I'm assuming many reviewers have removed. The shirt clip keeps the cable from jostling and acts as an anchor for vibrations. Without the shirt clip, rustling sounds occur frequently and the created sounds are distracting. With the shirt clip rustling sounds are infrequent (unless you are a head-banger) and very little of the cable will actually cause sound to be created.
"The earbuds don't fit into my ears."
"The earbuds hurt my ears."
"I cannot get the earbuds out once they are in my ear!"
"The earbuds broke just by trying to get them out of my ears."
"I cannot get a proper seal most of the time or at all."
Again, I believe these problems are caused by inproper usage of the supplied equipment. However, I believe Etymotic's own instructions have caused these problems for other reviewers. After having the earbuds for a few days and experiencing some of the above problems myself, I decided to try alternative methods for inserting the earbuds. As can be seen from the pictures, the earbuds are tapered. This means that unless your ear canal is smaller than the smallest part of the taper or larger than the largest part of the taper then the earbuds will fit you. But Etymotic's way of inserting the earbuds causes problems. They inform you to pull up on your ear as you insert the earbud. This makes your ear canal larger, and thus you insert the earbud too far into the canal. Instead, you should just slowly insert the earbud without any distortion of the ear canal until the tapered earbud is just snug in your ear canal. I cannot urge enough to do this slowly, you must feel out the direction of your ear canal and insert the earbud straight into that direction, just jamming it in any way will not create the perfect seel. Getting them in just right is much easier than it sounds, slipping in the earbuds slowly gives you ample time to feel your way in.
This insertion method solves many problems. First of all, it is much more comfortable to insert, wear and remove the earbuds. Since the earbuds are not as deep in your ear canal, the taper is not putting nearly as much pressure and thus not causing any painful feeling. Since you aren't deforming the shape of your ear canal while inserting, it is much easier to create a perfect seal, since I started using this method I've had a 100% success rate of getting a perfect seal. Removing the earbuds is also much easier because they are not jammed into your ear canal, thus the amount of force needed to remove them is less and the earbud has a little bit more protruding from the ear to get a hold of to remove it. Since it is easier to remove, I have very little fear that I will damage the earbud trying to remove it as other reviewers have.
"The er6i's amount of bass disappoints me."
Not everyone likes the same bass, much less quantity of bass. To keep it simple, I think there are two groups of bass lovers. The first are those who like a strong "pop" and then the others who like "sloppy rumble." In my experience, bass producing equipment either does one or the other well but the other poorly. My own tastes fit into the strong "pop" category because I believe most of the artists I listen to create music for such bass (Radiohead, NIN, Flaming Lips, etc). The er6i does a magnificent job producing that strong "pop" cleanly and loudly. These earbuds create the strongest and cleanest "pop" I have ever heard from such tiny instruments. That said, they do not do a very good "sloppy rumble." So do some soul searching and figure out what category you fit into.
Customer Review: Great IEM's for the price. Period
Summary: 5 Stars
MY QUICK BACKGROUND:
- Audiophile
- Musician
- Tech Geek
After my first decent set of headphones (Sennheiser PX100)
way back when, I've loved listening to music so much more!
I've always strived to find speakers, headphones, earphones, and in-ear
headphones to satisfy my appetite for great sound from my audio devices.
FULL IN-DEPTH REVIEW:
Bought the Etymotic ER-6i after weeks of research and contemplation.
And I wouldn't hesitate to order another pair!
Among my all-time favorites up there with the Sennheiser PX100 (first-gen)
Sennheiser IE8, and the Klipsch Image S2 and S4.
These are some of the BEST IEM's you can get under $200 (even though they're selling
for $70-$80 right now. They retail for $150)
The sound is balanced through-out, not bass heavy or treble high, which can be irritating.
I use these with an iPod Touch 3rd Gen and Zune HD, and I'd have to say, these are among the
best sounding/priced upgrade for today's mp3/mp4 players!
SOUND: *(10 out of 10)*
The sound on the Etymotic ER-6i IEM's are very balanced, crisp, and clear.
Even though most people would prefer Monster Beats, or the Klipsch S2 or S4
for their emphasis on bass and lows, the Etymotic ER-6i's have great bass response.
It's there, you just don't feel it as much. But then again, it depends on what kind
of music you are going to listen to. If you're into hip-hop, techno, or other bass
heavy music, then the Monster and Klipsch IEM's may be the way to go.
Regardless of your choice of music, the Etymotic ER-6i can handle it all!
Techno beats are punchy and balanced with the mids and highs, and extended
bass notes are well handled.
These IEM's are VERY crisp and clear, and handle lows, mids, and highs very well.
The noise isolation: 35-42dB, means you won't need to turn up the volume on your
audio player too much. But be warned, these should NOT be used when biking on the street
or any other similar activity cause you WILL NOT hear cars or other possible dangers.
These should also NOT be used when driving, it's illegal anyways.
Also, I HATE when either you can hear other people's music (i.e: iPod earbuds)
or if people can hear my music! Closed back/Sealed headphones, earphones, and IEM's
seal in the music, and keep out unwanted noise pollution in small rooms or crowded buses
for minimal disturbance, and no distractions from other people!
When riding the subway, USUALLY i need to turn up the volume real high because the train
is VERY noisy, reaching noise levels up to 115db! With the Etymotic ER-6i's, I can set my
volume to a reasonable level without the shrieking of the train tracks!
COMFORT AND FIT: (8 out of 10)
Slipping these IEM's in your ear canal isn't exactly easy or that comfortable, but it does ensure
top notch noise cancellation and enhanced audio response. I use the triple-flange tips mainly, but
prefer the seal and comfort of the foam tips. The provided tips work great, but I recommend the
"Shure Black Olives" A.K.A "Shure Black Foam Sleeves" for the BEST comfort, seal, and durability.
*Foam tips need to be replaced every so often, and the Shure tips last up to 6 months, and with proper
cleaning and reusage, longer than that.
BUILD QUALITY: (9 out of 10)
These IEM's are VERY small and low profile, making great for on-stage performances.
The cable is a decent length - 5ft. They don't make that much microphonic noise.
Barely ANY from wind noise or cable friction. The cables DO seem a bit skinny, but they are
quite durable!
OVERALL:
SOUND: 10
COMFORT: 8
BUILD: 9
RECOMMENDED? YES! I highly recommend this to anyone looking to upgrade from their iPod, iPhone, Zune, or other
MP3 player earbuds.
THANKS FOR READING!!!
-DNebab2890
Customer Review: Wonderful, but not until after a few weeks
Summary: 5 Stars
When I was in High School about 10 years ago, I bought a pair of Sony MDR-V600 and was blown away by how clean my music sounded compared to a life of using cheap headphones. After a few weeks of use, these ER6i earphones made me feel the same way.
When they arrived and I tried them out for the first time, I was very badly disappointed. It seemed that everything sounded "Muddy" compared to what I'm used to. It was hard to pick out individual sounds in a complex scene.
However I let them play loud music sitting on my desk overnight to try to 'break them in'. That helped a lot and they no longer sounded awful, but even the next day I still wasn't terribly impressed.
But after having them for about two weeks now, I think they sound better than anything else I've ever used (though I don't consider myself an audiophile and have never spent more than $120 on a pair of headphones).
I have noticed that they will expose flaws in my source music or players. One example is with my second generation Ipod Nano. If I have the Equalizer on the Ipod turned to any setting other than "Off", there will be a clipping like distortion in the audio. I had never noticed that with other headphones. It actually took me a while to figure out it was the Equalizer setting that was causing the problem -- initially I thought it was bad source files or the earphones themselves. Turning off the equalizer solved that problem.
Another problem is that some of my MP3 source files really are crap. Some of the MP3s that I don't encode myself from CDs can sometimes sound really bad and muddy, even when I can't tell the difference with other headphones. These are generally lower bitrate (128kbps) than I use when I encode files myself. Sometimes they just sound 'wrong' in a strange way that I don't know how to describe. So using these headphones try to be careful about your source quality.
I only realized a few nights ago that these sound so much better than anything else I've used. I was listening to REM's "Automatic For the People" album, which is something I've listened to many times over the past 15 years, and know fairly well. With the ER6i's, I was hearing details in the music that surprised me and I had never noticed before.
I think the greatest asset of these headphones is the dynamic range. Because of the noise blocking, you can set the volume where it's the right loudness for the majority of the music, but during the very quiet parts of the song, you can still pick out all of the detail.
I've noticed that on my Ipod, I can actually set the volume setting to the absolute lowest (one single click above muted) and I can still hear the music fairly well. And when I'm trying to relax with some gentle background music, I now sometimes like listening at that volume.
One caveat about these headphones is that they can be uncomfortable after wearing them for a long time. I feel like over the past few weeks I've gotten used to that a lot, but even now, if I have them in for more than a few hours, they tend to get uncomfortable enough that I want to take them out. Hopefully I'll continue to get used to them and this will get better.
I think these are great headphones if you're willing to take give them a bit of time. Maybe it's "break in", and maybe it's me getting better at inserting them correctly. I suppose a small part of it might be cognitive dissonance where I'm trying to convince myself that it was a good deal for the $80.
In any case, I'm glad I bought them.
Customer Review: Etymotic ER6i; Now burp proof!
Summary: 5 Stars
At the light suggestion of a fellow Amazonian, I decided to follow his advice of making this the title of my review for these earphones. I had a thread going on in which I was desperately searching for (affordable) headphones that would block out the sound of the annoying belches, food smacking, finger nail clipping and the constant sound of spoons clattering against bowls as morning folks eat cereal at their desks at work. While the food smacking and finger nail clipping were drowned out by my existing headphones, the burps seemed to come right through.
I've tried multiple tricks such as using ear plugs in conjunction with my headphones, but that was not much help. If anything using this method resulted me in turning up my music so loud that other coworkers could hear my music and tell me it was too loud. I would always leave work frustrated, annoyed and many times with a splitting headache and dreaded the next day would be more of the same. Well after months of searching I found a couple of sets I was very happy with in both the price and performance and these are one of those sets. I was a little apprehensive about the small size of these headsets because I was always under the impression that size equated to quality and to get quality sound you need to get huge over the ear headsets. This could not be further from the truth. These tiny ear phones greatly out perform my previous over the ear sets in completely blocking outside noise. Even without music, they do an exceptional job in blocking most sounds and for this reason I use them at home too to block out the annoying mouse clicks of the computer in the computer area when I'm trying to watch TV, or play a game. For louder sounds like burping, music should be played for maximum effectiveness. However unlike my over the ear sets, the music can be still be played at a reasonable and comfortable volume and still effectively block out all but the loudest sounds. In fact, while music is being played, I do not hear one burp, one finger nail clip, one smack or any other annoying work sound. I can't even hear the voices of my coworkers even if they are right next to me. A side effect of this is that its quite easy for people to sneak up on me when I'm into my work only to be startled when I happen to turn around and they are standing right there.
These earphones come with two sets of differently sized flanged silicon tips as well as foam tips. I've tried both and to me either one does a phenomenal job in blocking out sound. However in my case, I find the flanged tips a little more comfortable and they seem to provide a better seal. Of course your mileage will vary. The silicon tips get gunked up pretty good with earwax so I recommend regular cleanings. If I HAD to list a complaint, then all I can really say is that they sometimes tend to make my ears itch a little, but not so bad where I find them uncomfortable. In addition to the additional tips these also come with a small and handy carrying case to prevent them from being tangled up or damaged as you carry them around. There is enough space for the headphones themselves as well as all the extra tips.
Sound quality is pretty good and provides true stereo sound but I do notice a slight lack of bass, but after a few minutes of playing this no longer seems to be a problem. In either case when I'm at work I'm not as concerned as the amount of bass as I am about being able to work in peace; this is the main reason I purchased these headphones and they do that job VERY well.
Customer Review: Excellent Earphones at Ridiculously Good Price
Summary: 5 Stars
I've owned these for a couple weeks now and used them nearly constantly, both while working, walking, and just for focused listening (no distractions).
Directly before buying these I bought ~$650 worth of earphones from BB and listened to them all on various songs, many of the models were in the $120-$150 range [I told BB I was buying with the intention of trying them out and returning them, they were okay with that]. None of them came close to the ER6i's in my opinion. The fullness and clarity of these earphones is simply excellent. I'm also a big fan of the three tip flange design (I didn't expect to like it, but they're very comfortable).
Also, kind of minor, but the carrying case is very nice, small, simple, and useful.
Couple notes:
1: these do go deep into the ear and have less bulk than similar phones to grab, so (a) be sure to grab the actual driver housing and not the cord (b) if you have bigger ear canals (like me :) then the default ear flanges may be so small that you can put the phone so deep into your ear that it's a little difficult to get out. Not a huge issue, just be aware of the fact and try on the other tip sizes (the foam should work for you if nothing else). One reviewer mentioned he broke his, presumably for this reason.
2: they *seem* a bit fragile. I've had them a short while, but I'm careful not to accidentally tug on the cords, more so than I have been with past earphones. That's just an impression, I still use them all the time.
3: the shirt clip is pretty useless for me. It sits low on the cord, below the point where the cord bifurcates, as such you can't comfortable clip it to your collar (there's too much cord slack following it for that). It's fine if you wear a button up shirt or something similar, but I find it quite useless. That's my one complaint.
Anyway, these are great earphones. A huge step up from anything that you'd buy at your typical electronics store. I often turn the bass down when listening (personal taste), but they do not have the ridiculous bass over-representation you see in most mass-oriented earphones [I listen to diverse genres including some bass heavy techno and modern as well as bass-light choral and classical].
I've recently ordered the ER-4P's (I was so impressed with etymotic's work on the 6i's that I was willing to invest in the stronger version), so I'll update with a comparison later.
But if you want a excellent pair of earphones with great volume and a crisp clarity I highly recommend these. I believe they would especially make an excellent stepping stone for those who want to investigate the finer points of their music collection if they've been listening on cheap pre-packaged "earbuds" or skullcandy earphones (I loved my skull candy earphones when I got them, and they were great for what they were, but the 6i's are on a completely different level; I couldn't go back).
One other note: I got mine through Amazon for ~$50, but, again, these hands down outperform the $150 range earphones I listened to. (In particular they far surpass the Klipsch Image S4's I'd been using for a few weeks before hand - I promptly returned the Klipsch S4's after getting the Etymotic 6is.)