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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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Etymotic Research ER6i Isolator In-Ear Earphones (Black)
Customer Review: No Fake Bass, All Real Sound
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a first time I have ever written a review for any product, so this is a pretty big deal for me. I was skeptical when I first heard about these headphones, despite all the rave reviews. I never thought earphones could perform very well at this price, but I was blown away when I got them.
First the downside that I encountered: it was, at first hard to figure out how to put these things on. Etymotic has a guide online for putting these on, but I was not able to follow too well, so I replaced the flanged eartips with the foam ones and found them much easier to use. At first I felt uncomfortable with shoving the earphones that deep into my ears, faring that it would damage my ears. I eventually found out how to put them on, slowly putting them into my ears until I felt a good seal. I found better bass with the flanged eartips than with the foam ones, but found the foam eartips much more comfortable.
For people who need to be very alert of their surroundings, these headphones isolate tons of noise. I used to own a pair of top of the line JBL noise-canceling headphones, but these block out way more noise. I would only recommend wearing these when you're sitting around your room, in an airplane, or in the subway and other excessively loud areas where using these would prevent you from turning the volume to earshattering levels. Not recommended for people who walk around at night or walk around the streets a lot, being that they may pose a safety issue.
An issue that many would consider a "problem" would be the bass that these things give off; I believe that the way in which consumer headphones are marketed have us fooled that the bass response is the entire point of listening to music; I think otherwise. Music producers blend all these sounds to create music, and if one only wants to hear bass, then there is no point in blending all these other sounds that make music, not just bass.
That said, I'm not the average consumer (I expect a lot of the products I buy and usually test them to their limits), but I also am not an audiophile who does studio recording. I found extreme clarity with these headphones; I was able to hear all the frequencies produced by the music and discovered new sounds that I have never heard before. They performed in all levels, crisp clear highes, warm mids and well defined, not over exaggerated, bass. In essence, these headphones allow one to hear the songs the way they were meant to be heard. I have a Sony Walkman A818, an awesome mp3 player with very flat response. These headphones have brought this mp3 player to its true potential. I have owned very bad $5 Koss headphones to the noise cancelling JBL s510, which were excellent headphones, but overall, I would pick these pairs over them any day. The fact that these are only around 80 dollars, I think the price is amazing; comparing to headphones of a supposed similar caliber, for example, Skullcandy Full Metal Jacket, which I own, these are the best value premium eadphones you can get. For this I happily give this product 5 stars.
Customer Review: Can't go wrong with these!
Summary: 5 Stars
I got these a few weeks ago and have probably already gone well past the "burn-in" stage so I figured I would make a review about these headphones.
The first time I put the headphones on, they were very uncomfortable. I almost ended up sending them back to Amazon (even packed it up in the box again) but I decided to give them another shot. I'm happy I did.
Regarding the comfort, you might feel uncomfortable if it's your first deep-insertion in ear monitor, which it was for me. After a few days I got used to it and now, while I can still feel that they are in my ears, it's easy to wear them for hours on end, which is great for studying. There are two tri-flange tips, some foam tips and some single-flange tips so there's probably something that'll be comfortable for you. There is also a handy pouch, though it would be nicer if it were a hard case instead to offer more protection.
The durability is the one concerns I have with these headphones. I was astonished to see how thin the wires are. It feels as if you could rip the wires apart with your hands (if you can, I don't want to know). However, judging by the reports of ER6-i's that are going strong after a few years, and the fact that it's pretty easy to replace the cables if needed (if you are good at soldering), makes it seem better. The thin wires can be irritating if you wear the headphones over the ear, however, because they are so light that they won't stay seated on your ears if you don't put any tension on them. There is a shirt clip provided that will solve this problem but at times the wires can still slip off over your ears. It's not a huge concern but it can happen.
Now the most important aspect: the sound. Coming off of a pair of cheap Creative EP-630 in ears, these things are like heaven. I can hear instruments in my songs that I have never heard before. These headphones are very sensitive so it doesn't take much to drive them. They sound great even off of an iPod. There isn't much bass either, but what is there is quick and tight. No muddiness anywhere from these headphones. Vocals and guitar sound absolutely phenomenal from these as well. There is an incredible amount of fidelity with these headphones, but they aren't too bright, so it's easy to listen to them for a while without getting a headache.
These are also great isolating headphones. Studying in noisy environments has never been easier because with some music playing, you can't even hear people talking next to you. Obviously you can't keep a conversation with people with them on, and I wouldn't recommend riding a bicycle with them on.
Overall, these headphones are great, and you definitely can't go wrong with them at the price. Considering Apple's IEM retails for $79 from the Apple store, these are a bargain.
By the way, these are TINY! I was very surprised by how small the body itself is. They pretty much disappear into your ears. Hard to believe such nice sounds come out of something so small.
Customer Review: amazing frequency response, amazing sound isolation
Summary: 5 Stars
These in-ear earphones were given to me as a birthday gift from my lovely girlfriend. I may not have the wallet for "audiophile" equipment but I consider my ears sharp enough to appreciate nuances in sound.
Product used on 80gb iPod classic while i typically use Grado SR-60's as a baseline for frequency response and reference monitoring.
First let me address some hesitations i had before receiving these earphones:
1. the in-ear fit -
i found the apple stock earbuds to fit comfortably and snugly in my ears. i have small ear canals and i was worried that the smallest supplied eartips would be too big for my ears. i use the dual-flanged eartips (smaller than the triple-flanged eartips shown as the product photograph)and they fit like a gem. follow etymotic's suggestion regarding wetting the eartips for easier insertion. the seal created is amazing. i constantly snap my fingers in front of the inserted er6i's shocked by how well they isolate. the supplied foam eartips are very comfortable as well, but they do take a few more seconds to expand into an adequate seal.
2. bass frequency response-
i listen to everything and i mean it. i had to first test these in-ears by listening to "bodysnatchers" off radiohead's in rainbows. i can hear every instrument clearly in the mix. it's balanced. i can hear a nicely rounded and punchy kick drum. the distortion is distorted without clipping. the er6i drivers are powerful and they have not yet rattled when pushed to higher decibels. listen to "punchup at a wedding" and you can hear the thump of the 808 without the honking of the stupid MBTA trains on BU's campus or the sounds of range rovers unnecessarily revving by you. my guilty pleasure is hip-hop. today i heard R. kelly's "step in the name of love" my goodness, my head could not stop nodding. the high end is articulate without overpowering the lows and the mids while the bass is well balanced and powerful. i'm also a bassist and i've used these as in-ear monitors and they accurately represent my bass tones and low end and moderate volumes (there's no need to push them so high because of the superb isolation).
3. cord thickness
they're thinner than standard iPod earbuds but there's no sense of fragility. i wrap them around my iPod and toss them in my jacket. i've read reviews where people have yanked the earbuds by the wire. i have not done this because there is enough room for me to get a firm grip on the earbuds and remove them securely with ease.
4. maintenance
for optimal results keep your ears clean and the eartips cleaner. the er6i's are equipped with 2 replacement filters. i can't comment on the frequency of replacement as my earphones currently sound like gold and have maintained that tonal integrity since they've been plugged into my iPod.
pros: supreme isolation, fantastic frequency response, listening versatility, included accessories
cons: i don't have enough new music to listen to
Customer Review: ER6i from a former ER4P Owner
Summary: 5 Stars
For about 6-7 years I have been the very happy owner of a pair of Etymotic ER4Ps, which set me back about $350.00. I bought them for iPod listening on my Motorcycle, which was dangerous but proved to be a perfect solution for music at high speeds with lots of wind (BTW: I could hear pretty well with those in, as it seemed to limit wind noise but not sirens, etc).
Anyway, I lost the headphones on a trip and in my 6-7 seven years of ownership, I managed to accumulate a wife and kids. This meant that even though the ER4Ps don't cost what they used to, they were out of the question.
So, my review is more of a comparison between the ER6i and the ER4P with an iPod. Also, I'm not an audiophile. If you are the kind of chappie that can tell the difference between oxygen free speaker cables and 16 gauge generic wiring, look at someone else's review.
The ER6i headphones provide excellent sound isolation, which I believe is much better than the Bose active isolation headphones that I've auditioned. If you're looking for something to put you into a cocoon, these (like the ER4Ps) will do the job perfectly. Do not bother with active isolation headphones. These are better for that purpose and for sound.
The sound quality in the ER6i's is also very good. The purist in me knows that the ER4Ps are closer to the music, as the ER6i's bass response has been jacked up by a good margin. It's nice for rock and roll and it is generally pleasing. I think this may also come at the expense of some highs, but it is, overall, a very good sound and it's nothing that can't be corrected with a bit of EQ.
The ER6i's are a notch louder than the ER4P's at any given volume. They show this on the Etymotic web site and it's evident to my ears.
I like the construction of the ER6i better than the ER4Ps. The cable seems thicker and the buds seem less fragile. It's not a huge difference, however.
Bottom line:
Even if price were not a consideration, I would probably pick the ER6i headphones. I dig the increased bass response, even though it might sacrifice a smidge of purity. I use these things while I'm on flights or mowing the lawn. The added efficiency and more robust construction seem to be a better fit than the ER4Ps.
Either way, you cannot go wrong with Etymotic. If you've had any time with the Apple headphones that come with your iPod, any Etymotics will be a huge breath of fresh air in terms of long term comfort, sound quality and volume. There is simply no comparison and it is almost criminal that there isn't a warning on every iPod: "This product comes with headphones that do not do this device justice. Get ye to Amazon.com where you can get a pair of Etymotic headphones and experience the full enjoyment that this device can offer."
Look at it this way: you already over-paid for an MP3 player. You might as well take one more step into gross consumerism and get a pair of headphones that bring out the music!
Customer Review: Highly accurate sound, less bass than the casual listener would prefer
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been using the Etymotic ER6i earphones continuously for more than two years. I originally bought them shortly after taking a job that placed me in the middle of a noisy cube farm. The Etymotic earphones did a great job of filtering out hallway meetings, singing co-workers and the occasional boombox.
I purchased the ER6is because they were on sale and had great reviews. I didn't realize that they are extraordinarily accurate studio-quality monitor earphones. The Etymotics quickly exposed the noisy headphone jack of my Dell laptop, and the poor DAC on my third-generation iPod.
I replaced my ancient iPod with the then-new 6th Generation iPod. High quality MP3s (192k or better) sounded amazing, low-bitrate audio was terrible. I ended up selecting an EQ mode that pushed up the bass slightly, and have enjoyed the ER6is ever since.
Around six months ago, I started trying out the other ear-tips supplied with the ER6is. Switching from the large three-flange tips to the foam tips dramatically increased the sound quality for me, but the foam tips are cumbersome to insert. Next, I tried the smallest tips. They aren't as quiet as the large tips, but they fit better and are still easy to put in and take out. Don't wait a year and a half to try out alternate tips. Pick a song you know well and audition all of the included tips. Make sure they are properly inserted.
In terms of sound quality, the ER6is are most similar to my Sony 7506 headphones. The biggest difference is that the Sonys don't isolate as much external sound, and don't insert the speaker inside your ear canal. As you would expect, The ER6is have significantly less bass than the Altec Lansing Backbeat Pros or the Sony V700DJ. Casual music listeners may prefer the enhanced bass of the Backbeat Pros as well as their very low price.
I've been dabbling in electronic music production lately, and find that the ER6is are excellent for studio-grade monitoring. I can often hear details that the Sony 7506s completely fail to reproduce. Musicians will strongly prefer the accuracy of the Etymotic headphones over the Backbeats.