 "Not build to last" | 2009-10-03 |
| - Reviewed By frouaix |
I was happy with this pair until it stopped working after 1.5yrs or so. Wiring seems to be of poor quality.
Also, cord gets tangled too easily, compared to iphone earbuds or even other headphones.
Overall, not worth spending the $75. |
| |
 "Way better then the price indicates!" | 2009-09-24 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1XIL9A1NAYWJ2 |
These headphones are amazing. I have been using the Shure E4cs for a couple of years until they recently fell apart (Surprising for such an expensive pair, given they only received moderate use). I purchased these as a quick and affordable replacement until I can put enough money together to get the Ultimate Ears Triple.fi 10s. I didn't think the Etys could compete with the Shures, but I knew they would be much better than average.
I was immediately impressed with the sound quality across all spectrums. I listened to Air, Ali Dubfire, Death Cab, Phoenix, Chopin (Ballades), and Brahms (Clarinet Quintet) and was wowed by the even and impressive performance. The live recording of the Brahms sounding so warm and full, it was like I was listening to the Alban Berg Quartet in person. On La Femme D'Argent by air the highs and lows were amazing, I think maybe even surpassing the E4cs in range. The little echoes in the voices of some of the other artists seemed so real, it was a really cool listening experience.
I highly recommend these. Though they are much cheaper than the Shures, they were released far before, so that explains the cheaper price now. The cord seems thin compared to the thick cord on the Shures, but the way the cord came apart near the left bud of the Shures was really perplexing. It almost seems like the heavy cord may have aided in the degradation (gravity maybe), but I can only speculate.
These are a great option, and though I will probably still get the UEs, but thanks to the Etys I think I will delay that purchase or wait to get them as a Christmas gift. |
| |
 "Highly accurate sound, less bass than the casual listener would prefer" | 2009-09-12 |
| - Reviewed By jamesmcn |
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. |
| |
| "Excellent, but durability issues" | 2009-09-11 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1ENAVSM6C1ZTD |
I owned these for about a year, and prior to that, I've been using cheap $20 sennheiser and generic earbuds.
Hearing sound through the Etys for the first time, I decided that I could never use conventional earbuds again. There were indeed details in the music I never heard before, and I would say for the year and a half that I owned these, I loved these phones. The noise isolation was excellent, and there were many times when I was really patting myself on the back for finding the ideal tool to block out noise in an airplane cabin.
BUT, there's a catch. there's an intrinsic design flaw in this set where to remove the phones you have to tug it out by the wire. After a year, the sound started to go in and out on one of the phones. The necessary tugging every time you have to remove the phones gradually loosens and breaks the electrical connection.
That's really the only fault that it has. If they fixed this problem, I'd buy multiple sets to give them out as gifts. I am currently using a Shure E4c, which has more robust construction, and comparably good sound (although at more than twice the price).
Caveat emptor, as they say. |
| |
 "Good enough for normal use but not for listening while flying" | 2009-09-03 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3GWGYXM4EV2UO |
| I had purchased Etymotic Research ER6i Isolator In-Ear earphones because it was advertised to be as good as more expensive noise reduction earphones. While it is good enough for daily use, it does not block that annoying engine noise on airplanes. In fact, I need to bring up the volume much higher to enjoy music from my iTouch (2nd generation). The earphones do fit my ears better than the original ones for the iTouch, however, and does deliver better sound. I would recommend it to anyone who needs a better-fitting earphones under normal use, but if you are looking for a noise canceling feature, you should consider something else. |
| |
| "Incredible for motorcycle riding" | 2009-08-23 |
| - Reviewed By shirokovd |
I bought this product at recommendation of my friend to ride long distance on my motorcycle. I was eager to try it out as previous Apple headphones didn't do much to isolate the noise. After making a couple of fitting adjustments, I was able to fit them correctly and went for a ride. These headphones are incredible. I was able to ride up to 90 mph with sound volume turned up only 3/4 and heard every word of a song. They are comfortable for long rides as well. Had them in my ears for 2 hours straight with no problems. I highly recommend them.
The only suggestion I have for improvement is to make them work w iPhone phone functionality. |
| |
Expedited Available
