Etymotic ER-6i Review

I have the ER-6′s and have used them for years, but will be buying the ER-6i’s for use with my iPod. The ER-6′s are just not sensitive enough for the iPod, and driving them to a satisfying level requires turning the volume up so much the iPod’s analog section goes into distortion.

I just wanted to make a few comments about these plugs. First, you can buy extra tips, either foam or rubber, about $15 for 5+ pairs. The rubber tips last forever, but you’ll still want to replace them for the obvious reasons.

The “earwax removal tool” is actually a filter removal tool for pulling out a tiny plastic filter in the plugs. Maybe you do this because the filter gets clogged with earwax, but it’s never happened to me. Didn’t want anybody to think they were supposed to clean their ears with this tool!

I use the ER-6′s on airplanes, and they provide more isolation than noise cancelling headphones. You must remove them to hear someone talking to you. I do find that they become uncomfortable after 2 hours or so. The 6i’s use the same tips, so I assume the same would be true for them.

If you want the isolation or need something ultra-portable, these are great. But for sitting-around-the-house use, a nice pair of Grados would probably be best for most.

Rating: 9 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful.

It’s not really talked about, I guess people just forget, but sounds are transmitted VERY easily through the cords of the ER-6is. So despite the isolation, if the cords come in contact with say, you’re moving body while walking, you will hear that sound through the cords unless your music is high enough.

It’s not exactly the greatest concern, but when you’re buying a higher-end product, you don’t expect such flaws.

Etymotics could have addressed this issue quite easily – by adapting a Y-style cord over the V-style (Y’s are better in general anyway). What this would do is have a node along the cord, just much higher up than you find in Vs. A node will absorb any vibrations in the cord, thus you won’t hear such extra noises.

The other thing Etymotics should have done is used thicker cords. The cords are already way too thin, and tangle very easily. My stock Sony buds never did :P Using a thicker cord would impede vibrations in the cord.

Just thought I’d point out these facts that are often overlook. Once you have a pair of ER-6i’s, it’s not such a problem…though it is a pet peeve, and certainly not something I would expect from “20 years of research”. You’d think they would’ve noticed.

Rating: 8 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful.

Once I put these 6i’s in I was removed from the rest of the world. I was amazed at what I was missing in my music compared to other ear-buds, other headphones. I really like the performance of the bass. I use a iPod Shuffle and rarely need to adjust the volume from the initial on-setting and often I have to turn the volume down. I purchased these initially to give my ears a break from cheaper headphones, ear-buds that I found myself blasting the music so I could hear the music instead of competing noise from the surrounding environment.
I would not recommend these or other in-canal phones that seal so securely, if the purchaser was going to use these while running. I think these phones are great for static listening, but moving around, waking, almost any movement is transferred into the ear-canal. Try it yourself, just plug-up your ears and try walking around on a hard surface, you then will know what to expect.

Rating: 9 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful.

I just got my black ER-6i.

the new version comes with three different rubber flanges. So you don’t need to cut them your self because there is a three flap flange, one with the two small ones and another one with the two bigger flaps (hope you know what I mean…) ety just reacts to customer needs and I love them for this…

I just licked the flanges (yes, just pop them into your mouth) and I had a good seal right away with the bigger two flap flange.

the ER-6i is very sensitive… SO MUCH louder than my Sony EX71. clearer on every frequencie. Sometimes I wasn’t sure if the disstortion was my EX71 or the bad MP3 compression… now I know it was the EX71.

Yes, some people may think there is not enough bass with the ER-6i but that are mostly ipod owners that can’t set their EQ’s.

I have a Cowon iAudio U3 (best flash player ever imo) and that thing can be tuned in whatever preference you like. I just turned any BBE, bass and EQ off and the sound was very disappointing… flat, like some other user reviews said it sounded like a can. The EX71 sounds better imo in the standard flat settings but that’s just because of the stronger bass. And I’m used to tweak settings so I would never listen to music with a flat EQ etc.

Now that my ER-6i had several hours of burn-in and I tweaked my iAudio U3 settings… this is simply the best in-ear phone I’ve ever heard (sony EX51, Sony EX71, Shure e2c)

and they just stay in your ears… no need to push them back into your ears every 10sec like the Sonys. they have less microphonic (the thing when you hear your footsteps or the cord is touching something) than the sonys… the EX71 is very bad in this aspect because the cord gets very hard after a few weeks and is breaking.

The sony EX71 compared to the ety 6i sounds like a cheap Disco box compared to an audiophile loudspeaker.

Rating: 9 :: 1 out of 1 people found this user review helpful.

Preliminary review with a detailed one to follow.

In short, these In-Ear-Phones are perfect for the iPod. Spacious sound field and the right balance of bass, mid’s and highs. If you prefer a bunchier bass (which is fine) then you must realize that either you have lost your low frequency hearing or you prefer a boomy colored bass. What is being evaluated here is accuracy in reproducing the original sound as mixed. As an audio engineer, I rarely adjust tone in playback. “Would I add all kinds of spices to a dish being served by a talented chef?” Etymotic Research has got it right!

[They come in Black or White]

Rating: 9 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful.

I can’t really recommend these, despite all the pros, because of one overwhelming con: their cord is so flimsy and tangle-prone, it makes them about 500% more accident-prone than any headphones I’ve ever tried, even though I am 600% more careful with them!

I scream at the cord and its designer in anger at least once a day, so I’m forced to give it 2 stars.

Rating: 4 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful.

I bought my first pair last year and for a year I would lose myself in the crisp highs and rich mids that emanated from the ER6is. Unfortunately, I was brought down to earth abruptly one morning when the left earphone went silent and it was only with a lot of random cable mashing and twisting that sound was restored. The problem degenerated and led me to a futile search for phones which sound as good but would last longer. In the end, I simply bought a replacement set, nothing on the market (for the same price) could match the sound quality coming out of these guys! So far so good with the second set… keeping fingers crossed.

Rating: 8 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful.