Customer Reviews

Etymotic Research ER6i Isolator In-Ear Earphones (Black)

5 star:		(455)
4 star:		(237)
3 star:		(95)
2 star:		(98)
1 star:		(89)

 

 

The white wires suggest Etymotic Research wants a bigger piece of the iPod upgrade market. But rather than simply giving the black-wired ER-6 a cosmetic makeover, they designed the ER-6i from the ground up to work around portables' puny output. Thus, they offer higher sensitivity (more sound for a given volume setting) and boosted bass response.

But despite their light weight and sporty appearance, these phones are optimized for home listening, commuting, and plane trips; applications where sound isolation is a benefit, not a hazard. Compare them, therefore, to active noise-canceling headphones, not conventional earbuds.

FIT & COMFORT
Because these phones go in your ear canal and require an airtight seal, proper fit is essential. Without it, you will get no bass at all. None. I prefer the disposable foam ear tips to the 3-flange ones (both kinds are included). Your results may vary.

Here's the trick: After you compress the foam and insert them in your ears, it takes several seconds for the foam to expand. Focus on available background noise. When the sound drops suddenly over a second or two, you know a seal has been formed. Conversely, with music playing, you should notice the sound suddenly fill out, first in one ear and then the next.

The foam ear tips may feel uncomfortable for 2-3 minutes, but you quickly get used to them. This naturally depends on ear geometry and other factors, but be aware that you wouldn't buy these phones on comfort alone.

SOUND DAMPING
Properly inserted, the foam ear tips provide 34-36 dB noise reduction (the triple flanged ear tips are a few decibels less effective). To put this in perspective, this is even better than the 29-31 dB NRR (Noise Reduction Rating) provided by better-quality shooting ear muffs. They also quiet more than active noise canceling headphones (which feature feedback circuitry that noticeably degrades the sound).

With this level of damping, you may be aware that a TV is on in the same room, but just barely. You will also save your hearing because you won't feel the need to turn up the volume to drown out environmental noise.

The downside of this isolation is that you will miss doorbells, telephones, etc. Common sense argues strongly against using these jogging, bicycling, or even walking around city streets. You're giving up a sense entirely. The "look out, you idiot" you don't hear could be the "look out, you idiot" you absolutely, positively needed to hear.

SOUND QUALITY
Putting these phones through their paces with music I'm familiar with, the first thing that stood out was their neutral-to-bright balance. These are slightly more "forward" sounding than the more "laid back" or "polite" German headphones you might think of.

The second thing I noticed was that they get the midrange right. Without the response peaks, valleys or ripples that so often mar the critical 1,000 Hz. region, you will hear singers sound more "present" than with the vast majority of headphones (and most audiophile speakers for that matter).

If you are a bass junkie, you will find the bass lean. This is difficult to say, but it's not the headphones. It's you. You are addicted to heavy one-note bass (it's an epidemic - note how rental cars always have the bass at +10). Go cold turkey and listen with these for a week, however, and you will discover that there are actually, ahem, different bass notes.

As for treble, there are conventional open headphones (usually more expensive) with more "air" at the top end, but the ER-6i's treble extension is as good as sound-isolating headphones go - certainly better than the Bose. There's a minor response notch at 7 kHz, but nothing I really noticed.

BTW, don't be alarmed by their funny-looking frequency response curve. Remember, because they're in your ear, they are voiced to compensate for the missing frequency shaping ordinarily provided by your outer ear.

The sound damping has another beneficial effect: You will hear things in familiar recordings you have never heard before, even with high quality open headphones. Not just fingers over guitar strings, but sounds way, way down in the mix.

DESIGN & BUILD
These fingernail-sized phones are white with transparent side panels that reveal wires and the metal flanks of their balanced armature transducers. There is a small port topside, presumably for audio tuning, but perhaps also to reduce negative pressure caused by yanking the phones out (not a good idea - always remove them slowly). The front-facing side has the model number with a red dot separating the ER and 6i. The backs feature an oversized L and R, just like your first pair of sneakers.

The wires are lightweight, which is a more important factor on canal phones than with ear buds that allow the outer ear to bear the weight. The cord is a bit longer than some joggers might like, but then again, you shouldn't be using these jogging. The 1/8" headphone jack termination is gold-plated for long-term corrosion-resistance.

The removable shirt clip (included) should be used when practicable to avoid the sudden pressure on your eardrums that might result from yanking them out.

CONCLUSION
The ER-6i offers exceptionally involving, neutral sound for the money, with accurate bass and a commendably smooth midrange. I am also not aware of any headphones that provide better isolation from environmental noise. Recommended.

After trying many portable headphones for the last ten years, I've finally settled two: the Sennheiser PX100 (with the Koss Porta Pro a close runner up) and these Etymotic phones. The Sennheiser's are great for where you need a little sound to infiltrate the headphones, such as bike riding (not something I'd recomend to inexperienced bicyclists). But at the gym, where the machines are noisy, the spin cyclist class plays god-awful music at top volume and people talk (more on that later), these are the best. With the Sennheiser I had to turn the volume up so high that the batteries were quickly drained, not to mention the damage to my already fragile hearing.

A few pointers. I almost returned them after the first listen. But then I remembered that headphones need to be "broken in" by playing them for awhile. I hooked them up to my stereo and played CD's all night. Big difference the next day. Also, try the different ear plugs. The plastic ones were absolutely horrible for my ears. The grey foam pads worked better. On the Etymotic website they have white ones that are smaller than the grey ones. These worked best for me (narrow ear canals I guess). Order extra filters. I had one plug up on me fairly quickly. Finally, don't wear these where you need to speak with people. You can't hear people talk with these in your ears and music playing. You can barely hear people with the music off. Pulling them in and out is a pain (and people probably don't want to see your ear wax).

Oh, almost forgot. The sound. Great. With no outside noise, the sound comes through wonderfully. They may lack a bit on the bass, but compared to regular headphones at the gym, the improvement is astounding.

Addendum: I originally wrote the review above two years ago. Still using the earphones three times a week. The rubbery coating on the outside has come off, but they still work just fine. The foam plugs get smooshed down and covered with earwax after a few weeks. Just takes the plugs off and put them in a covered jar with hot water, shake around for a minute, then take out and dry. The ear wax should be gone and they'll plump up. Don't use too hot of water or the glue that holds the plastic tube to the foam may dissolve over time. Finally, the noise from the cords rubbing against your shirt can be annoying during quieter music and more energetic work out. This can be avoided by wrapping the cords around the back of your ears. Enjoy!

A previous reviewer noted the lack of bass response in the ER-6i's, and he's probably right that if you're someone who cranks the bass on your home stereo you're likely to be disappointed in these phones.

If like me, however, you like a clean, flat frequency response - you will LOVE the ER-6i's. I'm a composer and recording studio owner and I work all day in front of industry standard studio monitor speakers. In recording sessions I use the best professional headphones. So my standards are pretty high, even when listening to compressed MP3's and AAC's on my iPod. I WAS using the Sony Fontopias, and liked them pretty well, even though the bass was too exaggerated for my taste. (If you're an aforementioned bass lover, you'll probably prefer the Sony's.) I just received a pair of the ER-6i's for a Christmas present, and I am in earbud heaven. To me, the bass response is clean and natural (despite Etymotic's accentuation of the low frequencies vs. the ER-6's.) More importantly, the mids and highs are clean and un-hyped. When it comes to music I've composed, arranged and produced - I KNOW what it's supposed to sound like. For in-ear phones, these reflect my mixes better than anything I've heard so far.

I like ER-6i's SO much, in fact, I suspect I'll even use them for work when I want to shut out the outside world and have nothing but the music inside my head.

Bravo, Etymotic! I may even start saving up for a pair of those ER-4's!

Fred Story
Charlotte, North Carolina

This is the black version of the popular Etymotic er-6i headphones, previously available only in white. Etymotic Research introduced this color to complement the iPod Nano and other new iPod models which are available in colors other than white. The ER6i's increased sensitivity over the standard ER6 makes them an excellent choice for an iPod or any other portable MP3 or portable media player.

The er-6i is Etymotic's entry-level noise-isolating earphone. Unlike "noise-cancelling" headphones, which use electronic circuitry to cancel noise (and which can interfere with music and movie playback sound quality), "noise-isolating" earphones like the ER-6i work like earplugs. They are inserted all the way into the ear, forming a tight seal which blocks out external noise but lets pure sound come through the integrated ear-speakers.

Because they reduce external noise levels, they make an excellent choice for frequent fliers. No longer must you crank up the volume to drown out the aircraft engine noise. Now you can simply insert the etymotics into your ears and listen to your music or movies at a comfortable level. They're also much smaller than bulky around-the-ear headphones and come with a compact travelling case for greater portability.

All-in-all, an excellent value and a good choice for those who don't want to sacrifice quality for the sake of portability. For more details, check out the complete review on BigPictureBigSound.com.

I normally use Koss PortaPros for travel, and Sennheiser HD580 at home. I bought the ER6i primarily for its noise isolation and sound quality. Koss PortaPros are great but they're not very useful in loud environments like trains and airplanes.

The ER6i's have really good sound clarity all across the frequency range. With a range of 20hz - 16 khz, I was expecting muddled highs. Not at all. Instead though, I found the bass somewhat lacking. While Etymotic claims that the 6i version has an 8db bass improvement over the original ER6, I can't imagine what the original ER6 sounds like, because at low volume levels, the bass is virtually non-existent! At moderate listening levels, you can hear the bass but it's light and a little less than I'm used to (more like 60hz at the lowend instead of 20hz according to the specs). The manual says to insert the plug even deeper into your ear for greater bass response, but I doubt this will do much good.

I also don't like in-the-ear plugs so I was expecting some period of comfort adjustment, but I was surprised to find that these earphones are very comfortable (using the foam tips). But despite the comfort, I don't think these are good for long periods of use because the seal prevents air from going into your ear canal and after a while your ear feels somewhat clamy.

In a nutshell, if you're a bass head, then you'll be severely disappointed. I found the bass lacking, but the sound clarity and good isolation makes up for it. The price is more expensive than its worth, but decide for yourself.

*** UPDATE ***

Using a supermacro amp with opa134 opamps *signficantly* changes the sound of the ER-6i. Before, they sounded bright and shrill (even brighter than Grados!) and at low volume sounds very tiny. Using the amp, the bass is *perfect* and the highs are significantly warmer and the shrill-ness is completely gone. They sound much like the Sennheiser HD580.

By the way, these earphones do not have a flat frequency response (just look at the graph from etymotic research) so they do not sound the way the studio/artist intended to be. If you think Grados are too bright, then this is not the earphone for you.

Also, if you use the foam earplugs you will need to replace them about once a month, because after a while they lose their elasticity and fall out easily. They are not cheap!

This review is based on my owning my second set of Etymotic ER6-series IEMs (in-ear-monitors). The first set was the etymotic ER6B (headphones with worse base response than the ER6-i), different internal configuration and provided with a different set of earpieces. I got them on sale from a retailer and the experience was disastrous. The second set of ER6-iB ('B' for 'black') is very adequate, with great sensitivity (wonderful for the human voice), very good accuracy and a surprisingly roomy sound for such tiny drivers. Be that as it may, the things that you get with the sound when you buy either headphone are a pain in the neck and then some.

Like all noise-blocking in-ear-monitors, the ER6-series, requires insertion deep into the ear canal to block outside sound and to deliver base-notes effectively and getting the ER6s into the ear is no problem: getting them out is a killer. Without tips, the length of each ER6-i driver-housing is a little less than the width of my thumbnail and while adjusting my first pair for optimal base, I ended up pushing them so deep into my ears that I couldn't get them out again without pulling on the very thin, very delicate cord attached them which Etymotic's manual specifically tells you *not* to do and with good reason. My brand-new, ninety-dollar headphones ended up dead on the right side within a day of my buying them.

As it turns out, the damage to them was a lucky thing because in-ear-monitors aren't accepted for discretionary returns by retailers; because having gone into one a body-orifice as part of their function, they can't be resold and my retailer accepted mine only because the phones were 'defective.' I was embarrassed to get my money back on that basis, but it was better than eating a ninety-dollar loss to find out that Etymotic's dream headphones should come with the recommendation that you carry a needle-nosed pliers around with you so you can pull them out of your ears without destroying them.

This brings us to my second pair, why I bought them, and what I did with them when I got them.

I liked the sound of the ER6Bs I'd owned--that is, before I'd had to take them out of my ears--and I'd heard/read that the ER6-i's were better headphones than the ER6s--with enhanced base response to improve the awful sound that comes out of ipods. This meant that where the ER6 had good sound, the ER6-i's sound was better. I wanted to know how much better so I gave them a chance again, only this time, I knew about the extraction problem and I soon got an idea of what to do about it.

The ER6-series monitors have a small, rectangular knob at the end, set atop a tiny flange of flexible plastic and not long after buying the second set and really liking the sound, it occurred to me that I could tie a one-way slip-knot in a piece of fishing line and then tie that to base of the knob on each headphone and then cutting off the end of the line about an inch from the body of each driver-housing after tying a small knot in it to provide a grip.

The result is that using this simple idea borrowed from high-end, 'all-in-the-ear' hearing aids-lets me yank the ER6-i's out of my ears with no problem and with no strain on the ultra-delicate cords that hold the 'phones together and I'm very happy with their sound as 'walking around' headphones. I would certainly have given the 'phones an extra star or two if Etymotic had thought of and implimented this or some other simple solution. Shure E3s offer sound that is not that much worse than that provided by the ER6-is and they are better designed and far more robust.

I hope you find this review and suggestion useful.

I haven't had these for very long, so I should probably reserve judgment. However, I am notoriously picky about my earbuds. Being a daily commuter who doesn't go anywhere without my iPod, and a stickler for good sound, I've been through countless earbuds.

After reading about possible hearing loss from iPod use, I switched to noise reducing earbuds. I tried Sony's model, and they worked alright, but eventually one of the buds went silent. So I switched to Phillips' slightly cheaper brand. The sound quality wasn't as good. If I used sound check on the iPod, I'd have to turn the volume all the way up to avoid hearing a lot of external noise.

I finally got these, based on recommendations from a co-worker, and they're great. The flanged tips that came already on the earbuds were a perfect fit. When I followed the directions for inserting them, I got a perfect seal the first time.

When a co-worker came in and spoke to me while I was using them, I couldn't hear her, even when I paused the music. I had to take them out to hear her. And I had no trouble getting them out by twisting them according to the directions. The true test was wearing them on the subway, and they passed with flying colors. I heard very little external noise.

What's more, I have sound check on again, and I find I now actually have to lower the volume on the iPod where I had to turn it all the way up before. Now I'm getting great sound and I feel like I'm saving my hearing too. Plus I'm hearing details in my music that I hadn't heard before!

I've used Etymotics for close to three years now, first the ER6 and then these. The ER6s are extremely neutral and crisp sounding, very well balanced. If these were speakers, they'd be $500 for a pair. However, the sound quality has some issues: first, there really is no bass to speak of. The original ER6 had even less, but despite the prominent advertising, the I series adds not much at all. And I've tried the foam pads and the silicon flanges and taken all the approaches to get the "perfect seal" and even with the foam pads and a great "underwater" sounding seal, the bass is pitiful. I've even used a $200 portable headphone amp, and these sound about the same. Good for acoustic music, or if you don't really like to hear low frequencies.

Next downside: these are high maintenance phones. You have to change these wee tiny filters in the tubes every few months or weeks depending on how much ear wax you produce. Otherwise your wax will clog the sound tube up and you will hear muted or no sound in one or both ears. To change the filter, you have to use a wee tiny tool and dig the old ones out and then insert the wee tiny new ones. If you think there is a good chance you might misplace the wee tiny tool or drop the wee tiny filter on the floor while changing them, you may as well just save yourself the aggravation and get another design of headphone. The filters cost $15 for 5 sets and can only be brought from the mfgr or specialty web sites.

Besides the filters, you also have to clean the silicon clear plugs if you are using that style. These get all covered with wax and need to be cleaned with soap and warm water and then aired out before reattaching them. You can use foam plugs instead which do not need cleaning, but which do become hard and brittle pretty quickly. They also gradually get coated with wax, so you probably would like to clean them if you could, but you can't as they will never dry. Both ear plug types become worn out over time, the foam ones more quickly than the plastic. You can of course buy new ones, set of 6 at $15 a pop.

Ultimately, with all the cleaning of plugs, fiddling around with your ears to get a good seal, buying and changing filters, etc these feel more like owning a pet than like having headphones. Final problem: with a good seal these block out ALL external sounds. So if you are jogging on a street or even commuting in a big city, use these at your own risk, as you will not hear car horns, sirens, explosions etc.

Frankly, after my 36 months of high maintenance issues with these, I would still be tempted to almost recommend these for commuters and travelers even with their sound deficiencies, as the complete isolation works well in noisy places and the sound is very clear and neutral. Plus the price has gotten to the point where these are not so terrible a deal. But there's one final fact that puts the nail in the ER6's coffin.

The real problem is that the market has moved on. Shures, Ultimate Ears, DJays, even Sennheiser all offer high quality canal phones that are sturdier than the Etys with their brittle thin wires, endless appetite for replacement parts, and hearing aid aesthetic. I now own the Shure SE210s and the UE FI 5 Pro, and both sound lots better than the ER6i, both are far more comfortable, and neither use filters. The design is more attractive, the sleeves last longer, and there is actually audible bass in each of the others. The plugs do not penetrate so unpleasantly deep into the ear canal, but give the same isolation with far fewer cleaning woes. Sure, they both cost more, but even the $70 Shure E2c and the $80 UE Fi 3 are better phones than the ER6i. Etymotic has not modernized their design and the Ety 6is, inadequate objectively, are even more inferior when compared to their competitors. The market has moved on and Etymotic is standing still. Their attempt at innovation is wireless Bluetooth canalphones that make you look like you have credit cards sticking out of your ears. (Why is that considered better than having a wire?) This company, once an innovator, is now old and tired, and IMO not long for the world. Smarter better funded competitors have caught up to them and surpassed them in every way.

These headphones are WONDERFUL, they sound great - truly show you the poor quality of mp3 and m4p.

So you understand, here is my benchmark...I own these, Bose Triports (give me a break, they are comfortable), Sennheiser HD497 (not so comfortable, great sound), and the Sony MDR-EX71SL (cannot compare to any of these now).

PROS:
1) Clarity is unmatched - THESE ARE BY FAR THE BEST CLARITY AND QUALITY.
2) Comfortable to wear.
3) Block out all outside sound - almost to the point that they are noise cancelling because of the seal created on your ear.

CONS:
1) To get a decent level of bass you need to get a good seal on the ear. I had to use the 2 bevel ear adapters that came with them to get some good sound quality - balance of bass to treble.

This is really not some much a negative attribute, but my wife does not like to wear these because she doesn't like - for lack of better wording - the suction that they create when you get them in good.

Overall - would buy these 10 times over, they are wonderful!

I received the Etymotic ER6i earbuds. about 2 hours ago. I'm using the ER6i on a Creative Zen Xtra 60gb (way better than Ipod, but that's for another review). I had been using the earphones that were provided by Creative with the Zen. I thought they were fairly adequate but I longed for a little more clarity- thus the er6i purchase.

After plugging in and playing with the EAX settings on the Zen for a while, I decided the EAX was de-enhancing the bass and making the highs too tinny. I cut the EAX off and sat back to dig some sounds.

Man! I was blown away! Phoebe Snow with Jeff Golub "Baby I'm Yours" (128kb 44100hz Joint Stereo). Man, I never heard Jeff's fingers sliding on the fretboard before. I never heard the slight laughter at the end of the piece either! Maybe...maybe I knew there was an organ scatting in the background...but I never heard it so clearly.

I'm no audio expert, and I haven't tried any of the other competing $100.00 plus phones out there, but I know when my senses are rocked. Hell, I could hear musician's feet patting on the floor in time.

On song after song I was suddenly hearing "all" the instruments and so much more accurately. On Orchestral pieces I could close my eyes and place each instruments position on the stage.

I've read a lot of ER6i reviews by Ipod users who claimed that the bass was lacking with ER6i's. I would venture to say that the limitation there is more likely with the Ipod. If the bass got any lower on my Zen, it would be muddy. For example I have an over bassed mp3 that I always use to test bass response on speakers: Modern Jazz Quartet with Laurindo Almeida - One Note Samba from the album "Collaboration" -(128kb 44100hz Joint Stereo). For some strange reason studio mixing of the upright bass on this cut is damn near at the bottom of the audibility range. This usually makes the bass very muddy on poor quality speakers. The ER6i kept the bass clean and distinct!

Want to know about isolation? After about an hour of listening, I looked up to see my wife in the doorway holding two fingers up and moving her mouth....I removed the earbuds, she was saying, "I called you on the phone two times......didn't you hear me?"

Uh-oh guess that's a "con" or at least a caution.

If you can afford to spring for better quality,
I'd say do it.
I hope this lay review is helpful to non-audio experts.