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120 of 124 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Etymotic 6i earphones, April 14, 2005
First things first. So you will have the answer before you even ask the question: So what does "Etymotic" mean? The answer is that it is a term derived from the Greek word meaning "true to the ear".
Etymotic research has been producing numerous professional grade mic's and earphones for years, and believe me when I say that they know their stuff when it comes to audio.
Enter the age of the IPOD, and other various adaptations of the MP3 players.
The IPOD is now so ubiquitous that if you see anyone wearing white earphones, you immediately assume that they are listening to an IPOD.
As with any audio system, there are several important steps that everyone must take to insure quality output. Good quality original audio, good quality output amplification, and good quality speakers, or headphones. So with that in mind, I opted to test these earphones on my IPod, my stereo system, my computer, and my portable CD player.
I started out field testing the white 6i Isolator model. This model is designed to have a higher sensitivity, and profile compatibility with personal digital music players. It is also designed to produce a higher base response.
So out into the real world I trekked. I took them skiing, driving, and even through a strenuous 2 hour workout in the gym. Now, I know that it is not recommended to use these while driving, but I only did so while on some of Alaska's back roads. I wore these for hours, and hours, and even a few tumbles on the ski hill. I have yet to find anything about them that I do not like. They are very small, and extremely lightweight. And I am just thrilled about the fact that once inserted they stay put. They are not designed to produce a white noise to counter external noise, so I was not expecting that they would screen out external noises as gracefully as they did. They are designed to screen out external noises by blocking their entry in the ear canal. That is why they are designed like well fitting ear plugs, and not like a conventional "over the ears" headset.
I also tested them side by side with the Apple supplied ear buds, and feel that the truer sound is produced by the 6i Isolator . And since I have never been able to stop the Apple ear buds from falling out of my ears unless I was sitting perfectly motionless, I was delighted by how perfectly the 6i Isolator ear phones stayed put. I also tested these the 6i set against a pair of fairly inexpensive Sony over the ear headphones, and the difference was night and day. The 6i maintained a much truer tonal separation at both the high and low ranges, and the Sony's tended to give me slight headache after about an hour of constant wear.
On to the Black ER*6 Isolator model.
This model of the Etymotic designed earphones was designed for travel, and personal listening conditions. It has a very high noise isolation functionality, and is only second in sound accuracy to the Etymotic model ER*4 top of the line standard for studio musicians.
I street tested these as well under similar conditions to the way that I tested the 6i model.
Everyone knows that cars can be very noisy environments. Now imagine that you are having to drive a car on an Alaskan road complete with ruts, and potholes, and lots of left over road gravel scattered about just for reality. And added to all of that, try adding 4 steel studded tires to the mix, and you can imagine what a racket that a normal commute can be.
And just to make sure that I was not fooling my hearing senses, I would stop, and put in the earphones, and drive for a few miles. I would then remove them, and drive a few miles.
Without any doubt, these ER*6 Isolator earphones are a true audio magic trick.
And like the 6i Isolator model, I found myself actually turning down the volume, and actually hearing the subtleties of lyrics, and instruments better than ever.
And wanting to really put these earphones to the acid test, I borrowed a nice pair of the top of the line noise reduction headphones(clue..they start with a B, and end with an E).
And I spent hours running them through my own series of noise tests.
And although unscientific in result, I determined that both of the Etymotic earphones were equal to better in noise reduction(or more accurately, noise elimination) than the name brand headset. I did prefer the larger , and smoother overall sound from the name brand headphones, but once again, it is somewhat like apples, and oranges when comparing the two products.
I am not an audiophile as such. I do not have $10,000 dollar speaker sets in my house, and spend all my spare time trying to record esoteric blues records unto pop free archival DVD,s. I am, however, a total music lover, and my tastes run from classical to country and western, to African, and on, and on. So I tested out these ER*6 earphones by playing selections from a wide range of fairly diverse genre's. These earphones improved my listening pleasure with everything that I tried, including audio books.
In summary, my choice is the Etymotic 6i Isolator, but the ER 6 Isolator is a very close second place. And my reasons are simple, and direct. Both Etymotic earphones are small, require no batteries, and fit under a multitude of hats. Add to that the fact that they are comfortable, and can be worn for very long periods with out irritation of any sort. And finally, they sound absolutely wonderful, and cost less than half with Brand X costs.
If you like your tunes, you need these earphones..
The high quality earphones are all supplied with a standard 3.5mm(1/8") stereo plugs.
The earphones are supplied with a standard 5 foot cord.
Extra replacement filters, and foam eartips are available.
Each kit contains: Earphones with 5' cord and plug,1 pair of flanged eartips, 1 pair of foam eartips, 2 replacement filters, a filter changing tool, shirt clip, and a pouch.
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34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Almost Great, February 6, 2006
Several people have written reviews with some excellent points, but after about 18 months of wearing them, here's my take.
The Good. As a Certified Occupational Hearing Conservationist what I like most is the NRR (noise reduction rating). Whether it's the reusable flanged pieces or the foam, they work to block out background noise better than any other earphone I've found. Why is that good? It means you don't need to push up the volume on the player as much to hear the music, which means you cause less damage to your ears. I use mine every day on the train, even when my iPod isn't on. The reusable tips use the same design and material as reusable ear plugs made by companies like Moldex and the tips, both flanged and foam, come in two different sizes for better fit (3 sizes would be better).
The Bad. The sound reproduction isn't as true as the ER6, even the charts on Etymotic's website show that. Of course if you wanted true reproduction you wouldn't be listening to an mp3 player would you? I think the reproduction is good enough, unless you live for heavy bass.
The reusable tips take a little getting used to. When they're new the rubber can feel uncomfortable, they itch in my ears. Eventually, over a few days (maybe 4-6 hours) of wearing them, the natural oils in the ear penetrate the rubber and every thing feels fine (I replace my flanges every 4 months so I have to relive it every time).
The Ugly. I've had 2 pairs now, and both of them have had problems with the plug, specifically, the wires separated from the plug, leaving me with no sound (I know it's not wax on the filter, by manipulating the cord I can get the sound back). If you're good about taking care of your earphones, this might not be a problem, but if you're like me, and just wind the cord around the iPod and through the whole thing into in a backpack, these may not be the right earphones for you.
Bottom-line. If you treat your earphone well and bass isn't the end-all and be-all of your listening, I highly recommend these.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Etymotic Earphones, August 23, 2005
These are great earphones. I have both the ER4 and ER6I, both sound great but I prefer the ER6i because the ER4 has a stiffer wire that tends to be microphonic. In a side-by-side comparison they sound very similar to me. But I'm not an audiophile.
I use my ER6 earphones nearly every day in the gym where I do weight lifing, spinning and jogging. They fit securely in the ear and isolate all the gym noise including the crappy musick they play. I've had the ER6i's for about 6 months now, they seem pretty sturdy, I even pull on the wire which Etymotic says not to do :-).
I've tried many earphones over the years, include the Bose noise cancelling headphones and the Sony noise cancelling earbuds, but nothing compairs to the ER6i for size, cost and sound. Very nice!
Have a great day!
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