Is it just me or does anyone out there also think that ER6i's suck!

[dwightlooi]

I just got a 20GB iPod along with the ER6i's. Prior to this I have not had any personal experience with balanced armature earphones, and I ordered them based on the numerous good reviews on Etymotics' products. HOWEVER, I have found the sound of the Ety ER6i to be really unappealling.

(1) First, lets get this out of the way... I know how to and did get a proper seal with the ER6i. I love the fit and comfort actually, especially with the foam tips.

(2) My verdict on the ER6i is that the bass and mid bass response is totally lacking and un-energetic. I am not a basshead, but the total absence of low frequency punch prevents the music from sounding full bodied and rich. The vocals lack a low end resonance. Drums that ought to sound like a thump sounds like a tap. Strings lack weight in their attacks. To make matters worse, the midrange and mid-treble, while detailed, also sounds harsh, cold and uninviting. Its a totally fatiguing and unenjoyable sound. I don't know if this kind of sound is an acquired taste or if this is what constitute "hifi" for some, what I know is I don't want any part of it. I don't think too highly of the Apple Earbuds, but even these sound smooth and full bodied next the the ER6i, ableit a little mushy and low resolution. I'll prefer Apple's buds to the ER6i.

(3) To date I still feel that the best earbuds I have used is the Sony MDR-E484 (1988 - 1997) especially with the foam slippers on -- went through 7 sets of it until I couldn't find them anywhere anymore. The MDR-E888 is a disaster. But between the EX71 SL and the ER6i, I'll take the somewhat boomy EX71 anyday. I don't believe in anything but earbuds and canal phones for portables as I believe that headphones -- anything with a loop over the head or behind the ear, and places a cup or pad over the ear -- are highly uncomfortable and makes one look conspiciously ridiculous in public.

(4) To help you gauge my audio persuasion, lets say that the best sounding Hifi setup I have heard is a Naim CD5x with a Naim NAT5i driving a pair of Spendor S5e speakers. I also think that Bose Acoustimass is a prime example of bad sound.

Am I the only one out here who thinks that ER6i's stink?

[kauffee]

It sounds like you need the Shure E5's or a custom IEM. Though I haven't heard the 6i yet, my sentiments about the ER-4P are very similar to what you said. It's really an inherent problem to a single driver balanced armature design. The armature "oversaturates" when you try to pump up the bass. So in an effort to minimize distortion, Ety's base feels flat and unenergetic. To be fair, the E3c exhibits the same effect, though to a lesser degree. The E2c is a little better, but at the expense of the mids and highs. Basically, the better the highs, the more "papery" the bass with these phones.

The only way to avoid the problem is to use 2 drivers, so that one is dedicated to each range of the spectrum.

[bart1974]

I thought the sound was actually pretty good but nothing special. It was just a comfort issue with me on the phones. I have quite a range of music and the earphones provided me with a certain level of integrity for the different genres of music I listen to. Most of my techno-dance tracks(Chemical Brothers, Tiesto) sounded pretty well, but your not going to get the bass your actually looking for with these phones. The clarity was pretty good, rate a 7 out 10, on my acoustic tracks(Oasis, 10K Maniacs). Bottom line with me was comfort, but these are pretty good phones, but again, there are better and worse out there.

[sonikninja]

It's just you.

[fridgeface]

I got the ER6 version earlier in the year and sent them back immediately due to the complete lack of bass. After reading some great reviews, I though I'd try the ER6i and just received them the other day. I have to say, I was so excited about the prospect of hearing parts of the music I love, that most earphones wouldn't allow me to - that was the promise I bought into. However, I am completely dissapointed with the ER6i. Sure, the clarity is there, but the richness of the music gets lost. They sound really tinny, and amazingly, considering the price, do not even compare to the standard phones that come with the iPod. If you A/B them against the ipod phones, I can't imagine why anyone would come to any other conclusion than the ER6i suck by comparison. Believe me, I really wanted to like them - especially after I forked out $135 for them.

I spend a lot of time listening to music through phones - for pleasure with my ipod, and for work as a record producer. I think the only reason I would ever use the ER6is now is while mixing a song - for the sole purpose that if the mix sounds good on the ER6i, it will sound awesome on decent headphones...not sure if that makes sense to anyone, but it does to me.
Personally, I'm going to try to return the ER6i and go back to my ipod phones until something better comes along.

Cheers.

[thedodgyguy]

They aren't bad earphones at all from a technical perspective, but the entire Etymotic product range do have what I suppose I could call "White Man's Bass" :p


Generally speaking (and I currently have the ER-4S/4P/6i) the low ends on the Etymotics can be onomatopoeiacally(sic) described as "shlup" or "plop".


The E3c is not optimal either from a 'full headphone' point of view, but all the Etys in particular have a habit of sucking the life out of the music. The 6i is probably the best of the lot in the Ety range for dynamics, so if you find the 6i's suck then moving up the Etymotic ladder isn't going to do a lot for you. Try the E5.

[mazman]

I got my iPod last December, and in Janurary I bought some of the Sony EX71 phones. I having been using the ipod with them up until this past Tuesday, when the Er-6i's came in.

I used the Sony's alot, about 2 hours a day 5 days a week. The little silver cable spiltter thing had become cracked, exposing the wires inside. That's what prompted me to get some new ear phones.

When I first tried the ER-6i's I thought the sounded terrible. I almost put them right back in the box. They had no bass. But after trying them for several days the ety's have really grown on me. I have been wearing canal phones for 10 months, but the Sony's are very easy insert, and I think the ety's sounded bad at first because I was not getting them all the way in. They go DEEP. The whole plug almost fits in my ear, I can barely see the end sticking out. After I got them deeper I started noticing the differences.

The isolation got alot better. It is so tight I feel a little bit of suction at all times. I tried out both types of ear pieces when I first got the ety's and I found that I liked the triple flange better, and it provided more isolation. But on Friday I tried the foam plugs but this time inserted them deeper using my new technique, and I got amazing isolation! I ride to and from work on a rattly commuter van with a bunch of noisy people, and with the music off I could barely hear anything.

If you have these phones and don't like them, try really cramming them in when you insert them, opening your mouth will help get them a little deeper. Its alot harder to get a good seal with these phones than you think, especially if you have been using something like the Sony EX-71. You may have to adjust your technique to get the desired results....

[sorrywhat?]

you'll know you've gone too far when they're dangling out your nostrils.

[thedodgyguy]

Good points mazman, but it doesn't change the fact that these (Etymotic) things do have no bass even when you insert them properly.


You may of course like the sound despite that. The 6i and the 4 series sound far better defined than the EX71 can. But is the E3c or E2c a better bet? Well that's what I'll be writing about soon.

[MikeD]

Originally posted by thedodgyguy
Good points mazman, but it doesn't change the fact that these (Etymotic) things do have no bass even when you insert them properly.

I think, in general, canal phones lack in bass. I have the Shure 3s and they lack bass too. (Shove them far enough in your ears and turn up the bass boost and they sound tolerable.)

I also have the Sony EX71s. While they have more bass, it doesn't sound good. I prefer the sound of the Shures over the Sony's anyday. I guess maybe size matters (of the driver, I mean) when it comes to producing bass.

I have Sennheiser PX100s. They produce a lot of bass.

[JNGold]

I also came from ex71's (still have them) and I love the 6i's. What I found is that the sound got better over time. From what I understand all devices need a "break in" period which loosens up the drivers. When I first put the 6i's in, they sounded real tinny. But over time became much better.

I use the foam inserts.

Plus, I have used mp3gain and euPod to modify my library and the music sounds so much better coming from the 6i. Also, keep in mind the 6i's are much more efficient than the Sony's which need the ipod to be set at higher volume levels to drive them for equivalent sound as the 6i's.

[waterpro]

Well, I am just like everyone above. I have been using the Sony???s for over 2 years. I have also used other canal type buds in the past as well.

With that said, I finally upgraded to the Etymotic 6i's. Or at least I though it was going to be an upgrade. I have commented on 4 basic items. Sound, Ease of use, Isolation, and build.


Sound
I have given these guys a week to convince me they are worth it. The high are superb, the mids average, and the lows.....wait a minute, there are no lows. Just like everyone above, absolutely no bass. And before everyone one starts attacking, I know how to insert them. I had them inserted so far into my ears, I couldn't even hear myself banging on the table with no music on. So I know they were in with a good seal. The bass is just non-existent. And if I have to shove them even further down my canals then they are to get this illusive base, I don???t want them because any farther down and I think they would pop out of my mouth. So based on highs alone, these guys are worth the money. But if you want even a hint of bass, these are not for you. Personally I would rather take my muddy Sony???s that at least show signs of bass versus only listening to perfect highs. Definitely easier on the ears and more enjoying with a full range of frequencies and not just highs.

Ease of Putting them in.
These are a lot harder to put in than my previous Koss and Sony???s. The Koss and Sony's are easy to pop in and out. The 6i's were slow, tough, and I felt like I was about to break them because the wire is so damn thin. My main two purposes were to use them at the gym and also at work(software engineer). If you are constantly taking them out and putting them back in, these are not the ones for you. Way too hard and slow to be doing it a lot.

Noise Isolation
The isolation on the 6I was a little better, but not worth the difference in price. I have custom foam plugs for the Sony???s so it really didn't make that big of a difference. Both were good at sound isolation. But to achieve sound isolation, I have to go back to the previous section. Ease of use. These were slow and hard to get good isolation. Once you got it, it was good, just tough to get it.

Build
The Ety???s have a very thin wire as explained earlier. This really worried me and always made me take extra precautions because I thought I was always going to rip the wire out. I know because I have done this in the past with other brands. The Sony???s and Koss have much thicker wires and seem more stable. Heck, my wife sent the Koss through the washer and dryer and they are still fine. Had to replace the foam, but other than that they are still kicking. I don???t think I could say the same for the Ety???s if they were to go through the wash/dryer.

So in conclusion, as I stated above, I would take my muddy Sony???s with full frequency range over the Ety???s perfect highs and non-existent bass. To each his own though I guess. All I know is that these guys are being sent back to the factory Monday morning.

[mazman]

Its says for best results to moisten the flanges before you stick them in. Well, I tried doing that by licking my finger then touching my finger to the flanges, but the moisture just does not want to transfer to the rubber flange. Then I thought about giving myself a wet willie....

It works great! Before, it would feel like I was inserting the plugs too far and they would hit my ear drum. Now they slide in alot better, and I do not get that feeling anymore. They don't feel like they bottom out.

[Joshdude]

Gross. Please, someone agree with me that you shouldn't have to do that to get your ultra-expensive canalphones to fit.

[mazman]

Yeah, its kinda gross, but its not so bad when you do it to yourself vs. having someone doing it to you. Just about everyone sticks their pinky in their ear every once in a while to clean it out anyway.

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by Joshdude
Gross. Please, someone agree with me that you shouldn't have to do that to get your ultra-expensive canalphones to fit.

Agreed! After hearing this I am considering the E2c's/E3c's instead...

-Dan