4 thoughts on “Etymotic Research ER6i Isolator In-Ear Earphones (White)”

1. Review by Nathaniel C. Moffat for Etymotic Research ER6i Isolator In-Ear Earphones (White)
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   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.
   

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2. Review by Ross A. Seymour for Etymotic Research ER6i Isolator In-Ear Earphones (White)
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   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!
   

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3. Review by Chris Boylan for Etymotic Research ER6i Isolator In-Ear Earphones (White)
   Rating:
   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.

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4. Review by Fred Story for Etymotic Research ER6i Isolator In-Ear Earphones (White)
   Rating:
   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

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