Review of the Etymotic ER 6is (and comparison to Shure E2cs and standard iPod buds)

I bought these headphones about two weeks now because my standard iPod headphones broke (again) and I decided I did not like my Shure E2cs anymore. My main complaint with the Shures was that they did not stay inside my ears and quite frankly they look like hearing aids! Anyway, after extensive research the Etymotics seemed like the best value for money so I went for them. Anyone thinking of buying these phones should look on Amazon where you can get them shipped for £79 rather then the £99 being asked on Apple’s website.

In this review I will comment on the Etymotics performance in a number of areas and will compare their performance with that of the Shures and the standard iPod buds.

Looks and Design
The Etymotics look pretty slick on first impression. They are specifically designed for the iPod and so naturally come in white. The jack is a ‘straight up’ design rather than the more common ‘L’ shape as employed by Shure which ensures they are compatible with all the current crop of iPod cases. As standard they come with innocuous white flanged tips, which when worn are buried into the ear leaving only the small clear plastic driver units on show. If anything they are less intrusive than the standard iPod earbuds and significantly better looking than Shure’s design.

The cable is very similar in thickness to the standard iPod buds and significantly thinner than the Shures. Some reviewers have described it as fragile but this is not my impression and I have friends who have had these buds for quite some time experiencing no problems related to this. The cable is about 1ft longer than the iPod buds, something which I find fairly irritating but this is because I exclusively carry my iPod in my trouser pocket. I can see this length being useful for those who carry their iPod in their bag or use it for snowboarding etc.

Comfort
In this area reviews have very conflicting opinions. I have found that the Etymotics are comfortable when properly inserted. They do sit deep in your ear canal and I can see how this would be uncomfortable for some, but with all canal phones the design must be to accommodate the largest number of people and some will always be left out in the cold. After about two hours of use I did find my right ear canal ached a bit but I do not find this a major issue and after a few minutes rest I am good to go again.

Just a quick note on correct insertion of the ER 6is: The technique I have found most successful is to hold the phones between forefinger and thumb, moisten the ends and place them into the ear canal. Then pulling backwards on the ear canal with the index and middle finger gently push the ear phones into the canals with your thumb. I find this is easiest if the wire coming out of the bottom of the bud is angled about 30 degree forwards. It is important not to push in too far, just to the point where a seal is obtained.

Some reviews say that these headphones sound tinny and very poor quality. I can categorically state that these people are not inserting the buds properly. I experimented by placing them into my ears without creating a proper seal and in these circumstances I was able to reproduce the sound they are experiencing. Of course it could be that these people have very abnormal ear canals preventing a proper seal, or they just have damaged hearing requiring an abnormally high level of bass, and I must stress the word ABNORMAL.

In my experience the comfort afforded by the standard iPod buds was very good provided the included foam covers was used. If they are left off then the buds quickly become painful in the ear. The Shures were of similar comfort in the ear canal to the Etymotics but the design requires that the cord passes over the top of the ear and this I found to be annoying from the inevitable tugging in the cord when walking.

Accessories
The Etymotics ship in a plastic sealed pack containing the phones themselves, a black carrying case with velcro fastener (nice) and a packet containing two orange foam replacement buds, two filters for the buds and a nice metal filter changing tool. It is worth mentioning that if you are not happy with the buds supplied alternative designs can be requested from Etymotic at no extra cost, though if you want a few replacements you will have to pay for them.

The Shures again come in a plastic pack which contains small, medium and large orange foam buds and a hard round carrying case which is also a nice extra. The standard iPod buds come only with two sets of the foam bud covers.

Sound
Finally, the most important section, the sounds. In this area the Etymotics really lived up to their rave reviews. I decided to burn the phones in by playing music through them for 15 hours before trying them. It is questionable if this is necessary and Etymotic do not state that it is, but I think its sensible so its up to you.

My first impressions was that the sound quality was excellent. When the phones are correctly inserted with a good seal the bass is very good, but it does not overpower the rest of the audible spectrum. Overall the sound is very crisp and clean with no areas over or under represented. You really appreciate the difference for acoustic, classical and jazz music, doubly so if it is encoded with ALC (lossless).

If you are coming to these from the standard iPod phones you will notice the difference immediately. They articulate each note as if you were standing in front of the band/orchestra itself. You will be able to pick out instruments playing the parts whereas before all you could identify was the note itself. Low notes come over warm and rich, the midtone instruments hum melodically and the high pitched notes come over crisp but without the irritating sibilance than can plague cheaper earphones. Overall the soundstage is very impressive and will open your eyes to elements of the music you simply did not know were there before.

The Etymotics give some other sound improvements over other comparable phones such as the Shure E2cs, which are worth noting. When I was using my Shures one of the most annoying things was the transmission of tapping and brushing on the cable up into the earphones. This was one my main dislikes of these phones and in the end caused me to sell them. This problem is vastly reduced in the Etymotics, so much so that I barely notice it anymore (note that this is recognised in all ‘canal’ phones to a greater or lesser degree).
Secondly, the sound isolation is fantastic with the Etymotics. They block out most of the external noise around you though probably not significantly more than the Shures. They make it easy to enjoy most music when walking about a city without interruption, a godsend for commuting though it could also prove dangerous if you do not keep your wits about you.

Conclusion
Overall I am very happy with my new Etymotic ER 6is and would recommend them unreservedly to anyone on the market for some phones for their iPod. They offer very significant improvements over the standard iPod buds in almost all areas and they give significant enough improvements in other areas for me to recommend them over the Shure E2cs despite their price premium. Etymotic are onto a winner with this one.

If you are thinking of buying these phones I would be very grateful if you used my amazon link on this page, or one of the links on the left side. I’m running a bit short of cash at the moment and have lots of medical books to buy before finals next year! Thanks.

Comments

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[javajive]

Great review - much appreciated. I'm currently debating between the Shure e3 and these, and your review provides some great insight into my decision.

Cheers from Indonesia

[Joel]

Great review. I made my own quick, quick review at my blog (http://suplido.com/joel/?p=1198) in response to the black 6i's.