Customer Reviews
Awesome Product 
2008-07-03
I am really happy with the quality and comfort of these earphones. They work great while wearing a motorcycle helmet - even though after a few hours they make my ears a little sore. That is probably due to my ridiculously small ear canals and not the earphones themselves (even my custom ear plugs make my ears hurt). My husband bought a pair, and so did a few of our friends. We're all very happy with them. They come with several different sized rubber and foam plug options as well as a very nice, small carrying case. I really like the fact that they isolate outside sound so well - a must on my very noisy motorcycle. I use the smallest rubber plugs and I noticed they seal even better if you follow the manufacturer's recommendation and make them a little wet before inserting them. Kind of feels a little gross at first - not unlike getting a wet willy from some creepy, weird uncle, but it's effective nonetheless. My only complaint is the clip - it's largely useless when hauling down the road with the wind tugging at the wires. Overall, an awesome product. If I ever lose this pair, I'll most definitely buy a replacement set. Prices can range from 72 - 135 bucks, so shop around. Also, the white ones you can usually get for a few bucks cheaper (my husband has the black pair and paid a little more).
Disappointed by Short on one side 
2008-06-13
Product had great sound but the design made my ears sore after a short length of time. After a year, one side shorted out. Also, they are some nose made when the wires move or hit each other. Apparently it is a know issue and the upscale version uses twisted wires to each ear to reduce this effect.
Excellent, but... 
2008-06-02
The headphones provide superb audio quality (not that I can compare them to the Shures). But i was never able to get them to be really comfortable in my ear. Maybe its a pitfall of all earbuds, or maybe just my ears. Maybe. Also, they get kinda gross and earwax-y after much use.
Great product 2008-05-31
This product is so good at canceling noise out that my college children had no problems sleeping through noisy roommates and didn't even hear the alarm going off in the morning.
Excellent Sound, Superb Noise Reduction, Great for Travel 2008-04-17
I travel on airplanes for business a lot. And, when I'm home, I'm a musician playing guitar in a wide range of music - jazz, Brazilian and blues. I listen to music a lot. Sound quality is very important to me - I want earphones that are as accurate as possible while providing a wide dynamic range. And, when I'm on the airplanes, I want to drown out all as much of the noise as possible and listen to my iPod. At first, I was skeptical about these in-ear earphones by Etymotic Research. They were less expensive than others. But, I had a strong recommendation from a friend and gave these a try. Wow.
The sound quality is great no matter what I'm listening to. The vocals are incredible with detail and an amazing clarity. So far, no matter what type of music I'm listening to, I'm very happy with the quality.
Most of the in-ear earphones are annoying - they fall out of your ears, they don't seal properly. I followed the simple directions to insert them properly and they seal perfectly.
Now, let's talk about noise reduction. Put these in your ears and everything becomes quiet. Very quiet. The drone of the airplane engines, general cabin noise, and much of the conversation around me was reduced in level. I found a couple of benefits to this - it's less stressful and more relaxing when these earphones are in my ears and I can concentrate on listening to the music.
Anything I don't like about these? The connection cord to the earphone seems (note I said seems) to be fragile - I don't think it is, but I'd recommend following the instructions that tell you specifically to remove the in-ear earplugs by pulling the plastic of the earplug, not the cord. Makes logical sense.
So far, these phones have been with me on 9 roundtrip flights ranging from 2 hours per leg to over 5 hours per leg. And, they've performed beautifully. I also like the small carrying case. Nice touch.
Superb Fit and Sound 2008-07-23
Fit: Both the foam and the flange attachments fit comfortably within my ears whereas many other earphones have not. This was a pleasant surprise. Also, a quick note is that you MUST follow the directions on inserting the earphones. This will ensure a tight seal resulting in improved fit, sound dampening, and sound quality.
Sound: The sound is crystal clear and does indeed compensate for the wimpy bass on my ipod. It's not to say that its bass will blow you away, but instead, the bass is extremely accurate and just punchy enough. Also, the higher range and all layers of the music are extremely accurate and well defined. This goes for everything from Mahler to Tool. Every instrument and layer is heard. Definitely will force you to upgrade the quality of your MP3s in your library! Lastly, the dampening is simply amazing. It's great for falling asleep as well as commuting.
Overall, I was between these, and the Bose Tri-port In-ear headphones. If you are serious about the quality of your sound and obtaining a set of "true" in-ear headphones (as the bose more so sit on the inside of your ear instead of going into the ear), then I would definitely recommend the ER6i. This is a deal not to be passed up. Recommended.
So comfortable! 2008-07-16
If you are looking for earphones with good sound and excellent comfort, these should be on your short list. I have tried many brands and the Etymotic Research ER6i sound very good (a little light on the bass, however) but they are by far the most comfortable earphones I have ever used. I even forgot they were in my ears which has never happened before. If you're looking for a really good pair of earphones just plug these in and adjust the bass on your equalizer for a great listening experience.
Comfort first - 2008-07-13
My need was straightforward: I needed ear speakers of some sort that would not fall off my ears with the slightest movement like earbuds do. An overhead band would be uncomfortable and interfere with lying on a pillow or back in a chair. I was skeptical about how in-the-ear speakers would feel, as my inner ears are very sensitive. These ER6i earphones delighted me with their very soft silicon ear covers. I can wear them for hours and often forget I have them on.
I am not an audiophile, so I can't begin to pass judgment on the audio quality; all I know is that I hear my recorded lectures and talk radio shows completely clearly. I am very pleased I made this purchase.
Fantastic isolation 2008-07-11
The hands down best feature of these earphones is the sound isolation. I use them on the train and periodically on the airplane, and the difference is stunning. Not only do they cut down the noise of the train/plane, but also of the other passengers. It means I can concentrate without any distractions.
My husband uses his pair in his office (shared with another person) every day. The main drawback is that he doesn't always hear the phone ring and doesn't hear people come into the office (the door is slightly behind him). I used to think that he keeps the volume too high, but in fact it's not. He just seems to get the tips inserted better into his ears than I do.
I listen to a lot of podcasts, and have noticed that the sound isolation is better with music, where the sound is more constant.
The fit takes a bit of practice, but it's worth it. After about a year and a half, we did buy new ear tips, but that's the only maintenance we've had to do so far.
In summary: we love them!
Excellent for ipod 2008-07-06
I use these ear buds everyday at work. I work outdoors with power equipment and the isolation is great. I don't have to run the volume so high.
