Customer Reviews
SIGNIFICANT Enhancement of Listening Experience! 
2008-03-22
A great pair of headphones is the poor man's version of a high-end speaker system since you get all of the quality and signal purity but with a much friendlier price tag. After using these extensively for the last three months or so, I thought I'd share my thoughts:
Noise-cancelling: Those fancy active noise-cancelling models (i.e; Bose) get all the press but they are actually pretty inferior to these in terms of how much outside sound they block out. The high end Bose ones block up to 20 db for $300; these can block up to 35 db. This is like the difference in the sound of your TV when you have the dishwasher/laundry running. Basically, the less outside noise, the purer the sound you're hearing. These are top-notch in that regard.
Sound Quality: One thing that jumped out at me was how clear you could hear individual instruments. I'm a sucker for lush, complex arrangements (think Radiohead) and with these headphones, each instrument has it's own distinct place in the mix. I regularly discover harmonies/riffs/effects in songs that I had never been able to hear before. The bass is tight and the treble is very clear. Subjectively, I would compare the improvement in sound/experience over a $20-30 pair to be like going from a standard-def TV to HD.
Style: You can pretty much throw away the included case because of its morbid obesity. Beyond that, the headphones themselves are distinct and attractive.
Functionality: I have sworn off my factory Honda sound system and use my Zune and these for car travel and general errands. They're perfect for this because a.) They block out most engine/road noise and b.) they're inconspicuous if you're worried about being pulled over for wearing headphones. Also, just as they can block sound out, they can keep sound in making them library-friendly.
Cost/Benefit Analysis: $50-75 Range. I would say that with this purchase, I didn't just upgrade my headphones, I upgraded all the things that I use my headphones with. My Zune with factory headphones was nice and functional, but these phones make it sound like a high-end system. I've rediscovered alot of my back catalog just to hear how it sounds with these and what new things I can find. Again, the closest comparison I can make is stepping up from a CRT TV to HD; the former was pleasant enough but the latter is what gets your jaw dropping.
Notes/Tips:
*The sound quality of in-ear phones is greatly affected by how well they are inserted into the ear. FOLLOW THE MANUAL'S INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO INSERT THEM. Essentially, you're looking to form a seal between the headphone and the outside world. Make sure to test both included earbuds to see what gives the better fit. While the winged earbud (as pictured) looks cool, I'd highly advise trying the included foam earplugs to see what's a better fit.
Great sound, great value 
2007-12-02
For those rating these one star, you must be using them improperly. Admittedly, I got mine for $40 at a competitor site (I buy plenty at Amazon, but that deal was amazing and last all of one day). I had and sold my Ety ER4ps for a pair of Atrio M5s, but I missed the Ety sound sig, so these fit the bill. With the Futuresonic foamies, these sound simply awesome, and best of all, you don't need an amp to make them sparkle, through they do sound even better with a decent headphone amp.
They deliver clear, crisp mids and highs, and the bass can easily be maximized with a little EQing. Of course, as has been repeated here over and over, you need to get the proper seal for max SQ.
Again, if you hate something stuck in your ears, then stay away (get a pair of Yuin PK2 or PK3 ear buds instead). But if you don't mind the isolation and ear closure, these babies are a tremendous value, even at double the price I paid.
Good headphones. 2007-11-26
In general, these headphones are very clear. If you aren't looking for pounding bass these are fine.
The only problem is...the bass. It's not very appearent at all.
They will be uncomfortable at first but you will eventually get used to these.
The sound isolation is excellent. Nobody could hear anything coming out of these....now could i hear anyone around me.
These will not suit everyone.
I grabbed these for around $30 so I'm pretty satisfied with what i got for the price.
Short life expectancy 
2007-10-28
I bought these, and love 'em, but Altec "no longer carries" replacement earpieces. What a disappointment. When the tips need to be replaced (especially the foam tips) I'll have to throw out the headphones.
I wonder how they provide warranty if they don't have replacement parts.
Incredibly disappointing 2007-10-25
It's no wonder they've discontinued this product. DO NOT purchase them, at any sale price, if bass response is at all important to you. They are comfortable and the clarity at the high end is decent, but the bass response is the worst I've ever heard in an earbud-style headphone. Even the slightest bass levels force them to distort radically and ruin the listening experience completely. The only possible use I could see for them is listening to audio books. Just awful.
Seriously, NO BASS 
2007-10-20
inMotion earphones feature a special earplug-like design that blocks virtually all ambient noise when used with MP3 players and other portable audio devices. This passive noise isolation technology ensure that traffic and other external sources of noise have little or no impact on the listening experience. Each earpiece contains a specially engineered speaker designed to provide maximum sound fidelity at all frequencies. The combination of the speaker design and noise isolation technology enables users to hear more tone and detail better than ever before plus also helps prevent hearing damage and sound distortion by making it possible to enjoy any artist without turning up the volume to ear-splitting levels.
Best In Ear Headphones I've Ever Used 2007-09-28
Comfortable, noise reducing and great sounding. The filters need to be changed occasionally and they are too expensive, but I think the advantages make it worthwhile. I would buy these again, or the im716s which have an inline bass boost and volume control for ~$30 more.
THESE ARE NOT FOR EVERYONE 2007-08-27
You may love these phones, or the Ety version, or the Shures. Chances are, if you like the Shure or the Etymotic phones, you'll like these.
However, no matter how wonderful those $500 Shure in-ear phones are, there are people who absolutely hate them. If you can't tolerate something stuck in your ear, you do not want any of these in-ear products.
If you can't tolerate the experimentation with different eartips, insertion depths and strategies needed to fit the endless variety of ear canal shapes among humans, you are very unlikely to have a positive experience with these unless you're one of the lucky ones who got a perfect seal the first time you put them in.
If your ear canals are in that minority that just flat out can't seal no matter what you try you will not be impressed with these phones.
I have fairly deep and wide flaring canals, and I thought no in-ear phone would work for me. Then I found Etymotic Research makes the three-flanged silicon eartip with an extra long tube for its ety.com hands-free phone headset. Whaddya know--it fits these things perfectly, and they sent me a pouch of ten tips for eight bucks. It gives me an extra quarter inch of insertion depth. You may not need this. But I do, to get a correct seal.
Once I got it, I was able to hear what these phones actually sound like.
Lack of bass? Yeah, sure--if you're one of those idiots who insists on enough bass to shake the mirrors, moldings and lug nuts off his car. However, if you are a rational human being who wants the music to sound LIVE--meaning it sounds just like it did when it was performed--you are going to be more than satisfied with the bass output here.
Why people think turning up the bass all the way has anything to do with sound quality is a complete mystery to a musician and hi-fi enthusiast like me. I own perhaps the deepest-reaching home subwoofer ever made for under ten grand--the famous passive Alòn. That baby can take you down to subsonic frequencies, and if you have the watts to drive it correctly it can just about shake the fillings out of your teeth. I LOVE GREAT, FULL BASS. With a proper seal you get great, full bass with these, though of course you will not receive the physical hit you will get when my sub moves massive quantities of air on a big concert bass drum hit. You'll hear it though.
My suspicion is that those who say these phones lack bass did not get a proper seal in their ear canals. If they did not like the fit, or it felt uncomfortable to them, they may not have wanted to do the experimentation necessary to get the sound these little wonders are capable of. They were right to return them if they could get a full refund, and go with a more conventional design.
If you want an amazingly compact set of phones capable of delivering high fidelity sound for about a third of what Ety charges for the ER4, and can put up with the feeling of these plugs in your ears, and can get the proper seal, you will love these.
If you do not fit into this category, you will regret your purchase.
The only way to find out is to try them. Make sure you buy them from an outfit that will take them back for a refund if you're not satisfied.
Finally, I hope I've conveyed my opinion that none of the weaknesses found by those who hate the iM616 result from design flaws. Rather, they result from faulty insertion, intolerance of weird things in one's ear canal, and the most common problem: the wrong size eartips.
You can probably find eartips that will fit these phones and your own ears. Ety has a wide variety of styles and sizes. If you find the one that fits you, you're going to love the sound these make.
My favorite cans are my Senn HD300s. I can take them with me, but I have to use my little headphone amp with them--they have such large diaphragms that no ipod or other portable device will drive them properly. Furthermore, they are open air phones that let in all kinds of external noise. They are best suited to listening to classical or quartet jazz at night when all the ambient noise has calmed down.
For your mass-transit ride and walking around town, these are the only way to go as far as I'm concerned. You must make sure to take extra care to be aware of what is around you--because you're not going to hear it.
Excellent passive noise isolation 2007-07-16
You have to get used to a very deep insertion into your ear canal, but when you get it right the isolation and sound are worth the trouble. The connectors and cables have stood up to hundreds of tugs and pulls (very durable). The 3 flange plastic tips are replaceable and I replaced mine after about 6-9 months of everyday usage. Cable movement noise and inside your head noise (chewing, breathing, etc.) are noticable, but this is the nature of most in ear canal phones. Due to good isolation, you can often use a lower volume which helps with protecting your hearing and extending your battery life.
Fraudulent advertising 2007-05-19
These have no bass, and the they are clear, as long as you like high end clear.
The Marketing people need to let the Engineers back in the mix at Altec Lansing.
Shame on those Marketeers that try to foist these on unsuspecting consumers that think that the Altec Lansing name was what it once was.
