(Bear with me, this is my very first review...)
Included in package:
Triple Flange tips, small
Triple Flange tips, normal/medium
Glider tips
Black Foam tips
Replacement Filters (+ Filter replacement tool)
Zippered Carrying Case
Snap-on Cable Clip
Etymotic MC5 earphones
Comfort: 3/10
I found these iems fairly uncomfortable; my ears ached moderately after long listening sessions. All tips included never really provided much comfort. The "normal" Ety Triple Flanges plunged deep into my ears and stretched them out. The "small" Ety Triple Flanges were too small and I could not get a sufficient seal with them. The black/grey foam tips were just terrible, they sounded significantly worse than the triple flanges and felt like they were shredding my ears to pieces. Maybe I got a bad pair? The Glider tips were the most comfortable by far, but the sacrifice of SQ for comfort was too large, so they went away.
The casings are pretty bulky as well, I'm sure that contributed to some of my discomfort.
Sound Quality: 7/10
Coming from cheap bassy iems when I purchased these, I was very disappointed in these at first listen. But within a few days, I began to understand how to appreciate the Etymotic house sound. Sure enough, I rediscovered my whole collection.
NOTE: *These iems WILL reveal bad sources. But not as severely as some make it out to be.
After discovering head fi and getting these, I began to update my media library to FLAC. At first, I could not hear any difference at all. But during very long listening sessions, I began to hear faults in my 192 kbps mp3 files. After burning the same music to FLAC, I noticed a definite difference. Thank Etymotic for training my ear and turning me into a neutralhead or...?
As I gained more experience (haha) I began to realize the Ety's faults and strengths.
As others have said, they are dry and clinical at times. With some songs this can be very boring and not enjoyable. While doing something else, such as browsing the internet, these can really fade into the background and before you know it, completely disappear.
During most loud rock songs, the Etys can sound congested and boxed in to the point of annoyance. The soundstage certainly is below average.
The detailed treble of these really did amaze me. I enjoyed all the details and nuances in my rock. Yeah, call me crazy for liking rock on the Etys. But, as mentioned before, on most of my heavier rock, the soundstage is less than adequate.
I do have a few gripes about the mids. They are dry and congested, but, in a contradiction, I think electric guitars really rock on these iems.
To my ears, the lows seem to just blend in to the background, not overly present or offensive. Just "there". But when they do show themselves, they rock. Their quality really does allow me to discern different bass notes. Although I tend not to pay much attention to them, because hearing bass (keyword: hearing) isn't very appealing to me vs feeling it.
________________________ _ _ _
Overall, would I buy these again? Maybe. For a throw around pair or for a gift, but never again for serious listening.
*Please take my opinions with a small grain of salt, as this is my very first review, and hearing is subjective.
Included in package:
Triple Flange tips, small
Triple Flange tips, normal/medium
Glider tips
Black Foam tips
Replacement Filters (+ Filter replacement tool)
Zippered Carrying Case
Snap-on Cable Clip
Etymotic MC5 earphones
Comfort: 3/10
I found these iems fairly uncomfortable; my ears ached moderately after long listening sessions. All tips included never really provided much comfort. The "normal" Ety Triple Flanges plunged deep into my ears and stretched them out. The "small" Ety Triple Flanges were too small and I could not get a sufficient seal with them. The black/grey foam tips were just terrible, they sounded significantly worse than the triple flanges and felt like they were shredding my ears to pieces. Maybe I got a bad pair? The Glider tips were the most comfortable by far, but the sacrifice of SQ for comfort was too large, so they went away.
The casings are pretty bulky as well, I'm sure that contributed to some of my discomfort.
Sound Quality: 7/10
Coming from cheap bassy iems when I purchased these, I was very disappointed in these at first listen. But within a few days, I began to understand how to appreciate the Etymotic house sound. Sure enough, I rediscovered my whole collection.
NOTE: *These iems WILL reveal bad sources. But not as severely as some make it out to be.
After discovering head fi and getting these, I began to update my media library to FLAC. At first, I could not hear any difference at all. But during very long listening sessions, I began to hear faults in my 192 kbps mp3 files. After burning the same music to FLAC, I noticed a definite difference. Thank Etymotic for training my ear and turning me into a neutralhead or...?
As I gained more experience (haha) I began to realize the Ety's faults and strengths.
As others have said, they are dry and clinical at times. With some songs this can be very boring and not enjoyable. While doing something else, such as browsing the internet, these can really fade into the background and before you know it, completely disappear.
During most loud rock songs, the Etys can sound congested and boxed in to the point of annoyance. The soundstage certainly is below average.
The detailed treble of these really did amaze me. I enjoyed all the details and nuances in my rock. Yeah, call me crazy for liking rock on the Etys. But, as mentioned before, on most of my heavier rock, the soundstage is less than adequate.
I do have a few gripes about the mids. They are dry and congested, but, in a contradiction, I think electric guitars really rock on these iems.
To my ears, the lows seem to just blend in to the background, not overly present or offensive. Just "there". But when they do show themselves, they rock. Their quality really does allow me to discern different bass notes. Although I tend not to pay much attention to them, because hearing bass (keyword: hearing) isn't very appealing to me vs feeling it.
________________________ _ _ _
Overall, would I buy these again? Maybe. For a throw around pair or for a gift, but never again for serious listening.
*Please take my opinions with a small grain of salt, as this is my very first review, and hearing is subjective.
