I’ve had the Etymotic MC5 for over a year and a half and thoroughly enjoy them. They have excellent noise isolation; especially when using the foam tips. The sound comes out very crystal clear without distortion. The cable has held up to much wear and tear throughout my time owning this iem. My main complaints are that the jack is not right angled; but rather J shaped making it easier to damage the headphone jack. Also, if you wear it for very long periods of time with the tri-flange tips you will feel some irritation. Said irritation is non existent in the foam tips. When I purchased my MC5, there wasn’t an option for in-line controls. Nowadays they do give you the option of in-line controls or not.
I’m really impressed with the accessories that come with the MC5. You get 3 sizes of tri flange tips, basic tips and one pair of foam tips. Also, you get a filter kit to clean out your IEM, ie a tiny filter and a small steel rod to retrieve and insert said filters. You also get a shirt clip; however I myself don’t care for shirt clips as they’re more of a burden than a help in my personal experience.
If you’ve never bought a pair of Etymotic in ear headphones before, this would be a great introduction to the brand; especially if you want absolute noise isolation. As soon as you put the MC5 in your ears fully; you will not hear any outside noises even when no audio is being played. When wearing these, be very aware of your surroundings as you will be deaf to the world when these headphones are properly inserted in your ears; especially when using the foam tips. The foam tips seemed to have even more noise isolation than the tri-flange tips.
I’m really impressed with the accessories that come with the MC5. You get 3 sizes of tri flange tips, basic tips and one pair of foam tips. Also, you get a filter kit to clean out your IEM, ie a tiny filter and a small steel rod to retrieve and insert said filters. You also get a shirt clip; however I myself don’t care for shirt clips as they’re more of a burden than a help in my personal experience.
If you’ve never bought a pair of Etymotic in ear headphones before, this would be a great introduction to the brand; especially if you want absolute noise isolation. As soon as you put the MC5 in your ears fully; you will not hear any outside noises even when no audio is being played. When wearing these, be very aware of your surroundings as you will be deaf to the world when these headphones are properly inserted in your ears; especially when using the foam tips. The foam tips seemed to have even more noise isolation than the tri-flange tips.
Great review, btw, and one that really constitutes a review -- it's your opinion, nothing more, nothing less, and that's what makes it great. Thank you!