delenda est Sony
500+ Head-Fier
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Hello all--- ER6 has seen a lot of exposure on this site so I won't go into TOO much detail! Basically track down DGS's review for the definitive comparison between the ER6 and the ER4. As a certified cheapskate, I would never pay more than $200 for earphones (well, got the HD600s for $210...) so the ER4 will remain a pleasure for folks other than me to experience...
Here goes:
The ER6 is a canal phone, essentially a very small driver (maybe 6-7 mm) with a even narrower tube which is fitted with a filter, which both changes the sound quality as the output travels through it, and also keeps ear wax and other debris from mucking up the transducer assembly. The relatively high cost of the small phones is justified by the miniaturization of such a high quality driver. The whole shooting match is then capped with a clear rubber plug with a sort of double bowl design that seals the ear canal, giving about 20 dB of noise isolation. There are also foam plugs now available for the ER6, which are similar to the standard plugs from the ER4 series. The ER4 is said to be narrower though and so can be inserted more deeply into the ear canal.
Specifications: Freq Response: 20-16 kHz. Sensitivity: 108 dB. Impedance: 48 Ohms. Max volume output: 120 dB SPL. Weight: 12 grams. Max power input: 2.5 Volts.
Appearance and Build Quality: As mentioned by other commentators, the 1m cable of the ER6 is at least 6-12” too short. If you are of average height and try to put your CD player in your hip pocket, you can probably expect a fairly exasperating time, as the cord will continually be at the utmost limits of its extension and will tug at your ears in a fairly unpleasant manner. On the bright side, the right ear plug is longer than the left and so the cord can be looped around the back of your head, making the feel of the cord similar to a single line model---except when the looped section gets caught on your collar or hangs down by the left ear, creating alarming tugs when you turn your head. I understand that Ety is doing away with the asymmetrical lengths and will go to a standard Y cord configuration, like most earbuds. I doubt this will make things better as the overall cord length is remaining the same—i.e. too short. The shirt clip that they are adding might help in some situations though.
The overly short length is a bit of a mystery. The Senn MX500s are equally short, but as those are $18, the manufacturer’s need for economy is a bit more understandable. At nearly 8 times the price, the ER6 could be expected to have a somewhat longer cord. The current length makes these plugs inconvenient for portable use and even more problematic for at-home listening. Ety should extend the length of the cord slightly, say to 4-5 feet long, like the Sportapros by Koss.
Other than the cord length, general build quality is decent. The plugs look like they’re worth about $20, so at least no one will mug you for them. (The gobs of ear wax on the rubber plugs should also discourage acquisitive or curious third parties…) The wire is thin and flexible, the gold plated 1/8 inch plug pretty ordinary, and the plastic container and velcroed carrying pouch pleasant though unexceptional.
A Word On Wax: The gross factor on these is huge. Every day that I use these, I pull em out of my ears and think “eww!”. I had not thought of my ears as especially waxy, but it looks like I should be making candles at home based on all the gooey stuff that comes out on the Etys. If you clean em off right away, the wax is easily removed but if you screw up and let em sit overnight with wax, well, you will have a much harder time removing said wax. Soak the rubber plugs in soap and warm water at least once a week, and be sure to turn the plugs inside out as well. (Rinse with warm water and let sit for at least 10 hours before reinserting on the tubes; you do not want any stray moisture to get in the tubes or transducers.) The tube filters also accumulate wax as well, and they will need to be changed eventually, but Ety (in typical Gnostic fashion) gives you no pointers as to when this will be on average. If the filters soak up too much earwax, the phones will start sounding worse, but this exact point will likely be very subjective due to the phones inherent variability even with unclogged filter. Ety designers must have been taking lessons from the Gilette Mach 3 team: “the blade will eventually need to be changed”. For me, my hyperwaxy right ear needed a new filter after about 6 weeks, but the merely ultrawaxy left ear is still sounding OK into the 7th week.
Sound: To rephrase Roseanne Barr’s odious statement on pedophilia, there are only two answers to the question “are you getting the best possible sound from your ER6’s?”---the answers are “no” and “I don’t know”. The key issue to the quality of the ER6 is the seal that you achieve during insertion. If you like bass at all, you have to get the seal perfectly right; otherwise you enter MX500 territory---i.e. intellectual bass rather than the actual physical perception of low frequencies. Again though, the huge price differential makes ER6 basslessness more offensive.
Insertion depth is also key. Too shallow and the sound will sound distant and dull; too deep and the sound stage will seem thin and the sound muffled. Between these two variables, seal quality and insertion depth, the ER6 user has a potential world of frustration to explore. The sound from the ER6 when all is done right is excellent, but when things are not perfect, you are essentially listening to an MX500 with greater external noise attenuation. This is not a terrible thing by any stretch, but the unfulfilled potential of the ER6 will haunt you on those occasions when you just can’t get things to sound like they did when everything was set up right.
Etymotics could make things more enjoyable for the user by giving better details as to proper insertion of the plugs. The brief instructions glide right past these key issues. A CD ROM in the package with multimedia instructions, even a VHS tape would be most welcome, or at least some detailed pictures on their web site. How far in should the plugs go? What does a good seal sound like from the listeners perspective? Is moisture essential? Do I need to open my mouth? For $130, I would like these questions answered decisively so that I can strive to hone my insertion technique to get consistently good sound. There’s a lot of opinions on this site as to how to put these plugs in your ear, and I like to think that my own technique has gotten better with time, but I always wonder if there is a better level of sound possible with these phones that what I have succeeded in hearing. These might be called the world’s first post-modern earphones…
Other than the issue of insertion technique, these phones sound great. They are very neutral, much more so than the MX500s. They have excellent articulation and show up a lot of detail in the music. Midrange and trebles are balanced and precise, and bass (with proper insertion) is decent. I would equate the bass as the equal of the Senn 497s (when everything clicks) and the superior of the Grado SR60. For a tiny little phone to equal the sound of the Grado SR60 or Senn 497 is in itself very impressive, and the acoustic isolation of the ER6 makes the overall experience more intense and enjoyable. The proximity perception of the listener to the soundstage is an intimately close one, very similar to the Grado effect. Sound stage is not vast, but certainly comparable to a good quality closed phone, like the Senn 280, certainly superior to that of the Sony V6. To sum these phones up in a catchphrase: Senn 497s in a compact portable package with excellent isolation. But with that variable factor of less decent sound when insertion depth or seal is off.
The ER6s are at home with all types of music, and sounded equally well with jazz, metal, classical, trance, and techno. Obviously due to the variable bass, fans of bass emphasized music may be a bit unhappy on occasion, but they can always just reinsert the phones and practice, practice, practice…
Sources: I heard little difference with the ER6 from PCDP to JMT CHA 47 amp to Headroom Little. The ER6 sounded decent on all sources. It got louder more quickly as the pot was turned on the amps, but that is hardly unique. On the bright side, if you don’t have an amp, you’re not missing much!
Summary: we have a set of canal phones that are versatile, compact, and effective at isolating the wearer from the outside world. The ER6s sound about as good as the Grado SR60 and Senn 497s, but these are phones costing roughly half the price of the ER6. How does the ER6 match up against phones in its price range? Well, compared to the Senn 590 and the Grado SR125, I would answer “not very well”. Though not a bass head, I do love the balanced impact of low frequency sound, and this is the aspect of the ER6s performance that is most hit and miss. Bass on the 125 and 590 (as well as the Senn 280 and Sony V6) is superior and most of all consistent and care-free. Put the phones over your ears and voila, good bass. The ER6 can give decent bass, but you have to work for it. Moral of the story: the $130 you spend on the ER6 gives you an excellent portable headphone ideal for use in noisy environments, but home use is not the forte of these phones. If you plan to listen mainly at home, and do not need isolation for or from others, than buy something else for your $130. Even if you do need isolation at home, I would contend that the Senn 280s at $80-$100 are a better solution as they have better bass, greater isolation (roughly 10 dB more) and are more consistent in giving decent sound.
Recommended Uses: I commute on the NYC subways every day and these phones have spoiled me. At various points in time, I have used Sportapros, the V6, Senn 202s, and Senn MX500s for this same purpose. After a few weeks with the ER6, I could never happily return to any of these other phones for commuting. The good sound, general ease of portability, and isolation make these phones ideal for commuters and business travelers. For home listening in bed say without disturbing the Significant Other, these would also be ideal. People who do not travel may want to pass these by though, as the variability of acoustic performance due to the subjective nature of user technique will probably cause a lot of frustration. I plan to try out the foam tips soon and see if that makes things a bit more consistent and simple. I’ll update this review when I do.
Here goes:
The ER6 is a canal phone, essentially a very small driver (maybe 6-7 mm) with a even narrower tube which is fitted with a filter, which both changes the sound quality as the output travels through it, and also keeps ear wax and other debris from mucking up the transducer assembly. The relatively high cost of the small phones is justified by the miniaturization of such a high quality driver. The whole shooting match is then capped with a clear rubber plug with a sort of double bowl design that seals the ear canal, giving about 20 dB of noise isolation. There are also foam plugs now available for the ER6, which are similar to the standard plugs from the ER4 series. The ER4 is said to be narrower though and so can be inserted more deeply into the ear canal.
Specifications: Freq Response: 20-16 kHz. Sensitivity: 108 dB. Impedance: 48 Ohms. Max volume output: 120 dB SPL. Weight: 12 grams. Max power input: 2.5 Volts.
Appearance and Build Quality: As mentioned by other commentators, the 1m cable of the ER6 is at least 6-12” too short. If you are of average height and try to put your CD player in your hip pocket, you can probably expect a fairly exasperating time, as the cord will continually be at the utmost limits of its extension and will tug at your ears in a fairly unpleasant manner. On the bright side, the right ear plug is longer than the left and so the cord can be looped around the back of your head, making the feel of the cord similar to a single line model---except when the looped section gets caught on your collar or hangs down by the left ear, creating alarming tugs when you turn your head. I understand that Ety is doing away with the asymmetrical lengths and will go to a standard Y cord configuration, like most earbuds. I doubt this will make things better as the overall cord length is remaining the same—i.e. too short. The shirt clip that they are adding might help in some situations though.
The overly short length is a bit of a mystery. The Senn MX500s are equally short, but as those are $18, the manufacturer’s need for economy is a bit more understandable. At nearly 8 times the price, the ER6 could be expected to have a somewhat longer cord. The current length makes these plugs inconvenient for portable use and even more problematic for at-home listening. Ety should extend the length of the cord slightly, say to 4-5 feet long, like the Sportapros by Koss.
Other than the cord length, general build quality is decent. The plugs look like they’re worth about $20, so at least no one will mug you for them. (The gobs of ear wax on the rubber plugs should also discourage acquisitive or curious third parties…) The wire is thin and flexible, the gold plated 1/8 inch plug pretty ordinary, and the plastic container and velcroed carrying pouch pleasant though unexceptional.
A Word On Wax: The gross factor on these is huge. Every day that I use these, I pull em out of my ears and think “eww!”. I had not thought of my ears as especially waxy, but it looks like I should be making candles at home based on all the gooey stuff that comes out on the Etys. If you clean em off right away, the wax is easily removed but if you screw up and let em sit overnight with wax, well, you will have a much harder time removing said wax. Soak the rubber plugs in soap and warm water at least once a week, and be sure to turn the plugs inside out as well. (Rinse with warm water and let sit for at least 10 hours before reinserting on the tubes; you do not want any stray moisture to get in the tubes or transducers.) The tube filters also accumulate wax as well, and they will need to be changed eventually, but Ety (in typical Gnostic fashion) gives you no pointers as to when this will be on average. If the filters soak up too much earwax, the phones will start sounding worse, but this exact point will likely be very subjective due to the phones inherent variability even with unclogged filter. Ety designers must have been taking lessons from the Gilette Mach 3 team: “the blade will eventually need to be changed”. For me, my hyperwaxy right ear needed a new filter after about 6 weeks, but the merely ultrawaxy left ear is still sounding OK into the 7th week.
Sound: To rephrase Roseanne Barr’s odious statement on pedophilia, there are only two answers to the question “are you getting the best possible sound from your ER6’s?”---the answers are “no” and “I don’t know”. The key issue to the quality of the ER6 is the seal that you achieve during insertion. If you like bass at all, you have to get the seal perfectly right; otherwise you enter MX500 territory---i.e. intellectual bass rather than the actual physical perception of low frequencies. Again though, the huge price differential makes ER6 basslessness more offensive.
Insertion depth is also key. Too shallow and the sound will sound distant and dull; too deep and the sound stage will seem thin and the sound muffled. Between these two variables, seal quality and insertion depth, the ER6 user has a potential world of frustration to explore. The sound from the ER6 when all is done right is excellent, but when things are not perfect, you are essentially listening to an MX500 with greater external noise attenuation. This is not a terrible thing by any stretch, but the unfulfilled potential of the ER6 will haunt you on those occasions when you just can’t get things to sound like they did when everything was set up right.
Etymotics could make things more enjoyable for the user by giving better details as to proper insertion of the plugs. The brief instructions glide right past these key issues. A CD ROM in the package with multimedia instructions, even a VHS tape would be most welcome, or at least some detailed pictures on their web site. How far in should the plugs go? What does a good seal sound like from the listeners perspective? Is moisture essential? Do I need to open my mouth? For $130, I would like these questions answered decisively so that I can strive to hone my insertion technique to get consistently good sound. There’s a lot of opinions on this site as to how to put these plugs in your ear, and I like to think that my own technique has gotten better with time, but I always wonder if there is a better level of sound possible with these phones that what I have succeeded in hearing. These might be called the world’s first post-modern earphones…
Other than the issue of insertion technique, these phones sound great. They are very neutral, much more so than the MX500s. They have excellent articulation and show up a lot of detail in the music. Midrange and trebles are balanced and precise, and bass (with proper insertion) is decent. I would equate the bass as the equal of the Senn 497s (when everything clicks) and the superior of the Grado SR60. For a tiny little phone to equal the sound of the Grado SR60 or Senn 497 is in itself very impressive, and the acoustic isolation of the ER6 makes the overall experience more intense and enjoyable. The proximity perception of the listener to the soundstage is an intimately close one, very similar to the Grado effect. Sound stage is not vast, but certainly comparable to a good quality closed phone, like the Senn 280, certainly superior to that of the Sony V6. To sum these phones up in a catchphrase: Senn 497s in a compact portable package with excellent isolation. But with that variable factor of less decent sound when insertion depth or seal is off.
The ER6s are at home with all types of music, and sounded equally well with jazz, metal, classical, trance, and techno. Obviously due to the variable bass, fans of bass emphasized music may be a bit unhappy on occasion, but they can always just reinsert the phones and practice, practice, practice…
Sources: I heard little difference with the ER6 from PCDP to JMT CHA 47 amp to Headroom Little. The ER6 sounded decent on all sources. It got louder more quickly as the pot was turned on the amps, but that is hardly unique. On the bright side, if you don’t have an amp, you’re not missing much!
Summary: we have a set of canal phones that are versatile, compact, and effective at isolating the wearer from the outside world. The ER6s sound about as good as the Grado SR60 and Senn 497s, but these are phones costing roughly half the price of the ER6. How does the ER6 match up against phones in its price range? Well, compared to the Senn 590 and the Grado SR125, I would answer “not very well”. Though not a bass head, I do love the balanced impact of low frequency sound, and this is the aspect of the ER6s performance that is most hit and miss. Bass on the 125 and 590 (as well as the Senn 280 and Sony V6) is superior and most of all consistent and care-free. Put the phones over your ears and voila, good bass. The ER6 can give decent bass, but you have to work for it. Moral of the story: the $130 you spend on the ER6 gives you an excellent portable headphone ideal for use in noisy environments, but home use is not the forte of these phones. If you plan to listen mainly at home, and do not need isolation for or from others, than buy something else for your $130. Even if you do need isolation at home, I would contend that the Senn 280s at $80-$100 are a better solution as they have better bass, greater isolation (roughly 10 dB more) and are more consistent in giving decent sound.
Recommended Uses: I commute on the NYC subways every day and these phones have spoiled me. At various points in time, I have used Sportapros, the V6, Senn 202s, and Senn MX500s for this same purpose. After a few weeks with the ER6, I could never happily return to any of these other phones for commuting. The good sound, general ease of portability, and isolation make these phones ideal for commuters and business travelers. For home listening in bed say without disturbing the Significant Other, these would also be ideal. People who do not travel may want to pass these by though, as the variability of acoustic performance due to the subjective nature of user technique will probably cause a lot of frustration. I plan to try out the foam tips soon and see if that makes things a bit more consistent and simple. I’ll update this review when I do.
