[polishruben]

HI everyone.. first post here. I am looking for a quick advice about my in-ear headphones.

I have Sansa Clip, and would love to get a good pair of headphones. I know that anything will be better than the stock. I narrowed it down to two:

ER6 and Fi.3

I do not want to spend more money than the current cost of the above headphones.

I love to listen to jazz, ambient, dub and classical from time to time. Good fit is almost as important as the quality of the sounds. I usually wear the headphones for max. 3-4 hours at a time.

What should I get ?

 

[TacticalPenguin]

For what you listen to and with fit being important, get the er 6i's - they fit very well and for me are 100% comfortable, and they fit your music taste very well with the sound signature.

 

[thatwunguy]

I'd agree with tactical penguin. I have the fi.5 and know that fi.3 are not so different as far as fit goes. If fit is ANY issue or factor for you, and you don't desire a lot of bass, go with the er6i.

 

[polishruben]

definitely I don't need a lot of bass, yet I don't want to have the sound going flat on me - Of course I don't expect it to be from such high quality manufactures. So far I got two votes for ER6.. awesome. (I also like the look of them much more than Fi style.)

 

[TacticalPenguin]

The er 6i comes with triflange tips which fit most people much better. The ER 6 tips are relatively small and might give you troubles getting a seal. The 6i is said to have very little bass and the 6 has even less, so watch what you decide on....

 

[ClieOS]

IIRC, Pez have a comparison of them.

 

[discoscience]

For Jazz and Classical the edge goes to the ER6i. The clarity and detail just can't be beat for an IEM at this price. Bass is tight but on the leaner side. Greatly benefits from an amp. Also note that if you have an issue with the triflange tips you can always cut off one of the flanges to help them fit better. I snipped the the smallest flange from my set and they feel more comfy like my CX300 canalphones, but with a much better seal.

 

[TacticalPenguin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by discoscience /img/forum/go_quote.gif For Jazz and Classical the edge goes to the ER6i. The clarity and detail just can't be beat for an IEM at this price. Bass is tight but on the leaner side. Greatly benefits from an amp. Also note that if you have an issue with the triflange tips you can always cut off one of the flanges to help them fit better. I snipped the the smallest flange from my set and they feel more comfy like my CX300 canalphones, but with a much better seal.

I was wondering about doing this, the last one on mine often gets squished shut or points right into the wall of my ear canal on the left side if I don't get it in just right. Thanks for letting me know it doesn't have any bad effect (didn't think it would, I modded the blue ones a bit without sideffects)

Also, if the triflanges are too big for you, the er6i's come with excellent foam tips as well as a smaller blue set of triflanges which ought to fit anybody's ear.

 

[polishruben]

thanks for all the input, I will get the ER6.

It seems that amazon has the best prices on the right now.. anyone knows of a better place ?

 

[dookiex]

For your preference in music, the fuller sound of the UEs are better for them. The 6is are a bit, ok, honestly, the lack of bass impact takes all the warmth out of the music and with your music preference, I would have to say, they are better suited with a bit of warmth. The 6is do beat out the UEs by a mile in the details department though. The fit and isolation with the UEs could be a bit of an issue with some ears though. Isolation and fit, 6is hands down, no competition there.

 

[polishruben]

I dont require lots of bass and I don't believe that Er6 have totally flat bass line - even if - I have equalizer on Sansa Clip, so it should not be an issue.. unless I am wrong somewhere ?

Maybe someone already used 4GB Sansa Clip with the ER6 and let me know how that match works ?

 

[dookiex]

Yeah, when I'm talking about lack of bass impact, it's an issue. Detail of bass is (which the 6is have) very different from bass impact. Lack of bass impact basically changes the sound entirely and it's noticeable. Yes you will be amazed at the details the 6i will give you but the lack of body will smack you in the face. The Etymotic line takes a bit to get use to because they have a sound that can truly be called their own. Awesome for picking out details or monitoring but music enjoyment, one can say that they are an acquired taste. I've used my ER-4S for years and the ER-6is were once my throw-around phones for a year. I've had them playing out of various sources at home, off of different PCs, Archos players, iPods, Creative players, and two Cowon players. The equalizer will give you increased bass but it will not put back that bass impact that the Etymotics lack.

While the UEs are more or less neutral phones they have that bass impact that the Etymotics lack thus there's a smaller compromise with the UEs than with the Etymotics. Though I never did like how the UE eartips fit.

 

[Baines93]

Er6i have very little bass impact, but great detail.

The ER6 has even less bass impact, and even better detail, but need an amp to truly shine.

Really i would go for the ER6i over the ER6 if i were you, they will sound much fuller, warmer and have more bass. Suits your genre of music i think.

The UE's have more bass i think, and slightly less detail than the ER6i, but they sound warmer, and more pleasing, with some good detailed bass too. However they are known for bad fit issues due to the shape, and fit some people great, and some people not so great.

The ER6/ER6i isolate more sound, and have less fit issues.

I had ER6i's after thinking i hated bass after bloated-bass-CX300's. I found the detail was great, but the music was too anylitical, and cold, no bass hit when a bassy song came on, an not even any bass warmth to the sound in any songs. Dry. They fitted ok, but i used to find that they would move slightly, letting very audible outside noise in, even with foamies.

Then i got the Livewires, the dont fit quite tight enough, but are very comfy, and the seal doesnt vary, and they never move enough to let outside noise in more than they did before they moved. They have Etymotic detail, and bass hit! On a less bassy song they are warmer sounding than the Etys, and when bass is called for in a bassy song, it is really punchy, and impactful, while the Ety detail is still there.

I adore them!

Matt

 

[dookiex]

Couldn't have said it better myself Baines93!

 

[Baines93]

I thought that reply was gonna be flaming because i made a mistake on SF3 sound description. I haven't heard them you see, but read alot about them as i was interested in whether they would have been the better choice of the many i had when i got the ER6i's...

I was gonna try and get some SF3's, however then i got Livewires unexpectedly, yes an offer i couldnt refuse!

Still, if they need to go in oneday for a re-fit (im 15, and my canals change faster) i will need a backup, and all i have is the CX300's i gave to my sister, which i hate, as i sold the ER6i's when i needed the cash, and they were worth more. There was no point in the hassle of selling the Senns.

I would need SF5's or even TP's as a temporary iem when they were away, but i dont have that much in my savings, so couldnt buy them, use them for a month, and sell them!

If i have more money next year i will pick up some used SF3's as a backup IEM, and also to see what they sound like, and to see if i should have bought them in th first place haha!

Thanks for your kind words

Matt