[fsuguy92]

Hey everyone, haven't seen alot of information on here about the Etymotic Research ER6i's so I figured I'd write a little "first impression" review. I got these yesterday and have allowed them to break in for about 24 hours (a little less). While I'm impressed with their resolution on single instruments, when there are more than 2 or 3 layers, they really struggle. They "break up" and really strain to reproduce midrange sounds, especially at the lower end of the spectrum.
 
I'm thinking I might send these back to Amazon for a refund, but want to give them a little more time. Anyone know if the hf5 would be a pretty big upgrade over these and probably resolve the issues I'm finding?
 
 
 

 

[JxK]

The er6i are an old IEM, and aren't recommended anymore for a reason. They really can't keep up with other budget oriented earphones out there. If you like the cold and analytic etymotic sound, I'd suggest jumping ship to either the hf3/5 or the phonak audeo pfe.

 

[bigheadhifi]

im using an er6i for my main iem.. to me they sounded just good, very clinical though.. the separations are just great to me, I had an rezero before the er6i, compared to the rezero, er6i's highs and treble rolls off earlier and less sparkling, but the bass has more impact. Back to the Instrument separation, I think they are really great at this, I dont know about you but to me it separates really well and presentates all the frequencies pretty evenly.
 
They're using balanced armatures, so it wouldnt change anything by burning/breaking in the driver, though some says that the cable needs some burn in time too, but i dont think there would be any significant changes.

 

[lazuline]

I think it's a tip/fit issue. 1) These need a deeeeep insertion with the triple flanges. 2) The frequency response is tweaked to sound best when they're inserted deeeep into your ears. If I had to guess, you're not pushing the triple flanges deeeeep enough into your ears. It's kind of hard to explain, but for my ears, I just had to push them in until I reached a point where the sound just suddenly opened up and the clarity became pretty amazing. If you need advice on how to properly insert these, there's a video and guide on Etymotic's website.
 
Also, for my ears at least, the included Ety grey foamies and glider tips did not provide the same kind of clarity that a deeply inserted triple flange did. The Shure Olives, however, work like a charm, and are what I use on my hf2.
 
Did you pay full Amazon price for the ER6i? ($79) If you like the Ety sound, you can spend another $30 for a Cobalt HF2 ($99) and get improved durability/SQ + headset functions.
 
http://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-Earphones-Headset-Compatible/dp/B0012OP7HE
 
edit: the hf2 is down to $99 sold by Amazon. Damn, that's deal worthy.