[Kermy]

Got my ER-6 last night and tried it on my ipod. It didn't make me say "Wow!" exactly but it was good...clear and had a great soundstage.

I'm an audiophile newbie so my use of "audiophilic" will be very sketchy. When I was listening to it, I had the buds about midway in, half of the second flange was sticking out. Some of the songs I listened to, the singer seemed "echo-y." Is that normal? Don't know the exact word for it.

Also, how far in do you folks have the ER-6 in your ears?

Thanks

 

[LTUCCI1924]

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[Kermy]

I have the Koss KSC-35. It's definately a great value but needed isolation also on trips and during study sessions.

 

[LTUCCI1924]

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[johnds]

Hey, this is my first post here, so be gentle.

I bought the ER6 phones about 6 months ago. I have read so many posts here about the ETY's and how to stick them in your ear. All I can say is if you poke them into your head and your left foot kicks the cat across the room, they are in too deep. I like the ER6's, but I have never reached the point that I would call nirvana. If I had it to do over again, I would probably by the pricier ER4s/p phones.

Search through the archives for more info on these, there have been a lot of posts.

I recently bought the foam plugs for the ER6's and I have been happy about them. They fit better for me, and the larger opening for the sound tube seems to pay off.

The Koss phones everyone brags about have a lot of bass boost which is good if you have a cheap player, the ety's are a much classier product and well worth the investment, but dang, I wish I had bought the fancier version.

John

 

[Kermy]

Hm thanks for the reply John, might have to spring for the ER-4P then. Wonder if Headroom will let me exchange it even after I used the pair of filters already...

 

[johnds]

I think headroom will allow an exchange for 30 days. I bought mine there. I kept waiting to make sure, and I just waited too long. I'm not trying to knock down the ER6's, but I just haven't seen anyone post that they have gone ga ga over them, while they do seem to reach aural orgasms with the er 4's.

I like the ER6's but I still have upgraditis as they say around here.

You have complaints about the 6's, so maybe you have time to burn them in to make sure, just don't wait too long.

John (another headphone newbie)

and if you have the bux for the ety's you should have the $30 to buy a pair of KSC-35's, you have to give them a try. If I had to rate any phones in terms of hours listened to per buck paid, they are the hands down winner in my collection.

 

[Kermy]

Yea like I said above, I already got the KSC-35. They're good no doubt, but wanted something with more detail so I got the Etys. But we'll see, going on vacation for a week tomorrow. Hopefully the Ety's will let me reach an "eargasm?" Hehe...

 

[shafu]

What are you using to drive the ER6? I think the 6's need a bit more power to really get the "wow" factor.

I started out with the ER6s and had a similar experience - nice, but couldn't figure out why I spend over $100 on them. Then I plugged them into my home stereo amp, then it was "wow". I felt like I finally found what it was that everyone was talking about.

That led to the debate - do I get an amp and the ER6s or go with ER4P and upgrade later? I decided to return the ER6s and got the 4P, with the anticipation of waiting a year to save up for the adapter cable and a decent amp. That year turned out to be 2.5 months. So a bit of a warning, unless you are looking for that "wow" sound.

Also, I found the foam pads to work better with the ER6s, but the silicon better on the ER4Xs. Also, the isolation on the ER4P(S) is noticabally better. Not huge, but enough to tell the difference (I fly quite a bit). But the micronphonic cable does detract - ER6s are much better in that regard.

Best of luck.

 

[Kermy]

Yea that's one problem with my current setup. I don't have an amp nor do I really want one. So yea, after vacation I'll probably send it back for an exchange.

 

[d_wilson]

One problem with the iPod is that it has undersized output capacitors. When driving a lower impedance like the ER-4P or ER-6 is it rolls off the low frequency response. I will look into if I can post the response of the iPod with the ER-6 and a little passive eq circuit you can make to counteract it.

Don Wilson
Etymotic Research

 

[elektrobank]

I bought a pair of ER-4Ps and I wasn't blown away by them. They only sound good for really good recordings and I find putting them in and taking them out to be quite annoying. So spending close to $300 on a pair of headphones that I wasn't in love with didn't make sense so I returned them.
Next I bought a pair of Sony MDR-EX70LP's. These headphones have an amazing sound to them, and only cost about $40. As with the ETYs you will hear an incredible amount of clarity with these and the bass is very strong. They are also in-the-ear headphones, but the plugs don't go as deep and are a LOT more comfortable and easier to put in and take out, you don't even know you have them in most of the time. Getting a good seal with these requires no effort at all. They have oxygen free cables so you don't get the cable harmonics that you did with the ETYs.
The only drawback to them is that they don't have as much isolation as the ETYs and there is some slight distortion in some frequencies, but other than that I really LOVE these headphones. Also the fact that they are only $40 makes me more comfortable about carring them around. If you get these you will need an EQ on whatever you are listening to otherwise the bass is just too strong.
Overall I felt they were an excellent value and am very impressed with the sound.
I'm not saying these are better headphones than the ETYs, but you may be happier with them as I was.

 

[johnds]

Quote:

Originally posted by d_wilson One problem with the iPod is that it has undersized output capacitors. When driving a lower impedance like the ER-4P or ER-6 is it rolls off the low frequency response. I will look into if I can post the response of the iPod with the ER-6 and a little passive eq circuit you can make to counteract it. Don Wilson Etymotic Research

YES Don, let us know what you are thinking about.

Please,

John

 

[ultraviolet353]

I also agree with Elektrobank. I like the EX70's a lot better. I bought the ER-6's and was very disappointed--returned them. Yes, they are much truer than the EX70's, but for overall fit, comfort, sound, isolation, bass, power, and price, I choose the EX70's. Also, the Aiwa VX100/V600 are $20 canalphones that have gotten great reviews on this board.

 

[d_wilson]

Quote:

Originally posted by elektrobank They have oxygen free cables so you don't get the cable harmonics that you did with the ETYs.

Cable harmonics?! ROFL.