[sonypc100]

Hi

Merry Christmas to Everyone!

I just got a pair or ER-6i's for Christmas and am using them now. These are the first pair of headphones I have ever had which were not the standard ones supplied with a personal stereo etc. Im using them with my ipod.

Firstly how do you know if you have a seal or not? Is there a way to tell? I think I have one but how can you be sure?

Secondly if I move my head or move the cables, i can hear the noise of the cables, is this correct? I can hear the cable tapping against my ear/head?

Is this normal, do I just need to get used to the extra sensitivity of a more expensive headphone? - Im just worried that if I use them at the gym then as I move I will hear the noise of the movement?

Any advice would be great!

Thanks

Rich

Finally, it says you shoud moisten the headphone before inserting, without being gross, do you use spit? What happens if you are not near any water??

 

[citywithoutmetal]

heh...I definitely wouldn't want to use those phones at the gym. much higher chance of damaging them there and the noise from the wire would be too annoying. just take the cheapies to gym and use the phones for traveling and home use. as for the seal..I don't think i mastered it when i owned my etys(only had it for like 8 months before it started breaking) but I remember pulling up the ear from the top with one hand then shoving it in with the other. hopefully someone has pics..

 

[JohnRich]

If you use the shirt clip and leave the right amount of slack to allow for head movements without undue cable movement (this takes a bit of experimentation) then the cable noise is much reduced.

I'd take etys to the gym without any expectation of being driven mad by the cable movements. I wouldn't jog with them because the 'footstep' noise becomes intruisive if you run in them, whereas it's not terrible if you are merely walking.

There are lots of threads around about on the 'good seal/no seal' question with canalphones generally or Etys in particular so probably worth searching to get detailed answers. If you hear a noticable amount of bass then you've got enough of a seal. If you hear much external noise with music playing then the seal could be better.

If you have a good seal then movements of the earpiece further into or slightly out of your ear canal with create a sense of pressure; with music at a moderate level you'll be deaf to the outside world excepting sirens and other really loud things. As a test you can try gently rubbing your fingers next to your ear; its easily audible without a seal but you shouldn't hear it with properly inserted foamies or flange tips.

Wetting the flange tips is worth trying if you are struggling to get a seal, but isn't essential and seems inconvenient to me. Saliva is a good portable solution to the wetting problem

; don't overdo it; they need to be ever so slightly moist not drippingly wet. You'll read some safety concerns about saliva on here, which I recommend you ignore - if New Scientist can be believed saliva in thin layers has an antiseptic action as it dries due to oxidation.

Cheers

 

[Kevin143]

I have Ety ER-6's and ER-4Ps. The way I usually test for a seal is to rub my thumb and index finger together right next to my ear. Normally or with a poor seal, one would hear that sound clearly but it should be completely silent or almost gone with a good seal.

Once you learn what the earphones are supposed sound like, you can also throw on a song with a fair amount of bass. I usually use Radiohead's "No Surprises." It opens with low bass and simultaneous high bells. With a seal, the bass is almost the same volume and clearly distinct from the highs. Without a seal, I can't hear the bass in the slightest and the music just sounds wrong. I don't just hear a small amount of bass -- I hear absolutely none and the treble takes on a different character as well.

I use my 6's on the run and at the gym. Yeah, I hear the cord constantly. It's still better than hearing bad sounding music.