[theoandtheb]

Hey everyone, I'm relatively new here but I'm looking for some advice on getting myself some new headphones. I'm looking for something slightly above average as opposed to just sticking with the generic buds given out along with popular mp3 products.
 
- I'd prefer to spend in the area of $100 but I'd be willing to spend up to $150 if necessary.
- I would be using them almost exclusively with my Zune so I'm not really looking for any amps at this time.
- Though I'm not a huge audiophile, I have some experience in mixing music and do enjoy high quality in listening to music.
- In terms of musical tastes, I listen to stuff on the more acoustic side, a bit of jazz, all the way up to heavier rock/lighter metal and everything in between...not to much really heavy stuff or r&b/rap though.
 
I've been looking at the Etymotic Research ER6i's for awhile and I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with Etymotic Research and possibly even the ER6i's themselves. Amazon is selling them for around $70. If the reviews I've read there are to be trusted, it seems like the only significant thing to worry about is the small diameter of the wires. I wouldn't be doing any exercise with them but I don't want to have to worry about them fraying or getting damaged from general use. Of course the actual sound quality is the most important so again, if anyone has experience with these or at least the brand, that would be greatly appreciated!
 
Of course if anyone has a different opinion, I'm willing to consider whatever. Thanks!

 

[Flounder]

I personally like the Etymotic IEMs, but they do lack in bass if you tend towards a lot of bass in your music. If you are willing to spend more $150 get the ER4P instead.  I've heard you can sometimes find them on sale for a price that would be below $150.  I have both the 6i and the ER4P, as well as the MC5 and IMO the ER4 is the better one of all those although i had my cable break on that set. The 6i cables are definitely less robust, i always think my daughter (who i gave them to as a present) will break them but they've lasted afor a little while although she doesn't like them (she prefers buds). The MC5 is probalby the better value for the money. They sound as good as i remember the ER4 sounding before they broke.  some say they have more bass but i can't remember. I recently got a pair of Audio Technica CK7s and like those.  I mainly listen to rock, alternative, and some classical.
 
Go check out Joker's thread on IEMs and get an idea of what brands are out there prior to purchasing.

 

[calipilot227]

If you get a good seal, the ER6i has a good amount of bass, IMO. The detail in the mids and highs, however, is very difficult to beat at this price point (though the Sennheiser HD280 pros come pretty close). I've had mine for over a year and they still work great (I haven't even needed to change the filters). Just try all the ear tips before making any judgements on the sound quality.

 

[Onza]

Er6i's are a great starter set of IEMs - they were my first 'proper' IEMs. They don't really do anything wrong and are quite balanced across the frequency range. You could do a lot worse!
 
Other IEMs to consider at that price point are the Etymotic HF5s and MC5s - the HF5s are slightly more expensive. 
 
Other Head-Fiers may recommend the RE0, I haven't tried them so I can't really comment on them

 

[theoandtheb]

It seems that Etymotic is the way to go for that price range. Right now I'm considering the cheaper options of the 6i or MC5 but Amazon is offering the ER4P for $170 which I would be willing to go for if they really offer a noticeable advantage to the 6i and MC5.
 
Another thing I'm concerned about is leakage...I also have the fairly common problem on here of having to deal with roommates and trying to get work done in the library. The Zune premium buds I have now certainly have a problem with keeping all the sound for my ears only. I'm fairly sure that any of the IEM's just mentioned would have none of these problems but I have to ask anyway if any of you have had issues with leakage. I'm sure really investing a bit of time to experiement with the various ear tips and working on getting a snug fit would do wonders.

 

[rawrster]

IMO the ER6i is pretty outdated. Etymotic has a similar offering at similar price range in the MC5 with better build. RE0 and RE-Zero also are at similar price points but build and isolation isn't as good but they totally make up for it in sound.
 
Leakage with earphones should not be an issue. They isolate fairly well to very well depending on what you get so not much noise should leak assuming you are listening at safe levels of listening. These are not like ear buds where lots of noise is leaked. I've never had anyone complain about any sound coming out of any of my earphones but I do know buds leak a lot since on the subway the majority of people listening to music use those and I hear them when my music is on pause and it is loud.

 

[jarrett]

The bass on the ER6i is anemic. I don't know how anyone could say they have a good amount, maybe for Classical? I owned a pair for two years because I do listen to Classical. They are quite outdated too...5 years? You're likely better off with the MC5 which has a higher accuracy score and longer warranty over the ER6i. A con of the rather lean bass is that it affects the overall fullness and enjoyment of other musical genres. I went to the RE2 after the ER6i's here: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/410676/etymotic-er6i-and-head-direct-re2

 

[theoandtheb]

That makes sense to favor the MC5 over the ER6i if it is in fact an updated model. I don't really plan on making headphone purchases a regular basis though so I'm thinking maybe paying a bit more upfront for the ER4P wouldn't be such a major deal. Flounder had mentioned that the ER4P sound better than the MC5, does anyone else have experience with both? If I'm going to be paying almost $100 extra for the ER4P I would expect at least a noticeable difference in quality. 
 
As for bass, I am certainly no basshead but I do like a decent amount to fill out the sound just like I want a decent amount of treble and mids. Shallow sounding music from headphones that are weak in bass are personally just as bothersome as an overwhelming and headache-inducing amount of bass. I'm not only looking at Etymotic either, if there are other IEM's that someone has experience with that offer a really good balance of bass, mids, and treble, I'm open to that too. Unfortunately, I just don't have the time or money to try out a bunch for myself so I'm definitely relying on other user's opinions here. Does anyone actually go the store and sit down with several different pairs and try them out? 

 

[Bennyboy71]

HF5

 

[andrewmorio]

2X on HF5. All faults of ER6i>iffy cable,light bass, construction (plastic vs aluminum body,tips will break) all fixed. I also have the the  ER4p and s. Besides accuracy and cable same construction fault. Go with HF5s.See my bio stuff.

 

[theoandtheb]

I looked at the HF5 earlier but I read Beyerfan70's review of the MC5 and in his review he mentions the sturdiness and durability of the MC5 compared to the HF5. It doesn't seem to make sense that the construction and cable durability of the more expensive HF5 is worse than that of the MC5. I think I'll go with the MC5 just on the basis of durability and being slightly less expensive. Thanks for all the help!