[Bunninator]

I'm returning my Etymotic ER6i headphones in favor of the Shure E3c's. I have only a few regrets, one of which being leaving the Etymotic's FANTASTIC customer service. The other, is feeling as though I left them behind without giving them enough of a chance to grow on me.

The more I think about it though, the more I realize that the ER6i's really aren't for me. My biggest gripes are how much work it takes to get a proper seal, and how difficult it is to fish the phones out of your ears when you have them in deep. Maybe with time I could learn to live with the comfort issues but I don't think I'll get over the inconvienance of putting them in and taking them out of your ears. I also don't like the wire noise.

Their sound is very... mathmatical sounding which is good for some of the music I listen to but I prefer a little more warmth to most of what I listen to.

Another regret is I highly doubt the Shure's are going to have anywhere near the same level of isolation that the ER6i's get. I guess time will tell if I made the right choice or not. If it turns out I made a mistake, when I get more money I will return to Etymotic and spring for the ER4's

Because of Etymotic's fantastic customer service, I will continue to recommend their products even though they might not have been perfect for my tastes.

 

[PTheD]

It is sad to see one of the ER6i ranks leave. We have enjoyed having you here with us while you stayed. I am a regular ER6i user and don't share your distaste for the insertion or removal of the canalphone. I find them easy to insert and only minorly laborous to remove. The mathmatical as you put it sound to them works with all my music, and I have a lot of it, but I just need to recognise that Tupac Shakur isn't going to have that life and beat to his music with the ER6i. It makes me apreciate the lyrics and the side sounds as I like to call them to Tupac's music. Gives you an idea of how deep the music production and creation go or don't go with these bad boys.

Let us know all about your experiences with the Shure devils. We don't understand why you leave us, but we still respect you and your decision. Maybe someday I to sill have a Shure E3C to match my E2C, but untill that day comes I will be holding on to my ER6i as my real-world canalphone to which I pay the most homage, those ultra-hi-fi ER4s can kiss my 6s 6, they ain't got nothin' on a brotha! As I was sayin', don't worry, I ain't got nothin' but love for ya, go ahead, do ya thing boy.

 

[Spiritboxer]

The E3 is great, best portable cans I've owned so far. Hope they work out well for you.

 

[Cthulhu]

I honestly just stick my ER-4's in until they sit where they sit comfortably, then repeat on the other side.

It's exactly what I did with my e2c's, except on the e2c's I had to roll the foamies. Removal takes slightly longer cause I squish the end of the triflanges and pull it out instead of just yanking it out like I did with my shure's.

I see the fancy time consuming insertion method in the user manual, but it doesn't seem to generate any extra seal or sound quality. Though I do sometimes tug on my earlobe to get it settled right.

Edit: Sometime if it's really cold I will hold the etys in my hand a bit first to warm them up cause it feels weird putting something that cold and silicone-y into your ears.

 

[Acidice]

Shure has great customer service as well. We even have someone who works for shure on these boards!