[NR76]

Hello,
 
I am looking for a replacement for Ety er6i that broke after about 3 years. Overall, I really liked er6i for the clarity of sound, though I found them to be lacking in bass sometimes (only ocassionally).
 
Here is what I am looking for:
 
1. Good clean sound quality - nothing muddy
2. Good soundscape
3. Good noise isolation
 
Budget: under $100
 
Ety er6i still seem a decent choice. Are there any others that I should consider in that price range? If so, why? What do you like about them?
 
Thank you in advance for your suggestions.

 

[NR76]

Ok, so I did some research on this forum and amazon. I have narrowed down to the following and am leaning toward RE0. Any thoughts or suggestions?
 
1. Etymotic er6i
2. UE Super.fi 3
3. RE0
4. Klipsch IMAGE S4
 
Thanks.

 

[Groomsy]

I'll go ahead and say no to the S4. If you liked the cleaner sound of the ER6i, then the bass of the S4 might be a little overwhelming at first; they're said to have a "warmer" sound, which may not be what you're looking for.
 
As far as quality goes, the RE0 would probably be your best bet, but I'm not sure how it would work for you in regards to isolation. By no means is it a "shallow" insert or isolation, but it may not be as isolating as what you're used to, especially coming from Etymotic's crazy good isolation.
 
For under $100, another possibility is Maximo's iMetal 590. Its MSRP is around $70, but it can found on Amazon for $55-60. Its supposed to have a fairly balanced sound signature, so it's right along the lines of the ER6i in that respect. Its isolation is supposed to be standard for an IEM; I'm not too sure about the soundstage.
 
Happy hunting!

 

[Marcus_C]

Look up the hf5 too.

 

[jjeremycai]

If you want clean sound, RE0 should be your top choice for sub-100 dollar purchases.

 

[rawrster]

The S4 should not be an option considering your requirements.
 
The RE0 is a good option but the isolation will not be good compared to the ER6i. Those were my first phones and I used them with triple flanges. I have yet to find another phone that has the same isolation as those. I haven't tried the other Etymotic offerings. The isolation is pretty average for an earphone and if you can get past that then they should be a good choice.

 

[NR76]

Thank you all for responding. I travel a lot and would like good noise isolation, so it seems like it will be er6i again for me. I might wait a few months to see if the price for hf5 comes down to around 100. I haven't been able to make out if these a enough of a difference between er6i and hf5 that I should fork out twice as much.
 
Also, at a higher price range (if my wife gets generous for birthday), I am thinking of Sennheiser IE7. But again, I believe it is not noise isolating. And my search continues.
 
I was so content with the er6i. Wish they had never broken.