[tbonner1]

Quote:

I have this obsession w/ headphones

You are in the right taxi.

The Ety's will sound brighter and sharper, but different is not always better.
This may be a step sideways. Look at the Mylar 3's.

 

[pez]

I've heard too many manufactural flaws about the crossroads, and I'm not gonna stray from the three brands of choice: Ultimate Ears, Ety's, and Shure's. And I really have an obsession w/ IEM's, not headphones. No matter where I am, I still don't really like having big headphones on my head. The Ety's are sturdy right? I'll mainly be using them for when I sit down and watch tv or i'm at my computer listening to my ipod, and occasionally oustide to do a simple chore.

 

[mdarnton]

With my iPod, I like to either turn down the treble, or up the bass with my Ety ER4Ps, depending on the music. If iPod did it, I'd do both.

Even when I had a player with full adjustments, there was no way I could turn my ER6s into Shure E2Cs by equalization--it's not just a matter of tonal balance, but also of how the ranges are presented. I preferred the Shures for relaxed listening, and felt they were more musical and fuller sounding, and the Etys more analytical and realistic, but not relaxing at all, and often irritating. But when I upgraded, it was to Etys, not Shures.

So personal taste has a whole lot to do with it. In general, I'm inclined to not recommend Etys for most people, though, and in your case, it might be a downright bad idea.

On the survival question, my Shures didn't last long. The cord looked thick, but it was weak. The Ety cord is smaller, and stronger. If you're going to fall 50 feet, it's better to be a weak little spider than a powerful elephant. I think the stiffer Shure cords concentrated too much stress at the junction with the earpiece. I don't know what the new Shure cords are like, though.

 

[Computerstud]

As an Etym. owner and fan, I have 2 white older gen er-6i, 1 black newer style er-6i, and the im716 (ER-4P) clone.

With the Etym unamp....there is no BASS....coming from the ep630 you have in your sig, you might be very disappointed with the lack of bass (sometimes non-existance bass).
I seldom will recommend Etym to anyone, because it is an acquired taste. Straight out of the ipod jack or zune, it sounds very very thin (but extremely clear). With an amp, bass presence appear and makes it the perfect IEM for me.

Between the IM716 (ER-4p) vs ER-6i, the IM716 sound more full and have more bass....besides that to my ears, ER-6i and IM716 (ER-4P) sound exactly the same. I would go with the ER-6i since it very comfy, much more so than the IM716.

 

[pez]

I'm not really looking for more bass as I have the super.fi 3's and they don't have strong bass response either, I really like to look for clarity over bass, clarity in the metal genre is my goal.

 

[HeadBanger]

side question: what exactly are the superfi 3's good at? classical, rock,etc ???

 

[pez]

there good at clarity, mostly jazz, hip-hop, r&b, classical, and rock my opinion, i listen to metal an screamo

 

[pez]

come on any more comments?

 

[umcloud]

Erm... I think it's been pretty much nailed down. The er6i is gonna basically be a sidestep from the super.fi. And it seems the things they're good at are pretty similar anyway (clarity, detail, and whatnot). They're a lot smaller than the UE's, and sit deeper in the ear canal, so they might be more comfortable for you. But on a sound basis, there's little reason to get them. Anywho, it's up to you, of course, but don't expect it to be worlds apart from what you already have. If it were me I'd save up for a M5 or er4, or a super.fi 5 if you like UE, and get an actual improvement.

 

[pez]

idk but for some reason, something keeps making me want to buy these, the bass isn't that much more lacking than the super.fi 3's is it?

 

[slindeman]

I've owned both. I personally like the bass better on er6i, as it seemed clearer and more extended, though not any stronger. The er6i actually lets you hear some highs, whereas the super.fi 3 is rolled off like most iems. I preferred the er6i to super.fi 3 and shure e4 for similar reasons. Basically the er6i has a clear, detailed, non-offensive sound which lacks bass. The Super.Fi 3 and e4 sound strange to me, with a midrange focus that makes music seem shouty to me.

 

[LaBreaHead]

If you're not going to save up for umcloud's "Wolverine" upgrade, and the money is burning a hole in your pocket now, go with the ER6i's.

I haven't heard the UE's, but the Ety form factor is much smaller, the cords run straight out of the ears, they take a variety of tips (I highly recommend the short Comply foams or the new Shure foams), and I don't see how the superfi 3's can have any more clarity than these little things. So the Ety's could well provide even more of what you like.