Reviewed by: byinrlab on 08-Mar-08 Rating:

Strengths:Small & unoticeable, ideal noise cancellation, stays securely in place, excellent sound quality & range.

Weaknesses:Filter replacement. (Not really a major problem. You get an extra 2 with your purchase. You can always put in an order for more filters along with your earphone purchase.)

Summary:If you\'re looking at investing in a quality set of in-ear earphones this is going to be one of the best choices out there for just under $80. Before finally deciding on the Etymotic Research 6i Isolator Earphones I shopped around on the internet & looked at many products & reviews for several weeks. I don\'t know about you, but when it comes to making an investment I like feeling comfort in knowing that I\'m making a good selection. The reason for my recent earphone purchase was because I recently bought a 2nd Generation iPod Shuffle. I wanted a superior set of in-ear earphones that would hold up better than the ones packaged along with the Shuffle. I will be using my ER 6i Isolator Earphones mostly for my workouts which vary from running, weight lifting, yoga, and basketball. The earphones have a long cord along with an attached clip; this will come in handy when I perform exercises that invovle wide-range of motion. Also, these babies come packaged along with a sweet carrying case that has enough room for my shuffle too. How cool is that? I\'ve only had these earphones for about 3 days now, & I am totally satisfied with my purchase. I will post another comment later to let you know how they are holding up.

Reviewed by: fluteboy on 18-Dec-07 Rating:

Strengths:Blocks external sounds well, as well as the Etymotic ER-20 high-fidelity earplugs.

Weaknesses:Wires are too skinny and get tangled easily.

Summary:My main reason for purchasing these is that I am extremely happy with another pair of Etymotic ER-20 high-fidelity earplugs that I own. These headsets are definitely on-par with the quality of other Etymotic products. Without music, it works just as well as the ER-20 to block out outside noise.

Since these earplugs come in a blister pack, they are deformed when you first use them, and will \"leak\" sound. The best advice is to let these sit in the carrying case, uncompressed, overnight before using them.

Reviewed by: k3hal on 27-Aug-07 Rating:

Strengths:Great frequency response; total isolation from ambient noise; outstanding output

Weaknesses:wires tangle easily.

Summary:This is the second pair of earphones I bought. The first pair (ER4) lasted 3 years before the right earphone got a little fuzzy with the increased output from my iPod. I am very impressed with the new ER6i\'s.

Reviewed by: gailforce56 on 18-Jul-07 Rating:

Strengths:great sound

Weaknesses:what a thin cord - how long will it last?

Summary:They sound great. However it remains to be seen how durable they are. It looks like they will have to be treated with kid gloves. Much better than what Apple supplies with the Ipod.

Reviewed by: tiwang80 on 18-Mar-07 Rating:

Strengths:clear sound quality, sound isolation, small size, relative comfort

Weaknesses:price, build quality

Summary:I had never previously spend more than $20 on headphones before. I decided to get an isolation headphone for commuting in the subway, for the ambient noise was too disruptive for regular earphones. After much research, I decided on the ER-6 on account of its isolation function, sound quality (better than Sony) and relative price (cheaper than the Shure E3).

After two weeks of heavy commuting use, I find the earphone to be within expectations. The sound isolation function is quite good. I can turn down turn down the volume and allow the earplugs to keep out the clanging, shreiking and screeching of the NY subway. In-ear headphones take some getting used to. Try wearing foam earplugs for a week to see if you can get used to themt. I use the small twin-flange rubber plugs on the E6 (a bigger twin-flange, a still bigger triple flange along with foam plugs are included with the E6). The earphone has become unnoticeable for me.

The sound quality is decent, not heavenly as some reviews of in-ear premium quality ear phones might suggest or lead one to expect. After listening carefully to CDs on the E6, I now notice more distortion and fuzziness in my cheap Coby headphones. That\'s about it. The treble on the E6 are sharper. I hear more of the high-pitch sounds from cymbals crashing, for example. Not sure if this is a great thing. More vivid perhaps. You have to be a classical music connossieur to be able to appreciate the subtle differences in other areas of clarity. The string bass in Beethoven\'s Fifth Symphony sound more string-like on the E6 compared to a more muffled base drone on the generics. The premium clarity makes little difference, however, for audiobooks from Librivox (which are a great way to use mobile mp3 players on long commutes).

The build quality on these $74 earphones from Buy.com leaves something to be desired. The rubber wires form hard creases very easily. They don\'t droop straight down into a V like the ipod wires. Instead, the creases make the prone to tangle and catch other things. The gold plating on the plug has already started to peel after two weeks.

For a brief period, the right earphone made buzzing noises. But stopped after I turned off the mp3 player for a time and restarted.

For the relief of ear-saving sound isolation, I\'d say that\'s definitely worth $75 (although there ought to be $5 earplug earphones available for those who want the option). As for the sound quality, that might be worth the price. For build quality of the wire and plug, complementary earphones on Virgin Atlantic are better.

three stars only -- satisfied, not thrilled.

Reviewed by: spedinfargo on 29-Oct-06 Rating:

Strengths:Very very small, very comfortable, BEST sound available at its price.

Weaknesses:Easy to lose! Wire can lose contact after a while.

Summary:These phones are simply great - I actually used a pair for about 1.5 years before losing my pair. I kept waiting for them to turn up but then I got sick of listening to my crappy backup pair (crazy how quick you become a snob...).

They take a while to get used to - I don\'t like the foam tips as they\'re a bit more uncomfortable. You do get a bit more bass that way. However, once you get used to the rubber tips, the fidelity is just incredible. It is a bit weird having things jammed that far in your ear, but you get used to it.

Don\'t plan on hearing ANYTHING else when you have these in (i.e., not good for running, biking, etc.). I get scared at work when people sneak up behind me when I\'m wearing them.

I laugh at people wasting money on those $300 bose noise canceling monsters - these are great to pack and great for on airplans.

One small problem (hopefully corrected in newer versions): They can be a bit fragile. My first pair developed a short in them (I sold them with an Ipod package on ebay - after disclosing the problem) and when my second did as well I had to send in for repair. Small company though and great to work with (they said they would have repaired my first pair even though they were past the 90 day warranty). I am a bit hard on my headphones, though, so I\'ll take partial blame on it. I think it was a design problem that may be fixed by now.

Black ones are identical but look much cooler!

Can\'t live without these things - definitely one of the best electronics purchases I\'ve ever made.

Reviewed by: citomyte on 03-Aug-06 Rating:

Strengths:incredibly articulate and detailed sound, great isolation, size

Weaknesses:must purchase new tips and filters every few weeks/months, feels fragile, bass is a little lean

Summary:These earbuds provide tight and accurate sound. They seal outside noises very well and are perfect for environments with a lot of ambient noise. However, the cord is a little flimsy and feels fragile. In addition, the bass is a little on the lean side so for those who love bass, these may not be the best head phones for you. But don\'t let these aspects deter your decision as these are excellent earbuds. For the price, they are well worth it.