Etymotic ER6i-BLK-B - Isolator Earphones - Black - ER6I-BLK-B

I bought this last April 2007, so it's almost a year in my hand. I use this earphone about 4 days a week, 12 hours a day at workplace (loud factory with heavy machinery). It works great, well, as long as I compare it with the other "noise reduction" products, this one is the best. The sound quality is fine, bass thru treble, all fine, Just lately, last few months, the left side started getting weaker and slower than the right side. And even worse, sometimes it's totally muted. Out of frustration, i tapping the edge with my nail few times, and it was back to normal. And few hours later, it was back muted again... tap tap again.. backed normal.. Usually it's okay in the morning, and start getting nasty at noon time till evening. Today, after wearing it for 3 hours, it was totally dead.. and after some rough taps, it produced sound but really slow. I just replace the earphone filter (left side), which is still clean actually.. Right now is normal, I wonder how it works tomorrow for the whole day. But I believe it has something wrong inside the whole thing, maybe the tiny tiny wires, or other fragility. I think ER-4P series is more steady, but it's friken expensive.. If tomorrow the left side still has conflict, i'll return this under the waranty.
 
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This is the best set of sound reducing earphones that I have found especially at this price range. It is my third pair as I seem to have a problem losing them.
 
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pro: very clear isolate very well(great for flights) con: not good bass compare to my sony and toshiba headphone hard to insert and remove from ear
 
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Pro's= Good sound and comfortable in ears for long periods of time. Very good at blocking outside noise. They could learn some things from apple though. Con's= The cord is to long and the insulation used is to rubbery getting tangled easily, but these problems are common to most earphones. Glad I bought them.
 
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I got these earphones as a replacement for the Shure E2c earphones which shorted out on me after a number of months of use. I ordered these earphones 13 months ago to the day (06/13/06). A few days ago while on vacation, I noticed that the right earphone seemed to be losing power and was noticeably weaker than the left earphone. Just today, the left earphone went almost completely silent. So not only are the earphones barely loud enough for me to hear my music, but what little music I do hear seems to be of lesser output quality than I am used to with the earphones. I checked the etymotic website and was disappointed to find that they only have a one year warranty. I plan to buy them again, because they were fantastic while they lasted, its just unfortunate that they broke only a month after the warranty ended. In closing, I recommend buying the extended replacement plan for the extra $12. It just may be worth it, and I certainly wish I had.
 
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Wow! I am extremely pleased with this purchase. It actually shows me how flawed my mp3 collection is, since the majority of it is encoded at 128. Anything less than 192 and it shows! You can hear every pop click and hiss. I've used them now with many of my devices, from my ipods to my archos products and they sound great! Absolutely love the foam tips, they are by far the easiest and best way to deliver sound to your ears. The flange tips are so uncomfortable though, and the fact that you have to moisten them to get a better fit/sound response is ridiculous. I mean, who wants to shove wet things into your ears? Gross! The fact that you can change the tips and snap in some new filters is really nice as well. I plan on keeping these close to me, lest anyone try to steal them. If anyone ever found out how good they sound, they would be gone in a heartbeat.
 
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At first listen, I was very disappointed with these. They sounded no better than a telephone handset, no bass at all. It was my intention to use these on my motorcycle, but they sounded so bad, I decided to return them. Then I gave them one more try - You REALLY have to get them into your ears... WAY in! WOW! What a difference. Amazing noise isolation and very decent sound. With these, I can actually use the lawn mower while listening to music or podcasts, that's how well they isolate. Looking forward to trying them out under the motorcycle helmet.
 
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These headphones are everything i had expected. just about everything you've read so far from the other reviews are true. like u have heard, the only downside of the headphones are putting them in at first can be a little tricky to get the proper seal so i would recommend using the foam ear tips at first so you know what their suppose to sound like with the right seal. then try the flanged tips. and the best part is, that you cant even feel them once their in. sound quality overall is amazing. and for sound isolation, their exactly like having earplugs in. also their VERY durable and compact. worth EVERY penny. and if you don't believe me, try them for yourself you WONT be disappointed.
 
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These earphones are, no doubt, of very high quality. I would recommend them to anybody who wants serious earphones. I would NOT recommend them to someone who wants something that is particularly comfortable and designed for casual usage. They are not, in my opinion, designed for someone who is on the go all the time, as they require a good seal and they should be well taken care of. I give them 4 stars only because they are not easy to put in correctly, and it takes some time to get used to them, but this is more of a critique of inner-canal headphones than of Etymotic. These earphones are serious business and I doubt you will find better sound for a better price.
 
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The sound quality for these earphones is excellent. I got them to wear while mowing and they are great at isolating outside noise. In fact they are too good for many situations. If you need to be able to hear anything, don't wear these, but if you want to isolate yourself and surround your mind with awesome music, these are for you. Just make sure you insert them far into your ear canal. The different size adapters included ensure they will fit most anyone.
 
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I use these headphones when riding my motorcycle. I used to wear earplugs all the time, but these isolate the sound just as good as the earplugs plus you can listen to your music without having to turn the volume up. If sound isolation is important to you, then these are the headphones you want.
 
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Bought these for under a motorcycle helmet. Fit is comfortable and sound quality is excellent. I have tried a dozen different styles, including custom made earplug/earphone style. These come with several different plugs that are sure to fit your ear without falling out or get uncofortable.
 
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Plug these into your iPod and slide that helmet on, crank up the volume and you're set to twist n' shout. They stomp out the wind and motor noise (HD riders need not apply) because they fit like ear plugs. They're small and compact so they don't pinch the ears. Find a remote for your iPod and you're good to go. Made my day, I love'em!
 
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