Etymotic 6i Isolator Earphone - ER6I-BLK-C
Etymotic ER6i-BLK-C - Isolator Earphones - Black

I can't get these to seal as well as I'd like. It seems that my ear canal's bigger than the headphones to the point of not creating a good seal. I hear mids and highs great, very clear, but I don't hear any bass at all. Once I switch over to my Sony headset I can hear all this bass. Still, I was curious to see if they would block enough sound as to be able to where them in my full face Shoei helmet on my bike going 80mph. I'm happy to say that they do. You're able to keep the music quiet enough so it's not obnoxious too. Before, I always wore foam earplugs. Now, I'll be wearing these and listening to music. The wires, as everyone else has said, are thin. I hope the connections hold up under stress. Overall, they don't seem extremely well made. I wish they had a case like my Sony earplugs, where you wind them up in a plastic wheel. You get a pleather zip case, which is ok for cramming in all the wires, whereas the Sony wheel winds them up nicely and prevents tangling. They do what they said they'd do, block exterior sound and give you clear mids and highs. I'm going to look and see if I can larger surrounds to block more sound out and hopefully provide some much needed bass.
 
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Great headphones, love it in air travel. blocks out the annoying sounds and sound quality is great.
 
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Good, flat sound with good isolation properties, but possibly a little uncomfortable if you are not used to in-ear earphones. Cord is a little too long and thin/flimsy, but acceptable.
 
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I've had these for a couple months now, and I use them daily on my motorcycle commutes to work, as well as for air travel for work approx twice a month. Have to say they are every bit as good as I expected them to be, based on all the reviews I've read by fellow motorcyclists. Yes they are a bit pricey, but I got them on sale and then took advantage of the buy.com visa card offer to reduce the price to ~$60 or so. It's spooky how well they isolate you from ambient noise, even on my bike, at speed, they're great. I've tried several other brands, the closest anything else came were the Sony's, but these are head & shoulders above them.
 
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Love em!
 
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I bought these as a gift for my sister to wear while she works out in the gym and mows her lawn. She tells me that they are very effective at blocking outside noise. She can listen to her own music instead of whatever is blaring at the gym, and she doesn't get a headache from the noise of the mower. She also reports that the the sound quality and comfort are great. The only question at this point is how well they will hold up over the long term. They seem to be well constructed, but at the same time they are (necessarily) small with very fine wires.
 
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Inserted properly, the Etymotics rock! I use them on my motorcycle for XM listening and am very pleased at the isolation and the performance.
 
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I have been using the Etymotic ER6i earphones for over a year now. This is my second pair, purchased for my wife. I use them for commuting and sport-touring on my motorcycle. Their compact size makes them perfect for being able to slide a helmet on and off without disrupting their position in the ears. The noise reduction capabilities are perfect for taming the wind noise rustling through the typical helmet, yet still giving you the capabilities of hearing the surrounding traffic. I am not overly critical of the sound quality, but understand from other reviews that they are very good. They do allow me to listen to MP3s at very low volumes and carry on conversations through my communication system without any difficulty hearing and understanding others. I have heard others claim there are cheaper alternatives with equal or better sound. If you are wearing them while sitting at your desk in the office, that may be true. But, if your a motorcycle rider, the cheaper alternatives usually protrude from the ears too far to allow you to put a helmet on over them. If I discovered I lost mine later today, I would immediately log onto Buy.com and order another pair...you won't find them cheaper anywhere else.
 
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These headphones really are all the everyday user needs to get full satisfaction from any audio they wish to experience. For myself, paying much more money for "better" headphones would just make me have to convert all my MP3 files to lossless to justify the expense. I just bought another set on sale here at Buy.com for even less then I paid for mine, which was half the going rate, as a gift for my son. I already own a very nice set of Shure EC3's that were my mainstay until the superior bass of these Etymotic ER6i's blew me away.
 
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I'm overall pleased with these earphones. The sound is good and the isolation is what I expected (I'm a musician and have been using Etymotic ER•20 High Fidelity Earplugs for many years so I'm familiar with their isolation abilities as well as how to insert and remove them). I do wish the cord was heavier, the thin-ness of it is cause for caution. My primary purpose for these earphones was to use with my Creative ZEN Vision media player while riding in my vanpool to & from work. Unfortunately our route has three or four notable elevation changes. The seal these earphones create can cause pain to the inner ear due to pressure changes. Because of this I am unable to use them during this ride. Good product - just be aware that pressure changes to your ear could be painful when wearing these earphones.
 
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These headphones produce great sound, and block out all the noise you'll need to hear the music in great detail. However, because these are inner-ear 'phones than only benefit from a deep seal, you might find it inconvenient to put them in your ears for a five-minute walk or other quick activity. They are best for situations where you will use them for more than 1/2 hour, as frequently putting them in and taking them out is not a particularly pleasant sensation; they sometimes take a little work to remove.
 
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