Do not buy any of ER's products unless you like to waste your hard earned cash on overpriced junk. Yes, junk. I owned ER6i and two pairs of ER4 headphones, they all sucked. Cable break at the 'y', a known problem with ER. The wires are so flimsy, no surprise. The real kicker is that this company has the nerve to charge $50 plus shipping to replace a $2 plastic wire. They also found that the pod stems on my ER4s where 'cracked', bringing the repair cost to a whopping $130 a pair (paid $200 new).
After three new costly pairs of Etymotic Research gave in (poor design) I would strongly suggest to research UE or Sure or other brands. I will never give them my business again.

I HAVE PURCHASED THESE EARPHONES (ER4)JULY 09 FOR MY NEW CHOPPER MOTORCYCLE DO TO RIDING IN THE OPEN WIND I HAVE KILLED TWO BIRDS WITH ONE STONE (WIND & TUNES)!!!!!!!!!!!!!
IT WAS THE BEST PURCHASE I HAVE MADE TO MAKE MY LONG DISTANCE RIDING AWSOME, EVEN THO THEY WERE EXPENSIVE, I FEEL YOU PAY FOR WHAT YOU GOT IN LIFE!!!!!!
CANT SAY ANYTHING ABOUT SERVICE ASISTANCE YET?HOPE I DONT HAVE TO EVER HAVE TOO FIX THEM?
BUT ALL AND ALL THERE GREAT!!!!!!!!!!

It has taken me many years to finally give up using over the ear headphones. I just could not believe there was any "stick it in your ear" phone that had the quality I have grown used to. Well, how wrong I was! Maybe I shouldn't admit to this but I picked up a new set of Etymotics ER6i's on an internet auction for $3. I figured this would be a good time for me to try a pair and if they did not live up to my standards I could just give them to one of my kids. Since then I have not used any of my over the ear headphones. There has been no need to. It took a little time getting used to putting the ER-6i in correctly but when I did I thought they were the last headphones I would ever need to buy. That's been a little over a year ago and since then I just had to step up to the ER-6P.
I have always been extremely critical of the sound quality in my music. I have a stereo in almost every room in my house. I even have one in my garage! Maybe I've been a little to much old school, but I grew up with the bigger the better idea in the 60's and 70's.
It has taken me a few years to get the quality products together so that I can truely enjoy my music on the go. With the ER-4P I am using a160gb Archos 605 and an Emmeline P-51 Mustang high resolution headphone amplifier when space is not an issue. When I want it all to fit in my pocket I am using an IBasso T-1 headphone amplifier and an Insignia (don't knock it unless you've tried it) NS-2V17r Bluetooth 10gb MP3 player which altogether weighs less than 3.5oz.!
For reference the over the ear headphones I own are Grado SR325, Sennheiser HD 280 Pro, Sennheiser HD 500 and JBL Bluetooth Reference Series 610.
Oh, buy the way I still won't give the kids the ER6's

Being a tight Yorkshireman I was alittle reluctant to pay nearly as much for my earphones as I did for my MP3 player, but...... Having read reviews of these little gems and borrowing a pair of ER6's I decided to break the bank. All I can say about the 'microphoning' of the cord is turn the volume up !!! Yes it is evident when listening to quiet pieces of material if your a bit of a shuffle butt. The rubber bungs for me are very un-comfortable and made my ears sore after a short period of listening. The foam tips are much, much better to the point of providing hours of comfortable listening and they also offer slightly better sound insulation. The sound quality is superb, providing plenty of detail and clarity. There the best piece of kit I've purchased for years !

Sound quality is exceptional - rich, full and accurate sound.
The ear fit is exceptional and the best you can get without custom molds. They offer a number of optional / user replaceable ear inserts for a perfect fit. I have difficult to fit ear canals - everything else I've tried falls out. These set in beautifully and stay in place providing consistent sound. Also, the noise blocking is terrific - allowing me to keep my volume levels in the safe zone.

None. OK - just one - they deliver such great sound, I had to increase the sampling rate on my music import files because I could now hear to all the details and default sampling rates are noticeably thin in detail when using high end phones like these.- this takes up more disk space - oh well - that's the price of quality.

Great product backed by great company.

Customer Service

After 3 years, one of the transducers snapped.
I sent a nice note to the company - American made - along with the headphones.
I asked if they could fix them.
Within 10 days they were back in my hands, with both the right and left transducers replaced - free of charge.
As long as these folks make great sounding headphones / earphones, they get my business. They have great technology and they stand behind it.

Similar Products Used:

Shure, Sennheiser, Bose.

What more can I say it ~
The best earphone out there ..!!
Sound Quality A+
Bass is not muddy !!
Mid is very precise !!
High is sparkling !!
You can't hear nothing when you put this earphone on.. Silence at last !!
It looks cheap so no one will try to steal it from you and you don't have to lie to your spouse ... Honey !! I only paid $10.00 for it ~ And She believes it ~
Price is great compare to the sound quality !!

None except.. it looks cheap.. $.99 ..$2.99 ?
Without good seal and right type of plugs, it will sound like $2.99 .....

My daughter broke my apple earphone so I made a good excuse to buy a SHURE SE210k.. It was awesome.. I really liked it and could tell the difference from anyother earphones.. That's when I started to do some researches on the earphones and I saw this ER4p's reviews all over the web !! I started to get curious as I was reading hundreds of positive reviews.. I was getting tempted to buy it but what am I supposed to tell my wife? The solution was I gave her the Shure earphone and I ordered ER4P.. !! She really liked the shure also.. However, I wanted to try what the ER4P can do !!
It came finally and WTF !! The earphone looked cheaper than the $2.99 earphones from China.. on the other hand Shure looked 100x more expensive looking..
I couldn't wait until try out this cheap looking ER4P..
So, as I drive to work, I tried on with my Ipod..and W ! T ! F ! !!! I was shocked !! Not because It sounded good but it sounded like thin can ~ worse than the AM radio, no bass, no mid, no high, Sounded worst than the $.99 or free earphones.. !!
Then I realized !! what other people on the internet was talking about !!
First, I cut off the smallest rubber portion from the earphone and tried again.. much better but still lacking in bass..
So, I decide to put the earphone in all the way to my ear canal like many people suggested.. WOW ! Sounds Good !! Is this the same earphone that I just listened 5 minutes ago? It sounded very good..very natural and FLAT !!
When I got home, I switched to Foam type plug. WOW !!!!! WOW !!! WOW !!!!!!!!
Not only Sounded better than using with the rubber plug but it fitted to my ear perfectly..and very comfortable...
Sound ? With the foam plug, I got much better sound quality..especailly Bass level.
Like many people talked about, This earphone do need a good seal..absolute seal !!
I did not took off my ER4P for 6hours from then.. I tried all different types of musics and I was actually enjoying it..
ER4P with right type of plug, good seal, and music sounded amazing ~
I was very happy that I bought this earphone..
Believe me !! This earphone rocks !!
I must say SHURE SE210K sounded good until I try ER4P .. In my opinion, Shure sounds muddy compare to ER4P and you get fatigue after about an hour of use.
I highly recommends this earphone to anyone !!
except, those who demanding Sony kind bass.. just boom boom no mid no high no transparency ~ Also, if you're not used to listen flat , natural, even sounds.. stay away..unless you're willing to change !! This earphone sounds very balanced and uncolored..
Try it and you'll see what hundreds of positive reviews mean..

Similar Products Used:

Shure SE210K, Sony since 80s.. Panasonic.. Bose ( Junk )

crystal clear,with real base

if you are not used to earplugs be carefull, and if you do you will love them.

Since I started usng the (new) etys not coloured just black with a l & r, I have had no problem with lack of base, discomfort, or microphonic effect.
I have used portable music sources since 1980 walkman, minidisc, and now creative zen vision m. There is no doubt at all that these etys make the music sound far better and more detailed than any of the many other earphones that I have used. They are also very effective at cutting out all other surrounding noise ie tv, telephone, doorbel, wife etc.
I cannot imagine anything approaching them for the price I paid, another point is that they fit into the ear and do not fall out like most others, very comfortable as I have worn earplugs since 1980 while working on offshore platforms.

Customer Service

Not used

Similar Products Used:

creative, sony, products supplied with players, sennheiser wireless 1996.

Excellent audio performance. Awesome isolation. Both better than anything I have used before. Durable construction. Very portable.

Triple flangs tips are a bit uncomfortable when inserted enough to produce a proper seal. Etymotic should provide a pair of each foam tip size.

Microphone effect is not a weakness but a characteristic of in ear phones. If you want to move around while listening, isolation phones in general are not for you.

I use isolation phones for stationary listening (usually sitting). When on the move, I prefer open air phones so all the concern about microphone effect is irrelevant to me. I wouldn't recommend isolation phones for walking or running anyway, it can be dangerous. I listen to all kinds of music and am also a musician.

I've been using the ER-6's for a few years now and love them. They finally failed (hot car I think) so I decided to upgrade to the 4P's. These phones have better audio quality than the ER-6's and are more durable as well. The triple flanged tips seem to be less comfortable that the ER6's since I seem to have to shove them further in to get a good seal. Once sealed though they offer awesome isolation. I may start using them with the foam tips to alleviate the discomfort. Etymotic should provide at least one pair of each sized foam tip so that the user can determine which size is best for their particular ear physiology.

Excellent product. The most common complaints I have seen seem to be the microphone effect and lack of bass. I noticed a small effect then turing my head. By using the clip high enough up to put a lot of slack in the chord this we eliminated. As far as bass response is concerned, I must not be a bass junky because it sounds excellent to me.

Super portable, nuetral sound, great isolation, especially with custom-fit sleeves. Pick these anyday over active noise-cancelling phones. Worth the money.

Bettered by other, more expensive phones. Bass lacks texture and impact, and is sometimes disconnected from the rest of the music. If you wear them while working out, the sound of your own heartbeat and breathing can be overwhelming! Microphonic cord, so use the clip to minimize this.

Great product, especially for travellers. Isolation is great (better than most active noise cancellers) and they are super portable...but don't miss your flight announcement when wearing them! Better, more expensive in-ear phones are available though. Not for everyone - experience depends on fit. Try http://www.sensaphonics.com/prod_ety_sleeve.html to get custom fitted ear pieces, which will GREATLY increase comfort and bass quality due to greater seal.

When I first got these phonez, I was amazed at how much better they sounded than Bose noise cancellers and 99% of ear-buds. Much closer to Grado RS-2 and Sennheisser HD-650's I use as a reference. You can hear the difference between MP3 and lossless coding with these, and bass benefits from using external phone amp w/ iPod. .

However, bass is still a weak point. It's there, but has no impact, little texture, and is disconnected with the music sometimes. What I mean is that a bass guitar doesn't always sound like it is playing in perfect time w/ the kick drum or rest of the music. Using a headphone amp with these and that greatly increases bass resolution and texture, but did nothing to make the bass integrate with the music better.

I recently moved to the Ultimate Ears UE-5C, which are about $200 more expensive, but clearly superior in musicality, tone, detail, smoothness, bass texture, and comfort (IMHO). I actually find myself wanting to listen to my iPod w/ the UE-5C's even when I can listen to my Sennheisser HD650's on my expensive main system. When listening to the UE's, it's never an effort to hear how all the musicians are playing together, and I always feel a distinct sense of loss when I take them off and stop the music, which is not something I felt when taking off the Etymotics.

Still, if you can't swing the extra $ for UE-5C's, these are worth every penny. For me, I would wait a few more months to purchase the UE-5C's, which are already custom fitted.

Similar Products Used:

Etymotic ER-6, Grado RS-60, Grado RS-2, Sennheisser HD-580, Sennheisser HD-650. Channel Islands Audio VHP-1 Headphone amp w/ VAC-1 power supply. Sources: Linn Unidisk SC, Linn LP12/Ekos/Van-den Hull Frog 2/Linto.

perfect flat sound

nonoe if you folow the above advice

Ok, everybody agrees that the sound quality is second to none. Some CONS remain however: 1) Comfort 2) Bass 3) Stethoscope effect of wires rubbing 1) and 2) Throw away the white plastic earpieces - they are uncomfortable, don't make a proper seal, and give crap bass and don't exclude as much noise. Throw away the black foam pads too, unless your ea canal is very small. Buy the YELLOW foam pads and you cure both the bass and comfort problems. 3) The latest versions have cured this. So you now buy without the previus caveats being potetnial showstoppers.

Similar Products Used:

Grado RS1s and the junk that comes with all MP3 players