Etymotic Research Isolator™ ER-6i

Pros: Awesome sound quality and accuracy. Great canalphones for $US150 or A$200. Available cheaper

Cons: Fidelity not up to ER-4S or Shure E4c. Expensive for the casual listener

The Bottom Line: Exceptional canalphones - though not the Etymotic ER-4S, purchasers wanting a canalphone suitable with an un-amped portable mp3 player won't be disappointed.

Review: I've had many earphones over the years, from the humble Sennheiser MX400's and Sony EX71's to the more expensive Etymotics. But I've been wanting a pair of earphones I can travel with - not a $400 pair but something a little bit cheaper but still ...

Pros: Superb sonics, small package, complete kit, lightweight

Cons: Price, getting used to its in ear location, cleaning, learning curve to insert properly

The Bottom Line: ER-6i is a buy. Highly recommended for audiophile travel and home use. Its superb sonics more than compensates for its comfort issues.

Review: [ After over 3 weeks, I'm in love with these phones. I've gotten used to wearing them, I forget they are there. I'm now sensitized to the nuances of its quality, I can clearly hear the effects of lesser quality phones quickly. I now value them so ...

Pros: Amazing - you'll enjoy music and movies on an airplane.

Cons: Got to clean them sometimes, slight discomfort.

The Bottom Line: If you fly a lot (or even a little) get these earphones. They bring noise isolation to a level you won't believe and the sound is to die for.

Review: The ER-6i is a newer version of the ER-6. It comes in white (to match your iPod), offers more sound isolation (3 rubber rings instead of two) and has slightly higher bass response than the 6. I have a pair of Sennheiser noise canceling headphones ...

Pros: Sound, comfort, durability, fit, bass

Cons: None yet

The Bottom Line: If you want a reasonably priced in ear monitor, you won't find much better.

Review: I've owned my 6i's for about 5 months now. I use them all day, every day at work with my C reative Zen Touch. I do like these very much. They're my first pair of in-canal headphones (IEMs, or In-Ear-Monitors). The ...

Pros: Excellent sound quality, comfort, and noise isolation. The best.

Cons: Expensive, delicate, and easier to get dirty than standard headphones.

The Bottom Line: If you value great sound and like to listen to music for long periods of time, these are unparalleled in terms of comfort, noise isolation, and sound quality.

Review: Sound Quality: I received these as a gift and was told that the sound reproduction and quality was amazing. I soon tried these and had to agree. These are one of the best headphones I have used as far as sound quality. Comfort: I frequently travel, ...

Pros: Sound, Design, and Comfort.

Cons: Is it really worth that much? Audio plug a bit lose on jack.

The Bottom Line: I recommend it for Travellers, Business men, Students, and Audiophiles for good sound.

Review: Well I just got it today and my first impression was like OMG OMG OMG!!! Ok i unwraped it and took everything out. I was dissappointed to see so little things in the box, but hey what can they really give you anyways. Manual, some more paper, and ...

Pros: very good notch detail, balanced sound, decent value compared to other canalphones.

Cons: picks up noise from cable, expensive replacement tips and filters, thin cables

The Bottom Line: For a discerning music lover who wants a quality noise isolating earphone, this is the best under $150 earphone. Those looking for a punchy/bassy sound may be disappointed.

Review: The Etymotic Research ER-6i is an entry level earphone from the company that has made a reputation on audiophile quality earphones. These are "noise isolating" earphones as Shure calls their own product, that is, they block noise up to a remarkable 30+ ...

Pros: Satisfaction guarantee from store. No additional power required. Sound isolation.

Cons: Isolation requires inserting ear buds so far in your ears you can taste them.

The Bottom Line: Buy them if you don't mind flatter response. Try all the ear pcs to get a good fit.

Review: I must have gone through 24 1/2 pairs of ear phone/ear buds in the past 8 years. Some have no sound quality, some do not stay in the ear, and some just fall apart. Any head phone makes the ear sweat so ear buds are desired and the reduced sound quality ...

Pros: Better noise canceling effect than the active types & more comfortable.

Cons: Slightly lacking in Bass power and no amplifier / volume control.

The Bottom Line: After years of buying different active noise canceling headphones I never thought I'd settle on a pair of passive noise suppressors, but these are the best I've ever owned.

Review: I love the ER-6i Headphones. I fly back and forth to Europe at least once a month and so I consider myself an unfortunate expert on noise-canceling headphones that don't work. My most recent pair (for the past year) were the Sony MDR-NC11, but these ...

Pros: Filter out noise better than the best noise-cancelling cans. Great sound quality. Pack up super-small.

Cons: Annoying to take on and off. Not comfortable for everyone. Expensive by some standards.

The Bottom Line: The Ety-6i delivers a lot of value at a fairly competitive price point.

Review: These tiny little earphones deliver great sound quality. I'm no audiophile, but I know bad headphones (i.e. the free headphones you get in airplanes, the included earbuds with potable players) and good headphones (i.e. Koss Sporta-Pros, a pair of $30 ...