Etymotic Research is a company established in 1983 by audiologist Dr. Mead Killion. Today, they focus on making high quality products for audiophiles (Etymotic makes earphones) and the hearing-impaired (and Etymotic makes hearing aids). Right now we will take a look at their ER-6 Isolator Earphones.

The ER-6 Isolator Earphones are made to be a noise canceling earphone but at the same time offer unbelievable sound reproduction for your listening pleasure. The main points that Etymotic gives for the ER-6 Isolator are:

• Lightweight and Portable
• High accuracy
• High noise isolation
• Custom earmold option

Going off the points they give, the Etymotic ER-6 Earphones are extremely light and portable. They weigh in at under 1oz. and are about the size of the end of an average pinky finger. The ER-6 have a black cord that is approximately 5ft long and also has a clip on it. High accuracy is something that should strike anyone right away. These earphones are expensive, but the reason is for their unbelievable accuracy. You really have to hear them to believe them. They offer response that really no other similar earphones can offer, and they give a super clear sound.

Now onto the use of the Earphones. Unlike normal earbuds, the ER-6 is a in ear earphone. This means that they slide in like earplugs to plug your ear from outside noises. This is how they can be noise canceling and yet not have electronic noise canceling that tries to mask the sound by use of opposite frequencies (this is what most noise canceling headphones like Bose do). Considering they slide in your ears like earplugs, the ER-6 Earphones can take a bit of getting used to. Etymotic has put a great guide for tips and instructions on how to insert and use the Earphones on their site HERE. I have tested their tips and instructions and also some ways of my own, and it seems their way works the best and is the easiest way to use the earphones. It is EXTREMELY important to get a good seal in your ear since without a good seal the sound quality will not be very good. They also have different ear tips available depending on what the shape of your ear is.

In use, the ER-6 Isolator earphones have very good audio response. They do lack in the bass area a bit especially on portable devices like Ipods and other MP3 players. I used the ER-6 earphones on my Yamaha stereo going through a separate EQ and I was able to receive unbelievable audio quality. As they say, the only earphones that can give better quality audio are the ER4 Series from Etymotic. Now for better bass response on portable devices, they recommend their ER-6i earphones also reviewed on our site.

One last point I like to mention is that the ER-6 earphones are very discrete. They do not look like you are wearing a 139$ pair of earphones and this can decrease the risk of being robbed on the bus or train to work which can be an issue in big cities if you are wearing a huge headphone setup.

Pros:

• Great Quality
• Portable
• Discrete
• Different Tips Available

Cons:

• Limited Bass
• Can take some getting used to
• I would like to see a sample of tips included so that people can see what one fits them best

Thanks to Etymotic for the Review Sample!