My iPod's Etties have failed in the left channel. I checked the plug and its continuity is fine up to the earpiece as that's a sealed unit its not worth my time trying to fix it -- one month out of warranty too.

So, is there anything that comes close to improving the ER6i? Or shall I get another pair? Moulded in ears may be an option this time as well...

4p.

[QUOTE=fox]My iPod's Etties have failed in the left channel. I checked the plug and its continuity is fine up to the earpiece as that's a sealed unit its not worth my time trying to fix it -- one month out of warranty too.[QUOTE]

Or read this, from last Saturday's Guardian:

http://money.guardian.co.uk/howtocomplain/story/0,,1738830,00.html

My iPod's Etties have failed in the left channel. I checked the plug and its continuity is fine up to the earpiece as that's a sealed unit its not worth my time trying to fix it -- one month out of warranty too.

So, is there anything that comes close to improving the ER6i? Or shall I get another pair? Moulded in ears may be an option this time as well...

Have you tried removing the filter using the special tool? Mine apparently failed in one channel but in turned out just to be a dirty filter (which looked clean to the naked eye).

yes I had changed filters a week before... there is usually a rolling off of the top end before they need a change

western um1:D

Seen these?

http://www.sennheiser.co.uk/uk/icm.nsf/root/products_sennheiser_headphones_streetwear_cx_serie s_500830

According to Hi Fi World they are only £39.95, might be worth a try.

Hc

The Best are Ultimate Ears UE-5c these are the stage monitors thgat were designed for the likes of van halen.

I told you that i use a pair when i play live,a bit of an overkill for an ipod but as you will be playing live why not invest in a pair:D

I am considering Sensaphonics who made the custom moulds for my ER4's http://www.sensaphonics.com/news.html

They look after "Weird Al" Yankovic's lugs for him ;-)

Chris

PS I thought my 4's were done and like others it was the filter, it sounded like the driver was bust though.

Yeah man i've been using Sennheisser PX-100 headphones...dont think the Ety's sound any better to be honest.

Good also cause you can wear them whilst running..big plus for me.

Short of custom-fitted IEMs, your best bet would be the new Shure E4c. I prefer the Ultimate Ears super.fi 5 Pro but they may not appeal to an Ety lover.

I wear my etties while running and its fine really... although yes the body makes some amazing sounds when running...

What I am aware of with ER6is is when flying I only need 1 bar on the enetertainment handset whereas everyone with headphones needs 5 of six, partly due to blocking outside noise so anything I get will have to be in ear or ear moulded.

I may look into UEs for live monitoring though and use them with my iPod. Is it a difficulty getting the ear canal moulded though in the UK or USA? A 20dB environmental cut means I shall never ever hear the screams for me to stop...

Dunno if I am an Ety lover though I use them because that was all I knew was available at the time and what was recommended to me on PFM.

Using Ultimate Ears super.fi 5 Pro on my ipod and sounding very good indeed........

Hmmmm... I'm sort of in the same boat, looking for an in-ear, noise-blocking headphone. The Shure E2C has some great reviews and is marketed to musicians (I play a lot of drums and need something that can work well as an in-ear monitor*). I'm also considering the ER4P which is around 3x more expensive, but has superb reviews as a high-end in-ear system.

Fox, what kind of attenuation are you looking for? Etymotic claim up to 40dB on the ER4P using the foam plugs, and I'd buy a set today if it weren't for the occasional criticism of extreme transmitted noise (via the cables) which would be a deal breaker for someone who is going to be moving a lot in use. I haven't been able to find out what the attenuation on the E2Cs is, hopefully in the region of 25dB+, but I really don't know.

john

* for drums, the more attenutation the better, up to a point...

I don't know what attenuation I am looking for -- what my existing ER6is offer I guess. I've decided to keep the iPod and stage monitoring ear pieces separate...

I've never used foam sleeves I always went for the in-ear canal rubber stoppers.

I may look into UEs for live monitoring though and use them with my iPod. Is it a difficulty getting the ear canal moulded though in the UK or USA? A 20dB environmental cut means I shall never ever hear the screams for me to stop...

Dunno if I am an Ety lover though I use them because that was all I knew was available at the time and what was recommended to me on PFM.If you can get yourself to London, then Handheld Audio (http://handheldaudio.co.uk) (see the Custom Ears section) are good bet for both the audiological impressions and the final products. If you cannot get down here, then it's worth a call anyway since they give straight up advice and have a list of suitable audiologists around the country.

Cheers,
Simon

Well I called Etymotics who without question offered to exchange my ER6is for a new pair. Arranged for a new pair via courier. "One month out of warranty is too close. No need to send back the defective unit": they had me on file because I filled in the warranty card like a good prole thus they had my date of purchase and details to hand.

And everyone lived happily ever after.

I refer the honourable members to my previous answer (i.e. don't be bound by a 1 -- or even a 2 -- year guarantee).

I recently picked up a pair of Sure E3c at Dixons at Heathrow cost about £125. They are hugely better than my old Sony in ear jobs ??71/ which were £30 ish

The Sures are ultra sensitive and I too can only tolerate one blip on BA's entertainment system. Methinks I net some attenuation

eddie

Cobra set (http://www.phonakcom.com/english/tarnfunk/tarnfunk.asp).
Swivel eyes are optional.

Well, the Replacement ER6is were wrapped around a treadmill and suffered death by shredding at 13km/h so this time I'm going for some IEMs. I had a pair of ear molds done at a hearing aid center and am now the owner of two pink foetuses on a bit of string that fit my ear perfectly.

So I'm in the market for customs -- lots to choose from in the IEM arena

SuperFreq (http://www.freqonline.com/) are chepest for $189 for a three way system BUT the cord is non-removeable... a significant pisser as they all go in the cord in the end.

Then these relative unknowns Live Wires (http://www.livewiresforyou.com/)Down on Castro valley. Replaceable ears. connector allows dropping or over ear loop of cable. Their website is thin on data but it mentions the term Phase Coherent (woo!) and other than that.. not a lot to say.

Alternatively Future Sonics (http://futuresonics.vista.com/page/1ek04/EAR_MONITORS.html) has a range also around the $800 mark. Not a lot really all that much to say about these either. Specifically state a crossoverless design, specific references to low microphony cable (Etties are bad at this).

Next up is Ultimate Ears (http://www.ultimateears.com/_ultimateears/) are $900 for a 2 way system ($1100 for a 3 way IEM). The lazy/no brainer choice, an industry standard and pretty much guaranteed for spares, cables, service etc. Upside: known by pros. Downside: cost.

However Hear Yourself (www.Hearyourself.com)have various. $600 will get you a three-way sub bass/bass and mid/top end system. good down to 10Hz apparently. These guys significantly undercut Ultimate Ears, apparently use identical mech inside. Cables might be interchangeable with UE's but definitely replaceable. Upside: cost, downside dark horse of the bunch but of those that use them they love them.

Alternative idea is too get the Hear Yourself custom ear molds for standard earpieces. That will do for Sure, UE and Etties (I was going to get the UE Super.Fi 5 Pro Extended Bass to begin with as I like that visceral thump) -- although I want to avoid anything that needs periodic filter changes like the Etties.

Part of me is veering towards the UE Super.Fi 5 Pro Extended Bass plus custom earpiece... or the complete HearYourself custom 3-way IEMs (in clear) as it ticks all my boxes... but its a crowded, confusing market to be sure. There is a huge difference between correct and incorrect fitting earpieces so I am hoping that with customs it will even out the differences -- especially as the music making bits seem mostly identical between models.

Have you considered the Westone range? This is a very good eBay seller (pro audio user - I've bought mics and stuff from him and have found his advice to be unbiased and helpful). For example there is something like this:

http://tinyurl.com/23cpds

I suggest you email him or call and ask what he suggests.

Andrew

FYI, I thought I'd broken my ER4p Etys the other day, but it was just the filter. The sound completely stopped on the right channel.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2275/2232678996_e381b718f1.jpg

Just thought you'd *love* to see that.

These little foetus-like creations will probably (unless I hear otherwise before my ass is in gear) be sent to a www.hearyourself.com who will make me a three-way earpiece that will fit my ears and mine alone. I can also at the same time get some attenuators for live gigs (Both Killing Joke and Sunn O))) gigs I went to were incredibly, sickeningly wonderfully joyously, dangerously and painfully loud.

I've almost decided on hearyourself.com rather than the others -- inc Westone as Hearyourself are $600 rather then everyone else's $800-$900 for 3-way IEMS -- they all seem use the same transducers, and (a big plus) they do not mention the word "Audiophile" anywhere in their literature. I am just waiting to hear about the SuperFreq's (http://www.freqonline.com/musicmakers.htm) pro range -- the domestics are at $249, the cheapest 3-way IEM yet -- but the cables are captive which means at some time they will go -- necessitating a full replacement. I am hoping their Pro Range offer replaceable cables

So I'll report back in a few weeks time when they arrive. In the meantime, these two little pink foetuses are destined for a flight to somewhere in the USA...

(with apologies to J G Thirlwell)

Urrrgh - earwax!!!

Filters deffinately!
jr

The Audiologist has a good poke around inside and deemed them clean before pushing in the foam bung and then the silicone (they can't make molds with earwax in the ear). The experience was not completely unlike a dog waking me up in the morning.

Definitely won't be going the filters route ever again. The Etymotics ER6is are really good (aside from that microphonic cable) but the need to replace the filters and silicon flanges every 6 months (or before they fail) was annoying.