Anybody here knows how do these three compare?

Etymotic ER6
Future Sonics Ears EM3
Shure E2c

I have tried both the sure and the etymotic on an iriver ihp-120 and find the sures give a richer sound.

I own the ER-4P (with 4P->4S adapter) ... I find these stunning headphones, the only issue is one of comfort.. It forces me to not listen to them very often.. I also own Sennheiser HD600s which are great headphones and VERY comfortable...

Where to rank them is difficult... the in-ear type ones usually require a tight seal for any sense of bass, and even then its a different type of bass to normal headphones...

I know the ER-6's aren't as highly regarded as the ER4s but they are much cheaper... I've no experience with the others..

If I required the isolation and traveled on trains planes etc then i would whole heartily recommend the ER-4Ps.. they really are great hifi sound (fed by lame --alt-preset extreme mp3s off my jukebox3, occasionally via a fixup mini headphone amp) and yet are so tiny...

I swear by my ER-4Ps, but people at work think I am crazy to pay as much as I did for them. As a former Submarine Sonar Technician, they are well worth the price.

I have never used the ER-6s, but the ER-4Ps are superb and so comfortable (once you learn how to get a seal). By extension I hope the 6s do well, as people report they are nearly as good for less than half the price.

Kimberly, former STS2/SS

Thanks for your responses.

My concerns about the ER4s, other than price, are that i've read several comments about a microphonic effect related to the cord, and the need for an amp.

And well, it's a lot easier to justify spending a 100 bucks for one of the others.

I got a pair of the Radio Shack plugs in that style for under $20, which someone told me were rebranded Koss. THey come with 3 different size foam plugs, but I don't like the material as they don't stay compressed long enough to insert in my ear. I plan to try drilling out a couple of pairs of regular plugs to see if they work well with the phones.

The microphonic effect is two fold..

i) with them in your ear you are far more susceptible to picking up the vibration.. this is a problem with all in-ear headphones.. however

ii) the cable covering itself leads to a lot of the vibration noise being transmitted up to the ear

Basically it IS a problem.. I've been for a stroll with my ER-4Ps and its very difficult.. if you can manage to clamp the wire it helps... it comes with one to do just that... its a shame really.. though the way they sit in your ear and their very cost (although they are supposed to be nearly indestructible) kind of stops you wanting to wear them on the move that much.. plus their isolation is so much that it is actually very dangerous walking around with them... you certainly don't hear traffic, shouts or anything.. (with quiet music i've had people within 1m talking to me and i can't even hear them at all)

As soon as you sit still the effect is lessened a lot...

Fixup used to sell replacement leads, i was always going to get one.. there may be someone else who sells these.. I may have a search.. though you dont want to be changing the leads THAT much at the actual earplug as there is the possibility of wearing that connection out..

When people did get these leads the effect was pretty much eliminated, so it is all down to the cable

No one makes cables as good as Sennheiser.. their HD600s cables are very un-microphonic and pretty good for interference..

Reviving an old thread...

Just picked up some E2Cs and I can't notice any real microphonic effects at all, at least with the cables wrapped over my ears. They sound fantastic too, but I haven't yet had the pleasure of hearing the ER-4Ps

Same question here. Shall I get E2c or ER-6 ? Any other suggestions for ~$70 range? What about Sony MDR-E888LP ?

I swear by my Sony Fontopia buds. I spent about $50 on mine a few years ago, but the MDR-EX71SL can be had for $30 or so, and they're quite nice.

The sony's are beyond the original ear bud design. They have a couple of styles of sealing ear buds. Some are plug types like Shure etc, and some have a soft gasket type of thing so the phones are not jammed into your ear canal. Some will find those more comfortable. They are very sensitive too, so a good choice if your player is underpowered.

another question. how do the er6i compare to the er6 ones... cause apperantly there is a difference and they where made with the Ipod in mind, however what if I get these and use my IRiver with them


http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/er6i.asp

also just found this review shure review

http://www.misticriver.net/index.php?page=e2c

The er-6i are better than the er-6; they will work well with any portable player.

Also, the er-4p are on sale now at earsonic.com for $200, I went ahead and got those about a month ago and love them.

I swear by my ER-4Ps! I've used them on 2 Iriver CD-MP3 players, my old 1996 era walkman, 2 older Panasonic CD players, and now on my Xact Sirius satellite receiver. Best headphones ever!

Apparently they have a very different bass frequency response. Somehow matching the ER6 to the Ipod creates a lack of bass in the ER6 (something to do with the ipod amp) and the ER6i corrects this. That's what I read on Head-Fi- someone had done measurements. Can't find the thread immediately.

the ipod amp is weak compared to iriver and rio hd mp3 players. that was true for the 2nd generation and 3rd.. not sure about the 4th (we are on the 4th now arent we??)

ipod... mhhh no ogg support

ER6i vs ER6: Yes the ER6i have a slightly better bass and are designed to give you more bang given the limited power feeding them from a portable player.
Also they come with 3-flange silicone tips instead of the 2-flange that come with the standard ER6.
That being said, I never use my iRiver H120 above volume 10 with the ER6. The bass boot may be necessary though (I set it at 6 out of 24).

ER6 vs Shure E2C: The ER6 deliver slightly better sound reproduction from what I could tell, and are, for most people, easier to take out quickly (like when you need to hear what's going on around you). Comfort is on par, maybe the ER6 has a slight edge, but that's definitely something personal. Bass is a bit better on the E2C.

ER6 vs ER4: the law of diminishing returns applies here... the ER4 are better is every aspect, but I would not say it justifies the price hike. Subjectively if the ER4's sccored 10, I'd give the ER6's a 9 and the E2C an 8.5.

Hope this helps,