Filed under: Macworld, Accessories, Audio, iPod Family
Macworld 2007 Show Floor Showoff: Etymotics
During my interview with Jeremy Horwitz, Editor of iLounge, I asked him what headphones he would recommend to replace the Apple supplied earbuds that come with an iPod. Without missing a beat he said the Er6is from Etymoic Research. I had to find out what made these headphones so good, so I headed over to the Etymotic booth on the showfloor and managed to get some time to talk with Mead Killion, Etymotic's President and founder. This man knows his sounds, and he knows how to make an awesome headphone.
We chat about the Er6i and the ety8 (the Bluetooth earphones). As always, if you like to enjoy these in Quicktime point your browser here.


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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Tim Brookes said 7:51AM on 1-25-2007
I use the Er6i, it is truly a new way to listen to music. No background noise what so ever..
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fischziege said 2:11PM on 1-25-2007
dang, i whish i could afford these. iswitched to cheaper in-ears (sony ex 51 & 71) and even this little step was a small revelation. but im concerned about the tripple flange earpeaces. heard they can be uncomfotable. any experience with that issue?
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Nick said 9:21AM on 1-25-2007
Do your research before speaking to these guys.
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Scott McNulty said 10:16AM on 1-25-2007
I assume you didn't like my questions, Nick?
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John Anthony Evans said 10:32AM on 1-25-2007
The tripple flange is very comfortable short to medium term (less than 2 hours). Long term (say 4 hours) they make my ears a little itchy. Not much, I just pop them out itch my ear and put them back in.
Well woth the money.
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John Anthony Evans said 10:34AM on 1-25-2007
Two words de. interlace.
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digitaldefection said 10:40AM on 1-25-2007
i have been using the sony ex-51/71s for quite awhile. last year sometime i got sick of having to buy new sonys every few months (the rubber tends to wear off / disentigrate after awhile), so i bought a pair of er6is. i was a big fan of their earplugs (great for going to concerts, because everything still sounds natural). but their headphones are different. they just lacked bass. maybe they sound more 'natural' or 'accurate' than the sonys but to me, the sonys just sounded better (i did try the different earpieces to make sure i had the right fit). then one day i accidentally plugged in the etymotics into my ipod when the volume was turned up all the way and it blew them. i would think that a pair of headphones DESIGNED FOR the ipod wouldn't have a problem like that.
so now i am using the new white sony ex71s and the rubber seems to be holding up on them better.
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Nick said 10:55AM on 1-25-2007
It wasn't the questions that caused the problem. It was the fact that you appeared to have absolutely zero knowledge of their product line. A brief look at their website before you chatted to them would have sufficed. It was nice to see the Ety8's in action though. I'm a huge fan of Etymotic Research's product owning 2 pairs of ER-6i's and I just don't feel that your interview or knowledge of their products did the brand justice.
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Scott McNulty said 11:28AM on 1-25-2007
Nick, that was all a clever act. I was, in fact, familiar with their products (I visited their booth a few times before the interview, and Mead and I chatted before we started taping).
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