Filed under: Accessories, iPhone
Ultimate Buds Apple-Etymotic ER-6i iPhone Earphones
I'm pleased to report that I am no longer the odd man out at TUAW. That's right, I finally got around to buying an iPhone. Overall my iPhone experience has been fairly good, but I've been spoiled in the earphone department. Some might recall that I sat down with iLounge's Jeremy Horwitz I asked him the question that he gets asked over, and over again: what are the best headphones for the money? He quickly replied Etymotic ER6i's (which lead me to interview the president of Etymotic later at the show). I took Jeremy's advise and fell in love with the clear sound that the ER6i's produced.What does this have to do with the iPhone? The iPhone comes with a pair of very cool headphones that have a built in remote for the iPod functionality, as well as a built in microphone so you can chat on the phone and listen to music with the same headphones. Brilliant, and one of the best features of the iPhone. Sadly, after using the ER6i's for months, the Apple headphones just aren't up to snuff. That's why I was delighted to read about the Ultimate Buds Apple-Etymotic ER-6i iPhone Earphones.
Ultimate Buds has combined the best of both worlds, the remote/microphone of Apple's supplied headphones, and the stellar sound of the ER6i's (the company actually splices a pair of ER6i earbuds to the Apple headphones). This brilliant little contraption will set you back $145.99, $119.99 if you provide the Apple headphones to them, or $40 if you send them both ER6i's and Apple headphones. I'll be ordering a set for myself, until Etymotic comes out with a solution themselves, and you can expect a review as soon as I get my ears on a set.
[via iLounge]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Micah Neumark said 8:04PM on 8-20-2007
Interesting. Seems cheaper than usual for Etymotic. Anyways. Seems like they are selling us modified Apple earbuds, aka, use Apple earbuds, cut off the earbuds, stick Etymotic earbuds on. After all, for the most part, its really the only part that makes a difference. Hence the Apple iPhone earbud discount.
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Edwin said 8:05PM on 8-20-2007
After about a week of research I settled on ER6i for my iPod a couple of months ago and I have to say these are hands down the best headphones ever. They isolate sound perfectly for noisy roommates or subway/train/plane trips and the equalizer is so good that you'll hear things you probably didn't hear with generic headphones. I highly recommend them. Combining them with a mic is perfect for the iPhone... just make sure you don't get hit by a truck or something since they really isolate noise well.
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Aaron G. said 8:21PM on 8-20-2007
The only problem I see with this that people who already talk on their phones too loudly will be even louder since they won't be able to hear themselves.
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Chase said 8:32PM on 8-20-2007
hmm...interesting idea. I love my headphones (i have a collection of about 15 pairs for various applications) but i wonder if the cables that are being spliced onto the earbuds will degrade the sound quality (oxygen-free and all that) or if there could be a problem with the proper amount of power being supplied to the actual drivers themselves.
not sure i'd buy these "splice jobs" , but i like the idea and the direction...hopefully it'll lead to more premium options for the iphone (without the use of a gaudy adapter).
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Alexander said 8:34PM on 8-20-2007
This sounds like a great idea, but something is really wrong with the Apple earbud wiring or something.
This is my second pair that eventually has little to no sound coming out of the left (non-mic) side of the earbuds while the right side puts out a normal amount of sound.
I walked into the Apple Store and they gave me a free replacement, but I'm wondering why this has happened again!
I haven't been abusing the iPhone's earbuds. In fact, I've been taking good care of them. I've just been using them normally.
Maybe the regular iPod earbuds can't take this much normal usage without breaking down? I don't know...this is the first time I've ever used the Apple earbuds this much.
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PK said 8:48PM on 8-20-2007
@Alexander:
I had the same thing happen to me with my earbuds, except that it didn't have anything to do with wear-and-tear on them. The first time I used them out of the box I noticed that sound out of the left bud was spotty and traced it back to dodgy connection seating: if I rotated the jack around in the socket I could get sound every few moments, but never consistently. I went to the Apple Store and showed them the problem - they verified it and gave me a new pair on the spot. No problems since.
@Scott - re: your iPhone purchase:
Welcome home. We're glad you're finally here :D
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Reg Muffet said 9:17PM on 8-20-2007
@Chase > "i wonder if the cables that are being spliced onto the earbuds will degrade the sound quality (oxygen-free and all that)"
Chortle. Myth.
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8852
Short form: "electrically speaking, OFC wire is indistinguishable in audio and video applications from ordinary annealed copper wire."
But, you know, if you have the $$$, I'll deliver some electron enhanced wire which transmits the signal faster than the speed of light, so fast you'll be hearing the music before you knew you even wanted to. I call it Hawking Cable. Nothing tests the laws of physics more than audiophile BS.
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ryan said 9:29PM on 8-20-2007
I prefer shure's iPhone adapter with the built-in mic, since you can use it with any set of headphones. They have a pretty good mic, made to hang at your chest, and you don't have the issue with the iPhone buds of the mic twirling around because the cord's so thin you can't tell how much it's twisted.
The only issue with them is that, with most headphones, you end up with a whole lot of cord. It's no problem, though, with the new line of Shures (like my E500s), since they are made with very short cords and come with a set of extention cords. But you can use traditional-length cords as long as you don't mind a lot of extra wire hanging around.
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Brandon said 4:28AM on 8-30-2007
Does anyone know how these compare to the Bose In-Ear buds?
http://www.bose.com/controller?event=VIEW_PRODUCT_PAGE_EVENT&product=triport_ie_headphones_index&ck=0
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Ben said 10:21PM on 8-20-2007
Annoys me that I had just sold my 6i's and replaced them with 4p's right before the iPhones launched. Pain in the butt to have to get a pair of 6i's again just for this.
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mukelarvin said 1:21AM on 8-21-2007
You could try doing it yourself...
http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/05/diy-iphone-earbud-replacement/
Different buds of course. But it's the same idea.
Alas, my hands shake too much for such small work. Oh and I don't have any ER-6i's. Or an iPhone (Yay Canada). So I guess I'm out.
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leonard said 1:34AM on 8-21-2007
Since I haven't seen any comments from owners, I thought I'd give my 2-cents. I bought a pair of Ultimate Buds a few weeks ago and I love them. They sound as good as my old ER6's (and without the cable microphonics), and the clicker works great, as you'd expect. There isn't any audio feedback and these do isolate sound, but I've gotten used to speak regularly and trust that it all works.
In terms of sound and fit, I do like my Future Sonics more than the Etymotics, but these are definitely a massive improvement over the default iPod bugs on both counts. Also, so far they've taken the stuffed-in-my-pocket treatment OK.
(Micah, I thought these were cheap too, since I remembered my ER6s costing more than what the Ultimate Buds were selling for, but it looks like the ER6s are retailing for about $75 these days, and w/ design improvements, which is a nice surprise.)
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Martin Sketchley said 3:18AM on 8-21-2007
I had a pair of these but sold them on eBay. Yes, they isolate well and sound great...when you can get them to fit correctly. And if you wear them when walking or running, every footfall thunders through your head like a big bass drum. And if you get sweaty while running they slip out.
A lot of hype in this TUAW advertisement of yours.
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Steve in Denmark said 5:33AM on 8-21-2007
I agree with Martin. I've tried the ER-6is and they're really nothing special. Even when you can get them in far enough to (presumably) do what they're supposed to do. And when you can get them in far enough to make them seem like you have ANY bass set up on your iPod at all, they are so uncomfortably painful that you have to (try to) fish them out or start coughing and wondering if the damage they're doing to your eardrums is going to be permanent or not. They warn you not to pull them out by the wires but to get them in far enough to seemingly 'work', the only way to get them out again is to pull them by the wires as it's next to impossible to get your fingertips in to grab the little units themselves. Then of course, as they say, continual pulling out by the wires leaves you with a couple of £100 pieces of ear-wax coated plastic.
I think that once people have paid the way over the odds price for them, they have to die in a ditch and say they're fantastic, or seem like fools for blowing so much cash on them. I've also tried the Sharp things and have a large collection of in-ear and over ear 'phones. The best for iPod on the move/at work are Sennheiser CX300 and other places (or if you wanna look extra-cool on the street) Sennheiser HD25-1 or the Grado SR80 (though these aren't totally enclosed and can annoy the wife, especially when she may not wish to hear How The West Was Won again).
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Eric Wortman said 8:22AM on 8-21-2007
No way I am letting them slice my ER-6i's. I have had them for 2 1/2 years and love them.
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Martin Sketchley said 11:13AM on 8-21-2007
Just want to apologise publicly to Scott McNulty for suggesting anything underhand being behind the item - I'm all for personal recommendations of products people are happy with...
Martin
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RJR said 11:42AM on 8-21-2007
Apple is so innovative in so many areas, why can't they ship a decent pair of ear buds? Are they in fact propping up the secondary ear bud market?
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Quix said 12:04PM on 8-21-2007
V-moda is supposedly to release a new version of their Vibe Duo with iPhone controls on the cable sometime this month. Worth a look.
http://www.v-moda.com/collection/modaphones/vibe%20duo.aspx
I'm not affiliated with v-moda, I'm just an anxious customer-to-be (hurry up with these, v-moda!).
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Donovan said 1:40PM on 8-22-2007
After reading the iLounge review of this product and the base 6i review, I enthusiastically placed an order for my very own iPhone-6i headset this morning. I was originally waiting for the new V-Moda unit but changed my mind after reading reviews of both on iLounge. What swayed me was the higher quality and more consistent sound of the 6is vs the V-Moda. Since I had some special handling requirements, I called Ultimate Ears to make sure all was understood. Well, I just got off the phone with Brad at Ultimate Buds. All I can say is 'what a class act -- great customer service, great human being!' They are a small family owned business doing us iPhone owners a great service. Each product is hand-crafted by people who care. How rare these days. I for one will do my best to support these hardware artisans. I encourage others to do the same as well.
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Paul Chamberlain said 11:54AM on 9-18-2007
I've had my 6i's for a year or so and I love them. So I did the swap - put my iPhone headphone cable on the 6i's.
The procedure was pretty painless. Only a couple of things to watch out for:
1. The area in which you will be soldering is TINY so you'll need a soldering iron with small tip
2. I went out and bought ($15 at Radio Shack) a third-hand + magnifying glass rig. I don't think I couldd have done it without this thing.
3. The cable diameter on the iPhone cable is larger than the channel in the 6i casing. I drilled it out with a 1/16" drill bit. This worked fine and did not damage the case.
But, it worked great. The microphone and clicker both work and the sound quality is great as usual.
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