Etymotic, which means ‘true to your ears’, is the architect of the legendary ER4p in ear monitor for which you have to pay a lot of money.  But Etymotic has cheaper models as well, like e.g. the ER6(i). The difference between the ER6 and the ER6(i) is all in the popularity of the iPod. Etymotic produces the white ER6(i) version, because it fits the white iPod. As far as I’m concerned the ER6(i) is an up-dated version of the ER6.

 

The ER6 has a very long and thin wire. Some people will think it too long. I solved this ‘problem’ by rolling it up and to settle it with Velcro. Because of the thinness of the wire, you will hear it every time you touch it or when it touches your clothing. This phenomenon is known as microphonic and is partly to overcome by leading the wires over and behind your ears. Also the shirt clip is very handy and moreover, it contributes to suppressing the microphonic.

Because of the lower impedance (16 Ohm) the ER6(i) has a perfect bass reproduction. Its strength lies within the beautiful, crystal clear reproduction of the high tones. Every tone is perfect and you will hear details that you never noticed before. This could, at the same time, be a disadvantage of the ER6(i). When you ripped your mp3s in a 128 kbps bit rate, you can instantly tell the difference with the same song in a 192 kbps or more bit rate. The 128 kbps version will be too low and certain tones will be distorted.