So...prepare to get geeky, sort of.

I love sound, more specifically, music, more specifically, music on my iPod (a 6th gen 80 gig black classic, just so ya know), more specifically, I like to hear every detail of the music, more specifically, without distractions, like other people running their mouths and other everyday ambient noise. That's why I am so fond of sound isolating headphones, more specifically, earphones (In-Ear-Monitors, IEM's).

I have spent a lot of money on many many different 'phones. Practically (meaning not over $100) speaking, the top two earphones you can get are the Etymotic ER6i (isolator) earphones, and the Shure E2c IEM's. I own both...and cannot be happier.

Here are my thoughts about each...

First the Etymotics ...
Small, very small, is the first thing you'll notice about these elegant earphones. They have a good cable length, with a gold dipped eighth inch jack, but, the cable is very thin, and light weight, which is nice for just sitting around or what have you. But I'm a rather active person, and I'm constantly afraid I'm going to somehow accidentally snip the cable. They wear very deep in the ear canal, which makes audible communication with nearby earthlings impossible (*yes!*), when they say 'isolator', they mean isolator. The sound quality, oh man, it's astounding. You will hear details in music that you've never heard before, which could be good or bad, depending on the quality of the audio recording. The main problem i have with the Etymotics is that since they're so small and thin, they seem very fragile, not meant for active use. They are perfect the way I most commonly use them, while reading, post-producing audio, and general non-motion tasks.

The Shure's...
pro. These earphones are what the pro's (like me) use, like on stage (or in studio, in mhy case) for personal monitoring. so naturally, these guys are made to take the stress of movement, like movement incurred by head-banging, and all-around boogieing (a main staple of their design, they loop around the ear, and then the phone goes in the ear, keeping them from falling out). The cable is very sturdy, heavier than the Etymotics, and not so fragile looking. They don't isolate as well, which is alright with me, since I use them when I am condescending to enlighten other humans via vocal and audible exchanges (like when broadcasting on the EID, so I can hear what's going into the microphone). They don't go as deep in the ear canal, so the bass response is weakened, when compared to the ER6i's. With that being said, the audio quality is still superb (if you really want that solid bass, just use the "Bass Booster" EQ setting on your iPod). Details are still crystal clear.

I could not honestly say one earphone is better than the other, but I could tell you which one is better for a particular application. Get the Etymotic's if you don't really get up and go much with your iPod, and would rather sacrifice a little durability for sound quality. Get the Shure's if you like to jam to Toby Keith while welding on your house. You'll lose a little quality, but have the peace of mind that they'll hold up to some knocking around.

My final advice, get both...and use both, you won't regret it.


Get the Etymotic ER6i's at Amazon. The best price you'll get.


Get the Shure E2c's at Amazon as well.

Once you have either, you'll never be able to listen to music on those nasty sounding iPod earbuds. Welcome to the world of real sound. Enjoy your stay.