Sometimes technical, sometimes not, never a kitty

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

6i isolator earphones are designed specifically for use with the Apple iPod and other small portable players, offering 8 dB higher overall sensitivity and slightly more bass than the ER-6 isolator earphones.

I just received a pair for my birthday...incredible!  I use a similar triple-flange earplug when shooting, and these plugs block a ton of background noise.  This means you can keep the volume at a very low level when listening, so your hearing is preserved.  These are awesome for mowing the lawn--can't hear the lawnmower, and again, the volume can stay low.

The sound quality is very impressive--music is clear and crisp.  It's a little tricky to insert these correctly the first couple of times, but you can tell easily by the sound.  There are aspects of music I hadn't heard before!  For instance, in Tom Petty's “Even the Losers“, there's a small pause between the intro and the main song.  I always thought it was blank space, but there's actually a woman's voice (quietly) shouting “It's just the normal noises in here!“.  No idea that existed.

I don't recommend these if you have co-workers who enjoy sneaking up on you, or if you have to answer the phone a lot.  You simply won't hear what's going on.  Which is great for mowing the lawn, or travelling on a plane.

(originally posted 2004-09-29 on a different blog site)

<update 2005-07-22>

Now that I've been using these earphones for a while, I'm even more impressed.  The soft silicone plug fits my ears very nciely, and blocks a lot of sound.  When mowing the lawn, the lawnmower is a dull hum, and softer sounds aren't even heard.  I can listen to my iPod at slightly above normal volume, and my ears aren't ringing when I'm done (which is usually about 2 hours).  Neighbor's kids screaming in the yard when you want a quiet moment on your deck?  No problem--you won't hear them with these earphones in, either listening to your iPod or not.

I've made several plane flights using these, a few in excess of 5 hours, and it's amazing to get off a plane without that jet engine hum ringing around in your head.  Very pleasant.  A few times I've had to take the plugs out to equilibrate the pressure, but that's no big deal.

On a sweaty day, or after a lot of use, you can build up a little crud on the plugs.  That's easiest to clean off just after you take these earphones out.  Use a dry cotton swab and gently run the tip between the flanges.  Good as new.