In article ,
"Arny Krueger" wrote:

"MINe 109" wrote in message


Etymotic ER6 earphones

Besides, they're reportedly "all about treble," despite being rated
down to 20 Hz.

Odd to read a subjectivist who seems so thoroughly impressed by specs,
particularly those for an acoustic transducer.

Specs can be helpful in interpreting the listening experience.

If you examine http://www.etymotic.com/images/pdf/er6info.pdf carefully,
you'll notice that the ER-6s have a broad 12 dB peak between 2 and 4 KHz.
which is clearly in the treble range. They say that this is a good thing,
but somehow when I actually listen to ER6 IEMs the treble peak tends to
dominate what I hear.

True, such a boast would be quite fatigueing and 'trebly'. However, the
curve shown on the graph represents compensation for in-ear frequency
responce changes according to Etymotics. Far from being a boost,
Etymotics calls this a reduction in the treble range.

I agree with Linkwitz, who at
http://www.linkwitzlab.com/reference_earphones.htm clearly opines that
Etymotic's preference for a peak in this region is not a good thing. He
recommends that the peak be dealt with via equalization.

? Etymotics recommend a cut to counter what they consider a boost to
compensate for typical monitor speaker response.

What Linkwitz and the Etymotic measurements don't cover is the relatively
efficiency. When equalized to be more-or-less flat, the ER6s are among the
least efficient IEMs I've heard.

Good thing the speaker is inside the ear canal, or you'd scarcely hear
it. Of course, all bets are off if you don't have a good seal to isolate
the ear canal. Goodbye, bass! Hello, treble!

Compare the ER6 response with their response curve for "$49.99 Dynamic
Earbud" (appears to be a Sony MDR EX-70 or 71) with a measured peak only
about half the height, and centered around 5.5 KHz. Linkwitz seems to think
its a 7 dB peak at 7600 Hz. Given the nature of earphone measurements, its
safe to say that they are really pretty close.

Also consider the response of the "$14.95 Dynamic Earbud" (appears to be
Koss :The plug") which could be said to be +/- 5 dB from 20 to 5500 Hz.

Could be. Could also be said to deviate from what Etymotics considers
ideal response measured at the eardrum.

Still, it's the listening experience that counts. If you report a trebly
character, the prospective buyer would do well to try the product.
Perhaps one could seek a dealer who is familiar with its proper use, or
consider springing for the more expensive model, which has been
positively reviewed. Custom ear-molds might give another level of
confidence.