Etymotic Research MC5 Noise-Isolating In-Ear Earphones

I bought these very recently, but it doesn't take long to formulate a thorough review. Overall I would give these a 4.5/5 if I could, but you must also take into consideration I'm a bit of an Etymotic fan. I can't claim to be an audiophile, but I like my music to sound good. I'll try to do a normal review, and then compare them to the Etymotic ER-6i headphones because a lot of people have those or might be considering them seeing the similar price.What you get:Etymotic MC5 headphones with 4ft cord and removable shirt clip1 carrying case2 large tri-flange ear tips2 small tri-flange ear tips (already on the phones)2 foam ear tips2 easy glide ear tips1 filter changing tool2 filtersReview:If all you're used to is the ipod headphones or something cheap you will absolutely be blown away by your music. Putting these in adds sounds you didn't know existed. This depends on the quality of your music though. If you have music files at low bit rates it's still going to sound bad. Personally most of my music is 192, but varies between 128 and 320 kbps, and while there is a difference, it's not too bad. Just know that if all your songs already sound muffled and off they probably will continue to do so, but if it's CD quality or itunes quality it should sound just fine.If you're new to in ear monitors these things go inside you ear rather than just sitting on top of the ear. I mean way inside. For some people this is painful and awkward, and it definitely takes some getting used to. When I first tried it with my old Etymotics it hurt and I couldn't figure out why people liked them. Once you experiment with the different ear tips and find what works best for you, you'll start to get used to the feel and eventually you won't notice it's there.Sitting so far in the ear is what gives these buds their isolation. You cannot hear a thing with them in. I use the large tri-flange tips but the foam ones are supposed to give better isolation. I often use my ipod at the lowest or second lowest setting and can hear just fine. Sometimes this is problematic when you want to go back and forth from listening to music to doing something like having a conversation. It can also be dangerous if you try to use them while driving or something like biking near roads.One thing that is definitely different from other headphones is that the sound feels like it's coming from inside your head. It's kind of hard to describe, but you probably won't feel like you're surrounded by sound like you would with the large over the ear sets.Bass is something everyone mentions with Etymotics. This set was supposed to be their response to everyone's constant criticism that their products don't have enough bass. While they have ramped it up a bit, if you're a bass addict like most people you will find these unsatisfying. As someone explained, we are addicted to bass. It's common to turn up the bass in the car or on the speakers. These phones play the sound as it was recorded, not necessarily how you're used to hearing it. One of the first songs I listened to with these was Satellite by Guster, and I noticed that the bass seemed to just fit right in with the music and blend rather than stand out. This might not be what some people are used to. One of the next songs that came up on my shuffle was by In Flames which has heavy bass driving the beat and it managed to come through alright. Not the level you might expect, but definitely acceptable. After listening through the shuffle a while I came across some Ben Folds songs and they sounded absolutely amazing. Styles of music that don't rely on heavy bass should all sound this way.Overall this is a great item for the price point. The isolation is wonderful when you need it, though sometimes annoying when you don't. Once you listen to ears with sound quality like this you'll wonder how you ever went without them.Comparison:I used my ER-6i's for about 18 months before the cord cut out to one ear. The cord is very thin and fragile and it ended up being the downfall. I loved the ears, they sounded great; but with just one side working it was time to get new ones. Apparently it's common for this kind of fault to happen with the ER-6 series which is why they only get a 1 year warranty instead of 2. The MC5 has a much stronger cord and is firmly fastened at the headphone. Definitely something I was glad to see. The cord on the 6i's also made a whole lot of noise. Any small movement was amplified to the ear and would overcome the sound of the music (I believe it's called microphonics). The cord on the MC5's must be made out of something different because it's much less noticeable (though still present).Another thing is comfort. I found the 6i to be much more comfortable than the MC5, probably because the MC5 is much larger and protrudes out of the ear while the 6i fits pretty well in the ear. This isn't to say the MC5 is uncomfortable, just less so.Smaller differences include the carrying case for the MC5 feeling much cheaper than the 6i. The 6i had an L and R very visible on the side while the MC5 has it small and on the bottom. The MC5 has better bass response than the 6i. The MC5 uses much smaller filters that I feel like I'm going to lose. The MC5 ear tips sit more snugly on the phones and don't feel like they're going to fall off as easily. I think the 6i has a 5ft cord instead of 4ft. The MC5 plug is a 45 degree angle, and the 6i is 90 degrees.I like both pairs of phones. I think the MC5s have a little better sound and it's nice to get a choice of color. I think the 6is are a little more comfortable though they have a tendency to break more easily. I really loved my pair of 6is but with how easily they broke I'd have to favor the MC5 over them. Hope this helps someone out.

I waited 3 months after purchasing these headphones to write this review, because I wanted ensure the ACCU drivers were burned in and test the quality of the build of these earphones. I was not surprised that they didn't break and the sound quality surpassed all my expectations.Before purchasing the mc5 earphones I read several reviews as any consumer would, the reviews altered my decision of buying the product, for many people said "Flat bass response, these sound like tin cans" or "breaks easily".I would like to start first by saying neither of those things are remotely accurate.After all Etymotic RESEARCH is a company dedicated to expressing the true dynamics of the sound spectrum.What the box includes:2 Small Frost Tri-Flange Ear Tips2 Large Clear Tri-Flange Ear Tips2 Foam Ear Tips2 Glider Ear Tips(These Suck)1 Filter Changing Tool1 Shirt Clip2 Filters------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BUILD QUALITY ~~~~~~~~~~------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ These headphones have a superb build which isn't bulky like over-the-ear acoustic chamber headphones,and unlike other in ear headphones the firm connection between the cord and each earphone preventsthe earphone from cutting out completely or breaking at the connection. In addition the cord is madeof Kevlar, which has proven in my case to be very durable. I accidently got the cord caught in my car doorwhen I closed it. Immediately I plugged them into my iPod to ensure that they worked, and they did, withoutnoise or any other problems. Also the lead that connects to the plug isn't likely to break because the cord comes out of the plug at anangle, also it is reinforced.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SOUND QUALITY ~~~~~~~~~~~------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The sound quality on these earphones is the true selling point, which is because the isolationthe ear tips provide. I know that many reviews say that the sound quality is horrible, and feels like the sound is comingfrom a tin can. But, this is because the listener doesn't have the earphones deep enough into the ear canalalthough if the earphones are pushed too deep into the ear canal (yes it's possible it just hurts a little)the sound that comes out of the drivers is "muffled". There is only one way to ensure that the seal that the headphones provide is correct, and this is to startplaying a song when the earphones are in your ear, and then adjust them accordingly. If the sound is tinny andsounds like there is too much treble: push them in slightly. But if it sounds quiet and doesn't have enoughbass or treble: pull them out very slightly. Once again the best way to know is to play a song and experiment withthe earphones until the sound is accurate, it should only take a few minutes and is mandatory if you want thebest possible sound from your headphones. After the eartips are correctly positioned in the ear canal, you can truly hear things that you probably were missingin your music such as the delicate cymbals and lower bass oriented sounds or even highlight vocals that add a crisp feelto the track. These headphones really bring out your music and provide you with an accurate representation of how the artist protrayedyou to listen to their music. The bass is where it is supposed to be and isn't over powering, and with headphones bass shouldn't be empahsized. When anartist renders a track they equalize it before they distribute it, and when they equalize it they ensure that certain partsof the sound spectrum are more evidently heard than other parts, which is what these headphones provide*But your music is going to sound even worse than before if its less than 250kbps*------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ COMFORT ~~~~~~~~~~------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The provided tri-flange ear tips are defiantly hard to get used to, and I can almostguarantee to you that when you get these headphones your not going to like them as much as3 weeks after you keep them. Because when you first put the tips in your ears it's hard toreach that "sweet spot" where the music sounds just right because of the firmness of thesmall tri-flange ear tips that come stock on the earphones. But there is a way to get yourears used to the feeling of a toothpick being shoved into your ear: Start with the larger tri-flange ear tips which are clear, yes I know they are bigger butthey are softer and wider so in turn provide pretty good isolation without completely killingthe inside of your ear, each time you listen try to push the earphones into the "sweet spot"but its likely you will never get there with the larger eartips because of their MASSIVE size.When you feel like the large ones are comfortable in your ears, switch to the smaller size andwear those until they are broken in and soften. +Final note+Over all I was very satisfied with the quality of these headphones, they defiantly sound crisper than Beats By Dreand just about everything else that is under $100.Buy yourself a pair of these, and if you use them correctly your never going to go back to anything that doesn't sayEtymotic on it.

Los auriculares vienen de Japón. Al abrir la cajita, aparte del producto encontré un pequeño papelito donde escribía "arigato" (gracias) con símbolos nipones y pegada había una monedita japonesa ... que grato detalle, que bonita sorpresa.Bueno, y los auriculares ... una ves acostumbrado a llevarlos ya no hay vuelta atras a cualquier otra marca o tipo.

このタイプのイヤホンの中では価格と性能のバランスが良くコストパフォーマンスが高いと思います。遮音性、低音についての低い評価については、おそらく正しい装着方法をご存じないためだと思います。3段タイプのイヤーチップを耳を開く感じでかなり奥深くに入れる必要があります。ケーブルのこすれる音については相応にありますので動かないようにするのがよいと思います。

エティモはhf5を持っていて気に入ってはいたが、エティモのダイナミック型というのが気になり、安かったから試しに買ってみた。三段キノコの小さいやつhf5についてた物をそのまま使っています。慣れているので装着感は問題なし。最初は、のっぺりとした音でうーんどうかなーといった印象だったが、ダイナミック型ということもありエージングが効いたんでしょうか、だんだんと音が出来るようになってきて今では大のお気に入りになっています。帯域は狭いのかもしれませんが、hf5をもう少し元気にしたような印象があります。これでこの値段。USアマゾンなんかではもっと評価が高いんですけどね。エティモに慣れているなら是非1本！オススメです。

I first want to say it has taken me a couple weeks to get used to the fit on these and that's my #1 complaint. Now that I'm used to the fit I love them.I also would like to raise issue with other reviewers who claimed "no bass". That's completely false. These extend down to 20Hz (the lowest humans can hear) effortlessly. If you're not hearing enough bass (I wasn't the first time I put them in) then you haven't pushed them deep enough into your ear canal. They fit deep. I'm wearing them now and if I put my hands flat on my earns, my hands don't touch the Etymotics - they're that deep in my ears. Because of this, they give insane levels of noise reduction via passive isolation. They're not bass-heavy but when I put on a bass-y song I'm not disappointed; they're flat down low right to (and probably slightly past) 20Hz. I actually have been able to hear which tracks really do hit low and which tracks only pretend to with mid-bass harmonics (a technique many modern songs sadly use to sound better on poor stereos).Are there better in-ear monitors? Yes. Are there better ones at this price point? Probably not.The sound quality on these is quite good. I hear all of the instruments separately and clearly. I do personally miss the shimmer above 15kHz but many can't even hear that high and unless you regularly audition other hi-fi equipment you probably won't notice the lack of shimmer. I also feel like some transients are muddled but I expected at least that for an $85 purchase - I usually listen to much more high priced speakers (of various makes). I do find the response and clarity on these to be both quite pleasing and balanced. If I spent twice as much on this pair then it'd be a four star review. Part of me thinks there's a bit of a bump in the response just above 1kHz but only slightly so.- I wish I had measurement tools to check, or I wish they published actual frequency response graphs.I also really like the cord, it's well built and has no memory to bends. I often tie my cords into a knot to keep them coiled up on the fly and it has ruined lesser wires, but this show no signs of even being coiled up. We'll see how it fares three years down the road...

Not eveyones taste I'm sure the deep in ear fit is an odd sensation but I love the way they sound and block out background noise. if you are walking or cyclcing you can get noise if the cables are loose and flopping round ur neck. Tuck them in and enjoy the sound.I think these have a really nice natural balanced sound. If you want a deep heavy bass sound I would try something else.