I was able to demo a pair here in NYC at Scientific Plastics (www.customearsets.com; thanks to JPELG for pointing me there and to DGS’ incisive, well written and thorough review of all three Ety models that provided a very practical and useful framework for making a decision).

In addition to Etys, Scientific Plastics sells hearing aids and custom earmolds for sound attenuation and newcaster earsets (judging from the autographed pictures on the walls, customers include Tom Brokaw, Jane Pauley, and Cher). I tried the ER-6’s but settled on the ER-4Ps because of the fit (the ER-6s were too big) and the better sound. The phones were inserted for me and I was a little uncomfortable having these things pushed into my canal to seat them; it was relatively gentle but I’ve always thought the advice not to put anything smaller than your elbow in your ear was well taken. The occlusion was disorienting but the sound compelling enough for me to plunk down $269.

As has been attested to here so often, the 3 critical things in maximizing the performance of the Etys are  to paraphrase the real estate saw  1. Seal, 2. Seal, 3. Seal. Or as the old philosopher put it, “If you don’t got seal, you ain’t got s@#t.” When I got them home I had trouble getting a seal that didn’t become uncomfortable after a few minutes (I was using the white tips) and of course the sound was appropriately thin and bass-less.

I had a pair of earmolds made that made all the difference. Etymotic’s list of earmold suppliers includes Scientific Plastics who sells them for $100, $30 if you buy the Etys from them. The process involves inserting a dam in each ear, pouring in goo, and making the molds from the resulting impression. Scientific Plastics says this can be done at home and supplies a kit through their web site. The impression is sent to them and the finished mold mailed back to you, drilled out to accept the Etys. I was happy to have someone with experience do this for me: how far down the canal to insert the dams, and how far into the finished molds and with how much pressure to insert the Etys without breaking them.

My ear canals are apparently small as canals go. The molds distribute the pressure of having a tight fit over much more of the ear so there are fewer hot spots and the isolation is total, probably more than the 20-25 decibels claimed with the white tips. Inserting and removing the molds takes some getting used to (the fit is precise) but gets more reflexive with practice. Scientific provided some helpful hints for fitting. The ear needs to acclimatize to the pressure and general obtrusiveness. The Etys protrude a bit more out of the ear than with the white tips and they look a little peculiar – like some sort of anodes – but the improvement in comfort is worth the Frankenstein monster effect. The microphonic effect is not an issue with me because I usually don’t listen to music as a background to some other activity.

The Etys sound is dynamic and brilliant. Each instrument has its own integrity, character and definition; musical lines and relationships between them are apparent that never occurred to me. I find myself listening to music that has only mildly interested me just to see what the Etys will make of it. The bass is not the reference I’m used to (I’ve been listening to a pair of 7506s, great phones in their own right) and am in the process of weaning myself from the more visceral experience. The more I listen to the Etys, the more appropriate the bass values seem and the more murky those produced by the 7506s.

Initially, because of my Yankee upbringing I became nauseous at the thought of spending ca. $300 for headphones (I think N.H. law prescribes burning at the stake for spending over $125).
Certainly, considering the price per pound of these diminutive marvels, we are in the realm of caviar, truffles and saffron. Here is how I overcame it:

The greater musical dimension of the Etys has made my CD collection new; a lot of stuff, if only to satisfy academic curiosity, warrants at least one more listen to. The cost of each of my CDs has been amortized by resurrecting things I haven’t played in years.

Notwithstanding the musical limitations of MPEG players, the iPod and Etys are a great match. Even with the larger Etymotic zippered case (it comfortably holds the ER-4Ps and the earmolds) everything fits into an incredibly small space considering the fidelity produced. The ER-4Ps drive the iPod nicely; more than enough volume, only rarely have I had to go louder than 25% of the iPod’s volume bar. There is something aesthetically pleasing about owning and pairing two such well made and smartly designed products. I’m not sure how much the resulting smugness is worth, but I’m enjoying it.

There’s been no impact to my tinnitus nor has my hearing worsened because of the Etys.

With the Etys, flying has become tolerable again.

But mostly it’s the quality of the music. Recently, I got a chill up my spine worth at least $25 while listening to the third movement of the Italian Symphony. At that rate, it won’t take long to get my money back.

For me, Etys are an acquired taste; it’s been more a learning experience than the epiphany described by others here. The sound is unique and, to some, disappointing; the care one has to take to achieve a good seal requires a commitment that some will find fussy, and leap of faith that can be frustrating; they’re not cheap. As with any headphone, demo-ing is important as well as the good advice here from Ety advocates and detractors alike (don’t be seduced by the hype as the critics point out; if they don’t sound good to you they’re not worth the investment at half the price).

They are worth a try to if you can – Headphone’s 30 day return seems ideal if you’re at all interested.