Etymotic ER6is are good iPod headphone replacements/upgrades.

After reading how much people loved the Etymotic ER6i headphones (see Above And Beyond: Etymotic Keeps The Music Flowing) we decided to check ’em out. Our iPod earbuds were starting to get a crackly speaker and they really hurt our ears. We picked up a pair of ER6is for $68.99 at Amazon. We love ’em!

The rubber earpiece actually fits in your ear, blocking out external sound nicely. Good frequency response. Treble really “plinks” true in the ears. Mid-tone bass seems slightly lacking but otherwise the sound is great.

The phones can get coated with ear gunk quickly so you’ll need to clean the buds regularly.

Overall, great sounding and great feeling, much better than the Gameboy-style headphones the iPod comes with. Thumbs up. — BEN POPKEN

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