I remember some pretty high attenuation figures being published by
Etymotics for the orange foam tips used on the ER-6i, but have been
unable to find it documented on their web site. I did find some
measurements that suggest attenuation of somewhere near 30 dB, which
tallies pretty well with my experience using them on the motorcycle
over the last several years. They actually work better than any foam
earplug I've ever used, and much, much better then either of the two
custom fit ear mold type sets of earplugs I've had made. The upshot is
I don't have to play the audio (iPod/V1/XM/GPS) excessively loud to
hear it, and as an added bonus I get a lot less wind noise.
Unfortunately, Etymotics have chosen to discontiue the orange tips,
and I have yet to test the replacements to see if they provide the
same or better level of attenuation. Maybe I should stock up while I
still can?
http://www.machrone.net/mt/archives/2010/05/etymotic_er6i.html
We're all free (at least at this writing) to choose to listen to music
while riding, or not, so please spare us the religious debate if you
chime in on this topic, OK?
What I have had problems with is earbud cord failure. The tiny wires
seem to fatigue where they enter the stereo plug, probably due to the
wire waving in the breeze as I go down the road. The failure occurs
right where the wire enters the strain relief/flexible part of the
plug, so it seems that the strain relief isn't flexing enough to
distribute the flexing over a longer length of the wire. I had a
chance to talk to the Etymotic folks last week at MacWorld Expo, and
even though I've told them this for the last two years they seemed
surprised. I thought I'd mention it on this list, because they said
that if more people had the problem they'd look into redesigning the
plug. So if you've had the problems I have, you can let them know at:
customer-service.RemoveThis@etymotic.com
Tell 'em Scot sent ya!
Scot Dublin, CA
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