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(More customer reviews)Note: This review is based on excerpts from a review I wrote on the earphone forum head-fi, the full review can be found by searching the same title. The review terms are a little technical, but googling an audio glossary might help :)
The review makes numerous references to a similar earphone, the obscure but excellent Head-Direct RE0 found here:
http://www.amazon.com/HeadDirect-RE0-HEAD-DIRECT-In-ear-Headphones/dp/B001MQ8BL6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8=electronics&qid=1284009892&sr=8-1
I purchased the MC3's from Etymotic directly. Shipping was extremely fast (express international courier to Australia.)What's in the Box- Spacer Laser Headset Pew Pew Pew!
The Etymotics come in a nice, easy to open and classy though understated cardboard box with a flip up cover that shows off the little space lasers inside. I haven't posted pictures of the unboxing, because I think the whole fascination with the unboxing process is a little unhealthy, but rest assured the unboxing inspires confidence considering the price of the product.
The accessory selection is relativey generous - you get a bag, filter changer and a pair of replacement filters, a pair of foam tips, the strange mushroom `glider' tips, and small and large silicone bi-flanges. The small tri-flanges come attached to the nozzle, which is surprising given how small they are. It does seem to be Etymotic's suggestion of how deep these are supposed to go in.
Build Quality, Cables and Microphonics - Bulletproof
This is probably the best part of the Ety's. The earphones are well built, and inspire a lot of confidence. The strain reliefs are meaty and thick, as are the cables which are supple with a nice texture, fairly tangle free and little memory effect. They are leagues ahead of any other earphones that I have - especially compared to the old style rigid RE0 cables. I'm not sure how much Kevlar is used in the product - I'm not even sure what the texture of Kevlar is - all I can say is that the cables are a high point. Microphonics/cable noise is average when worn down, and non-existent when either used with the included shirt clip or worn over the ear. With a 2 year warranty, I really couldn't be happier with the build quality of a 100 USD product.
Comfort and Isolation- If You Find Brain on the Tip, You've Gone Too Far
Here was my first stumble with the Etymotics. The MC3's have a narrower nozzle then I have ever seen on an IEM, though I understand this is relatively usual with sets from Shure, Ety, etc. The tips are described as deep insertion, and they were not kidding - I have never put anything so far into my ear canal except for Q-tips to clean my ears. And if you've ever used Q-tips to clean your ears, the feeling is almost identical.
It took me a long while to adjust to the tri-flange silicone tips, and initially I found the tri-flanges desperately scratchy and uncomfortable. The flanges would scratch against my ear canals, the small tips were difficult to get a secure seal with, the big tips sealed but the flanges rubbed against my ears painfully. I found myself using the foam and glider tips more and more, which after intial insertion were comfortable. However, they did terrible things to the clarity, taking away so much sparkle that I went back to wrestling with the silicones. I preservered, given other Head-Fi members saying that as the silicone absorbed body oils, they would become softer and seal would be easier to achieve.
I can say, after a few days, that thankfully this is true. I've worked out a way to insert them so that they are comfortable, no part of the nozzle is digging into my ear canal, and I get a seal each time. Unfortunately, this way means that I have to wear them down rather than over the ear, which means microphonics are an issue. Also troubling, is that swapping out the foam tips so many times, the glue that attaches the rubber cores to the foam is coming apart. So I'm essentially stuck with the silicone bi-flanges.
Isolation is amazing, as expected. When music is playing you literally cannot hear anything else. This is dangerous in a way because not only can you not hear any screams if a dinosaur is going to attack your Jeep, but also because the lack of relative volume means that it's fairly easy to turn these up way too high.
An important thing to note is that Etymotic is running a program which means that you can go to an audiologist and have custom tips made for you from ACS, with a total price including impressions of $100 USD. This seems to me to be an extremely reasonable offer, though you have to like the MC's enough to more than double their price as a package. I'm considering this option, as the comfort of customs seems pretty attractive.General Listening Impressions
Overall, the MC3 is a mixed bag for me. It has an accurate, transparent and detailed sound, with excellent reproduction of all frequencies. They certainly wouldn't be considered warm - it remains on the dry side of analytical. Because of its relatively etched sound, in my opinion it does quite poorly when coupled with a harsh source. On a badly mastered track, or even one that is mastered a little `hot', the sound signature can be sizzling. This means that on any track where they add a high pass filter to make the vocals sound a little more dry - an effect really frequently used in electronic music - the effect is actually doubled and it can be quite painful to listen to. This isn't the kind of usual "S" or "F" sibilance (though this can have that as well), but more of a general aggression to the tone. In those cases, you have to turn down the volume, though thankfully the isolation is good for that. If you don't mind a bit of EQing, then with a bass boost the MC3's are really fantastic sounding. Soundstage and instrument separation are nothing unusual for this price point - nothing that stands out as particularly great, but not poor either.
How much of this sizzling signature can be attributed to their hard to drive nature distorting the relatively low output on the iPhone headphone amp is hard to say. Certainly, it gets worse as you turn the volume up, which leads me to suggest not coupling the Ety with a weak source.
The suggestion that switching to dynamic drivers have significantly increased the bass on the Ety's is somewhat misleading - though not Etymotic's fault, considering that they never made the assertion themselves as far as I know. While these have good bass extension, and more bass than an unmodded RE0, they should still be considered bass light.
The sound of the Ety's can best be described as dry, with accuracy and extension on both ends - more bass extension than the RE0's and as much sparkle, but with less smoothness. This seems to match exactly with what Etymotic prides as their sound signature - tremendous accuracy and articulation. The signature is probably quite closed to a stock RE0 but fuller mids and better bass extension. Unfortunately, I cannot recall with 100% accuracy the sound of the RE0 before I messed with the foam.
For a $99 dollar iPhone headset, or a $79 headphone, considering the build quality and isolation, the MC5's are great for anyone who would like an analytical sound, and who is relatively immune to sibilance.
On another note, these are probably a great option for an iPhone headset at their price point, with the convenience of having music controls and a microphone really very useful. One amazing thing that I didn't consider is that the iPods allow for voice control for music playback with the microphone - for instance you can say "Play Arist The Flaming Lips" and it will do so, obeying your every whim. For anyone who is wondering if the headset version is worth the premium, the answer is yes, definitely.
Also important to note is that the MC5s do offer an upgrade path in the form of the relatively cheap custom tip option. I can't say how much that would change the sound, but if I do take Etymotic up on their offer I will write updated impressions in the second post.
If I had to choose between the MC5 and the RE0, it would be a harder question - depending on how important build quality and isolation was to the equation. The Ety's are more transparent and as long as nothing flips the sibilance switch, they sound detailed and balanced. For me, with the amount of electronic/filtered music I listen to, I think I personally still prefer the sound of the RE0's by a small margin - and only after I tweaked the RE0's to my taste. Your mileage may vary, as may it vary with the comfort and fit.
Despite all this, it's good to keep in mind that the RE0's originally retailed at over two hundred dollars, and are still heavily recommended by people on head-fi as an excellent first choice at their price point - they are giant killers with a few flaws. In the same way, the MC5's have a mix of good and bad, but with their build quality the best I have ever seen, and great sound for the price, I would not hesitate to recommend them for someone with around that much to spend - as long as they are aware of the caveats.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Etymotic Research ER7-MC3-RED MC3 Noise Isolating In-Ear Headset and Earphones for iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch (Red)
Etymotic's mc-3 headset offers best-in-class sound accuracy, noise isolation, fit and comfort and durability. Based on the breakthrough Etymotic ACCU-Technology platform, the MC-Series is the world's most accurate-sounding noise-isolating earphone series in its price class. The patent-pending, highly advanced ACCU-Chamber Acoustic Control Chamber technology modifies standard dynamic earphone drivers to perform at an accuracy response level equal to products costing twice as much. In addition, the MC-Series earphones are designed to be more comfortable for extended wear, and their high degree of noise isolation enables lower-volume listening, to help protect hearing. The mc-3 provides a 3-button micro-control pod with a noise-isolating close-proximity microphone, for easy control and superb call clarity - making it ideal for voice communications, conducting voice recording and iTunres memos as well as listening to music, videos, and other entertainment. The MC-3 earphone and headset, which is forward-compatible with the latest Apple iPhone, iPad and iPod touch products includes Made for ipod, Made for iPhone and Made for iPad certifications.
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