Music to Your Ears

In-the-Ear Headphones

Etymotic ER-4 MicroPro

$220

The Etymotic Research ER-4 MicroPro set has been around for several years, but it is still a great pair of headphones. We found it produced well-balanced, clear sound with plenty of bass and presence, while preserving the subtle, high-frequency details that make music come alive.

On our test track of a Ry Cooder guitar solo, the sound of the guitar pick sliding across the bass strings was so clear it seemed as if Ry were sitting right next to us. The ER-4 also provided the best sound isolation of any headphone set in this review: We could barely hear the loud rumble of a nearby ferry engine while wearing it. But for best results you must place the pieces pretty deep and tightly in the ears, a position that many users may find uncomfortable. Still, if you can tolerate foam earplugs, you'll like these headphones a lot.

Etymotic ER-6isolator

$120

Etymotic produces two versions of the ER-6 headphones: the standard black model and the white ER-6isolator, which the company designed specifically for use with Apple's IPod. Both of these small and well-designed in-the-ear headphone models produced strong, clear sound with crisp trebles. However, the bass was a little thin, lacking some of the body and depth that we heard on the ER-4 and Shure headphones.

The two Etymotic models have slightly different characteristics: The 6isolator is a little less apt to impede the flow of sound signals, making the set easier for a portable player to drive. It also had a slightly better bass response, with the music sounding a bit fuller in our informal tests.

We have a few gripes with this model, but not about the sound quality. First, Etymotic supplies only two pairs of tips with each set: one soft rubber and the other foam, which may not suit everyone. Other makers of ear-canal headphones ship their products with a much larger variety of tips for different ear sizes. We also thought the cable leading to each earphone looked a little thin and fragile. Despite those reservations, however, this is a terrific set of headphones that produces good sound. And at $120, it's a great value for the money.

Koss KSC9

$15

The KSC9 set has an innovative design, with what Koss calls a Sportclip--it fits over each ear to hold the headphones in place, making them look rather like a mutated Bluetooth headset. The headphones sit pretty comfortably and snugly on the ears, however, and despite their odd shape aren't likely to fall out even during vigorous exercise.

Unfortunately, the headphones' sound quality gave us less to cheer about: We found weak bass and a general lack of presence. Compared with the performance we got out of the other in-the-ear models, the KSC9's music sounded as if it were being played behind a curtain. Go for a well-fitting set of earbud headphones instead.

Sennheiser MX300

$8

We didn't expect much out of the least expensive pair of earbuds; but the MX300 set exceeded our expectations easily, producing good sound with deep bass and clear midtones. One slight disappointment: The bass was a little overpowering, washing out subtle details at times. But some listeners may like their bass that heavy.

Each earbud fit well, with or without the foam cover. Even testers who had problems with other earbud-style headphones discovered that the Sennheiser pieces sat comfortably and stayed in place. The MX300 pair seems well suited to situations where you want to retain some ability to hear ambient sounds, such as when you work in the garden.

Shure E4c

$300

Shure's newest addition to its line of high-end ear-canal headphones, the E4c, issued strong audio, with deep, round bass and accurate treble. At $300, the set had better sound amazing, and it didn't disappoint--but it didn't have quite the range of the company's more expensive E5c model.

The E4c earpieces fit comfortably and come with a variety of tip sizes. One interesting touch: Shure designs its earphones so that you can wear them either with the cables looped over the top of the ears or in more conventional fashion with the cables dangling down.

No matter which way we wore them, the E4c earpieces were easy to fit into the ear canal, and when properly inserted blocked most ambient noise, producing a quieter environment than either of the noise-cancelling over-the-ear headphones we evaluated.

Shure E5c

$400

The Shure E5c headphones are designed for professional musicians, so it's not surprising that they generate great sound. One of our test music clips, Shirley Bassey's rendition of the classic tune "Big Spender," seemed especially appropriate for evaluating this $400 set, but you get a lot for your money: The E5c produced the best sound of all the in-the-ear models, with deep, booming bass and bright, sharp trebles that sounded as good as those of any of the over-the-ear models we tested.

But these pieces are a hassle to fit: Several of our testers had problems trying to seat them properly inside the ear canal, even though Shure supplies several different-size tips (including foam and flanged-rubber ones) and even gave us some additional tips.

Once you loop the cables over your ears, though, the pieces aren't going anywhere. It's a pain to put them on, but once they're on, they stay in place. Another nice design touch: The headphones sit flat against your ears and don't stick out, so you can lie down while you listen without fear of damaging the pieces.

One note of caution: Some portable music players may not be powerful enough to drive these headphones. We tested them with a variety of hard-drive audio players, however, and experienced no difficulties. If you run into any problems, you (or your personal assistant) can locate several models of portable amplifiers that will boost the signal.