Audiophiles want not only the best speaker sets, but also the best pair of earphones and headphones for their portable enjoyment. The high demand from these enthusiasts and the commoners has led to the production of numerous high-end models that are produced by unlimited manufactuers. The enthusiast community, whether it is in computer hardware components or in audio, determines the strength and the path of the product and the market segment while being a rather small group when compared to average consumers. What we, as audiophiles, want in a pair of earphones or headphones is the highest possible quality of music. We want everything to be perfect and even want our earphones to outperform our speaker sets. And thanks to the advancement of technologies in this field, it is now possible to reproduce sounds in the best shape possible in these little wonders. We all know Bose, one of the best and most expensive multimedia speakers manufacturer in the world. They have a reputation to integrate and generate the best sound quality from petite speaker units. While Bose can be considered a leader, we can't ignore others who are not as well known to the community. Take Etymotic as an example. It won't be surprising if average users disregarded this company due to their lack of vibrant presence in the market, but it does not mean that they do not produce high-quality products.

Etymotic Research, Inc. is a breeder of some of the top quality earphones we have listened to in a while, but we will get to our performance testing towards the end. Though Etymotic offers only a few models, they all have a specialized design that works perfectly as noise cancellation technology. This is made possible by their close ear design. The earphones must be inserted right next to the ear canal to truly hear the magical sound they produce, but interestingly enough there is an issue here. Etymotic has a warning label on the earphones, which states that these earphones are not suitable for joggers and outdoor activities due to their idea of completely removing outside noise. And it could prove to be dangerous on busy streets where you won't be able to hear the traffic. This is plausable news for audio enthusiasts who do not want any disturbance while they are enjoying their favorite music. There is one negative aspect to these earphones and we are not talking about performance here. What is this negative purchasing factor? What kind of performance results should you expect from these earphones? Are these really the earphones for ultimate audiophiles? Read on and find out...

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