Review: Etymotic Cuts the Cords With The Ety 8 Wireless Headphones

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I have been tracking Bluetooth headphones for almost as long as I have been using mobile devices.  Shortly after I got my Axim x50v, I purchased a pair of Motorola Bluetooth headphones.  They were big and ugly, but they sure did sound good…or maybe they didn’t.  The point was, they were wireless.   Since that time, I have listened to music on all manner of wired and wireless headphones.  But there has always been one that intrigued me from the day it was initially announced.  Of course, I am talking about the uniquely designed Etymotic Ety 8.

So, let’s take a look at that design, which is really unlike anything I have ever seen before.  These headphones consist of a pair of small, square boxes.  I have to admit that I had some reservations about these squares.  And who wouldn’t?  They do not resemble anything that has been done before.  Plus, it has to hurt having those boxes dangling off of your ear…right?  Wrong!

I was really impressed by how these headphones felt in my ears.  They were weightless and invisible.  Once they were secured, you could almost forget they were there at all (aside from the music piping into your head.) 

One of the reasons these feel so good in your ears is the the tiny speaker bud.  Many headphones are tempted to make this speaker bud too big, and then surround it with a thin rubber coating.  The result, more often than not, is a headphone which has significant difficulty staying in your ear.  The better approach is that taken by Etymotic.  They have utilized a skinny, small speaker stem, with a tapered rubber bud overtop.  This allows the rubber bud, rather than the speaker to fill your ear, much like earplugs.  As a result, the Etymotics easily slipped into your ear canal, and then filled the space ensuring they would not fall out again (but could be easily removed with nothing more than a gentle tug.

The two halves are held together by a thin nylon cord.  As I mentioned when I reviewed the Plantronics 855, I really like the use of this nylon material, in place of the traditional plastic material that is typically found on headphones.  Not only is this nylon more comfortable, but it also does not result in the endless mass of tangles, like most headphone cords.

On the right hand side, you will find the controls.  I thought these were pretty conveniently placed, although the buttons were a bit small and indistinct.  It would have been easier to control without looking if they had been slightly larger and differently shaped.  Nonetheless, I did really like the intuitive arrangement of the controls.  They are arranged in a simple D-pad like circle.  Up and down control the volume, left and right skip ahead to the next or back to the previous track.  Slightly offset above these controls is a fifth button.  This is the power and play/pause button.  Simple and intuitive.  Perfect.

Well, now that we are able to operate the controls, we will need something to control.  So, let’s go ahead and connect it to a device.  Don’t be fooled by that green power light, these operate on a standard Bluetooth connection.  I tested these out with the Sprint Mogul from HTC and the iPod Touch.

So, all of you iPod users, let’s just get this out of our systems now, “APPLE WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING BY NOT GIVING US BLUETOOTH A2DP AND AVRCP!?!?!?”  OK.  I feel better now.  I still don’t have Bluetooth on my iPod Touch, despite it being one of the most expensive devices I have ever purchased.  Don’t worry though, Etymotic feels your pain.  They feel it so much, you don’t even need to ask them for an iPod adaptor.  They just went ahead and included one in the box.  Yeah.  They knew what you would need.  It is even pre-paired with the headphones.  So, if you are using an iPod, Etymotic can take you where able would not.  Just plug in the adaptor and you are ready to go.

I also tried to make these work with my Sprint Mogul.  They paired just fine, but that was about it.  Through not fault of Etymotics, I have found that the Mogul absolutely does not agree with stereo wireless sound.  It can blast a phone call to my Bluetooth headset, but try to play a song in stereo, and it is like the Mogul just forgot how to walk.  So, although the Etymotics could have handled the connection, my Mogul could not, and I was unable to test them out together. 

I do wish that Etymotic had included a universal adaptor.  It would be nice to be able to use these with other media players, many of which do not offer Bluetooth connectivity either.  Nonetheless, even without a universal adaptor, the box was chock full of goodies.  In addition to the headphones and iPod adaptor, you will also get a nice leather case and a myriad of soft buds and cleaning tools.

I spent quite a bit of time listening to my iPod Touch with these headphones, and boy was I impressed.  They sound fantastic.  In fact, I could almost not tell a difference between these and a standard pair of wired headphones.  I did notice some slight distortion if I moved my head while listening, but this was fairly minor.  Overall, the sound quality was extremely impressive.  With the Ety 8, Etymotic has taken another large step toward closing the gap between wired and wireless headphones, and have added a clear argument for all portable media players to include Bluetooth connectivity in every device.

What I Liked:

• Fantastic sound quality
• Light and Comfortable
• iPod adaptor

What Needs Improvement:

• No universal adaptor
• Controls were a bit too small to use by touch alone
• Some minor sound distortion
• I would love to see these with a microphone for phone calls

Vital Stats:

Name: Ety 8 wireless headphones

Manufacturer: Etymotic Research, Inc.

Where To Buy: Etymotic website

Price: $249 ($159 without the iPod Adaptor)

[Some pictures in this review were provided by Etymotic]

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