MPN: IM716
Strengths: Crystal clear sound isolates from noise small and compact
Weakness: If you love disco-bass these are not for you Carrying case is a joke extra earplugs would be nice don't like the big volume control on the wire
These are reference class headphones that provide crystal clear sound reproduction. You hear everything as recorded. They are great for classical music. If you like rock you probably won't like these headphones because the bass notes are not reinforced like DJ-type headphones. Still they are better than most ear bud type headsets for your i pod.
They are sound isolating but not active sound limiting. On an airplane the low rumble travels through your bones and they do not isolate that as well as active noise reduction units.
The headset is very compact. The supplied carrying case is large and bulky. I will never use it.
Because these stick in your ear, they get dirty. It would be nice if they shipped with some replacement earplugs.
Finally, I wish they would plug into my i phone, but that is really Apples fault with the I phone socket.
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TopStrengths: isolates like no other earbud that I have tried, very accurate sound
Weakness: The pod is larger than I expected and makes lots of noise while moving around. A bit uncomfortable inserting them
I enjoy using these headphones when I am doing anything noisy. It cuts off the environment and allows me to enjoy my music as well. Also, it has very accurate and pleasant sound, with little or no sibilance. The bass is very lean but is present. People who can hear no bass do not have a proper seal with these headphones. They feel uncomfortable while inserting, but once in and secure, it is hardly noticeable. I highly recommend these earbuds for their isolation and great sound quality.
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TopStrengths: The earphone makes a seal really well, since it is an earplug style earphone. The sound quality is great, you can hear most parts of the music clearly.
Weakness: The bass does not come out too well, you can hardly hear it even if you set the in-line control to bass mode. The in-line control also drags the earphone down a little which is annoying sometimes.
Over the earphone is great if you can get it under $50. However if you are unable to get it as a good price, then you should consider another set of earphones if you wish to hear more bass. Other than that it sound very clear.
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TopStrengths: 1. excellent sound 2. I love the fit of the 3 flange earpiece 3. incredible isolation from ambient noise - great for work / gym
Weakness: 1. the volume / bass pod is poorly located (at the Y connection) 2. the volume / bass pod has a lousy clip, needs an alligator clip 3. incredible isolation from ambient noise - bad for road walks
Got these from Buy.com for $48 shipped, which is a pretty great deal.
Comparing these to Etymotic ER6i's shows them to be equivalent sounding - the ER6i's have less bass but seem to be more efficient. These seem to have a more robust build than the ER6i's, but then again, I have had no issues with the ER6i's
The case is pretty terrible size-wise, but does a good job protecting the phones. Just for $48, I am more interested in pocketability than protection.
A keeper for use at work and the gym.
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TopStrengths: Light, volume control works well, good sound isolation
Weakness: Really expensive, very low volume on ipod
Bought these for $75 on amazon. Sound quality is amazing; the noise isolation actually works. Big fan of this. However, the volume is really quiet when plugged into the iPod compared to the ipod headphones. The iPod is turned up to full volume, as is the volume control on the headphones and you can barely hear the music. Otherwise, works fine on my mac and PC.
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TopStrengths: Portable, very isolating, incredible audio quality
Weakness: Annoying volume control "pod"
For $62.99, I wasn't expecting the product that I received. These IEMs, or in ear monitors, are simply the best portable headphones I've ever owned. The resolution is incredible, and you can easily distinguish quality recordings from poor ones. Contrary to some opinions, these headphones aren't "boring" or "analytical," or at least not to my ears. If you're still using the stock "iBuds," do yourself a favor and upgrade to these beauties.
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TopStrengths: Great sound quality, noise isolation, nice case, 2 sets of tips (1 foam, 1 rubber), comfortable.
Weakness: Slightly bulky volume controller, lower than expected sound output.
OK, I am by no means an audiophile, nor do I listen to music very much through any type of headset or earplugs, and the only $100+ headsets/earphones I've ever owned are the Medusa 5.1's, which are really strictly for computer gaming. However, my decision to purchase these was more to solve a problem, rather than trying to get purchase earphones for the ultimate listening pleasure.
The problem: I have a large property to mow, so I ride an exMark Lazer 27HP mower to do it. It takes about an hour to an hour and a half of mowing, so in that time, instead of wearing ear plugs for silence, I prefer to listen to music. I purchased a Sansa e260 MP3 player to use for that time, but unfortunately, the earphones which came with it allowed the roar of the 27HP mower engine to almost drown out any music ... and even when the volume was set to 100%.
Of course it was bad enough to have the mower engine noise so loud, and now I was pumping up the MP3 player volume just to even hear any music at all! I even tried my Medusa 5.1 headsets (which have full enclosing earcups), yet even those would not allow me to listen to the music with any clarity.
The solution: Try a noise isolation earphone like the im716's! Well I am thoroughly impressed, they worked perfectly! With this set of earphones I can barely hear the roar of the mower's 27HP engine at all, and I only turn the volume of my MP3 player up to about 50% max to be totally immersed in great music listening pleasure!
For me they worked like a dream, and even when I'm not mowing, the sound is fine to my ears. I actually found the rubber eartips to fit better and provide a better sound experience, especially for the bass! The volume is not thundering by any means, as I found I could still listen to music even at 100%, though 50% and less under most conditions was quite adequate for me!
The bulky volume control was probably the thing I disliked the most. Though having a volume control was nice, if you didn't clip it on somewhere, it constantly yanked the wire around and made the earplugs a lot more uncomfortable to wear. Other than that, I am truly happy with them, and for less than $80 when I got them, I think they are well worth it!
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TopStrengths: Sound quality, Price, Carrying Case
Weakness: Volume control, Clip, Choice of tips, Only one color choice
Just recently my Etymotic ER6 were destroyed so these were bought as a replacement. The easiest way to compare these to the very similar ER6 is to say that they sound better but are less convenient. The sound is definitely better with better bass response compared to ER6. I did prefer the ETY biflange to the Triflange tips. Also one pair of foam tips is saddening. Coming from an equally power hungry headphone (ER6 is higher impedance than ER6i) a found the output to be excellent. These seem just as efficient as the ER6. For a cheap source these may not be loud enough, but with my Rio Karma and Zen Nano they are perfect. The physical design is what loses a star for me. There should not be a volume control on high end headphones, which leads to the hard to use clip. The reason these do get 4 stars though is because of the price. These are impossible to beat at the price range. The only competitors at seventy dollars are the CX300, EXx0 series, e2c and maybe a er6i. This will give you better SQ than any of those. You will have to spend at least $100 more to get a noticeable upgrade to a ER4,E4, or UE SF5 pro. Overall, small physical quirks keep this from being a perfect product, though this is still a great product
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TopStrengths: Nice sound, Inexpensive
Weakness: Weird Pod, Not-so-top-notch sound, Hard to find replacement foams
It's said to be a slightly downgraded, yet less expensive rebadged ER4P. I don't have ER4P nor ER4S and can't compare them. However, this pair cost $100 less than ER4P and sound significantly better than any of the under $100 headphones I've heard. I only listen in HD mode with iPod Video, no amp, 75% volume. The high and mid are good, bass is lacking a bit - common for un-amped IEMs. My only complain is the volume control pod - It's dragging the cable down. Other than that, it's a solid buy for under $100!
Btw, I haven't found a good source for the replacement foam.
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TopRe Replacement supplies. Filter: Same as used by Ety 8s, the Bluetooth model. Tips: Same as those use by Ety 4s & 6s. This is the info kindly provided by 'Rich' at Etymotic Research. The folks at Altec's customer service desk were 100% USELESS. I could have gotten better info from Homer or Bart.
Strengths: Sound quality; HD / Bass Mode selector; Isolation
Weakness: Low output; Bass; Pod not detachable; Clip design; microphonics
The sound from the iM716s is extraordinarily detailed. Transient response is excellent. Vocals will just jump out at you. An eerie experience on first listen.
I was unable to get a good comfortable fit with the included tri-flange tips. Everything sounded canned, tinny. The highs were good, but weren't nearly balanced with the rest of the range. Everything changed dramatically with the foam tips. Very comfortable, and from the mid range down, the sound signature filled out.
NOTE: Many people believe that balanced armature transducers like those in the iM716 do not require a break in period. I found these to flesh out after running them for a full week hooked up to a sound source.
Upper mid to highs: Exceptional. These are very fast. Articulation is outstanding due to the fast transient response. You will hear fingers sliding down the neck of a guitar, the breathing of vocalists. Exciting.
Mid-bass to mids: With the foam tips this was in very good balance with the highs. Gives good ‘body’ to vocals.
Bass: Very fast and tight, but not extremely deep. This is likened to a very, very good 2-way speaker system. If you love subwoofers, you may prefer a full sized, over the ear set of cans.
HD /Bass modes: Very nice. HD is perfect for quiet surroundings listening to vocals and/or instrumentals. HD adds more fundamentals. Better for rock and hip-hop and/or surroundings that have higher ambient noise level.
This earphone is not efficient. I need to increase the volume to get a similar volume level as the stock iPod earbuds. I typically run at about 75% volume. Because of this, the volume control is useless. Not only that, but the clip is a pocket clip. With a T-shirt it is also nearly useless. Because of the high microphonics these phones produce, properly anchoring the wires with a clip is required.
I would rate the sound 9 out of 10. Although keep in mind my tastes prefer a fast transient response at the expense of a deep and prominent bottom end. If you are running 15” woofers in your ride, or you prefer tinnitus inducing volume levels, this is not the phone for you.
Why didn't I give it a better score? When I purchased these phones there was a lot of promotion that this were a clone of the flagship Etymotics ER4S. This has since been put into serious question (head-fi dot org). I consider myself a conscience consumer and don't appreciate the bait and switch techniques of these small-minded companies, nor the misinformation and hype that has accompanied this product. They have not been honest with the consumer, IMHO. Therefore, I would not purchase these, nor Etymotics earphones again after this experience.
Before you buy, remember that in ear monitors require the additional expense of replacement ear tips, and in this case, filters as well.
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TopCorrection for iM716 Earphones review:
For HD / Bass modes: The Bass mode adds to the fundamentals, not the HD mode as stated. Sorry, typo.
Also, 2 stars may seem harsh for such a positive review (on sound merits). I am trying to give an honest review to help others make an informed decision. The 2 star rating stated "would not purchase again". This is not due to their sound quality, but misinformation that I consider unprofessional business practice (see head-fi dot org, search iM716, for more info). I will not do business again with a company (Altec and Etymotic, in this case) that I feel has duped me. This is my own personal bias, and may not be yours. Should this issue be resolved, I will post back.
Testseek.com has collected 4 expert reviews for Altec Lansing inMotion iM716 and the average expert rating is 75 of 100. The average score reflects the expert community’s view on this product. Click below and use Testseek.com to see all ratings, product awards and conclusions.
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Noise isolating earphones may seem like a simple idea; the combination of noise-blocking earplugs with earphones seems natural. However only recently has this idea been brought to the market by market leaders, Etymotic Research. Altec Lansing has collaborated with Etymotic to produce its own flavor of noise isolating earphones. Here’s how they stack up against Etymotic’s own offerings.
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Good headphones, nice sound quality
Strengths: The interchangeable ear pieces, volume control, carrying case.
Weakness: The non-foam, inner ear attachments take a littl bit of getting used to.
Bought the ear phones for a holiday purchase. They are from a US based company, Altek Lansing. I wasn't sure about the inner ear pieces or the foam attachments but got used to them after using a few times. Basically they are to keep some of the exterior noice outside so that you can enjoy the true sound of what you're playing on your ipod/mp3 player (or whatever you have them plugged into).
The carring casEe is a nice feature because you can wrap them up after you've finished at the gym. Extra long cord helps too and there is a separate volume control about mid way on the cord.
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