I received these earphones as a sample in exchange for my honest opinion of them. The current Amazon price at the time of this review is $29.99.
http://www.amazon.com/IEB6-headphone-engineered-mini-driver-exceptional/dp/B0178BC13W/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8
The IEB6 have a one year warranty. More info available on the website: http://store.firstharmonic.com/
Description:
Ultra-small, HiFi metal headphone with an engineered 5.5mm mini-driver for exceptional sound.
• Voiced by acclaimed audio engineer, Aaron Fournier
• Microphone with single button control
• Compatible with iOS and Android devices
• 9Hz-20kHz frequency response
• Lightweight and strong aluminum construction
• Passive noise isolation minimizes ambient sound
• PVC-free tangle-resistant cable
• 3.5mm gold plated plug for increased sound clarity
• 5 sizes of flexible silicon ear inserts (xs/s/m/l/xl)
• Cord clip and carrying pouch included
• One year limited warranty
Pictures:
Packaging and Accessories:
First up is the packing and accessories. This is where I am glad the price came down $10 from what they were. Just a small thin cardboard box contain the earphones, tips, cable clip, pouch, and manual/warranty paper. Not much in the way of presentation here. The pouch is a very basic thin fabric drawstring bag. Will keep them wound up and not get dirty but not much more protection than that. The cable clip is better than the generic type and is sturdy and can swivel when on the cable. You get five sizes of silicone tips and they are decent but actually a bit soft for use with the earphones making the right seal a bit more tricky in my experience. For such tiny earphones perhaps slightly longer or firmer tips would have been a better choice. The most basic of pouches and only type of tips lets it down a bit. A longer bi-flange tip would have been a welcome addition to aid in fit.
Build Quality:
Build quality is quite good. Metal housings, Y join, and remote casing with solid strains coming out of each. Plug is rubber covered forty-five degree with raised rings to grip it better. The cable is a rubber type with a bit of spring before the Y join but not a real issue and should relax some with time. The cable is a decent thickness and has a good feel. Not the best cable I've seen on an under $40 earphone but solid and should hold up well. The remote play/pause button is a decent size rubber button with a solid click to it. Combined with the metal casing the mic/remote is much nicer than some plastic jobs I have seen.
Comfort/Isolation:
Comfort is relatively high with the IEB6. The IEB6 are small and light which is good for comfort. Round housings without any rough edges should give few people any comfort issues. Isolation for me is slightly above average. I think they have potential for even more with aftermarket tips if one chooses.
Mic/Remote:
I give it high marks. As mentioned the build is very solid. The mic hole stays facing the right direction and is placed at a good height for me. The clarity is good. The single button functioned as it should in my limited testing of it. It is designed to work with iPhone, Android, and "more".
Design:
The IEB6 design is quite well thought out in most aspects. I like the metal parts and I like the raised ring edges of both the plug and remote for better fingertip use. The choice of rubber over metal on the plug is nice for gripping it and many times a plug may swing into other things and metal can cause scratches or marks on other devices if not careful. Where the design falls short for me is the housings and strain reliefs being very small. The small size actually makes the earphones harder to fit and get the best seal and sound. The small, short strain reliefs are going to make some people pull them out by the cable which is never a good thing. I also know the size of the "room" helps the stage size. A larger housing would give the sound more air and be more open and less in the head which is always good. The earphones could have been a decent bit larger and still be quite small just easier to manipulate between the fingers and fit in the ears.
Sound Quality:
Happy to report sound quality is the IEB6's best attribute. The caveat here is the softer tips and very small size of the housings can make getting the right seal and best sound harder than some other earphones. Once you do they are a good sounding earphone that is well tuned. Free of humps in the bass region or nasty peaks in the highs. Sibilance is absent on both instruments and vocals. Extension reaches fairly well and evenly on both ends of the spectrum. Neither is absolute best in class but not lacking at all. Notes are pretty tight/sharp throughout the spectrum keeping the IEB6 from having a more one note bass or smearing when things start to get complex. Tone of voices and instruments is decently accurate and neither really favoring a warm or cool tone. Depends on your source. I like to warm up the IEB6 a bit to make them more fun and have a more engaging sound. Clarity and detail is solid for $30. Better than average and both are quite evenly done across the lows, mids, and highs. The bass is tight enough and lively enough for most music. The vocals are clean and clear and good with both male and female vocals. A bit more smooth than dry on the vocals. The highs are nicely even and lacking sharp peaks. Treble is good at being in the middle of bright and dark and should not offend anyone by either being bright nor rolled off/lacking. Overall sound is quite cohesive. Soundstage is nicely even in all directions but just not very large. Average spacing and depth, width, and height. Imaging/positioning is done well enough but is like many budget earphone lacking real 3D ability in this regard. They are more 2D(up and down, left to right, but really limited front to back layering ability). A larger housing size could have given a larger sound and helped with front to back placement. Aside from possible difficulty getting the right fit to hear them at their best there are no real complaints about the sound quality for the IEB6's price tag.
Conclusion:
Overall, the IEB6 are a solid choice in the $20 - $30 price range. Really solid build quality, a nice looking phone, and quite well tuned. A decent starting point with some ability and a balanced/slightly warm tuning. They also take EQ well to tune to your taste a bit more. Only downsides to me are a very average accessory pack and the housings being so small they are harder to fit and take out than they need to be. Still recommended and worth the price and they are worth working through a potentially longer learning curve for fit and seal.
