12 December 2005
by Noah Kravitz
Reviews Editor

Everything Old is New Again

A little over a year and a half ago, I had the good fortune to review the Future Sonics EM3 EARS earphones for this website. At the time I called the EARS, "The most comfortable, best sounding earbud-style phones I've ever tried." 18 months or so later I've gotten to play with a few more pairs of $100+ earphones, including the Etymotic Research ER-6i and Ultimate Ears super.fi 5 Pro (review forthcoming). Experience has taught me two main things about fancy earphones: 1)The difference between a $10 pair of earbuds and a $50 pair is huge, the difference between a $50 pair and a $150 pair is huge, and beyond that the differences are less noticeable to all but the most discerning listeners, and; 2)Beauty is in the ear of the beholder. To wit: I still love the EARS, but the ER-6i's are better for the gym and airplane rides. I've only had the 5 Pro's for a few weeks, but they're some seriously great-sounding phones -- the question is, are they worth the extra $100 as compared to the other two I mentioned?

Undoubtedly there are other high-quality "canalphones" (earphones worn in the outer ear canal) available in the $99-$250 range that are worth careful consideration should you be in the market for a headphone upgrade. Shure's offerings and the Etymotic ER-4P come to mind right away. Now there's a new entry to the "iPod upgrade" earphones market: The XtremeMac FS1 "High Definition" Earphones. As you might have guessed, the 'FS' in FS1 stands for Future Sonics, as these phones are a joint collaboration between XtremeMac and Future Sonics.

The FS1 earphones are the successor to the EM3s on the inside and out. The FS1s feature a newly designed transducer that leads to a smaller overall size than the EM3s, and where the EM3s were beige (to blend into skin tones onstage - Future Sonics' main business is supplying professional musicians with in-ear monitoring systems), the FS1s come in iPod-coordinating white/grey and black/grey with matching cords. XtremeMac has become a major player in the iPod accessory market over the past few years and Future Sonics has been looking to leverage their experience in the pro-audio market to capitalize on the iPod boom. The two companies, therefore, should be a great match for one another.

Great 'Phones, But They Could be Better

The EM3s knocked my socks off sound quality-wise when I first heard them in 2004, and they still do. My only complaint with them (aside from the uncool beige color) was that the foam sleeves that slip into the wearer's ear canals more or less disintegrate when they get at all wet. So the EM3s are no good at the gym, or on long airplane rides where the pressurized cabin air leads to ear secretions that rendered one pair of my foam sleeves useless after a cross-country trip. Also, the UM3s are fairly suspectible to "microphonics," which means that when you're wearing them, "internal" sounds like that of the cable knocking against your body are amplified through the body of the earphones themselves.

Though I prefer the overall sound of the EM3s to the Etymotic ER-6is, I find myself using the 6is more because they came with flanged rubber ear tips that are super-comfortable, sweat-proof, and not too harmful to sound quality. In other words, the ER-6is deliver the best gym-proof sound I've yet to come by. That being said, I was very excited to hear that the FS1s were to ship with both foam sleeves and newly designed flanged rubber tips. However, when I received my review sample in the mail, that excitement quickly turned to disappointment.

Let me first say that the FS1s, when used with the included foam sleeves, are fantastic sounding earphones. They pick up where the EM3s left off, delivering clear, well-rounded sound with a little bit of extra low-end as per the current trend in popular music. Don't take that the wrong way, though - jazz, classical, and other "acoustic" music sounds great through these phones, though the low-end is a bit more present than it is in, say, the ER-6is. Listening to modern rock, hip-hop, or electronic music through the FS1s is a joy. The combination of sonic transparency, low-end emphasis, and isolation from outside noise is fantastic. I've used them at my desk, in bed, on the train, and walking outside, and they're comfortable and sound great. Period.

My qualms with the FS1s lie in the new flanged rubber (above left) and silicon "bullet" (left) tips. I was really hoping, given XtremeMac's recent history of producing innovative iPod accessories, that these earphones would do Etymotics one better with some great new moisture-proof rubber tip. Sadly, that's not the case. Both sets of rubber tips included with the FS1s are flat out terrible. Period. Not only did I find them uncomfortable to wear, but the flanged tips in particular consistently blocked sound from getting out of the drivers and to my ears, no matter how I twisted and wiggled them. For whatever reason, the left ear was especially bad, but the right wasn't any good either. At least the flanged tips stayed in my ears; the bullet tips didn't provide me with anything close to a proper seal. "Disappointed" doesn't begin to describe how I felt when I finally gave up and pulled the rubber tips from my poor ear canals.

Don't get me wrong: If you like wearing foam-sleeved canalphones and like a little extra bass with your music, I'd recommend these earphones over the ER-6is (though really, you can't go wrong with either set). The included foam sleeves are quite comfortable, and Future Sonics offers different sizes of sleeves as after-market options to accomodate different sized ears. A custom-fit option is also available. I just figured, if you're going to make something new, make it right, yeah? I guess you can't please all of the people all of the time, but the FS1s are so good with the foam sleeves attached, I'm just sort of shocked at how bad they are with the rubber tips on. And I happen to use my iPod at the gym several times a week, so foam sleeve-only earphones just won't cut it.

It's funny because XtremeMac got many other details right on the FS1s: The 1/8" stereo minijack connector is a curved right angle that's stylish, functional (right-angle connectors result in fewer broken cables than perpindicular ones do), and well-thought out (mini-dimples on the connector make it easier to grab ahold of with your fingertips). The earphones themselves also have a curved shape that's both cool to look at and nicely follows the shape ear for a sleek fit and look. Problems with microphonics, while not entirely eliminated, are also less noticeable with the FS1s than the EM3s. Also, the FS1s are amongst the coolest, most distinctive looking earphones you're going to find anywhere. And a carrying case is included with each set of phones (our review sample didn't come with one). Not to mention that the FS1s are arguably the best-sounding canalphones available for under $200, as long as you use the foam sleeves.

It's just a shame about those darned rubber tips. And, yes, I tried swapping the tips from my ER-6is onto the FS1s. They don't fit.

The XtremeMac FS1 "High Definition" Earphones retail for $149.95 and are available direct from the XtremeMac website. Compare prices at PCPrices.

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Noah Kravitz is a writer, educator, and musician who lives in Oakland, CA and is the author of Teaching and Learning with Technology. You should go buy a copy. Now. It's awesome.