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Etymotic ER4 series - anyone still favor them?

post #1 of 89
2/14/07 at 11:39pm
Thread Starter 
With all the stiff competition in the IEM arena nowadays, who here still uses and prefers their Etymotic ER4 series headphones (4P or 4S)? If so, what amp are you using, and what type of music are you listening to?

With the drop in prices on Ety stuff lately, the curiosity about the ER4 series is rearing its ugly head in my house....

thanks!
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post #2 of 89
2/14/07 at 11:42pm
I did have a pair a while back. ER4P with P to S adapter amped by a Hornet S/N#9159 I listen to mostly classical but also a fair bit of jazz, pop and rock. After my current IEMs, the ER4P are still my recommended IEMs for classical music. I've tried most other IEMs on the market and none of them do classical the same way the ER4 series does it. Everything is just so clear, articulate and detailed. The highs are quite prominent when compared to other IEMs eg E4c or E500, but I never found them harsh. I wish they had a bit more bass though. It's not insufficient extension, but a lack of warmth and visceral power that makes certain orchestral pieces sound slightly lacking in substance (eg Mahler). That said, there is nothing South of custom IEMs territory that I have tried which adds bass but retains detail and realistic timbre. Maybe the Triple.fi10 Pro and the upcoming Westone 3 can, but the E500 certainly couldn't.
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post #3 of 89
2/15/07 at 12:50am
ER4's superior status in realistic and true presentation just can't be overtaken. I love my pair and am seriously considering getting a new black pair for my obssession's sake. I got sf5, E4C, UM2 and some of their lower siblings but just none can match ER4 or even come close.
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post #4 of 89
2/15/07 at 12:53am
I also use it for classical music. I haven't had much experience with other IEM's, so I can't really compare. But the detail is the best out of anything I've heard. The lack of bass isn't too prominent, either, and that's coming from someone who uses HD-650 as his main headphone.
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post #5 of 89
2/15/07 at 12:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by appar111 View Post
With all the stiff competition in the IEM arena nowadays, who here still uses and prefers their Etymotic ER4 series headphones (4P or 4S)?
...

I just put an order of ER-4S today from Amazon. From all the reviews and the technical data of ER-4S, I believe it is still on the top of IEM world.
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post #6 of 89
2/15/07 at 1:06am
I've been using a pair of ER4S at work for several years now, the whole time with inexpensive 3-Channel Go-Vibes: first a 3-Channel Classic (AD8620, AD8610), then a Go-Vibe V5 (LM6172/1), then a Go-Vibe V5 (AD8397/AD825). I've enjoyed the sound of these rigs to the point where, at home, I miss the sound of the ER4S when listening to especially well-suited music. Very recently, I bought a set of YUIN PK2 for use with the Go-Vibe V5 (AD8397/AD825). I'm finding that this set up gives me a LOT of the features of my SR225's (abundant well-formed bass, good crunch/chunk for Rock, and open, airy sound) that I really enjoy PLUS a LOT of the features of the ER4S that I really enjoy (really intimate mids and gorgeous detail in the highs). I listen to rock, showgaze, alt country, pop folk, brit pop, dream pop, trip-hop, techno, ambient, dance/trance, and some singer-songwriter: most with fronting female vocalists. With the fuller range of music that the PK2 does really well, and the degree to which (with the amplification noted above) it delivers the intimate mids and beautiful highs of the ER4S, it'll likely be awhile before I pull our the ER4S again for a good listen. But, for the several years that I used them every day, I was often in awe of what I was hearing.
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post #7 of 89
2/15/07 at 1:09am
Yes, I listen to country music.
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post #8 of 89
2/15/07 at 6:08am
yep. my iem journey took me to the er-4s and ends here. it's perfection in a single driver phone. when i get my xin amp and imodded ipod and a good interconnect, my portable audio journey will be complete.

edit: i listen to prog rock, jpop, chinese rnb, trance, classical and many others
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post #9 of 89
2/15/07 at 6:55am
I favor the ER4 more than any other IEM I've heard. (I've only heard universal fit IEMS so far.) All of the rest are just too dark on the top end.

I listen to pretty much every genre of music there is, except country and rap.
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post #10 of 89
2/15/07 at 8:11am
After traveling around the worlds of Shure and Westone, those are the real thing: the Holy Grail of Sound I was looking for.

My next purchase? Maybe a custom molds and for sure another pair when this ones broke.
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post #11 of 89
2/15/07 at 8:48am
I have my ER-4S for 3 plus years now. Recently I sold off my Super.fi 5 Pro to purchase the ER-4P which I find is fantastic - more fun for me for music playback than the 4S which is already great!

cansman
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post #12 of 89
2/15/07 at 10:13am
yes!
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post #13 of 89
2/15/07 at 12:57pm
Thread Starter 
Good to know there are still some tru Ety lovers out there. Since prices have come down to a very affordable price, should I go for 4P or 4S? I'll be mainly using them w/ an amp, but there will be times that I'll be plugging straight into a portable.

My gut is saying to go for the 4P, then just seek out the adaptor cable so the setup is more flexible depending on if I want to go ampless or not.
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post #14 of 89
2/15/07 at 1:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by appar111 View Post
Good to know there are still some tru Ety lovers out there. Since prices have come down to a very affordable price, should I go for 4P or 4S? I'll be mainly using them w/ an amp, but there will be times that I'll be plugging straight into a portable.

My gut is saying to go for the 4P, then just seek out the adaptor cable so the setup is more flexible depending on if I want to go ampless or not.
Are you kidding me?

I want to be buried with my ER4's.

And go the 4S.
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post #15 of 89
2/15/07 at 1:05pm
major turnoff and i mean major is the microphonics / ease of clipping/insertion. if it wasnt for that, i would be all over them.

its been over 15 years! lets get a redesign!
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