Apuresound Re-cabled ER4P - My Experience

I purchased several good quality IEMs to get decent sound out of my iPhone. I started with an Etymotic ER4P. It has a great midrange, awesome vocals, but the top end was a bit harsh and it lacked bass for my tastes. I next tried the Westone W3. Great sound, but I found it was too bass heavy and it lacked a bit in the midrange, still un-amped out of the iPhone it was impressive. I then tried a Westone UM3X seeking a more balanced sound and that IEM un-amped was brilliant... what a clean, realistic and balanced sound. I thought I had found a universal IEM that was the business. I sold off the W3 and still had the little used ER4P in a drawer... I was looking to sell it too. Even though I was enjoying the UM3X it still felt... what is the best way to describe it... a little bit boring.

I read posts on the Apuresound recabled ER4P and how the Minibox E+ seemed to synergise well with the ER4P. I though I had to try the recable on the Minibox E+. I ordered the amp and the cable and tried the combo out of my iphone with a LOD. I was not prepared for what I heard... I had not heard the Er4P sound so good, this time the sibilance was tamed and I was getting strong realistic bass (not W3 deep) but what a presentation! It had a similar sound footprint to my UM3X (Similar bass), but it was better all round plus I was hearing more detail and it was definitely not boring sounding. I would rate the re-cabled ER4P out of a Minibox E+, with bass boost on clearly better sounding that both the Westone W3 and UM3X un-amped or amped. I must stress that this result was valid only this combination of kit... un-amped the ER4P was good but not outstanding.

For me the UM3X is a keeper for un-amped listening, but for a real listening treat the Apuresound ER4P with the Minibox E+ has highly impressed me. It still has the Ety sound but now is less harsh and has bass. Listening to lossless tracks out of an iPhone has never sounded so good.

The recable resulted in a clear improvement, especially with the Minibox e+, with bass boost on. This is for the P not the S. When I switch in S in the Minibox the sound gets thinner again... not to my taste. Will the recable turn the ER4Ps into bass monsters... no, but I must say I have not heard bass like this out of ETYs before. Of course I have also done the tip mod and used TX100 Complys inserted deeply, if you don't get a good seal or use different tips you may not get the results I'm hearing.

1) Sound stage and air = Both IEMs are similar, I'd say the APS ER4P has slightly more air and a tiny bit more detail.

2) Instrument Texture = Line ball, although acoustic guitars are rendered a little bit more sweetly with the APS ER4P

3) Realism and naturalness = UM3X by a whisker... but I still prefer the APS ER4P presentation though, they sound less natural (still a bit hyper real if you like) but are not boring as a result and are more involving for me.

The recable cures the ER4Ps of the sibilant highs, adds some bass (more so with the Minibox E+ with bass boost) and generally makes them smoother sounding without killing the ER4P sound.

If you want to keep things simple, use the UM3X unamped... you can't go wrong. If you are addicted to the ER4Ps detail and midrange and want a smoother presentation and more bass, you need to amp them with the Minibox E+ or similar like a Lisa III. Yes, this means spending more money and having to deal with the bulk of an amp.

I have to stress this is my personal preference.