[rasmushorn]

I think the ER-4S becomes better with an amp too. If you want to go without an amp the ER-4P is better. I do enjoy the ER-4S directly from the iPhone sometimes though and it does not bother me at all. 

 

[palmfish]

Quote:

I think the ER-4S becomes better with an amp too. If you want to go without an amp the ER-4P is better. I do enjoy the ER-4S directly from the iPhone sometimes though and it does not bother me at all. 

 
At 90dB sensitivity, an iPod has more than enough power to get the ER-4S to play louder than I can stand to listen for any length of time.

 

[tinyman392]

Quote:

 
At 90dB sensitivity, an iPod has more than enough power to get the ER-4S to play louder than I can stand to listen for any length of time.

 
The Etymotic EtyKids have 300 ohm resistence, an estimated 60 dB sensitivity (no actual rating is given; I had to base it off of ear and calculations).  My iPod Tough 4G is capable of easily getting it up to 70 dB with 3/4 total volume.  At max volume, it is said to be around 90 dB.  That's way too loud for me XD  So it should have no problem driving the S, but the S will benifit from an amp though.  

 

[music_4321]

Quote:

 
Yes, all would sound better with an amp.  There is different quantities of what better is.  Better could be a tiny improvement (and I mean tiny), but audible (where the hassle of an amp as well as its price may not be worth it).  Most IEMs actually fall into this category and are able to easily be driven by portables.  Then there are those that really need an amp to be driven correctly.  The ER4S is said to be between these two categories.  It will benefit greatly from an amp, but it's said it's not a requirement any longer due to the portable sources' power increases through the years.

 
Not quite. Not all IEMs sound better with an amp, not even marginally better. While it's true that some IEMs do seem to improve sonically with an amp, some simply do NOT. I had two portable amps (RSA Mustang & NuForce Icon Mobile) and these did not make my W3, UM3X & custom ES3X (the three IEMs I tested these amps with at the time) improve sonically whatsoever.
 
The use of an amp is normally recommended for IEMs that are hard to drive (ER-4S, RE262, RE272, etc.) as they need more juice to 'shine'.
 
There's too much hype, exaggeration & misinformation when it comes the burn-in, the use of portable amps, aftermarket cables (and LODs) & the seeming mandatory use of lossless files.
 
------------------------------
 
The FitEar F111 does not need an amp and it's very easily driven by any ordinary DAP. It also has excellent build quality and comes with possibly the best removable cable of any universal IEM in the market today (the connectors are the best [better than the TF10, SE535, IE8/IE80, UM3X & W4 & EX1000/600/7550]), and a titanium sound tube, which may offer, if only slightly—and this is only a guess—better SQ than the ER-4S.
 
I myself have never tried the ER-4S because of the form factor and deep, deep fit required, which I know would literally kill my ears; it's a well-known fact that many people over the years have reported fit issues with the Etys (read: they've found them very uncomfortable). The F111 does NOT require such deep fit, and while it offers very good isolation, it seems it does not offer quite as much isolation as the Etys. Most people are not aware that the Etys isolate even more than many customs out there. Unfortunately, there's plenty of hype, too, when it comes to custom IEMs.

 

[AstroTurf]

...

Jim

 

[palmfish]

Quote:

 
Not quite. Not all IEMs sound better with an amp, not even marginally better. While it's true that some IEMs do seem to improve sonically with an amp, some simply do NOT. I had two portable amps (RSA Mustang & NuForce Icon Mobile) and these did not make my W3, UM3X & custom ES3X (the three IEMs I tested these amps with at the time) improve sonically whatsoever.
 
The use of an amp is normally recommended for IEMs that are hard to drive (ER-4S, RE262, RE272, etc.) as they need more juice to 'shine'.
 
There's too much hype, exaggeration & misinformation when it comes the burn-in, the use of portable amps, aftermarket cables (and LODs) & the seeming mandatory use of lossless files.
 
------------------------------
 
The FitEar F111 does not need an amp and it's very easily driven by any ordinary DAP. It also has excellent build quality and comes with possibly the best removable cable of any universal IEM in the market today (the connectors are the best [better than the TF10, SE535, IE8/IE80, UM3X & W4 & EX1000/600/7550]), and a titanium sound tube, which may offer, if only slightly—and this is only a guess—better SQ than the ER-4S.
 
I myself have never tried the ER-4S because of the form factor and deep, deep fit required, which I know would literally kill my ears; it's a well-known fact that many people over the years have reported fit issues with the Etys (read: they've found them very uncomfortable). The F111 does NOT require such deep fit, and while it offers very good isolation, it seems it does not offer quite as much isolation as the Etys. Most people are not aware that the Etys isolate even more than many customs out there. Unfortunately, there's plenty of hype, too, when it comes to custom IEMs.

 
 
The seal of the ER's is not the IEM itself, it is the tips. The slender barrel of the ER's allows for deep insertion, which for many people (such as myself) is more comfortable than the shallower insertion of wider barrel IEMs.
 
It's different for every person, so trying before you buy is best.

 

[audionewbi]

Quote:

I think the ER-4S becomes better with an amp too. If you want to go without an amp the ER-4P is better. I do enjoy the ER-4S directly from the iPhone sometimes though and it does not bother me at all. 

I go mental issues, I just cant focus on the music if I dont hav the er4s connected to an amp, i call it head-fi syndrome. 

 

[audionewbi]

Quote:

 
Not quite. Not all IEMs sound better with an amp, not even marginally better. While it's true that some IEMs do seem to improve sonically with an amp, some simply do NOT. I had two portable amps (RSA Mustang & NuForce Icon Mobile) and these did not make my W3, UM3X & custom ES3X (the three IEMs I tested these amps with at the time) improve sonically whatsoever.
 
The use of an amp is normally recommended for IEMs that are hard to drive (ER-4S, RE262, RE272, etc.) as they need more juice to 'shine'.
 
There's too much hype, exaggeration & misinformation when it comes the burn-in, the use of portable amps, aftermarket cables (and LODs) & the seeming mandatory use of lossless files.
 
 

I care about the SQ, I do not care about the fit or cable( those are just bonus feature for me). Considering how they are both the same BA driver how much better can the fitear 111 get compared to the er4p( I dont think they will sound like the 4s simply due to the difference impedance )

 

[tomscy2000]

Quote:

I care about the SQ, I do not care about the fit or cable( those are just bonus feature for me). Considering how they are both the same BA driver how much better can the fitear 111 get compared to the er4p( I dont think they will sound like the 4s simply due to the difference impedance )

 
Technically, we don't know that the F111 has the same BA driver; we just all assume that, since FitEar used the ED-29689 for their now discontinued Private 111 custom IEM, IIRC.
 
No, I don't think it'll be much better in sound quality than the ER4S --- perhaps not at all. However if you look at the FR graph, you'll see that the 111 is very, very slightly more accurate in response compared to the target response defined by Mead Killion (founder of Etymotic) back in the day. If Ety states that the ER4S has 92% response accuracy, then perhaps the 111 has 92.5%... but that's not the point. Besides, those responses are so close that it doesn't really matter.
 
If you can get along with the fit of the ER4, then by all means, get it. The 111 is merely FitEar's own rendition of the accurate response insert earphone. If you look at the sound bore, it is clearly a horn-shaped design, which means that it amplifies high frequencies, meaning that the circuit design of the 111 will be different from that of the ER4S in order to match it. That might hint to you that it is very plausible that the F111 is easier to drive than the ER4S.
 
After trying out the TO GO! 334, I'm also convinced that FitEar takes into account insertion depth. No, the 111 doesn't go in as deep as the ER4, but it's likely that Suyama designed it that way on purpose and defined the insertion plane to be further away from the second bend than Ety did with the ER4. It's perfectly valid to do define things that way; AKG did it with their K3003.

 

[Selenium]

I can't even get a deep fit with my ER-4s due to having shallow ear canals. They stick out and my EX1000s for instance go in just as deep.

 

[audionewbi]

Quote:

Quote:
 
Technically, we don't know that the F111 has the same BA driver; we just all assume that, since FitEar used the ED-29689 for their now discontinued Private 111 custom IEM, IIRC.
 
No, I don't think it'll be much better in sound quality than the ER4S --- perhaps not at all. However if you look at the FR graph, you'll see that the 111 is very, very slightly more accurate in response compared to the target response defined by Mead Killion (founder of Etymotic) back in the day. If Ety states that the ER4S has 92% response accuracy, then perhaps the 111 has 92.5%... but that's not the point. Besides, those responses are so close that it doesn't really matter.
 
If you can get along with the fit of the ER4, then by all means, get it. The 111 is merely FitEar's own rendition of the accurate response insert earphone. If you look at the sound bore, it is clearly a horn-shaped design, which means that it amplifies high frequencies, meaning that the circuit design of the 111 will be different from that of the ER4S in order to match it. That might hint to you that it is very plausible that the F111 is easier to drive than the ER4S.
 
After trying out the TO GO! 334, I'm also convinced that FitEar takes into account insertion depth. No, the 111 doesn't go in as deep as the ER4, but it's likely that Suyama designed it that way on purpose and defined the insertion plane to be further away from the second bend than Ety did with the ER4. It's perfectly valid to do define things that way; AKG did it with their K3003.

I already own the ER4S for well over 8 years now, my love for its sound signature got me interest to the fitear 111. The fact that I read members announcing the fitear 111 as a better er4 got me exited. 

 

[tomscy2000]

Quote:

I already own the ER4S for well over 8 years now, my love for its sound signature got me interest to the fitear 111. The fact that I read members announcing the fitear 111 as a better er4 got me exited. 

Ah, I see. Sorry, I didn't read through your previous posts.
 
Personally, I can't get along with the fit of the ER4. I managed to get the Klipsch small double flanges almost comfortably in my ears to the second bend, but almost just doesn't cut it for me. My canal bends are a particular angle and shape such that the ER4 manages to torture my ears even with the best possible tip. I'm also hopeful that the F111 will be able to give me the fit that I want, but I don't want to get my hopes up too much.

 

[audionewbi]

Quote:

Quote:

Ah, I see. Sorry, I didn't read through your previous posts.
 
Personally, I can't get along with the fit of the ER4. I managed to get the Klipsch small double flanges almost comfortably in my ears to the second bend, but almost just doesn't cut it for me. My canal bends are a particular angle and shape such that the ER4 manages to torture my ears even with the best possible tip. I'm also hopeful that the F111 will be able to give me the fit that I want, but I don't want to get my hopes up too much.

I am actually the other way around, the triple flange can stay in my ears for hours doesnt bother me, but when I have the xba-4 I develop small ache due to the relatively heavy weight of them. 

 

[rasmushorn]

Quote:

I go mental issues, I just cant focus on the music if I dont hav the er4s connected to an amp, i call it head-fi syndrome. 

I know what you are talking about 

Sometimes I love to travel light and have a simple setup with me and I find the convenience to not carry my amps with me and use IEMs directly out of the iPod to feel just as good.

 

[Bloody Ban]

I have enjoyed my Etys for five years now. A big improvement was getting custom fit ear molds done by an audiologist. This was done at the same time as when I had Musician Ear plug molds made. I really do love these IEMs. My biggest complaints are the straight barrels stick out so far, ER really should redesign these so they are flush like all the newer IEMs. Also, while I can get the wires to stay reasonably well over the ear, again I'd love to see a design like newer IEMs. I definitely can't fault them for sound, which is why I haven't strayed. Something to be said for their simplicity.