If you still love Etymotic ER4, this is the thread for you... - Page 67

The problem with multi-driver IEMs is that there's usually a high price tag for the custom fit options or there's not enough tonal balance because more drivers shifts the focus on a particular frequency band. However, multi-driver IEMs tend to sound more energetic and they sound more intensely involving. They also tend to seem to sound more powerful by immersing you into the music more deeply. They're more vivid. It's nice for a while, but it get's tiring after long listening sessions. The Ue-18 pro is excellent, but the bass and mid-bass hump makes the music sound slightly unnatural. It gives the sound too much bass power that I don't find in live rehearsals or live music.

 

I find the ER-4PT/S combination to have the most accurate and correct tonal balance and the bass is well textured without sounding overpowering. They don't impress most people that have heard mine because there's no "wow" factor with them. For me, I am continually impressed by them because they get the music and sound just right because they are so accurate. I want the music to impress me not some piece of audio component. I want as much clarity and transparency to let the music flow through.

 

I'm thinking that the Ultimate Ears Ue-900 and Westone 4R don't do this, but I never heard them so I wouldn't know. And, I'm not about to find out only to be let down by their sound compared to my ER-4PT/S.

 

Trying to find audio components that achieve this level of sound performance gets to be very difficult and quite expensive. I'm trying to find the most direct and least colored sound possible and I find that reference grade components are the only way to go for me. My idea of reference grade is very different from what is available on the market now. I define it in terms of accuracy and transparency. In other words, I'm searching for the least colored and least impressive "wow" factor possible. Most companies can't make a profit by selling products that cater to me because audiophiles are looking for a specific house sound or model that delivers a unique sonic picture.

 

It's nice to have a fun sounding consumer grade pair of headphones or IEMs, but those get sold to someone else quickly for me in the past.

Yea, you probably wouldn't like the UE900. It's nice but colored.

Yea, you probably wouldn't like the UE900. It's nice but colored.

 

 

So nice you had to post it twice.

 

I don't fully understand the use of the word "color" in audiophile speak. Prior to joining this site, I used color as a positive description of sound  (as in "color" is more realistic than "black & white").

In general, coloration means deviation from strict accuracy. For example, one bass note is a form of coloration where there is one single bass note reproduced whereas bass texture means that you can hear the different bass notes and their timbres clearly. This is just a loose and rough description of coloration for laymen's terms. There's a dictionary available for audiophile speak here so you can look it up.

 

The thing to note about the ER-4PT/S is that it is extremely accurate. The clarity, transparency, and resolution are top drawer so you can listen to the music with the fewest coloration possible. The only deficiency is the bass power or punch. It doesn't have much because of the single matched balanced armature driver. It's important because most people define powerful audio in terms of bass thump. However, in real live music, powerful bass is not nearly as important as clear focused mid range and extended trebles.

 

Try listening to Eliza Carthy. She's an English folk musician that records her music as close to live unamplified music as possible. Her vocal timbre and range is earthy and I consider it to be pure and true to her folk roots. She's a pretty decent choice for gauging how well an audio component reproduces female voices and live unamplified music. You may not care for her music, but she is one of my references. Another good choice is Hayley Westenra. She has pitch perfect accuracy. Her music is classic crossover, but if you want to test mid range and treble purity, then she's a top choice.

 

The ER-4PT/S gets both Westenra and Carthy right. They do justice to their music and vocal performances. It's like listening to live music and I'm right there on stage. This is why the fewest possible coloration is so important because if you listen to new music, then you want to hear it as true to the live performance as possible.

 

It's like watching 1080p resolution Blu-Ray or HD television on a Sony Bravia compared to a cheap no name brand. The accuracy that you'll see on a Bravia is noticeably clearer and the color hues and saturation with properly calibrated HDTVs looks true to life.

 

The fewer the coloration, the more true to the live music you'll hear.

Ah sorry about that. Bad reception, couldn't see that I had posted.

Some audiophiles dig their coloration but I'm generally Leslie's side for this one. But instead of comparing Bravia and no name TVs, I would compare say, Disney colors with real colors. One is all spiced up; neutral isn't.

any jh audio models ? curious about their sound. 

 

btw what is a good portable amp for er4s with a weightier and more relaxed sound? My glacier is really forward and slightly rolled off on bass. 

So it is great for classical but much less so for rock etc 

Try the HeadRoom Total BitHead.

any euro/UK brands? 

Can't help you. Try Meier-Audio.

Is headfi USA-centric...or are there just way more small scale upmarket makers there (RSA, Apex, ALO, RWA) 

 

That's interesting and thanks for the explanation. I've never heard any Etymotic earphone. I may have to audition the Etys (at long last) to see if I can discern the accuracy.

 

I wouldn't use the word accurate to describe singing as I've ever heard thru headphones. I've been wowed & floored by live singing and even by speakers, but not by headphones. Perhaps it's the lack of vocal weight (across the tonal spectrum), resonance, and dynamic subtlety. Maybe it's the lack of room interaction (vibrating columns of air that produce the straight note plus tremble in all its thickness). I don't know, but it's not the same. Or, I haven't heard the right headphone yet.

 

In the early 2000s, Headroom's top universal (noise-canceling) IEMs were Shure and Etymotic. I chose Shure largely due to the description of bass. And, on a side note, (back then) Headroom's reviews of certain models (i.e. K701 and 1000, HD600 and 650 and so on) were beautifully “descriptive” and the stuff of marketing genius. I guess it's all relative now.....I can say that thru it all, Etymotic has been consistent in its messaging.

 

Both, but it certainly has a thriving international membership.

just a heads up for anyone looking for ety accessories. There is a sale.

http://www.etymotic.com/sd2013/?utm_source=FB&utm_medium=Post&utm_content=sd2013&utm_campaign=sd2013

I... I have a question. People keep saying that when ER4P transformed into the S and fed with enough power, it will sound better. The question is, if I use... say... 300 ohm impedance adapter with my ER4P and feed it with enough power from my Xonar STX sound card, would it be beneficial or would it destroy my ER4P? The Xonar can support up to 600 ohm of gain.