[Pianist]

Ok guys I've heard the HF2, ER6i and ER4S, but only very briefly and not long enough to make any definite judgments of their sound quality. However, I personally liked the all of the Etys very much. They just really wow'ed me upon first listen. Not only was the treble the most detailed and accurate of any IEM I've tried, but the mids were also beautiful and accurate and the bass seemed very accurate and deep and not at all lacking with any of the models. So I thought I may be an Ety type guy and getting an Etymotic IEM may be a very wise idea because so far I honestly haven't found any IEM by another manufacturer that satisfies me. They all sound either too warm, too recessed in the mids, too harsh in the highs, lacking depth and/or definition in the bass, lacking sharpness in imaging, or lacking in isolation.
 
Now, I also find many headphones and especially IEMs to be lacking in dynamic range. I did listen to the Etys, but I can't for the life of me remember how they are in this regard. Can those who have experience with these IEMs, and especially the ER4p or ER4s tell me how they do dynamic range? Do they sound compressed when listening to classical/instrumental with lots of things going on? Do they sound compressed in more mainstream music? If they do, how does it affect the listening experience for you - are you OK with it, or do you think the dynamic range is insufficient for adequate reproduction of music? Dynamic range is probably the most important quality for me and I would really appreciate some input on this. I can't stand overly compressed sounding headphones.
 
Thanks.

 

[bangraman]

If you're heard it then you've probably made up your mind already. If you were to ask me though, I'd say they lack it severely.
 
 
Etys are great first-impression phones in terms of that razor-sharp impression of detail. However back off the bass and mids on a mediocre headphone and throw on some treble, and you'll also have something 'hyper-accurate' in the Ety sense. The fact that a lot of people like the sound after acclimatisation is a testament to the adaptability of human hearing.

 

[Pianist]

Quote:

If you're heard it then you've probably made up your mind already. If you were to ask me though, I'd say they lack it severely.
 
 
Etys are great first-impression phones in terms of that razor-sharp impression of detail. However back off the bass and mids on a mediocre headphone and throw on some treble, and you'll also have something 'hyper-accurate' in the Ety sense. The fact that a lot of people like the sound after acclimatisation is a testament to the adaptability of human hearing.

 
Yeah, well I was really impressed with that ultra sharp imaging that the Etys provide. Perhaps what I can't stand most when listening to headphones is when the sound is blurred and I can't focus on any of the instruments/vocals clearly. That kind of presentation I find boring and it puts me to sleep. I like something ultra sharp, but not harsh. It seemed like the Etys delivered, as I did not find them piercing or aggressive in any way. However, dynamic range is another quality that is very important to me and I hate when music is represented as a series of pictures rather than something that flows and changes. That is with an overly compressed headphone, music is static, lifeless, while with a dynamic one, you get a sense that it has movement and flows and sounds realistic. It usually takes me at least a few minutes of listening to find out how good a headphone presents dynamics, but I only heard the Etys for mostly a minute or two so not enough time to judge.
 
Thanks for your input. Anyone else?

 

[Color Theory]

I'm a mastering engineer and pianist myself, so maybe our ears are a good match . I really love my ER4P, and using the adapter cable to make it an ER4S does amazing things for the high end and overall detail. These don't sound compressed at all to me. Your mileage depends of course on the source material though. Also, if you listen too loud, you'll experience a threshold shift which sounds somewhat like compression, so keep that in mind.
 
Things I don't like about the ER4: 1) the cable is too long, 2) microphonics, 3) it sticks out of your ear too far to wear behind-the-ear.

 

[Young Spade]

I have had the ER4P/Ss last year and, like you, I thought they were very detailed and accurate, however I did not think they had that great of a dynamic range, and that was the reason I sold them.

They sounded great with classical and acoustic music, natural music that had a lot of small nuances and details. Unfortunately for other genres that carried emotion with the music, the phones left me wanting more.

The bass was accurate but it wasn't that strong; and of course I knew is would be the case going into the buy because of the small drivers that they use.

 

[imackler]

I'm just getting used to my ER4P but I would totally encourage picking up a used pair and giving them a whirl. I've been through a lot of iems (although not as many as many here) and I'm finding them the most enjoyable for the most genres. I just really like that there are no fatal flaws in sound although I agree with Color Theory's design issues. I think they handle really well when there is a lot going on in the music. I look forward to getting a PtoS converter and an amp! But seriously, I can't wait to listen to more music on them. If you don't like them, there is always someone looking for a used pair!

 

[Bennyboy71]

I've had the ER4P, ER4S and the HF5 and loved them all - that 'ultra sharp imaging' you mention is indeed their defining characteristic.  However, the main reason I've moved on (to the RE262 currently - so a shift from BA to dynamic) is due to the small soundstage.  Of course, thats a bi-product of the deep insertion using the triple flanges, but it does weigh against the immersiveness of the experience - almost akin to listening down the wrong end of a sonic telescope. Especially compared to the 262s, which are the closest I've heard in an iem to a fullsize headphone stage.
 

 

[imackler]

Although not hearing the RE262, I agree that's the Etymotics greatest weakness: lack of soundstage. I fell for the IE8 for quite because of the soundstage before realizing..."What have I become?! Strings don't sound like that!" I'll have to try the RE262 sometime. But I really do enjoy that immersive Etymotic sound. As far as BA's go, I feel that the ER4P just does it all really well, better than the parts that the triple drivers I've tried to. All of them seemed noticeably weak in some way.
 
Do it Pianist! Do it!

 

[scytheavatar]

The extension of their bass is decent but far from top class. I recommend you to try the DBA-02 too, which to me is the ER4p except better.

 

[dan1son]

I've had my ER-4P with S adapter for over 6 years and have had no reason to upgrade my portable kit (I've gone from MS-1 to HF-1 to HF2 for my big phones).  I find them remarkable, even after that long.  Some people might say the bass is lacking in some ways, but I don't find that to be the case.  I think if you get a proper seal you'll find they extend amazingly low and very flat across the bottom end.  I listen to a lot of accoustic rock, indie rock, and vocal heavy stuff and am still floored listening to them with a good recording. 
 
They are painful with badly recorded over compressed rock, but I tend to stay away from bad recordings for that reason and others.  If the recording has a lot of dynamic range, these things are wonderful at reproducing that.  But they don't spread it out if it's small to begin with.  If that makes sense. 
 
Stuff like Andrew Bird - Noble Beast, which is well recorded with a big dynamic range, really grabs me when I use these phones. 

 

[mvw2]

I'd call the ER4 "controlled"  Dyanmic range isn't outstanding, but it come across linear in the range it does operate.  It does have good note texture and good detail and clarity which is very desirable.  Dynamics just are not effortless though and sound controlled.  A comparable product like the PFE has effortless dynamic range that sounds bottomless in nature, but it lacks texture/articulation and ends up a bit light in presentation versus the ER4.  Another bottomless option is the SE530, but again that lacks good note texturing and ends up sounding somewhat light and laid back for it.  The only other seriously highly dynamic IEMs I've run were dynamic driver eaprhones, the Denon C700 and RE262, both very effortless and limitless in nature.  The C700 was also excellently textured, the RE262 super clean but almost lean in an odd way.  Most other things I considered compressed to one degree or another.  Some can't do subtle/quiet information well, some are too constrained to get explosively loud, some both.
 
For me all single driver BA earphones fall short.  It's the one reason I sold my ER4S and have never bought another.  One driver simply falls short on being able to adequately cover the entire audio spectrum.  A single dynamic driver can do it better.  There is moving armature drivers like the e-Q7 which do improve the capability, but there are always limitations.  You kind of have to stick to a really good dynamic or at least a dual driver BA to do well.  A moving armature is your closest trade off if you want to stick to a single armature type package.

 

[bangraman]

I think if anything, the note texture is the worst part of the ER-4. There's too much of it to be actually from the source.
 
 
It's like mixing in a super-speeded-up version of the sound you get when you swallow while wearing a pair of SR-001's, into the background of the notes.