[AnyDave]

Hi AnyDave and thanks for the quick response!

So the closest I think I can find is this which is 22 ohm resistance, but appears to be "2.5mm TRRS Balanced Plug" but then says also they can do 3.5mm. I can contact them to confirm that but otherwise would you say this is appropriate?
https://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=5997

I have come across the ER38-24 on international websites but I've just double checked and they say they wont ship to the UK unfortunately.

I came across this 3.5mm male to female adjustable resistor cable also, would I be able to effectively set this to 78ohms so when the 22 ohm cable is plugged in that results in 100ohms for use on a stereo?
https://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=5475

Thanks again,

Yeah, the 22 should be perfect.

 

[JAnonymous5150]

Hypothetical question: If Ety was to approach you to develop a new model in the ER4 line what changes would you make to their current models? Tuning changes, fit changes, design choices, perhaps even changing the BA employed, etc. It's all fair game and I'd love to hear some of your ideas just for kicks.

 

[Billyak]

Not so much the ER4 line but when the EVO was being hyped prior to release I was hoping for a hybrid set. I love the DD implementation in the ER2 so I was hoping for a DD for bass and BA mids and treble in the EVO but it was not to be.

 

[AnyDave]

Not so much the ER4 line but when the EVO was being hyped prior to release I was hoping for a hybrid set. I love the DD implementation in the ER2 so I was hoping for a DD for bass and BA mids and treble in the EVO but it was not to be.

That was something that I hoped to do and still may at some point.

 

[username643827]

Hello, I'am considering buying the ER4SE but I'am a little confused about the filters, what do they do? Do they change the sound signature? Also are there international Etymotic resellers? The shipping on the official site is 60$ which is not quite great.

 

[AnyDave]

Hello, I'am considering buying the ER4SE but I'am a little confused about the filters, what do they do? Do they change the sound signature? Also are there international Etymotic resellers? The shipping on the official site is 60$ which is not quite great.

The filters are there for two reasons:

1.) Prevent earwax from ruining the drivers
2.) Acoustically shape the frequency response

The dampers are acoustic resistors and the earphones were designed with those in place to damp the peaks. The green filter has a nominal value of 1500 ohms and is the stock, reference filter. You can reduce the damping by going with a lower resistance (brown, white, or even grey) or further damp the response by going with a higher level of resistance (red or yellow).

There are indeed International resellers. I would email Etymotic to ask where you can find accessories.

 

[Tonux]

Yeah, the 22 should be perfect.

Thanks AnyDave, and the idea of using a adjustable resistor set to 78ohms would then perhaps convert the ER4PT's to ER4S sounds okay?

 

[AnyDave]

Thanks AnyDave, and the idea of using a adjustable resistor set to 78ohms would then perhaps convert the ER4PT's to ER4S sounds okay?

Yep, that's effectively what the P-S converter does.

 

[ducnsh]

If you get an aftermarket cable, just make sure there is SOME resistance in there as you don't want to run it with just the impedance of the driver.

I do not understand this statement, could you explain it to me? Thanks in advance!

 

[AnyDave]

I do not understand this statement, could you explain it to me? Thanks in advance!

The old ER4S/ER4P/ER4B had resistors in the cable. These accomplished two things: frequency shaping and current limiting to the driver. The newer ER4SR and ER4XR still have resistors, they've just been moved from the cable to the earpieces.

If you're getting a replacement cable for the old ER4S or ER4P, you need to make sure the new cable has the included resistors or the overall impedance is going to be down in the 4-5 ohms range (this is the DC impedance of the raw drivers + inherent cable resistance). Without the added resistors in the cable, it will have a different frequency response and a higher sensitivity. It also may be too low of an impedance for some amplifiers and it may be easier to damage the drivers by driving them too hard.

 

[productred]

Hypothetical question: If Ety was to approach you to develop a new model in the ER4 line what changes would you make to their current models? Tuning changes, fit changes, design choices, perhaps even changing the BA employed, etc. It's all fair game and I'd love to hear some of your ideas just for kicks.

Just switch to an over-ear fit (like the Evo but gotta be better than that) and it's all perfect.

 

[Killcomic]

Hypothetical question: If Ety was to approach you to develop a new model in the ER4 line what changes would you make to their current models? Tuning changes, fit changes, design choices, perhaps even changing the BA employed, etc. It's all fair game and I'd love to hear some of your ideas just for kicks.

Just an extra 2db in the 6-7khz region. Add that in, at it would be the perfect for me.

 

[riodgarp]

they should cheaper their filter(s) price

 

[luisdent]

The old ER4S/ER4P/ER4B had resistors in the cable. These accomplished two things: frequency shaping and current limiting to the driver. The newer ER4SR and ER4XR still have resistors, they've just been moved from the cable to the earpieces.

If you're getting a replacement cable for the old ER4S or ER4P, you need to make sure the new cable has the included resistors or the overall impedance is going to be down in the 4-5 ohms range (this is the DC impedance of the raw drivers + inherent cable resistance). Without the added resistors in the cable, it will have a different frequency response and a higher sensitivity. It also may be too low of an impedance for some amplifiers and it may be easier to damage the drivers by driving them too hard.

hey Dave I haven't been on here in a while, glad to see you're still posting. I was wondering if you could answer a question that's always bugged me? I was listening to my ER4S last night, and as you probably know I own almost every etymotic earphone.

while I like the new models as well, the ER4S has always sounded better than every other model to me. Even though my included graph sheet for both my ER4S and ER4SR look practically identical, and I'm also very familiar with frequency response as an audio engineer, they sound different to me at a sort of technical level. not specifically in frequency response, but more of a smooth clean quality that I can't describe. is there some technical reason that the ER4S would sound smoother and cleaner compared to all the other etymotic models?

I'm in no way criticizing any of them, but to my ears I would always pick the original model. sure it's harder to drive, but I still think it sounds smoother and cleaner somehow. I've just always wanted to know why? is it simply that the new models have completely different drivers? is there some sort of THD difference? is there some other aspect that could be affecting the sound? perhaps the higher impedance?

otherwise they sound very similar obviously. they all sound like they're cut from the same stock for a lack of better words, with small tweaks here and there. but the ER4S just has a silky smooth clean quality to it that is just at another level sometimes. just thought I'd ask. If I've asked this before, forgive me. lol.

also, I'm so on board for a multi DD ety haha

 

[luisdent]

Just an extra 2db in the 6-7khz region. Add that in, at it would be the perfect for me.

agreed. although i go up to 4db for the original er4s (should match er4sr closely).

here is my ideal eq, aka what i would change...

6.5k +4db q1 5
70hz +6db q0.8

that just gives the bass the correct sub fill and adds the mid treble fix. but I'd even be happy with both of those values halved. i also much prefer the narrow ety driver bodies...

they should cheaper their filter(s) price

or at least sell them in a larger quantity pack at a discount. I'd buy a 10 or 20 pack of green filters...