[Kaician]

This is my first time posting on this forum though i've been lurking for about around a year and gained a lot from all of your guys' discussions, thanks a ton

.

Now here's my dillema. I need to pick between the ER-4P's and the e5c's.

*Ducks till the fire dies down*

Yeah, I know about searching, I've done quite a bit of that. Thing is now I need a reply that's more or less tailored to me directly.

Here's the deal. Right now I own the 4p's (after reading about them here). I must say that all 'normal' headphones now pale in comparison. I enjoy them very much. But there are many times where I just feel that the sound is a little thin. Recently I have heard all this uproar about the Sure e5c's and from the way it's being talked about it seems like it's what i'm looking for.

The thing is I just need to make sure because if I get the e5c's i'm more than likely gonna have to sell the 4p's. I don't think I can afford to own both of them to tell the truth (don't even think I would want to...)

Info: Yes, I think i'm starting to like all music except hardcore punk and country so I'm gonna be using the phones to listen to everything. I'm gonna be using it for portable and home usage. I'm gonna be using it ampless (too much trouble for me to carry one, already carry way too much tech). I'm gonna be using it off of my computer soundcards (sonica theater and soon audigy2nx) as well as my iPaq for mobile(I know, I'm used to it already as I use the 4p's with it already. It's not too bad when you use a nice ogg bitrate).

The problem: I've heard a lot of talk that the 4p's can sound like the e5c's with equalization. I've been eq'ing the hell out of the 4p lately and gotten it to a point where it sounds damn nice, but I know that that much eq'ing is kinda bad... Is it really true that they sound similar? Is it just upgrade-itis?

The complication: I'm studying in Japan right now for a year, so any move that I make is going to be final (at least for a good year or so). What would you guys do in this situation?

(ps- the 4p's are making my ears raw lately... but i'm sorta used to it after having the etys for about a year or so...)

 

[TheMuffinMan_01]

if your happy, stick with the er4's!!!

 

[Kaician]

The thing is that it takes a lot of EQ to get it to where I want them to be and I wanna know if the e5c's can get to that point (pretty much nice bass) without the eq-ing. (also that whole nice and comfortable thing is starting to get my attention since the etys are like trying to run a marathon concerning wearing them, not the sound but the ear comfort.)

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[wilfredt]

OK, I think I've once been the same situation as you do before. I bought er4p because of the high praise here, but then I find it not so suitable for (at least for me) listening to pop/rock. I use iPod, and eventually I find myself set the EQ to "bass booster" , and turn the volume up just to get enough bass for myself.

(Don't flame me, I still love my er4p for Jazz & Classical)

Now I have bought e5c, and I have not regreted. e5c provides about the same detail as er4p does, plus giving you very good bass to listen all sort of music. But be warned, spend much more time for burn in, and learn how to get it right in your ear(in order to make a good & comfortable shield)

 

[bangraman]

The only way I've been able to convincingly EQ the ER-4P to approach the 'flat' E5's impact is through the Behringer DEQ2496

and heavy-duty amping.


That's not exactly portable. And of course it works the other way too. The E5 can be EQ'd to approach the performance of the 'flat' ER-4P through the same set-up.


NJB3, Sony players... all make the ER-4P something of the shadow of an E5 through EQ. The iPod? Forget it.


If you want great entertainment in a super portable package, only the E5 will go anywhere near satisfying. The ER-4P is an excellent earphone and represents much better value for money than the E5, but it just doesn't compare in the entertainment stakes. The E5 is a lot more dependent on the fit of the tip than the ER-4P due to it's design. However it is worth playing about with the fit.

 

[papa_snap]

Kaician, I hear what you're saying... I dearly love my ER4-P's (with or without the P to S adapter) for the same reasons I now resent them - i.e. I find myself unable to deal with anything less than an ER-6 (any earphones below that just sound like they've got a wet towel wrapped around them)...

but I still find that, for many genres of music, they just don't quite cut the bass mustard (I'd like a jar of that for damn sure!).. that said, if you do mess with 'em a bit (e.g. using the bass boost on my PPA), the hardware really can deal out a serve of deep and tight bass.. irrespective, I'd be keen to hear how you go with your deliberations on the e5c's (I've been thinking about them too - but need to get my hands on some Sony CD-3000's first)

(BTW - getting a bit off topic - the Audigy 2 NX has a native resolution of 48,000khz - when listening to 44.1khz music (which would, I imagine, be damn near your entire collection) it's upsampled to 48,000khz with some knock-on effects... for that reason I'd recommend moving to Foobar 2000 as your media player, which seems to do a better job of the upsampling than the NX will (plus with Foobar you can play around with a huge range of DSP options like crossfeed etc) - make sure you install the deluxe version (around 2.7mb), which comes with the respampler, crossfeed, etc pre-installed (enable them in the DSP section of preferences).

Cheers, papa_snap

 

[Kaician]

Don't worry, foobar is my player of choice, that's where I get that good eq from

 

[Kaician]

I think more or less what I'm looking for is someone to say, "No Kaician, your etys are fine, no need to buy another more expensive pair of headphones..." Anyone (if saidin good conscience I will listen.... maybe...

)

 

[mdr10#1099]

Your Etys are indeed fine - far finer in my opinion than the E5c, which to my ears are horribly dull and lifeless sounding - so bad that I returned them at a restocking cost. My suspicion is that what many perceive as "enhanced bass" may be more a case of "missing everything else". The Etymotic 4s are far and away the best small headphones I have heard, when properly used/sealed. I don't hear an absence of bass under those conditions, just not an overboost of bass.

 

[toaster]

wow banrgraman, what the hell is that thing?

Kaician - i have never heard the er4p's so if you want a direct comparison between that and the e5's i cannot give it to you.

However...i recently purchased the e5c's and they are PERFECT.

i am sure you have heard these things been described in superlative fashion before, but they are absolutely unbelievable. i see no reason to EVER, (yes ever) get new canalphones. they are that good.

the primary reason i think you would fall in love with the e5c's is because you said you thought the ety's sound "thin." the e5c's are the "fattest" canalphone i would ever want to buy, period. and although i have never heard the detail of the ety's, i am highly, highly skeptical about their increase in detail over the shures. Louder volume in their treble response due to a tailored output maybe, but increase in detail, i doubt it. i'd never get one of the current ety models now anyway, i have the e5c.

if you're ready to pay, the e5c is ready to rock your world.

good luck. let us know what you decide.

 

[rextrade]

It's funny, I was in thinking the exact same when I got the e5cs--that I would sell the 4ps and just use the e5s. After three weeks of listening to nothing but th e5s, I put on the ety's again today and I was blown away by them, like when I first got them. Overall, I find the e5s to be a little dull and a bit muddy for a lot of things. However, for what I like them for I love them for--music where you need bass impact. I thought about sending them back, but I can't bring myself to do it.

 

[toaster]

eh, i wish i have heard the er4's so i could legitmately respond to you sentiments on the etys rex, but i haven't.

all i know is, that the e5's are perfect to my ears. for all practical purposes, they are absolutely perfect. to each his own.

by the way, what tips do you use with the e5s?

 

[Factor]

Quote:

Originally posted by Kaician ...all music except hardcore punk...

Then you probably missed this album, which is one of the best rock albums of the last 20 years.



Dismissing hardcore in general is acceptable, because the great majority of it is horribly inaccessible to anyone who's not specifically devoted to the hardcore scene. But don't dismiss Fugazi. Being a music fan and missing out on Repeater is like being a food connoissieur and missing out on garlic.

 

[rextrade]

Quote:

Originally posted by toaster22 by the way, what tips do you use with the e5s?

I'm using the triflanges. It's funny, because I was listening to the etys all day and then I started to crave some of that e5 bass. So now the e5s are in and I'm loving Massive Attack.

[edit] messed up tags.

 

[Tyson]

The E5's are euphonic, the 4S is analytical. Which you prefer will be entirely personal.