nc8000
Headphoneus Supremus
Last week I finally received a trial pack of the new Glider tips from Etymotics and have been using them for some days now. They are the most comfortable tips I have tried to date. Also they greatly expand the soundstage and imaging of the ER4 so I was all set for using them in the future. I then send a set to antonyfirst for him to try them out and he agreed in these findings but however had other reservations in that they seem to upset the fine balance of the midrange and sharpen the treble too much. I had in the meantime had the same experience with some cd's. He then came up with a brilliant mod. One of the differences between the Glider and other tips is that the Glider is slightly longer and extends over the end of the ER4 sound tube thus placing the driver slightly further from the eardrum which could be the reason for the better soundstage. So he cut a 2-3 mm spacer from a triflange and put that on the stem first and then a normal tip (white triflange or black olive) and lo and behold the best of both worlds. The imbalance to the midrange and the sharp/shrill in the treble was gone but the expanded soundstage and imaging was all still there. After receiving this info in a pm I have tried it and I have the exact same experience. The Glider is still more comfortable but I have never had any comfort problem with the black olive so no biggie there. I'm now seriously reconsidering whether it is worth it going through with ordering custom molds. I have an appointment for next Tuesday but may now cancel it.