Let's start with the fact that this thread is the
wrong place. It addresses a question about which
IEMs to use with an iPod and should be in the headphones forum. Then let's note that that we're now posting in the portable audio forum, where people have been known to say the H140 sounds "infinitely" better than the iPod. Let's establish that the truth is seldom as hyperbolic as the adverb "infinitely."
Now let's attempt to free this thread from the distracting hype that sometimes accumulates in these parts.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rb67 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Going the ER-4P in lieu of the ER-4S is really the better choice when you are using an un-amped source. In addition to this, should you decide to reward yourself with an amplifier, a converter cable can easily be purchased or made.
|
First, you didn't address the concerns of the original poster. Canal phones aren't a reward for the OP but rather a present for his son.
Second, the OP isn't talking about a generic "unamped source," he's talking about an iPod -- a device which is unusually loud even for a DAP. In my freaky-deaky experience, it benefits from an amp's clarity but never needs added volume.
Third, other posters on this thread have made the same vague claim as you -- all without offering any insights, close observations or empirical reasons to support said claim. This means said unsupported claim is gaining momentum in a thread asking for pragmatic advice, which could be a problem for the OP.
Perhaps you have years of experience with the 4P and 4S, or perhaps only with the 4P. Who knows? By not being specific, you render your conclusions meaningless at best, at worst, misleading. There is nothing wrong with saying, "from what I've read, the ER-4P is better." There is everything wrong with simply asserting the ER4P is better without saying why you think so. You might as well say, "the ER4S looks chubby and tastes like rectal bouillon."
Why exactly are you certain the ER-4P "is really the better choice when you are using an un-amped source?" Do you know this from personal experience or are you simply quoting an Etymotic brochure? If you're speaking from experience, then tell us what led you to this conclusion. If not, then inform us of the fact so that we can disregard the phrase "
really is the best."
To sum: A conclusion offered without evidence or irony is a generalization. A repeated generalization becomes misinformation. Based on my search engine's findings, I know you're capable of better.
To kentamcolin:
Read some of the earlier Head-fi threads -- the ones dating from before Shure or anyone else was in the IEM market. If you do, you'll find it wasn't outrageous for members to prefer the ER-4S to the 4P for unamped as well as amped sources. Such assessments did not necessarily parrot previous texts. The most credible were derived from rounds of extended listening. (My theory: People paid closer attention to perceived differences because their IEM options hadn't yet become dizzyingly diverse.)
Case in point: I owned a pair of ER4P for years, and used them with and without the 4S adapter. Since then, I've owned the ER4S for a few years. In my experience, the unamped ER-4P rendered the iPod unbearably loud. When the iPod's volume bar was completely white (the equivalent of being set to zero), I could still hear the music's distant sibilant whisper. The very next increment of volume was often eyelid-crinklingly loud. Switching to the 4S afforded me a median level between the excruciating and the indistinct, which proved a hulking gurgling relief.
Moreover, using the adapter became impractical for mobile listening. In the first place, I hated carrying yet another wire in my iPod pouch. In the second, it made connecting to DAPs more elaborate. In the third, the adapter tended to catch on the lip of my inner coat pocket, which meant it stressed the iPod's headphone jack. (What's more, the extended cord looked unintentionally comic looping past the hem of my trench coat.) I still have the adapter; I haven't bothered selling it.
Right now, as I write, I'm using my ER-4S without an amp. (Normally, I prefer to augment same with my XP-7 and balanced ALO cotton dock at home and in the orifice, but I'm currently verifying a few things I've said in this post.) I'm listening to Shostakovich's Sonata for Viola and Piano on my iPod Photo with the volume set at about 30%. The quietest passages are perfectly audible without hiss, the loudest, without distortion. Now I'm listening to Chosen Lords by AFX. The ability to tame the volume is welcome and recommended. Now I'm listening to Webern's Concerto for Nine Instruments, which contains pianississimos (or triple pianissimos) and different dynamic markings for every other measure. Again, the volume is perfect.
