[size=small]The true king of the ER4 world is reputedly the ER4B. They were the original ER4. However, for whatever reason, some people complained that they were "too bright." Etymotics responded by releasing the ER4s and the later ER4P. However, the ER4B reportedly has the best balance and neutrality. As far as them being too bright, it seems that those complaining about that simply did not allow enough time for them to burn in.
I auditioned the ER4S/ER4P at a Head-fi meet. However, based on the recommendations of head-fiers like Vertigo ann Dan Humphrey who referred to the ER4B is the true flagship of the ER4 line. To Vertigo, the ER4B offers the best compromise between transparency and details. He also is one of the very best reviewers the Head-fi has. Let me treat you to a response from Vertigo to myself when I solicited opinions on the most transparent IEM:
Hi Jap,
Alright, seems like we're on the same page now regarding those pesky audiophile terms. Now I can describe the 4Bs to you a bit more. Just for the record, I've never heard the UE-10s, and I likely never will. I just don't see myself going through the hassle of having molds made...and I think the price is just a wee bit high for a IEM, especially after you factor in the cost of a visit to the audiologist + cost of molds.
First I should probably debunk the myth that the 4Bs are bright. They're not bright at all...in fact they don't even sound anywhere near bright. I've heard some pretty nasty bright headphones before, like the Grado SR-325 and RS-2...now those were painfully bright. The treble response of the 4Bs can only be described as buttery smooth. I've had several people listen to my 4Bs before at Headfi meets, including a few that prefer a deliberately warmer sound with less emphasis on the treble, and not a single one of them ever complained about the treble. All of them commented on how smooth the ER-4s sounded (I never told them which version they were listening to, nor did they care), and how much inner detail they could hear over whatever headphones they were used to.
Now here's the thing...straight out of the box, the 4Bs are bright. The treble does sound a bit shrill. I've generally found the same for the 4Ps and 4S as well, but more so with the 4Bs. The ER-4s do very much have a burn in period, and pretty much what's affected the most is the treble, in that it goes from being slightly shrill to being a very smooth treble response. I've owned the 4P and 4S twice each before, along with my current 4B, and this has been my experience. In the case of both the 4P and 4S, the treble would get so smooth as to make it sound dull. The 4B's treble though becomes smooth but still retains a certain crisp quality to it, so that cymbals sound like cymbals and not like a loaf of bread being wacked instead.
I've already stated in the past that the 4Bs sound the flattest to my ears among the three ER-4s available. They don't necessarily sound more detailed than the 4P/4S...it's simply that they're equalized in a way that heightens their clarity compared to the other two. Whereas I feel the 4P and 4S both have a deliberately warm midrange that hides details in the midrange, the 4B's midrange is just simply smooth and flat. I also felt the treble of the 4P's treble was heavily rolled off, and the 4S' treble was slightly rolled off, compared to the 4B's. The end result is the 4B's treble decay sounds more extended than either of the other two ER-4s.
Speaking of decays...I haven't had a problem with decays being cut short with my 4Bs. With both cymbals and drums, I can clearly hear them trail off until they naturally fade away...and this is something that the detail loving side of me is very picky about perfecting. They have the same amount of decay in my system as both the SA5000s, and the Omega IIs...that is, all three reproduce cymbals and drums with their maximum extension and decay, until it naturally fades away completely. I will say though, I had to do some pretty insane cable buying and selling before I was able to get my system to the point where it would reproduce decays to their fullest extent. Cables aside though, the point is, the ER-4s are capable of reproducing decays to their fullest extent.
As far as the 4Bs go in general...I find that they provide the best balance between details and transparency out of all the headphones I've heard to date. They sound quite flat...compared to just about any headphone out there, there's nothing about the 4Bs that tonally sticks out. Just about all full sized headphones fatigue me one way or another because they tend to boost one particular frequency over the others, whether it be the treble, bass, or midrange (the exception perhaps being the Grado HP-1s).
Normally you would associate flat sounding with boring, and this would be true if the soundstage also happened to be dry and lifeless, but in the 4B's case, they also have a very smooth, full soundstage. It's not clinical and dry, but has an airiness to it that gives life to the musical presentation. Thanks to this soundstage, the 4Bs manage to have a high degree of resolution and cohesion to the sound. Then there's also the attributes the ER-4s are famous for like a speedy presentation along with the 20db of isolation that provides you with a detailed listening experience. They aren't the last word as far as details are concerned, but that's only because I've heard the SA5000s. Prior to the SA5000s, I didn't think there was anything more detailed than the 4Bs.
So, at least for now, the ER-4Bs remain my all time favorite headphone. Like I was saying, transparency and detail usually don't live together very well, but the ER-4Bs manage to pull it off very nicely.[/size]
