[AndyRx7]

Holy cow....

I've been lurking the forums for a while, listening to SR-80s for about 2 years.

Santa just brought me a pair of ER-4P's with the P->S conversion cable, as well as a 40G ipod. I've just set them up and started listening to ALAC files.

All I can say is holy crap; I can easily see why these phones are so highly praised. I thought my SR-80's were great (and I have gotten tons of enjoyment from them) but these are just in a whole other league.

My first impressions of the ER-4's, after listening to the ipod for a bit with the Grados first, were, hmmmm these are very neutral and flat sounding in comparison - it was a sound I was not at all used to. The Grados have much more treble emphasis (ie. much harsher). The Etys are much easier to listen to. Also, the midrange (ie. vocals) sound much different than the Grados (which is something I've always loved about my SR-80's) - I think this is because the high end of the vocals (like the beginnings and ends of words, if that makes sense to anyone lol) is less emphasized - I didn't like this at first.

So after the first 10 seconds of listening, I'm sort of thinking, well they're accurate I guess, but I'm not sure this excites me.

Just for the heck of it, I plugged in through the P->S conversion cable - I've been in S-mode since. (not sure to what extent this is related to my thoughts below).

THEN, holy crap, I start noticing details I've never even heard before in songs I've heard 100 times. all kinds of things. I'm continually thinking, is this the same version of the song??? Furthermore, the separation is completely insane compared to the Grados. I can literally distinguish each instrument and voice in the soundstage. When two people are singing at the same time, I can hear each of their voices clearly. I can hear background vocals I have never heard before.

Now that I've been listening to them for about half an hour, they just get better and better to my ears. The initial 'flatness' has totally gone - they seem very extended in the high end now, and they feel very balanced (other than perhaps less bass than I'm used to, but that I expected). They really sound completely different to me than they did at first. I'm think this is just my perception of them (unless a half hour of burn-in counts). They're sounding SO good... they're very different from the Grados (way more different to listen to than I expected), and I can totally see what the big deal is about. Also, the bass is just fine I think; it doesn't slam like the Grados but if you listen, it's there - just not as visceral but it's still present.

I'd do a comparison with the Grados again, but I just can't take these off they sound so great. I keep smiling so wide that I'm afraid I'm going to break the seal on the etys lol.

Any thoughts - should I expect them to improve even more with more listening? My SR-80's certainly improved very significantly as time went by. Also, this is all unamped... I'll have to wait a little while before finances allow amplification, but I'm strongly thinking SR-71 in 6 months or so.

I'm sort of wondering if I'll ever think of the Grados the same way again - I feel like I will probably still listen to them for the bass (ie. when listening to some electronic music), but I wonder if they'll sound different now. One thing that really stand out now is that some music that seemed harsh and very fatiguing with the SR-80's (eg. Mars Volta so far) is much easier and smoother to listen to with the Etys.

 

[AndyRx7]

Oh, to add a note about the ipod, I hear NO audio defect at all. I was worried about this, given that I am planning on using ALAC files, but so far there's no problem at all.

 

[PinchyCM]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AndyRx7 Holy cow.... I've been lurking the forums for a while, listening to SR-80s for about 2 years. Santa just brought me a pair of ER-4P's with the P->S conversion cable, as well as a 40G ipod. I've just set them up and started listening to ALAC files. All I can say is holy crap; I can easily see why these phones are so highly praised. I thought my SR-80's were great (and I have gotten tons of enjoyment from them) but these are just in a whole other league. My first impressions of the ER-4's, after listening to the ipod for a bit with the Grados first, were, hmmmm these are very neutral and flat sounding in comparison - it was a sound I was not at all used to. The Grados have much more treble emphasis (ie. much harsher). The Etys are much easier to listen to. Also, the midrange (ie. vocals) sound much different than the Grados (which is something I've always loved about my SR-80's) - I think this is because the high end of the vocals (like the beginnings and ends of words, if that makes sense to anyone lol) is less emphasized - I didn't like this at first. So after the first 10 seconds of listening, I'm sort of thinking, well they're accurate I guess, but I'm not sure this excites me. Just for the heck of it, I plugged in through the P->S conversion cable - I've been in S-mode since. (not sure to what extent this is related to my thoughts below). THEN, holy crap, I start noticing details I've never even heard before in songs I've heard 100 times. all kinds of things. I'm continually thinking, is this the same version of the song??? Furthermore, the separation is completely insane compared to the Grados. I can literally distinguish each instrument and voice in the soundstage. When two people are singing at the same time, I can hear each of their voices clearly. I can hear background vocals I have never heard before. Now that I've been listening to them for about half an hour, they just get better and better to my ears. The initial 'flatness' has totally gone - they seem very extended in the high end now, and they feel very balanced (other than perhaps less bass than I'm used to, but that I expected). They really sound completely different to me than they did at first. I'm think this is just my perception of them (unless a half hour of burn-in counts). They're sounding SO good... they're very different from the Grados (way more different to listen to than I expected), and I can totally see what the big deal is about. Also, the bass is just fine I think; it doesn't slam like the Grados but if you listen, it's there - just not as visceral but it's still present. I'd do a comparison with the Grados again, but I just can't take these off they sound so great. I keep smiling so wide that I'm afraid I'm going to break the seal on the etys lol. Any thoughts - should I expect them to improve even more with more listening? My SR-80's certainly improved very significantly as time went by. Also, this is all unamped... I'll have to wait a little while before finances allow amplification, but I'm strongly thinking SR-71 in 6 months or so. I'm sort of wondering if I'll ever think of the Grados the same way again - I feel like I will probably still listen to them for the bass (ie. when listening to some electronic music), but I wonder if they'll sound different now. One thing that really stand out now is that some music that seemed harsh and very fatiguing with the SR-80's (eg. Mars Volta so far) is much easier and smoother to listen to with the Etys.

One would think the 4Ps would sound better than the 4Ss unamped, but hey, different strokes for different folks!

 

[aeriyn]

This is the same sort of reaction I got when I first plugged my E3cs into my iPod Mini...

... WHOA.

 

[AndyRx7]

If I could get myself to unplug them for a second I could compare the P to the S, haha

To my great surprise, the ipod seems capable of driving the S to quite acceptable volume. I'm listening at about 75%. However, the ipod volume control seems somewhat non-linear, since if I turn it up to 90% or more the volume is way too loud for me. It seems to me that at the upper end of the scale, the volume control makes bigger differences than it does at the lower end. This may be just my perception.

Volume is obviously not equal to quality, but so far I'm more than satisfied.

UPDATE: I've done a short comparison of 'P' versus 'S' modes. There is quite a bit more bass with 'P' - listening to massive attack, 'protection', the deep bass line is very good (although great with the S as well). But still, details seem to be there with the 'S' that aren't as apparent with the 'P'. The P seems a little colored in comparison, more midbass.

Overall, I think the S is slightly more satisfying to me, but I'm sure this could change with more listening. I might rather listen to the P with rock/electronic stuff where bass is important, but I'm doubting it at this point.

 

[JohnRich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AndyRx7 Holy cow.... Any thoughts - should I expect them to improve even more with more listening? My SR-80's certainly improved very significantly as time went by. Also, this is all unamped... I'll have to wait a little while before finances allow amplification, but I'm strongly thinking SR-71 in 6 months or so.

They don't burn in, but you might find they sound better as you adjust to listening with them; its very a different presentation compared to grados.

With the 'S converter cable' and an amp and a good seal the bass will get better; still fitting in with the 'neutral' sound scheme, so you're never going to get grado bass, but a good balanced presentation over the whole range.

 

[bobbyt]

mmm ER-4Ps
are there any non-canal ear buds that operate as well as these or at least close? I wouldnt mind grabbing some for my ipod, I feel like a dork with the grados on

 

[ILUVIPODS]

Jeese "Santa" must be rich!!!! 40 gig ipod and ER4s, wow

 

[scottder]

Welcome to club ety/ipod....we're a happy bunch. Mostly.

 

[aeriyn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AndyRx7 Any thoughts - should I expect them to improve even more with more listening?

Balanced armature drivers (the type that Etys/Shure E3/Shure E5 uses) don't display burn-in characteristics the way dynamic drivers do. =P

But there usually is some sort of "brain" burn-in where you get used to the different type of sound.

 

[Thaddy]

Congrats on the new acquisition. I'm not sure I should be posting here, especially since I'm listening to my portable rig right now

I had the ER-4S's before I got my E5C's, and they really are impressive. Enjoy those babies, and don't forget to register them online to extend the warranty to two years

 

[Sniper991122]

can someone please tell me the difference between the ER-4P and the ER-4S?

From what I gathered P is powered S is stereo? But does this mean the 4S just requires a much better amp to power them? So they would sound better in the end? Could someone please clear this up for me?

 

[JohnRich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sniper991122 can someone please tell me the difference between the ER-4P and the ER-4S? From what I gathered P is powered S is stereo? But does this mean the 4S just requires a much better amp to power them? So they would sound better in the end? Could someone please clear this up for me?

The ER4Ps require less power (ie sound louder than the ER4S), are less detailed and the bass response is boosted compared to the ER4S. The ER4S sound better driven from a powerful source or via an amp; they are more detailed and have a 'truer' response over a wider frequency range. They are less impressive from a low powered portable source.

 

[AndyRx7]

Thanks for the welcome and the good information / advice!

Quote:

Originally Posted by aeriyn Balanced armature drivers (the type that Etys/Shure E3/Shure E5 uses) don't display burn-in characteristics the way dynamic drivers do. =P But there usually is some sort of "brain" burn-in where you get used to the different type of sound.

I think that's exactly what's going on

I'd like to understand what balanced armature drivers are exactly; does anyone have a good link or care to explain a bit? I searched on google but couldn't find anything very illuminating.

I've been enjoying my setup so much - I can actually lie in bed and listen to music at full volume while my girlfriend sleeps right beside me!! Unreal. It's going to be an awesome setup for studying in the library.