er-6i vs er-4P vs V-Moda Vibes

[echiang06]

I was looking to upgrade IEMs.
I have already owned the er-6 and the er-6i, one of which was stolen, and the other seems to have a crimped cable and no longer has sound consistently from both ears

(It would be awesome if someone could PM me with a solution for this problem). I currently am a college student, and so I have a really limited budget. I am trying to figure out what direction I should go in now. I listen to music about 4-8 hours a day during the school week, and I can't wear my HD-600s all day long because my neck gets tired

, and because I don't want to use them with my iRiver H320. I am currently considering the er-6i, because I enjoyed them while they worked, although I do have a lot of difficulty trusting their build quality. I am also considering the V-Moda Vibes, because so many people have reported positive feedback from them, although I kind of shy away from them because they don't isolate very well and I also shy away from what people describe as the "fun" sounding phones. I have just recently come to the realization that the er-4s might also be within my limited budget (up to about $170, depending on whether or not I buy GOW for X360). I was wondering if anybody had any thoughts or comments on the build quality of the er-6s, v-moda vibes, and the er-4s; the degree of isolation or lack of isolation from the vibes, and whether or not the er-4s are worth twice as much as the vibes. Thank you in advance for your responses to my rather long-winded question.

-echiang06

 

[exX08]

I just got the 4P's today and I love them. I absolutely love them. Yes it is worth the price. Don't listen to the people who says there is no bass... no it's not as punchy but it balances out very good. Go for the ER4P's IMHO.

 

[zombieDave]

ER4P's X 2.

I got mine last week. I love them. I cannot believe anybody would say they lack bass, those people obviously have not inserted them properly! Also, isolation is wonderful - just ask my GF, who is about to kill me for being annoyingly unresponsive since last Thursday!!! And, even a budget amp can drive them with juice to spare and improve their SQ even more (I'm using a V5 Go-Vibe and I'm in awe). Check to see if Amazon.com still has them on sale for $165 - a real steal. This is your chance to finally get a "real" high-end IEM rather than "a nice find in budget audio", don't blow it!!!

Oh yeah, Merry Christmas. zD

 

[exX08]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zombieDave /img/forum/go_quote.gif ER4P's X 2. I got mine last week. I love them. I cannot believe anybody would say they lack bass, those people obviously have not inserted them properly! Also, isolation is wonderful - just ask my GF, who is about to kill me for being annoyingly unresponsive since last Thursday!!! And, even a budget amp can drive them with juice to spare and improve their SQ even more (I'm using a V5 Go-Vibe and I'm in awe). Check to see if Amazon.com still has them on sale for $165 - a real steal. This is your chance to finally get a "real" high-end IEM rather than "a nice find in budget audio", don't blow it!!! Oh yeah, Merry Christmas. zD

Yea it seems with that kind of deal ER4P is the only way to go.

 

[bellsprout]

ER-4S

 

[noblsheep]

actually, getting the er4p and then a p2s converter later would be a lot more flexible.

 

[RonTheMan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zombieDave /img/forum/go_quote.gif ER4P's X 2. I got mine last week. I love them. I cannot believe anybody would say they lack bass, those people obviously have not inserted them properly! Also, isolation is wonderful - just ask my GF, who is about to kill me for being annoyingly unresponsive since last Thursday!!! And, even a budget amp can drive them with juice to spare and improve their SQ even more (I'm using a V5 Go-Vibe and I'm in awe). Check to see if Amazon.com still has them on sale for $165 - a real steal. This is your chance to finally get a "real" high-end IEM rather than "a nice find in budget audio", don't blow it!!! Oh yeah, Merry Christmas. zD

I have the ER4p for almost 2 years now and while they are really great sounding phones, they do lack bass when running it off an Ipod. Yeah, the Go Vibe definitely helps in bringing out the bass.

 

[jamato8]

So what does the s cord do for the ER4P, just change the frequency response? What are some of the reasons people don't like the ER4 P or S?

 

[PeterDLai]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zombieDave /img/forum/go_quote.gif Check to see if Amazon.com still has them on sale for $165 - a real steal.

Apparently, they're priced $155.99 at Amazon.com.

I might jump on this soon.

 

[timmins]

don't the im716s use the same drivers ad the er4p?

 

[vulc4n]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PeterDLai /img/forum/go_quote.gif Apparently, they're priced $155.99 at Amazon.com. I might jump on this soon.

Yep, I just ordred mine, after being swayed from the UM1s by some persistent headfiers

 

[theDank]

i used the er6i for the better part of last year. i really liked them. the right channel died on me, however, and a few months ago i upgraded to er4p. i prefer full size phones but i find earphones useful for portable use. i think the er4p sounds great and i may use them for studio monitoring, but i find them too fragile for any kind of everyday use. also they stick out far which makes them uncomfy at times. in a earphone i want to be able to take it with me everywhere and er4p just doesnt work for me. so i got the chrome vibes a month ago and they solve this problem for me. i realized with the er4p that i dont need THAT much isolation and detail in an everyday earphone. comfort and portability are far more important to me. i listen to my phones 8-10 hrs a day and i go snowboarding twice a week. the vibes are perfect for this. they also look 10x better than the etys imo. also, the vibes just pop in, pop out. but the etys are kind of a pain to take out/put in if youre around people. and from what i remember of er6i, the vibes sound comparable. i mean i get enough detail and isolation for when im out and about. im probly gonna end up selling the er4p. theyve got maybe 30 hrs on em and i just dont use them now that i have the vibes.
so i recommend the vibes now over both the etys. which for me says alot because i am a big ety fan. ive also had shure e3c, but i ended up not liking them at all, and since then havent been interested in ever trying shures again. and fwiw, i have a buddy who loves his sony ex90. between ex90, er6i, and the vibes i think either one is fine for portable use and theyre all similarly priced, but i pick the vibes because they so sexy.

 

[zombieDave]

So what does the s cord do for the ER4P, just change the frequency response? What are some of the reasons people don't like the ER4 P or S?

The cord is an ohm adapter - it adds impedence to the ER4P's. Oftentimes, adding impedence to a set of low-impedence cans - then amping them because they'll now require more power to drive (that's very important, you can't skip the amping part!) - adds detail, brings out bass & treble, and may even increase the soundstage. It doesn't always work, though...

I have ohm adapters (if you purchase one, please do not spend too much - our DIYers here on Head-Fi make great products for a fraction of the cost - and you may not even be happy with the results of upping the impedence!) in 75 & 120 ohm values. After much experimentation, I use the 75ohm adapter with my Grado SR60's + Go-Vibe + vintage PCDP, and it sounds as good as it's gonna get - GREAT! But, I've been experimenting with the ER4P's all week and have settled on . . . NO OHM ADAPTER! That's how it sounds best to my ears.

Anyway, food for thought. I hope it helps. Happy Holidays!

zD