Does anyone know if the Etymotic ER4-P to S adapter is just a normal impedence adapter that I can use to attenuate my other IEMs, or is there something special about it that messes with the frequency response? I ask because of the graphs that come with the owner's manual. It is just a normal resistor and wire, true?
It is compatible with any other headphone in terms of the plugs, but it will alter the frequency response in an incalculable (and probably undesirable) way. With the ER-4, its main function is a calculated frequency-response alteration, not attenuation. .
I tried it with A900 and they sound very strange with this adapter. How ever it worked well and added some impedance to the headphones and reduced hiss from the amp completely.
Very calculable. Either your source has enough power to use it or it doesn't. I find the 18mw per channel(Korean measurement) is enough to hear a noticeable improvement(detail/extension/tightening up any bloat) with phones up 32ohm and 106db sens. and above.
There will be a few exceptions as there always are. For example an HD201 is way harder to drive than the specs indicate. And the odd low impedance phones that don't improve much amped anyway(K301xtra comes to mind).
Another example is a Sony 5mw per output player will push an S adapted IEM fine as the output is measured different and really pushes more power than that.
So you just have to know your sources output well enough. Should work well for most IEMS. A few like Jays and other that have higher impedance and/or low sensitivity may be the exceptions.
No different than most of the equipment we talk of here. Synergy still applies and can be good or bad and you have to match specs properly to get the correct result. I remember a fellow head-fier trying this with the 6mw Kenwood with bad results because it just doesn't have the juice to do it.
Originally Posted by jant71 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Very calculable.
You don't get it...
The serial resistance interacts with the drivers' impedance curve. And since we don't know it nor even the original frequency response, it's far from being calculable.
Well, if frequency response doesn't matter to you, it's somewhat calculable indeed.
Okay Jazz. I really meant predictable. Calculable was definitely not the right word. I have had 100% improvement on about 10 different IEM's earphones. UE, Yuin, Goldring, AT, etc. Some improve more than others(mostly synergy) but with enough power all have improved. I have used different players with different outputs(both mw and Ohm rating). The S adapter remains one of my best audio purchases. It is definitely worth it for the OP to give it a try.
Originally Posted by jant71 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Okay Jazz. I really meant predictable. Calculable was definitely not the right word. I have had 100% improvement on about 10 different IEM's earphones. UE, Yuin, Goldring, AT, etc. Some improve more than others(mostly synergy) but with enough power all have improved. I have used different players with different outputs (both mw and Ohm rating). The S adapter remains one of my best audio purchases. It is definitely worth it for the OP to give it a try.
You're talking about portable players, right? Then the 100% success quota may be explainable by the simple fact that 95% of all DAPs have a bass drop-off at low impedances. .
Does the adapter do what any impedence adapter with a 75 ohm resistor would do? Does it do the same thing a gain swith on a portable amp like the Hornet would do?
Originally Posted by Socrates3000 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Does the adapter do what any impedance adapter with a 75 ohm resistor would do?
Yes, 75 ohm is 75 ohm, independent of the adapter brand.
Quote:
Does it do the same thing a gain swith on a portable amp like the Hornet would do?
Not exactly: Unlike the gain switch on an amp it not just attenuates the signal, but also alters the frequency response according to the headphone's impedance response. .
But isn't the gain switch on an amp just a switch that adds or takes resistors out of the signal path? Wouldn't a 75 ohm resistor in an amp be basically the same as a 75 ohm resistor in the impedence adapter?
Originally Posted by Socrates3000 /img/forum/go_quote.gif But isn't the gain switch on an amp just a switch that adds or takes resistors out of the signal path?
Yes -- but this part of the signal path inside the amp doesn't «see» the headphone, thus isn't affected by its impedance response. .
So if I understand correctly, the resistor tied to the gain switch in an amplifier is placed in a different position of the circuit as the resistor used in an external impedence adapter. The resistor in the adapter, due to this occurance, changes the frequency resposne of the phones; whereas, the resistor internally within the amplifier does not.
as a result, simply using the gain switch in an amplifier, even if it is 75 ohm, will not turn the ER4-P into ER4-S. It will simply make quieter sounding ER4-Ps.
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