[SuperGrover88]

Hi gang,

I've been bouncing around with a pair of GradoSR60s for a few years and whilst they've been superb, things are starting to rattle and hum in places that shouldn't be rattling & humming. ...Fair enough too, I've abused them no end.
I've now got my eye on a pair of Etymotic ER4Ss with a simple Headroom Airhead amp...but I have a few concerns which I would really appreciate some advice upon:

1.) I'd *prefer* to get ER4Ps and scrap the idea of getting an amp for the meantime, simply because I only use headphones 'on the go' and carrying around a little amp would be a bit of a pain...not to mention the extra cost of buying one. Having said that though, I *know* I'm gonna appreciate the better sound of the "S"s, and from what I hear, the difference between the ER4Ps and the ER4Ss is reasonably large.
So...Anyone know how significant the difference in sound quality is between ER4Ps (both with & without amp) & ER4Ss (both with & without amp)?

2.> How decent is the ER4P-25 converter? (supposedly converts ER4Ps to ER4Ss) How does the sound of ER4P w/25 converter compare to straight ER4Ss?

3.) Shameful last question:

The truth is, I only ever really use headphones when I'm waddling around with a portable on my hip, and that portable is almost always an MP3 player (E.digital Treo 15). ...Considering that 128kbps-160kbps MP3s are pretty much all that I listen to through headphones, is it worth splashing out the cash on Etymotics, or should I just whack another pair of SR60s in there?
Really, deeply, veryveryvery appreciative to anyone who can offer advice on any-or-all of the above - thanks heaps in advance.

Yours sincerely,
John Bayne

 

[hazmat]

I can't answer most of your questions, but I am using ER-4P's with my iPod and am thrilled with it. I would see if there is a local dealer for the stuff where you can try it out. Also note that with an adapter cord you can make the 4P a 4S, so you have the best of both worlds.

HTH....


-Ken

 

[pedxing]

From your posting, its tough to make a recommendation whether or not you should buy an ER-4. It depends on your listening habits and what type of environment you listen to your music in. If you need to hear noises from the outside environment, you might be better off with a pair of open headphones or semi-closed headphones.

If you really abuse your headphones, you might want something cheaper and more replaceable. In that case, you might want to purchase the SR-60 again or even look into cheaper headphones.

Going from an SR-60 to an Ety ER-4 is a big leap too. You might want to search into other threads on this forum and see what type of other problems people in the pass have with the Ety's in general.

 

[joelongwood]

Quote:

Considering that 128kbps-160kbps MP3s are pretty much all that I listen to through headphones....

Save your money and get a new pair of SR-60s........the Etys are VERY revealing and will show up all the things that are wrong with 128kbps mp3s. At least, that's my opinion.

BTW...Welcome to Head-Fi, SuperGrover! And you should feel honored, as it's a rare post around here that actually tries to save people some money.

 

[SuperGrover88]

Joe - you're right: I'm stunned....a money-saving suggestion...wow!

*grin*

Thanks for advice all, most appreciated. I guess another pair of SR60's would be the *sensible* thing to do, but I'd really like to step up a gear; I spend about as much time listening to my portable as I do my home setup, so I'm quite happy to invest a little more on the portable&phones side of things. ...Any suggestions for a pair of cans that might not punish my evil, evil soul for using MP3s?

Thanks again,

- JB