[wae5]

I’ve had the Ety ER-4P for 2 years and have never been able to wear them for more than 30 minutes before they became unbearably uncomfortable. I have a small box full of Ety tips including the Baby Blues and none of them ever worked for me until today. Today, I tried the 4P again with the small double flange cups, but this time I changed the way I put them in. Instead of pulling my ear up and back and twisting the 4P as I inserted it deep in my ear canal, this time I moistened it slightly and pushed it gently in with a slight twist and a wiggle and finished off with a gentle back tug to verify the seal. I’ve worn them now for over four hours and even the tiny tickle melted away. So I’m living proof there’s hope for those who thought they could never tolerate Etys.

Besides overcoming the comfort issue, the big revelation is the treble. I never knew there was so much crisp, micro treble information in my classical music CDs and I’ve never heard this before from any of my other phones including the Stax Lambda Pro. I'm listening now to the 4P plus S cable connected to my LD MKIV SE tube amp and this absurd combo resembles a mosquito tethered to bulldozer.

 

[M3NTAL]

What are the small double flange cups? Are they modified tri-flanges?

 

[Jaska]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wae5 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I moistened it slightly and pushed it gently in with a slight twist and a wiggle and finished off with a gentle back tug to verify the seal.

I thought everyone did this

It's the only way to go.

 

[synaesthetic]

Well I use Shure olives on mine, so I don't moisten it. And I open my mouth instead of tugging on my ear. But I do the "twist and pull."

 

[wae5]

Quote:

Originally Posted by M3NTAL /img/forum/go_quote.gif What are the small double flange cups? Are they modified tri-flanges?

When I put them on several months ago, I was curious if I had cut down a three flanger but the end looked professionally done so I assumed they came that way. In any case it's been so long since I bought them, I have no idea what they are.

 

[M3NTAL]

Anyone know if the tips from the Klipsch IEM's work? They have a nice shape to them.

 

[wae5]

A weird side affect of listening to my Ety-4P for 5 hours today is this made my high frequency hearing much more acute. I was more aware of high frequency environmental sounds and when I listened to other phones I immediately noticed they lacked the high frequency detail of the Etys.

 

[Golden Monkey]

Moistening them is the best way to get an easy insertion (lol) and get a great seal.

 

[dazzer1975]

I always pull up and out my ear while opening my mouth to insert my iem's, must look a right gimp but the seal is perfect. Also ever so slightly point them upwards as im pushing into my ear as your ear canal is actually in that position.

I will try some baby blues though, I am finding more and more that my ears are hurting inside after an hour or two, I think im using tips that are too big for me.

 

[tstarn06]

Quote:

Originally Posted by synaesthetic /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well I use Shure olives on mine, so I don't moisten it. And I open my mouth instead of tugging on my ear. But I do the "twist and pull."

X2 on the olives. I use them on the im716s, which are basically the same form factor as the ER4Ps, and they made the phones completely wearable long-term. You do have the struggle a bit to get them on, but it works.

 

[breakfastchef]

I refused to go through the contortions of wrapping my arm around my head, pulling on my ears, spitting on the tips and insertings them ala Etymotic. I searched for easier solutions and started using the older model foam from Etymotic that you could roll between your fingers, insert the IEM and have the foam expand to form a seal. This was way better.

At CanJam '08, I demo'ed the Sleek SA6 with their silicone biflange tips. After the demo I asked them if I could take these with me. To this day, I swear by the Sleek biflange. Easy to insert, comforatble for long periods of time, easy to remove and a decent seal. No more spitting, pulling, ear stretching or yawning. These tip also make my ER-6i's lower profile so they don't stick out of my ears nearly as much as with other tips I tried.

 

[lewislink]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tstarn06 /img/forum/go_quote.gif X2 on the olives. I use them on the im716s, which are basically the same form factor as the ER4Ps, and they made the phones completely wearable long-term. You do have the struggle a bit to get them on, but it works.

Hmmm...I have the 616s, which are basically the same thing as the 716s and I ordered some olives and tried them with these phones. For some reason they lessened the sound quality. The OEM foams are what I've been using with near perfect comfort and excellent sound quality.

I'm going to give the olives another go, though, to make certain.

However, the only time I moisten the sleeves of my phones are when I use single flange ones. The tris, the blue Etys ones, I never have to moisten and I did need to nip the tip flange off to make them un-painful...lol.

 

[M3NTAL]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lewislink /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hmmm...I have the 616s, which are basically the same thing as the 716s and I ordered some olives and tried them with these phones. For some reason they lessened the sound quality. The OEM foams are what I've been using with near perfect comfort and excellent sound quality. I'm going to give the olives another go, though, to make certain. However, the only time I moisten the sleeves of my phones are when I use single flange ones. The tris, the blue Etys ones, I never have to moisten and I did need to nip the tip flange off to make them un-painful...lol.

I have the same feelings as you on the "Black Olives" - they didn't sound as good as any of the others nor were they more comfortable.

 

[tstarn06]

Interesting, since I find the black Ety foams (the ones that come with the ALs) too tight. Oddly, I use a small olive in my right ear and a medium in the left. Doesn't hurt the SQ, but remember, I only use the ALs with an amp, exclusively.

 

[synaesthetic]

I do notice a sonic difference between the tri-flanges, the stock Ety foams and the Shure black foams. The black foams accentuate bass just a hair, and slightly gloss over the treble. Some people find this unacceptable; I think it cuts out any possible sibilance. <3

The stock Ety foams honestly sound the best to me, pushing the bass up and leaving the treble untouched. But they wear out so fast that they wind up costing far more than the Shure black foams. With careful washing, I can use the Shure foams for up to two or three months before they start to lose the ability to seal well. Not to mention the Ety foams prevent the IEMs from seating as deeply as the tri-flanges or the olives, so the earphones become less discreet and low-profile.

I'm HOPING that Klipsch starts selling the Image eartips. I am jonesing to try them with the ER-4P.