Ety fan wants to try some Shure IEM. What to expect?
Aug 8, 2005 at 1:38 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 14

headchange4u

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I am a mojor fan of my Etys. I've owned ER-6, ER-6i, and I currently own the ER-4p/s. I've never heard anything in the Shure e*c line, but I have always been curious.

So my question is what are the sonic differences between the Ety line and the Shure line. I am looking at getting either a set of e2c or e3c for starters. I don't think I'm will to spend the money for a set of e4c's at the moment but I would like to know how much of a set up in sound there is between the e3c and the e4c. I've read that there is not much difference in the sound between the e4c and the e5c.

Is someone who loves the Ety sound going to disappointed in the Shures?

I listen to quite a bit of rock/metal, acoustic (bluegrass/folk), and eletronic music. I don'tlisten to much rap or contry music. I also prefer a warmer sound. You can see what amps I am using by looking at my sig, and I am in the market for an SR-71.
 
Aug 8, 2005 at 1:45 PM Post #2 of 14
Quote:

Originally Posted by headchange4u
I am a mojor fan of my Etys. I've owned ER-6, ER-6i, and I currently own the ER-4p/s. I've never heard anything in the Shure e*c line, but I have always been curious.

So my question is what are the sonic differences between the Ety line and the Shure line. I am looking at getting either a set of e2c or e3c for starters. I don't think I'm will to spend the money for a set of e4c's at the moment but I would like to know how much of a set up in sound there is between the e3c and the e4c. I've read that there is not much difference in the sound between the e4c and the e5c.

Is someone who loves the Ety sound going to disappointed in the Shures?

I listen to quite a bit of rock/metal, acoustic (bluegrass/folk), and eletronic music. I don'tlisten to much rap or contry music. I also prefer a warmer sound. You can see what amps I am using by looking at my sig, and I am in the market for an SR-71.



Run the ER-4P as the ER-4s and get a SR-71. That is the best set-up for you. e2s and e3s aren't really going to compare. Except for having more bass. I think the other lines would be the EU pro.5s or the e5s for the bass.

ER-4s with an amp is a really nice set up.
 
Aug 8, 2005 at 1:49 PM Post #3 of 14
Personally I think you are wasting your money if you are already a major fan of Etymotics. I think a better use of your money would be to put that money into improving your Ety sound, such as a SuperMacro 3 amp. With the bass boost and rollable opamps, you can easily warm up the sound.

I currently own the ER6i and 4S, and even if you *gave* me the E2C or E3C, I don't think I would use them. I used to own the E3C. Now, the E4C would be a worthwhile purchase, but if you have the 4P, then don't bother with the E3/E2
 
Aug 8, 2005 at 2:09 PM Post #5 of 14
You'll get more "presence" in your sound, because of the bass and midrange boost (caused by the treble roll off), and less harshness from distortion in your signal chain (bad recording or bad equipment).

Not as neutral or as detailed, and no silky, shimmering treble with a good signal chain.

Matter of preference. My meat may be your poison.
 
Aug 8, 2005 at 3:21 PM Post #6 of 14
While an Ety's bass is not lacking, it seems that this is the only SMALL complaint I have, it could be a little fuller, IMHO. I love the detail and overall sound that Ety's have, but I've always thought the low end could be a bit "thicker" and a little more punch.

How will the SR-71 effect the bass of my Ety's?
 
Aug 8, 2005 at 3:25 PM Post #7 of 14
Seeing as you are already amping your ER4, adding the SR-71 won't likely make a huge difference to the quantity of bass, it will just tighten things up and give more detail, and well as allowing it to play more cleanly. If you want more bass, the SuperMacro's 5 dB bass boost gives the lower bass a nudge....it would sound quite balanced.
 
Aug 8, 2005 at 3:33 PM Post #8 of 14
Quote:

Originally Posted by headchange4u
While an Ety's bass is not lacking, it seems that this is the only SMALL complaint I have, it could be a little fuller, IMHO. I love the detail and overall sound that Ety's have, but I've always thought the low end could be a bit "thicker" and a little more punch.

How will the SR-71 effect the bass of my Ety's?




The bass of headphones is enhanced by the cup of headphones and your outer ear cavities and folds. This is bypassed by the Ety in the ear cannal.

Because of this, what you lose with the Etys is phase distortion - reflected sound, bouncing around from the cup and outer ear, that arrives at a fraction of a millisecond delay from the non-reflected sound. This makes the Etys have higher resolution and a more focused (un-blurred and un-muddied) image than the headphones but lacking the more expanded soundstage and more substantial bass from the phase distortion of headphones.

Can't have both - you pay your money and live with your choice.
 
Aug 8, 2005 at 3:42 PM Post #10 of 14
I began this head-fi journey with the Shure e3 and e5. Since I have sold both and turned to the er-4p/s as my on the go IEM. Blessingx gave me the hint that the ety IEM has more of a on the go sound. I think he is correct.
etysmile.gif
 
Aug 8, 2005 at 7:00 PM Post #11 of 14
It's really hard to say what you'll think of the shure sound. It depends a lot upon your sonic preferences. The first time I heard the Ety's at a meet, I thought they sounded pretty good. A while later I borrowed a pair of ER4s from Edwood and spent a couple weeks with it. I realized quite quickly that I had several issues with them and ended up trying a pair of Shure E2s. I liked the sonic presentation a lot better. While the E2 had a lot less detail, I found them much more enjoyable and musical than the Etys. Not long after that, I got the E5. Wow, night and day difference! I'd take the E5 over the Etys hands down any day of the week. The sound is much fuller, with a sound that's punchy and impactful. The Etys in contrast (to me anyway) sound lifeless and sterile. I happily used the E5 has my main head/earphone for about a year. Since then I got the E4. It has now replaced the E5 as my primary earphone. The E4, in my opinion bridges the gap between the ER4s and the E5. You get the treble detail without the harshness (that I find in the Etys, some don't hear it; everyone's ears are different) and the solid bottom end of Shures. Granted the E4 doesn't have as much bass as the E5, but it's very solid and it extends very low. Of course, these are my experiences, you may find that you prefer the Etymotic sound. It seems a good number of people do. Others like myself and Iron_Dreamer would prefer even the E3 to the ER4. One cannot really say where they will fall until they have heard both. I know Edwood for one leaned very strongly towards the Etys until the E4 came out and he got to listen to them. Maybe try to get to a meet and spend at least an hour with one of them. You could also buy from a place like Headroom that will allow you to return it if you find you don't like it.

Regarding the e4 and e5. They really aren't that similar. The E5 has a good bit more bass. The e4 has more treble. The sonic balance of an earphone can be very polarizing depending upon which frequencies you are most sensitive to.

It does seem, though, that quite a few people were unsatisfied with the sound of the E3. With that in mind, I'd highly recommend holding out for the E4.
 
Aug 8, 2005 at 7:15 PM Post #12 of 14
I may wait and try to pick up a set of used e4c's at some point in the future. I would like to hear them, but unfortunatly there are no dealers anywhere close to me that I can demo them at.
 
Aug 8, 2005 at 7:16 PM Post #13 of 14
I'm a former Ety user (just sold to Ken36 above), converted to Shure E4.

My big problem with the Etys wasn't so much lack of bass or thinness, rather the upper midrange spike which I found grating on extended listening sessions. Do a search on 'Linkwitz filter' for more info. The Shures get close enough but don't quite have the sparkle of the Etys, but they do rock out a bit better overall - a more natural midrange IMO, and of course a bit more full down low.
 
Aug 9, 2005 at 1:17 AM Post #14 of 14
Quote:

Originally Posted by Jasper994
Others like myself and Iron_Dreamer would prefer even the E3 to the ER4. One cannot really say where they will fall until they have heard both. I know Edwood for one leaned very strongly towards the Etys until the E4 came out and he got to listen to them. Maybe try to get to a meet and spend at least an hour with one of them. You could also buy from a place like Headroom that will allow you to return it if you find you don't like it.



I also prefer the E3s to the ER4. A lush lively musical sound is very important to me, and is where the etys lack most (timbre).

-------

The sound of the shures and the etys are very different so it depends on preference. The E4c seems to be the best mix of the shure and ety sound.
 

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