[Dster]

When I say dead, I mean one headphone is about 10 times louder than the other one. At first I thought there was something wonky with the source, but no, it really was the headphones.

I'm hoping for advice about what to replace them with. I listen to predominately electronic music, progressive, electro, etc., usually from .mp3 files at bitrates of 192 to 320 kbps.

I want to avoid spending too much money on headphones that are too much for my purposes. Right now I'm looking at the Shure E4Cs -- will I really notice a big difference from cheaper headphones for my purposes?

 

[mymindinside]

how long have you had them? Maybe you just need to replace the filter...

 

[milkpowder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mymindinside how long have you had them? Maybe you just need to replace the filter...

Exactly what I was thinking.

 

[Dster]

Quote:

Originally Posted by milkpowder Exactly what I was thinking.

I've had them for about three years, I think.

Hmm. Oh well, I guess if this turns out be right I can resell the E4Cs that are headed to me.

 

[milkpowder]

Oh I wouldn't sell the E4c...The E4c is better in almost every single way compared to the ER6i! There is more detail, more refinement, richer mids and bass, etc... You'll want to keep them

 

[episiarch]

Definitely replace the filter before you give up on the Etys.

But what's this about having had them for three years? The ER-6i was announced at the end of 2005. Not that it matters (replace the filter regardless), but do you mean you've had an ER-6 for three years, or do you mean you've had an ER-6i for three months?

Opinions vary on E4C vs. ER-6i. I would say the exact opposite of what milkpowder says: I consider the ER-6i better in every way except durability.

 

[warpdriver]

It's highly likely the filter needs to be replaced. The filter may look still look clean but still need replacing.

 

[FaBoLoUsRmX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by episiarch Definitely replace the filter before you give up on the Etys. But what's this about having had them for three years? The ER-6i was announced at the end of 2005. Not that it matters (replace the filter regardless), but do you mean you've had an ER-6 for three years, or do you mean you've had an ER-6i for three months? Opinions vary on E4C vs. ER-6i. I would say the exact opposite of what milkpowder says: I consider the ER-6i better in every way except durability.

That makes me feel good as a er-6i owner. Could you explain a bit more?

 

[bonethugz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by episiarch Definitely replace the filter before you give up on the Etys. But what's this about having had them for three years? The ER-6i was announced at the end of 2005. Not that it matters (replace the filter regardless), but do you mean you've had an ER-6 for three years, or do you mean you've had an ER-6i for three months? Opinions vary on E4C vs. ER-6i. I would say the exact opposite of what milkpowder says: I consider the ER-6i better in every way except durability.

i remember me getting those er6i, i'm sure it's I at the start of 2005. i think it was march or feb

 

[milkpowder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by episiarch Opinions vary on E4C vs. ER-6i. I would say the exact opposite of what milkpowder says: I consider the ER-6i better in every way except durability.

I don't mind you disagreeing (that's what a forum is for

), but please listen again and tell me you're kidding! Take your most revealing track or even your whole "audiophile" test-track collection and A'B the E4 and the ER6i. I simply can't understand how the E4 isn't better than the ER6i, let alone inferior!

It has nothing to to with Shure sound signature vs Etymotic sound signature.

You have some high end full-sized headphones (CD3000, SA5000, etc...), so listen to the same tracks on those as well for your reference...

Opinions indeed do vary

 

[episiarch]

I'm really not kidding. The E4 sounds okay to me, but when wearing it I'm pretty much counting the minutes until I can switch back to something I genuinely like, and I genuinely like the ER-6i.

A large part of it is that the E4 is too rolled off up at the top for me. It doesn't have the crispness I like, and percussive impacts sound muted to me. I do think it's adequately detailed, but the details aren't in as clear focus as I'd like.

Then there's fullness. What other people describe as the E4's "fullness" just sounds to me like a lack of tonal focus or clarity. Distortion is a strong word, but I'd even describe it as a mild form of distortion. I find it pleasant enough for a little while, but it soon starts to bother me, and switching back to Etys is a real relief.

I think it actually is largely a matter of a sound signature preference. There are those who feel that Etys in general add "fake detail," and those who feel they sound just right. Similarly there are those who think the E4 really sounds right, and those - well, conceivably I'm the only one - who feel the E4 adds "fake fullness."

In my case my reference sound is the ER-4S driven by a Gilmore Lite. My CD3K, SA5K and others have their distinctive strengths, but none is as all-around satisfying to me as the ER-4S. So it's not altogether surprising that I find myself preferring the baby-ER sound of the unamped ER-6i to something that's tweaked much, much further away from my preferred reference.

 

[milkpowder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by episiarch In my case my reference sound is the ER-4S driven by a Gilmore Lite. My CD3K, SA5K and others have their distinctive strengths, but none is as all-around satisfying to me as the ER-4S. So it's not altogether surprising that I find myself preferring the baby-ER sound of the unamped ER-6i to something that's tweaked much, much further away from my preferred reference.

Now I understand! ER4S are very good, no doubt about it. If the OP liked the ER6i, then I would recommend the OP to buy the ER4 instead of the E4.

What tips do you use with the E4, ER4S and ER6i? As good as the E500 are, no "collection" is complete without the ER4P/S/B (IMHO). Where's money when you need it?

 

[episiarch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by milkpowder What tips do you use with the E4, ER4S and ER6i?

E4 - ultrasoft grey flex
ER4S - Slim comply
ER6i - mostly ER4 triflange. (Seems to have about an extra millimeter of stalk between the flanges and the earphone as compared to the ER6i triflange, and this gives me a mildly better fit. I don't know if the variation is by design or is just sample-to-sample variation. It's only a small difference.) I also have a pair of EarPlugStore's custom tips which compromise the sound a bit but provide slightly higher isolation than triflanges with less fuss than foamies. So they're good for travel, the gym, etc.

Quote:

As good as the E500 are, no "collection" is complete without the ER4P/S/B (IMHO). Where's money when you need it?

The ER-4B was interesting, but it didn't take me many weeks to decide to send it in to be recabled to an ER-4S. I likes me some highs, but good gravy, the the 4B was just too much. I had had this fantasy that the ER-4B might turn out to be like an SA5000 in an IEM, but nooooo. The ER-4B forces you to give your attention to the impact of every bean inside the maracas, the strike of every tine of the drummer's brush against the cymbal. I exaggerate, but subjectively that was more or less the effect. I found it too hard to hear the music when such a bright light shone on the high-freq details.

 

[bloodydoorknob]

the e4's are better in every respect compared to the er6i's, imho, i have both and I rarely use my er6i's. I do like the er6i's discreteness though.