[DJGeorgeT]

Can owners of both ER4B and ER4P tell me what sonic differences are there between the two? In particular, I would like to know if the bass is weaker on the ER4B. Will the ER4B reveal more of the music?

Thanks!

 

[PiccoloNamek]

The only real difference between the ER4B and any other ER4 is that it has slightly more treble in the 10kHZ region. It has less bass than the ER4P and is equal to the ER4S. The 4P is probably darker overall in its coloration.

The 4B is not more detailed or revealing than any other ER4.

 

[pkshan]

The ER4B has very flat and natural tone characteristics.
You'll need at least 150hr break-in time,
before this, it may sound too bright and aggressive.
after break-in,everything is in their place.

4B is one of the most revealing headphone imho.
It's something like sa5000 or k1000,
so the source quality is very important if you use it.

The ER4P is more focus on mid & low frequencies.sounds warmer than 4B

 

[DJGeorgeT]

thanks, that's what I wanted to hear. I will order my er4b today. I feel that even though the er4p is great, it is still lacking in the high end - even with the p to s cable.

 

[episiarch]

I had the ER-4B for several weeks, then sent it back to be recabled as an ER-4S. The upper reaches of the 4B's treble were just too much for me. Any tune with maracas in it felt dominated by the sound of the beans rattling in the maracas. Any tune with cymbals struck by metal brushes felt overwhelmed by the sound of each tine of the brush hitting the cymbal.

I'm exaggerating a little, but the 4B really did alter the attentional focus of music that included high-frequency percussive components. It was interesting in a scientific sense, but I really didn't enjoy it for listening to music.

Your mileage may vary, of course.

 

[pkshan]

Yes, when I just purchased my 4B, I found the highs unbearable.

I used to own a 4P+P2S too, a fully broken-in ER4S sounds a bit dull,
the mid to high area is recessed, like the Senn HD650s.

The breaking-in process effecting the green filters alot,
during that time,you can keep the volume at a low level to avoid discomfort.....

There is a way to tryout the 4b,
find a used 4S (from other user, on a headfi meeting etc)
open the EQ in your music player, add 2-3db in 6khz-10khz,1-2db in 16khz.
that sound is very close to a broken-in 4B

btw the RS1,MSPRO,DT880/990s are actually brighter than 4B

 

[Chipp]

Now, correct me if I'm wrong here, but balanced armatures do not change from break in - perhaps it was your ears "breaking in" instead?

 

[DJGeorgeT]

maybe other things burn in like the cable, but my er4p started changing sound only recently after 4 years. The highs are recessing, so I need something brighter.

 

[PiccoloNamek]

Maybe your hearing is starting to recess... with age? Balanced armature drivers don't burn in, and neither do metal cables. And why would it start happening after four years of use?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Epi I'm exaggerating a little, but the 4B really did alter the attentional focus of music that included high-frequency percussive components. It was interesting in a scientific sense, but I really didn't enjoy it for listening to music.

This was pretty much my assessment when I had them.

 

[pkshan]

not only the driver,
the caps in the 4B cable and the green filters need burn-in too.

I've compared a 300hr ER4B with a new one .
the new one sounds much brighter, the high is harsh compare to the old one.

 

[pkshan]

With my Kenwood HD60GD9 mp3 player, the 4B high is smooth,
lush mid and deep bass, the sound is very enjoyable.

but sounds not good on my ipod

 

[PiccoloNamek]

The green filter does not burn in. It is a passive device. The only changes it undergoes are gradually getting clogged with moisture and earwax.

The capacitors are extremely small and insubstantial, I doubt they take long to burn in, if they even burn in at all.

 

[Antony6555]

This has been stated many times, but balanced armatures do not burn in. And the green filters getting dirty is not burn in either, it will make the sound more muffled, but this just means you need to change the filters.

 

[episiarch]

I tend to agree with Antony. Though I don't have a strongly-held view about whether armature drivers as a class may enjoy burn-in effects or not, my three concurrently-owned pairs of ER-4S's, of varying ages, have always sounded the same to me given new filters, and so I tend to feel that the ER-4S, at least, is not significantly affected by burn-in.

The 4B might be different inasmuch as it contains capacitors. However Etymotic seems like the kind of company to choose components that will remain stable over time and use. (Read some of Etymotic engineer d_wilson's posts here and on headwize to get a sense of the sort of engineer he is.)

As to the green filters, they absolutely do age, and the audible effect of this is some muting/rolloff of the highs. For me this means it's time to change filters and get my (and, I believe, Etymotic's) idea of 'correct' sound back. But I could imagine someone with different preferences using this as a way to customize the sound a bit: get a new set of filters, arrange for them to get clogged up to the correct degree, then enjoy the music.

That seems like an awful lot of work, though. If you find the highs of an ER-4 harsh -- especially the ER-4B, which goes to extra effort to emphasize the highest highs -- then it seems as though a different earphone would be a simpler solution. If you're happy with a well-broken-in ER-4B (or an ER-4B with well-broken-in filters) then I won't by any means gainsay that for you; but I would be pretty reluctant to recommend it as a general solution for new buyers.