[theBigD]

etymotic says er6 is most accurate next to er4s so do they sound better or equivalent to er4p? i am finally warming to the sound of the er4p i purchased for a second time. i just recently tried the foamies with them and like them. but i purchased the er4p from wal mart online just because they have a 90 return policy because i knew it would take me a while to get to like them or simply make up my mind. wal mart is expensive for er4p mine cost 250 so i will return anyway. but i am wondering if er6 might just be good enough as a replacement since i can get for under $100? thanx for you help in advance.

 

[NiceCans]

I expect many to disagree with me here on this one.

I enjoy the ER6 quite a bit. So much that after buying and selling the ER4 and the E4 I purchased a second pair of ER6. It has most of the sound quality and about 1/2 the cost, and for how I use IEMs they are ideal.
For others who use them differently, perhaps the upgrade is worthwhile.

 

[theBigD]

nice cans, that is what i am begining to believe. iems for me just dont sound that great anyway. they are useful when i want to block out noise, travelling or sometimes riding a bike, or in barnes and nobel to read. but they just dont measure up to full sized cans for me. the only in ear headphone that has sounded "worth the money" to me is the stax sr-001. but i am still kinda obssesed with the details of music and movies so i wonder if detail wise the ety er6 is revealing enough? i especially like a smooth detailed midrange and revealing highs. i could live without a lot of bass. never really liked the sfp5 because it sacrificed the midrange details for bass.

 

[GreatDane]

I really like my ER6 and think it's an excellent value for the $80 USD price I paid.The build quality isn't the best though. The cable is thin on the ER6 but I can't complain at that price.

I also use ER4P which seems to have a bit more detail, and the cable is nicer but still not as nice the E4 cable.

 

[Dr Morbid]

Taking the $$€€€ out of the equation, I'd use the Er4P. I still have my er6i's and will say the build quality is in no way anything but piss-poor. Sure, they're small, but the bud is held together with heatshrink tubing. The cord quality is low and I ended up recabling mine last year. That is one positive compared to Shure. One can easily recable an er6.

As far as sound goes, I'd go with the Shure, cost no object. They are higher quality, although their cables have suffered hardening and cracking issues with me. In my ears, the shure controls the bass more. I can't discern a difference between the two in the actual volume, except the Shure seemingly distorts it less, which might give some the sensation of lower bass output. Mids are nice and clear, highs are good and it has less harshness in the sound at the same eq settings.

 

[episiarch]

Owner of both here (as well as 4S and 6i). I like the ER-6 a lot, and it's what I use for the majority of my unamped portable listening.

When I'm going amped, I use the 4S (or the 4P with P->S conversion cable).

The theoretical middle ground that the 4P should cover - 4S quality but with less need for an amp - seems not to exist for me. I find the 4P's frequency balance a little off-sounding, not in a huge way, but it's something that starts to bother me after a few minutes of listening. As a result I never actually listen to the 4P save with the 4P->4S conversion cable. Once it's a 4S, well, then I like it amped.

If I don't want to go amped, then I find I like either the ER-6 or the ER-6i better than I like the ER-4P. (Between the two I like the 6 somewhat more than the 6i, but both are really good.)

Your mileage may vary. A lot of people really like the ER-4P and don't have the slightly negative reaction to it that I do.

 

[hempcamp]

I love the ER-6, and I can't imagine paying more money for the ER-4P since a portable setup isn't ideal anyway. That said, you have to *really* like the sound signature of Etymotic to enjoy the ER-6.

--Chris

 

[3X0]

The ER6 is a great earphone. I had trouble preferring my ER4P to it. I'd say it's a far better value.

 

[theBigD]

it seems like the er6 may be the way to go for me. what about cable microphonics? the er4 is horrible for microphonics. ive finally figured out how to eliminate most of it by looping cable over ears and clipping to back of shirt and then around my back to player, it would be nice not to have to do this. to recable these would the sennheisser cables plug in to ety? what are good cable replacements for ety?

 

[toric334]

I find the microphonics are fine just when wearing the cord down my shirt and clipping the middle bit to my shirt, and tucking the excess smaller wire down my shirt too.

 

[3X0]

IMHO ER6 also has terrible microphonics. The cord is very thin and lightweight, bouncing a lot as a microphonic nightmare. It's a lot more bearable when routed under an article of clothing like a shirt or jacket.

 

[unclejr]

Hey, my ER-6s exhibit plenty of microphony, but they might be a good way to get used to the ety "natural" sound as an introduction. "Light" on the low end, for sure. It'll bring that quality out in all recordings not mastered with this neutrality (please don't jump on this ... ) in mind.

A friend of mine when asked about this same question didn't hesitate to recommend the ER-6s first, as according to him the ER-4 suffers from microphonics even more, for what it's worth. Owners of both feel free to correct that.

 

[mdarnton]

I have both the ER6 and ER4P, and Shure EC2.

First, the quality issue. If you read everything here, you'll see that people have a lot of problems with Shure cords failing. They're bigger: so what? They don't seem to last as long as Ety's "inadequately thin" cords. Just being fat doesn't mean you're strong. End of that issue.

My 6s are 2+ years old, broken in, and sound great (and the cords are fine--my Shure cord broke after about 8 months). My 4s are a month old, and I don't really know where they're headed. The general differences, unamped on my iPod, I would say, is that the 6 is very clear, because of really strong treble response, and the 4 seems to have more body to the sound, at the expense of clarity, relative to the 6. Once you balance this out with an equalizer, the 4 wins on presence and density. The 4 without an amp on my iPod isn't too pleasant to listen to, though--there's something going on in the upper base-lower middle that makes them sound meaty, which fatigues me quickly, so in that mode, I do prefer the 6. With an amp, though, they're much better than the 6, in all respects, with a clearer, more defined bass, and less fatiguing treble.

I'm a transparency freak, so I prefer the Etys. If you're just into comfort, though, you'll prefer Shures. They're much less defined, and don't have the transparency of the Etys, but are more musical. I can't get into them, myself, but I do understand them, if you aren't totally wrapped up in hearing each instrument, instead of the overall, and I do understand why so many people like the less analytical, more friendly, Shures.

So, my summary: unamped, Shure or Ety6, depending on how you feel about detail vs musicality. Amped, Ety4.

 

[PiccoloNamek]

Concerning ER4 microphonics: for me, it isn't even an issue when I wear them a certain way. (I insert the IEMs with the strain reducer facing up and then put the cord over my ear Shure-style. Then I let the rest fall over my shoulder. Absolutely zero cord noise here.)

 

[unclejr]

Appreciate your thoughts, mdarnton. From what I understand, Shure service is pretty good? Did they replace your phones after 8 mo.?

You know, I haven't heard all those phones, but I'm totally on the fence about musicality versus transparency -- assuming that not having one means having the other. Would anyone care to comment on the musicality of er6 v. er6i v. er4p, in line with theBigD's question?

Quote:

Originally Posted by mdarnton /img/forum/go_quote.gif ... my Shure cord broke after about 8 months ...