[Dazed&Confused718]

what is the differences between the Etymotic: ER-4P, ER-4S and ER-4B, which sounds the best?

how do they compare to full size cans $200 or less?

do they need an amp?

is there any iem's that sound significantly better or slight better in the ER4's price range or cheaper?

 

[ljokerl]

The Er-4B is the first IEM in the ER4 series IIRC. They were designed to be the most natural-sounding IEMs for speech reproduction. Then came the ER-4S and finally the ER-4P (which was meant for portable use and lost 75 ohms off the Er-4S's 100 ohm impedance). You would really want an amp for the ER-4S. Theres an excellent guide to the ER-4B with comments on the other two here.

As for the best headphones in the price range it really depends on what you're looking for. I like neutral sound so the Etys were right up my alley. That said, the Head-Direct RE0 is in a similar vein and much cheaper at the moment.

 

[torpy]

The ER-4B are binaural, most likely not what you're looking for.

The main difference between the 4P and the 4S is the higher impedance on the S (a 4P can be easier driven out of a portable source), you'd be much better off getting a 4P and simply getting a P-to-S cable for when you need it.

As for comparisons, I actually prefer the accuracy of the ER-4 compared to my MS1. But that's just me, I don't like much bass and the more highs the better. You can't beat the ER-4 for instrument separation IMO.

If you're looking to use these off a portable source, take a look at the Ety hf5, for $100 it's well worth the price. I've heard the only difference between it and the ER-4s is that the drivers aren't hand-matched.

 

[RedSky0]

Back from when I was researching whether to get the ER4P or RE0 I gathered that the RE0 has more actual bass quantity but has the ER4Ps have deeper bass. Since quantity is easy to EQ it was an easy choice especially since I found the ER4Ps used for ~$100. This was before even the $99 let alone $79 current RE0 price. Nowadays it's definitely tilted definitively towards the RE0s if you're looking for value and believe the rave reviews.