etymotic
Jun 28, 2009 at 12:49 AM Post #5 of 19
Well, ER4 is on the market for 18 years now. If there isn't any difference, I am sure someone would have figure that out by now.
smily_headphones1.gif
 
Jun 28, 2009 at 2:36 AM Post #6 of 19
I own both, and yes, I notice the difference. I nearly always use my 4P with the 4P->4S cable because I prefer the 4S sound (I own one 4P and two 4S's).

The 4P is awfully good, but it is not as neutral in frequency response as the 4S. To some people this is a non-issue. But if you are the sort of person (like me) who buys an Ety precisely because its very accurate response sounds 'right' to you, then the difference between the 4S and the 4P is the difference between 'remarkably right' and 'just not quite right'. And for that kind of person, that's an important difference.

That said, IMO there's little downside in buying a 4P. It's a very good earphone in its own right, is noticeably easier to drive from lightweight sources than the 4S, and you can always add the 4P->4S converter to get the 4S experience. Because of all this, the 4P also has historically been a little easier to sell at a good price on Head-Fi than the 4S. (I admit I don't watch this as avidly as I used to, but I used to pay a lot of attention to those prices, which is how I wound up owning 3 ER-4's).
 
Jun 28, 2009 at 4:10 AM Post #7 of 19
I agree with episiarch that there is a noticeable difference between the P and S version of the ER4. And I, too, prefer the S version. Everything sounds more balanced to me. An amp helps, but isn't absolutely necessary for the S. I use it with my iPod at about 3/4 to slightly higher volume. When I had the P, it was normally between 1/2 to 3/4 in volume.

I had the P, with a P-S converter, but found it a bit cumbersome and sold it a while ago. About a week or so ago, I picked up a straight-up S and am enjoying it quite a bit.

The B version of the Ety is great, too, as long as you have a warm tube amp to power it. Otherwise, it can sound mighty fatiguing in a hurry.
 
Jun 28, 2009 at 5:02 AM Post #9 of 19
Quote:

Originally Posted by episiarch /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I own both, and yes, I notice the difference. I nearly always use my 4P with the 4P->4S cable because I prefer the 4S sound (I own one 4P and two 4S's).

The 4P is awfully good, but it is not as neutral in frequency response as the 4S. To some people this is a non-issue. But if you are the sort of person (like me) who buys an Ety precisely because its very accurate response sounds 'right' to you, then the difference between the 4S and the 4P is the difference between 'remarkably right' and 'just not quite right'. And for that kind of person, that's an important difference.

That said, IMO there's little downside in buying a 4P. It's a very good earphone in its own right, is noticeably easier to drive from lightweight sources than the 4S, and you can always add the 4P->4S converter to get the 4S experience. Because of all this, the 4P also has historically been a little easier to sell at a good price on Head-Fi than the 4S. (I admit I don't watch this as avidly as I used to, but I used to pay a lot of attention to those prices, which is how I wound up owning 3 ER-4's).




Do your S's have stock cables, or have you done any mods?
 
May 17, 2011 at 2:57 AM Post #13 of 19
there is a huge difference. amp em and see for yourself. i personally like the s way better than the p amped. using the p alone on my iphone sounds pretty good though for those times when i'm too lazy to take around my cmoybb. 
 
May 17, 2011 at 6:45 AM Post #14 of 19
For me, the Ety ER4S is from the class of a "special IEM´s", and to a lesser extent, the Westone UM3X.

To start, it was not made to a portable DAP. Thus, it will be far from their real possibilities. However, if you use it in a nice DAC and amplifier, you can be sure that this little headphone is capable of beating some of the best full-size headphones in the market. It's something really magical.

For portable use (J3, Sansa Fuze), without amplification, my choice always lies with the Westone UM3X. It has the basic presentation found in the ER4S, however, more neutral/natural and closer to their real abilities, bringing a full sound and a wonderfull bass.
 
Cheers,
 
Peter
 

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