ETYS: ER4P or ER4S???

[basman]

Hi to all,

Care to share difference between the two interms of sound signature and spec wise. Also which do you prefer and what DAP and AMP youre using?

Thanks alot!

 

[Atchoum]

Out of a DAP (ihp120) I can hear that the 4s are much better "technically" speaking but I keep my 4p because they are more "fun" / rounded.

Out of an amp (home or portable) there is no point in getting the 4P. The 4S is clearly better.

 

[tstarn06]

Just buy the cable (around $45 from several vendors) that turns the 4P into the 4S. No brainer, rather than buying one phone or the other. Use 4P without an amp, and use the 4S (after attaching thec able) with an amp. The 4S requires an amp, in fact, or you won't get enough volume due to the impedance difference.

 

[basman]

Thanks Atchoum, got an idea i will be using an amp so 4S would be great which has more bass and crisp highs?

Tstarn06 please name which cable makers.

Thanks guys!

 

[tstarn06]

Well, Ety has it for $65 on its site, but you can buy them here used (For Sale forums) or from other makers (they might have them at Head-Direct.com, for example). Just Google Etymotic P to S cable, and you should find some less expensive alternatives to the Ety brand cable.

 

[Atchoum]

tstarn06 is right, the easiest is to get a PtoS converter (i did this) so that you can try. The only drawback is that you'll have to carry the adapter cable if you want to listen to S... There are some diy solution also check : ER4P, Best Earphone!

Remember : 4p can become 4s (with the PtoS converter), BUT the opposite is not true !

 

[carlineng]

How well does the PtoS cable actually work? Will an ER4P with the cable sound exactly like an ER4S? If so, how does that work? Do they use the same drivers, just with different impedance?

 

[dap_pad]

They sound the EXACT SAME. The ER4P with P to S cable sound the EXACT SAME as the ER4S. They use the same drivers but the "S" version has a 75 ohm impedance resistor in them, while the "P" version doesn't. The P to S cable just has a 75 ohm resistor in it and makes the P sound like the S.

 

[basman]

Nice question Carlineng, I was about to ask the same questions.

You guys are great, thanks a lot for your valuable informations!

 

[vYu223]

I wish I had just gotten the ER-4S in the first place, instead of getting the ER-4P + ER4P-24 (PtoS cable from Ety), because I find the ER-4S to work fine in even the weakest sources.

I listen at a much lower volume, though, so YMMV.

 

[basman]

I'm using TripleFi10 and SE530 how do you compare ER4 to these IEM's?

 

[Nagasaki_Kid]

I saw some chinese made ones on ebay that were look better than home made ones. ETYMOTIC ER4P TO ER4S RESISTOR ADAPTOR - eBay (item 290199111038 end time Jan-23-08 18:08:01 PST)

 

[Lil' Knight]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nagasaki_Kid /img/forum/go_quote.gif I saw some chinese made ones on ebay that were look better than home made ones. ETYMOTIC ER4P TO ER4S RESISTOR ADAPTOR - eBay (item 290199111038 end time Jan-23-08 18:08:01 PST)

I got one from him to use with my KSC75

Anyway, you can DIY it or send it to Alex to recable.

 

[AV8TR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Atchoum /img/forum/go_quote.gif tstarn06 is right, the easiest is to get a PtoS converter (i did this) so that you can try. The only drawback is that you'll have to carry the adapter cable if you want to listen to S... There are some diy solution also check : ER4P, Best Earphone! Remember : 4p can become 4s (with the PtoS converter), BUT the opposite is not true !

Fascinating thread! Atchoum makes a good point here! He is suggesting, obviously, that you can have the flexibility to enjoy both by buying the 4p with a convertor. I have found that to be advantageous.

I own the Ety ER-4P and use a Xin SuperMacro 3 for amplification. The SuperMacro has an impedance switch that allows me to quickly switch from the P to the S version. Both versions are excellent. The S is clearly more refined and has more extended highs. So for listening to orchestral music with strings, I prefer the S version due to the improved highs. However, when listening to vocal music, I prefer the P version as it seems to have more mid-range presence. So for me, the version I use depends on the type of music I'm listening to.

Basman, I have limited experience with the SE530, but from what I remember, they were warmer and had greater bass presence than my Etys. If a warmer bass response is important to you, you may be disappointed with the Etys, or it simply may take some time for you to get used to them. On the other hand, if you enjoy supreme clarity and a detailed presentation, you may find that the Etys really shine.

AV8TR

 

[WindowsX]

Just curious, since P and S uses the same driver, S with higher resistor should has more bass, less crisps since it's harder to drive all details out. And all miracle IEM like UE10Pro, UE11Pro, ACS has only 27 ohm not 100 ohm.