[appar111]

I'm thinking of pairing these with a minidisc player that has a 5-band graphic EQ, and was wondering how the ER4 series responds to equalization.

 

[saint.panda]

Very well in my opinion. And it doesn't need to be high quality eq-ing although it surely wouldn't hurt. With bass boost and a slightly tamed treble, these are still the best sounding IEMs I've tried. Others I've owned are the Shure E2/3/4 and Ety ER-6i. I eventually sold the ER-4P/S because they stick out too much and the eq on the Ipod didn't give me what I wanted for the Etys.

 

[appar111]

I keep thinking that these might get more use than a pair of DT880's, since I can take them on the go easier, but everyone says that they are no good for rock, have no bass, etc.

 

[chrisfromalbany]

Quote:

Originally Posted by appar111 I'm thinking of pairing these with a minidisc player that has a 5-band graphic EQ, and was wondering how the ER4 series responds to equalization.

I personally think they respond better to amping them EQing.

 

[Igor01]

Quote:

Originally Posted by appar111 I keep thinking that these might get more use than a pair of DT880's, since I can take them on the go easier, but everyone says that they are no good for rock, have no bass, etc.

If you're not horrified of the idea of EQ'ing the Ety's (which you clearly not) then you should be pleased with the results. Those who say that Ety's lack bass are probably the people that would not touch EQ with a ten-foot pole.

I've used my Ety's with a Sharp MT832 and boosting the bass output really brings them to life. Similarly great results with using bass boost and EQ on iRiver iHP140 and Cowon iAudio X5, with proper EQ these phones pack tons of poweful bass which is nevertheless very well defined and tight. This coming from a basshead shold count for something :

I say go for it, you won't be disappointed.

 

[Max Minimum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Igor01 If you're not horrified of the idea of EQ'ing the Ety's (which you clearly not) then you should be pleased with the results. Those who say that Ety's lack bass are probably the people that would not touch EQ with a ten-foot pole. I've used my Ety's with a Sharp MT832 and boosting the bass output really brings them to life. Similarly great results with using bass boost and EQ on iRiver iHP140 and Cowon iAudio X5, with proper EQ these phones pack tons of poweful bass which is nevertheless very well defined and tight. This coming from a basshead shold count for something : I say go for it, you won't be disappointed.

I agree. I have the ER-4P's and at one point owned the UM2's simultaneously, so I was able to compare them directly.

They are just about polar opposites. To me the ER-4P's are too bright and bass-shy (though not as much as some reviews would lead you to believe, imo), but very resolving, tight and quick. The UM2's, on the other hand, are to me too dark and muddy, but have good bass slam.

I tended to eq them both so that they ended up sounding suprisingly alike. But the Etys were able to be eq'd to give me almost everything I liked about the UM2's while sacrificing very little of what I like about them 'naturally'. This was not as much the case with the Westones. They never got particularly close to the Etys in terms of resolution when eq'd to enhance the treble output, and a fair amount of graininess was introduced to the sound. I will say, though, that the UM2's retained the edge in bass slam, but just barely.

 

[ProleArtThreat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Igor01 If you're not horrified of the idea of EQ'ing the Ety's (which you clearly not) then you should be pleased with the results. Those who say that Ety's lack bass are probably the people that would not touch EQ with a ten-foot pole. I've used my Ety's with a Sharp MT832 and boosting the bass output really brings them to life. Similarly great results with using bass boost and EQ on iRiver iHP140 and Cowon iAudio X5, with proper EQ these phones pack tons of poweful bass which is nevertheless very well defined and tight. This coming from a basshead shold count for something : I say go for it, you won't be disappointed.

I agree. And with a source that doesn't have as bad a bass roll off as most iPods with low impedance phones, they should provide decent bass. A bass rich source or amp should give them plenty of low end pop. I'm actually listening to my Ety's right now amped out of my Hornet playing a Curve album (Come Clean) and there is more than enough bass.

 

[EdipisReks]

the ER-4S has plenty of bass with my PPX3 Slam, too.

 

[apnk]

The Ety's are good for gaming also.

I tried em one time for Max Payne 2 and

OMG, they have a soundstage as wide as a tooth pick but you can hear everything whether it is in front, back, right or left of you!

 

[K2Grey]

How much bass boost do you think would be suitable for ER-4P? 3 db or 6 db?

 

[kwlinder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by appar111 I keep thinking that these might get more use than a pair of DT880's, since I can take them on the go easier, but everyone says that they are no good for rock, have no bass, etc.

The Ety's have plenty of bass if you have a good seal. They are also fine for rock. I don't listen to much heavy metal, but I listen to plenty of rock, alternative and live jam bands and the Ety's do very nicely. I use the Ety ER-4P, with a 4p to s adapter whenever I have my amp and need portability. If I am excercising, walking, or need to hear what is going on around me, I tend to use my Koss KSC-75's otherwise it is always the ER-4 outside the house. On a plane, the Etys are mandatory. They are great phones.

I started with Grados for home, and Koss for portabiity. Next purchase was the Ety ER-4p, and then Beyer DT-880's for home and the P to S cable for the Ety's. I like detail and am not a basshead, and would not part with any of these phones. Next up... probably an amp upgrade. I think the phones will be OK for a while, but down the road a Grado upgrade is bound to happen.

 

[EdipisReks]

Quote:

Originally Posted by appar111 I keep thinking that these might get more use than a pair of DT880's, since I can take them on the go easier, but everyone says that they are no good for rock, have no bass, etc.

you heard my pair of Etys, and i believe you remarked that they had plenty of bass.

 

[sxr71]

Quote:

Originally Posted by K2Grey How much bass boost do you think would be suitable for ER-4P? 3 db or 6 db?

It depends on the center frequency and slope. With the Xin Supermini, I find the standard +7dB to be somewhat excessive but enjoyable in certain situations.

With my LaRocco PR-II with bass boost centered in the lowest octave I can actually adjust bass up to +20dB while barely affecting vocals. Even at +20dB the difference isn't as large as it would seem because of how low the center frequency is. In fact turning it to +10dB is much more subtle than +7dB on the Supermini.

It gives a perfect, subtle low bass boost that does not affect vocals. The Etys take bass boost at the lowest octave in their stride and really show how deep they can go. My SR-225s on the other hand are nearly unaffected by this bass boost even when turned up to +20dB. I suspect this is because the Grados are not capable of going as low as the ER-4S. The Etys on the hand really show their low bass capabilities and are capable of producing serious bass without bottoming out or distorting.

Listening to the ER-4S with the PR-II and bass boost up about half-way is IMHO a great experience combining the resolution of the ER-4S with bass that is deep, fast and powerful.

 

[sxr71]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Max Minimum I agree. I have the ER-4P's and at one point owned the UM2's simultaneously, so I was able to compare them directly. They are just about polar opposites. To me the ER-4P's are too bright and bass-shy (though not as much as some reviews would lead you to believe, imo), but very resolving, tight and quick. The UM2's, on the other hand, are to me too dark and muddy, but have good bass slam. I tended to eq them both so that they ended up sounding suprisingly alike. But the Etys were able to be eq'd to give me almost everything I liked about the UM2's while sacrificing very little of what I like about them 'naturally'. This was not as much the case with the Westones. They never got particularly close to the Etys in terms of resolution when eq'd to enhance the treble output, and a fair amount of graininess was introduced to the sound. I will say, though, that the UM2's retained the edge in bass slam, but just barely.

I agree. Well-said about how the Etys can be eq'd and yet not lose their natural strengths.

I believe that if one is careful with the EQ, you can get almost anything you want out of the ER-4S.

 

[smeggy]

Ety's go extremely well with low end boost. It's very clean and fills up the soundfield considerably where needed. Even with the 4S I find 6db ample for anything I throw at them. They still stay tight, fast and focused, just more full in the lower regions.