papa_snap
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2003
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Hi all!
The Etymotic ER4P (or S) is definately not to everyone's liking, and is certainly not perfect. People have different tastes - which is why I want to limit this question to people who have extensively used the ER4 and didn't just like it, they loved it.
I love the ER-4P (tried the S, but preferred the P) for a number of reasons, but first and foremost is it's remarkable clarity in the top half of the spectrum - nothing else I've heard sounds so clear and detailed, and can grab me and make for such an immersive experience. In particlar, voices really shine - they have a real snap and sparkle, a little clinical maybe but still more alive than any other IEM/earphone I've tried.
The bottom half is no slouch either - in some tracks/genres it's bang on - but overall I think the bottom half is lacking. For example the bass is tight, but there's not much of it.
What I'm wondering is - for people who love the ER4's, what if any IEM's out there have you tried that match or beat it for it's clarity and immediacy, but with better bass / lower mids thrown in as well? Do such things exist? Or am I stuck with the ER-4Ps for good, despite their old age and expensive tendancy for the plastic sound "pipe" on them to break??
For example, in the full-sized headphone world, I think Grado/Alessandro headphones manage to do this very well - punchy highs AND mids AND lows, eg I love the SR-325i's I listen to at work. I've used both grado/alessandro's and etymotics for about 6 years.
As I write this, I'm listening to a pair of Westone 3's I bought a few weeks ago. They're impressive in many ways, and if I hadn't spent so much time with ER4's I'd probably think they were just fine - but with vocals it sounds like the person is around the corner, or under a blanket, while with the etys it sounds like they're singing right next to me, into my ear. Violins etc too. The way I feel at the moment, I'll probably be letting the Westone's go, and buy another pair of ER-4P's. Possibly with the apuresound cable, although I'm definately wary re; the value of upgrading cables - I've bought expensive cables before and found them way too minor an improvement to be worth the money. With the apuresounds alone costing as much as new pair of ER-4's, I'd want the difference to be very significant!
Thanks! And all the best for the new year!
The Etymotic ER4P (or S) is definately not to everyone's liking, and is certainly not perfect. People have different tastes - which is why I want to limit this question to people who have extensively used the ER4 and didn't just like it, they loved it.
I love the ER-4P (tried the S, but preferred the P) for a number of reasons, but first and foremost is it's remarkable clarity in the top half of the spectrum - nothing else I've heard sounds so clear and detailed, and can grab me and make for such an immersive experience. In particlar, voices really shine - they have a real snap and sparkle, a little clinical maybe but still more alive than any other IEM/earphone I've tried.
The bottom half is no slouch either - in some tracks/genres it's bang on - but overall I think the bottom half is lacking. For example the bass is tight, but there's not much of it.
What I'm wondering is - for people who love the ER4's, what if any IEM's out there have you tried that match or beat it for it's clarity and immediacy, but with better bass / lower mids thrown in as well? Do such things exist? Or am I stuck with the ER-4Ps for good, despite their old age and expensive tendancy for the plastic sound "pipe" on them to break??
For example, in the full-sized headphone world, I think Grado/Alessandro headphones manage to do this very well - punchy highs AND mids AND lows, eg I love the SR-325i's I listen to at work. I've used both grado/alessandro's and etymotics for about 6 years.
As I write this, I'm listening to a pair of Westone 3's I bought a few weeks ago. They're impressive in many ways, and if I hadn't spent so much time with ER4's I'd probably think they were just fine - but with vocals it sounds like the person is around the corner, or under a blanket, while with the etys it sounds like they're singing right next to me, into my ear. Violins etc too. The way I feel at the moment, I'll probably be letting the Westone's go, and buy another pair of ER-4P's. Possibly with the apuresound cable, although I'm definately wary re; the value of upgrading cables - I've bought expensive cables before and found them way too minor an improvement to be worth the money. With the apuresounds alone costing as much as new pair of ER-4's, I'd want the difference to be very significant!
Thanks! And all the best for the new year!
