I love Ety ER4's, but is there something better? Asking other poeple who love(d) the ER4(P/S) only, please :)

[papa_snap]

thanks everyone! very condiderate & helpful responses

sounds pretty much just as I was expecting - there's any number of "sidegrades", but no clear upgrades - looks like I'll be buying another pair of ER-4P's then! I guess I might as well try the apuresound upgrade too.

Oh - it does sound like the UE10/11 customs might be a real upgrade, but with the aussie dollar very weak at the moment I can't see myself buying US$1k earphones for a while!

as a few people noted in this thread, I've found that the ER4's respond very well to EQ'ing / using "bass boost" settings, like the Mach3Bass on my Cowon D2 - they manage to add more impact to the bass, but don't degenerate too soon into muffled distortion. I think an EQ'd ER4 is the best solution for me for now.

I've tried my ety's with a portable amp, most of the time I wouldn't carry and amp around as there's not enough space in my pockets unfrortunately!

I use a fairly inexpensive iBasso D2 Boa USB Dac + amp with them sometimes, which pairs pretty well with the grados, but doesn't really match well with the ety. I've got a very well spec'd old PPA (blackgates, custom power supply, silver wiring etc etc) sitting around somewhere, which has a bass boost switch, will have to dig that out again and try it again.

Thanks everyone! Not long to new years now..

 

[synaesthetic]

ER-4P doesn't need a portable amp, and I don't really feel it gains much from one, either. When I used my old ER-4P with a portable amp, the only real difference I noticed was a slight deepening of the bass. This is a good thing, considering how all Etymotics seem to be lacking in the bass department; however the benefit wasn't worth the hassle in my opinion.

I liked the ER-4P quite a lot sound-wise, though it could be terribly sibilant on albums it didn't like. The ER-4P is very revealing of poor recordings and will complain if they are played through them. My primary gripes with the ER-4P stemmed from its usability as a portable earphone, which is quite terrible, mostly due to the cable and the hit-or-miss build quality.

When it comes to practicality as a portable, I prefer my HF5 to both the other Etymotic earphones I've owned. It does not quite have the same level of detail as the ER-4P, but when listening to lossy tracks through a portable device (which will always be a substandard playback method, regardless of perceived SQ) this "deficiency" is actually a benefit.

The HF5 isn't quite as ruthlessly revealing of poor encoding or recording as its older brother is. As I said in the other thread, in terms of sound quality, it falls between the ER-6i and the ER-4P, but I feel it has more in common with the former than the latter. As a portable headphone, there is a such thing as too good, especially when taking into account the many interferences that portable listening brings.

Cable thump, bone conduction, the wind whistling in your ears, ambient sounds (even the most isolating earphone cannot completely block that out) and many other factors contribute to the detriment of portable listening. For me, it is not a question so much of "what's best" more than a question of "what's the most practical?"

Anyway, if you are out and about listening to your portable, and you are listening critically, there's a fairly high chance that you will get flattened by a bus.

For these reasons, many people are hostile to the idea of pouring so much fruitless effort into improving the quality of portable listening.

I believe the point of diminishing returns is met much more rapidly than when you're sitting in your home where the listening environment can be tightly controlled.

 

[Spad]

I wouldn't presume to say which is "best" since such opinions vary widely between individuals. But I can say that, owning both the ER4 and the W3, I much prefer the W3. As always, YMMV.

 

[younglee200]

You guys are all quite lucky - I couldn't even get a decent fit with the ER-4P I ordered from Amazon about half a year ago and had to return them immediately.

 

[tnmike1]

Recable the Ety to Apuresound. Buy an amp. Audio Nirvana

 

[shigzeo]

i can honestly say that until now, the er4s has been my favourite trance phone. i listen to trance, some techno and classical.

the er4s even unamped has speed and a great image that was perfect for fast genre. i hated it however for jazz and classical as it sounded lifeless.

love and hate.

recently, i went for the audio technica ck10 and it was on a whim. however, it has a similar image to the er4s, but slightly wider. what it does have better for sure is comfort, cable quality, build quality and has a warmer bass though not by much. it is quantifiably more responsive but not um2 or e500 style.

it does not isolate as much. however, i find it now my de facto trance phone bar none. nothing even the er4s comes close.

 

[synaesthetic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tnmike1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Recable the Ety to Apuresound. Buy an amp. Audio Nirvana

Or you can save your money and your sanity and just buy an HF5, which doesn't have a cable bad enough to warrant replacement to begin with.

 

[darkninja67]

I had a thread about 3 years ago saying how I preferred the ER4P over the Shures I had tried at the time. I love the highs and the immediacy of the Etymotics. They fit me well and were very durable and light.

A few months ago I got Shure SE530s and fell in love with the midrange on these earphones. They are lush and full. The Shures are non-fatiguing and do well with a variety of genres IMO.

So I still have the Etymotics when I want a very energetic listen and the Shures for when I want a more mellow and warm listen. The mids on the Shures are amazing though, that is what keeps me from ordering the new Westones.

 

[John E Woven]

Quote:

Originally Posted by synaesthetic /img/forum/go_quote.gif Or you can save your money and your sanity and just buy an HF5, which doesn't have a cable bad enough to warrant replacement to begin with.

the HF5 cable is inferior to the ER4p cable. I can deal with the microphonics of the er4p, so it's a great choice.

 

[panda]

that's odd that you prefer the p as it's less everything than the s save for more bass volume. no other iem can match the clarity/details, you're chasing a goose egg.

 

[FlyPenFly]

How poorly or well will songs from the Itunes Music store and Amazon MP3 service (I believe 256kbps VBR MP3 LAME) sound on an ER-4P out of a iPhone 3G which, from what I read, is supposed to have one of the best non-amped outs for a DAP.

Would it be even worth it?

I keep getting stuck behind the practicality and forgiveness of the HF2 over the reputation for ultimate Etymotic IEM that the ER4 enjoys.

 

[papa_snap]

what I'm really looking for, I guess, would be an "ER-5" - a direct successor made by etymotic as a high end IEM, eg a dual driver design (keeping the nice high end and adding another driver to handle the low end), and with updated ergonomics (similar to the more recent Westone 3, etc).

I guess the high end market is pretty flooded at the moment, but I'm suprised after all these years etymotic haven't bought out a new high-end phone - they've mostly just worked with the more basic consumer IEMS (the HF's, the ety-com, etc). From a business perspective that might be a better bet, but it's a shame they haven't done much development on a flagship product in years..

 

[scytheavatar]

There's only 1 logical upgrade to the ER4p, and that's the K701/K702. The ER4p is popular because it's the best at what it does.

 

[DeTrun]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tnmike1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Recable the Ety to Apuresound. Buy an amp. Audio Nirvana

papa snap: It would be nice if you are going to get the APS-ER4 cable. I haven't read many opinions about the recable, but the impressions I've read were very positive. So more impressions would be very nice.

And the people who posted their impressions, did not say that it was the same as the stock cable. So I think it does make a difference.

The APS-cable is expensive, but you should bear in mind that the cable is braided, hand-made by perfectionists to create quality cables, so they put a lot of effort in manufacturing their cables. APureSound probably also uses high-quality plugs, resistors, cables, solder etc., which also increases the price. They also make the connectors, who connect with the earphone, themselves.
The APS-cable is made of copper, so replacing the silver (which usually is brighter), stock cable should affect the SQ. The cable can be worn over the ear, which reduces microphonics, improves ergonomics and it doesn't stick out of your ear, which makes you look better

.

I do not have the ER4P, but I will be getting one soon and when I'm able to afford it, I also will get the APS-ER4 cable (if they still make them

), because IMO, it has many improvements.
(I was deciding to get the W3 or the ER4P with the APS-cable. antonyfirst has made a review of the W3. He compared the W3 to the APS-ER4P. He liked the W3, but preferred the APS-ER4P. So after reading many threads, his review made me choose to get the ER4P.)

For a ER4 lover like you, it seems that trying this cable would make sense. Getting a warm, tubey amp with bass boost would be nice too.

 

[AmanGeorge]

I've been searching for an upgrade from the Etys, haven't gotten far (K701, DT880), but haven't found anything yet. The energy and forward presentation is addictive and tough to beat. I'm with the other folks here who recommend amping them - I run my ER4P through a Zen Head and am in love with the combo. It fills out the bass a lot, and I'm sure there are other amps that would do the same.