[Thaddy]

Well I finally did it, I'm going with the ER-4S's over the ER-4P's. I can't wait until they get in!

But, any advice you guys wanna give me? I've had the E2's before, so I know what a decent seal feels like, but these are pretty different, especially the way you have to insert them. I want my first listening moments to be enjoyable

 

[gpalmer]

The obligatory

1) Make sure your ears are nice and clean beforehand using a hydrogen Peroxied ear cleaning solution and bulb available from your local drug store.

Then a few others:

Fitting the Etys - A lot of folks use the lick and stick method, this is not always required (depending on the size of your ears). I personally find I get better results most times with the Etys dry but YMMV. I find one of the most important things is of course getting a good seal, bass will suffer tremendously without a good seal. It is NOT necessary to go drilling for oil in your ear to get a good seal. When I first got mine, I thought that the deeper the better, which caused me a lot of unecessary pain and really didn't help the seal. (It also gave me some serious ringing in the ears since I had them shoved so deep). I actually find I get the best seal when they are part way in, not when they are shoved in too deeply. If you're causing yourself pain, you're doiing it wrong. My ears are also rather different in the degree of difficulty I have sealing the silicon tips. The left is beautifully sized for the tri-tips, instant seal first shot every time, while the right is just a bit bigger and requires some more effort most times to get them to seal well. I would use a sound at a known volume to figure out how well your ears are sealed. Personally I use the sound of rubbing my thumb and forefinger together right by my ear to judge how good the seal is. Many times when I THINK I have a good seal and it appears to be air-tight, I can hear significant differences in the volumes of external sounds between my right and left ears. For me, the sound of the tumb and finger completely disappears when I have the seal right so that is my benchmark. Cleaning is always important since it makes a real difference in the seal quality you will get. I clean my Etys with soap and water daily and also from time to time give them a bath in hydrogen peroxide.

 

[Thaddy]

Thanks for the advice, I'll pick up a cleaning kit for my ears sometime this week before they come in

 

[blessingx]

A) Use the foamies.
B) Use the arm-over-head-pulling-ear-up-lower-jaw-twist-in-with-other-hand insertion method.
C) Prepare for temporary dizziness and headaches at first.

 

[John Reeves]

Hi BlessingX,

Love your description, but I'm not sure about the temporary dizziness and headaches. Are you sure you're not quoting from the Kama Sutra?

LOL John

 

[PCJ]

Congrats XP

Why can't we read this on fixit yet?

 

[MooGoesTheCow]

buy lots of q-tips! i use foamies, and if you don't keep your ears squeaky clean, you'll clog it up very quickly.

if anything, etys will improve your hygiene...i'd even go so far as to say etys are as vital to health as the toothbrush.

 

[jerry1130]

Make sure not to insert the q-tips into the ear cannal, it only compacts the ear wax deeper into the ear which can be a pain to get out i.e. going the the doctors. Only use q-tips to clean the outside of the ear.

 

[RickG]

Congrats, Thaddy...

However, I guess I'll never understand why folks buy the 4S instead of the 4P. For the price of a relatively cheap adapter cable, you can have both.

I have always used the flanged tips and can install them with ease in a few seconds. I guess my ears were just built for these (or vice versa)

. The foamies just don't work in my case. I'd suggest that you experiment extensively for yourself.

I must agree with all the talk of hygiene...this can not be stressed enough.

Oh well, have fun and enjoy. The 4 series Etymotic phones are simply amazing.

 

[lizzardfire]

/shrug. Even if the foamies get dirty, just soak in hot soapy water. Instant new foamies.

 

[Thaddy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickG Congrats, Thaddy... However, I guess I'll never understand why folks buy the 4S instead of the 4P. For the price of a relatively cheap adapter cable, you can have both. I have always used the flanged tips and can install them with ease in a few seconds. I guess my ears were just built for these (or vice versa) . The foamies just don't work in my case. I'd suggest that you experiment extensively for yourself. I must agree with all the talk of hygiene...this can not be stressed enough. Oh well, have fun and enjoy. The 4 series Etymotic phones are simply amazing.

I was gonna get the 4P's, but I was stretching my budget getting the ER series as is, so getting the converter cable would put me way over. Plus, I plan on using these with an amp most of the time anyways. When I'm not, I'll just have to deal with the sound unamped(unless I like it!).

 

[Thaddy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MooGoesTheCow buy lots of q-tips! i use foamies, and if you don't keep your ears squeaky clean, you'll clog it up very quickly. if anything, etys will improve your hygiene...i'd even go so far as to say etys are as vital to health as the toothbrush.

Ahh we have another Pittsburgher here! I'll be sure to keep up my hygeine when these babies come in, since I know the chicks will totally dig them

 

[RickG]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thaddy I was gonna get the 4P's, but I was stretching my budget getting the ER series as is, so getting the converter cable would put me way over. Plus, I plan on using these with an amp most of the time anyways. When I'm not, I'll just have to deal with the sound unamped(unless I like it!).

I have no doubt that when you become accustomed to the 4S, you're gonna' dig 'em big time. I've owned both and finally ended up with the 4P's and an adapter. Either way, they sound great.

Again, congratulations on your purchase man!

 

[dougmwpsu]

I bought a pair of er-4p's off idealsound on friday. I havn't a decent amp yet, so I figure when I finally get around to buying one/building one I can either buy the adaptor, make an adaptor or have the resistor circuit built into the amp itself ala superdual. I don't exactly see why everyone says it's nessicary to clean your ears before using the ety's. Is it to keep the phones themselves clean, improve the sound in some way, or just to make them seal easier?

 

[raaj]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dougmwpsu I bought a pair of er-4p's off idealsound on friday. I havn't a decent amp yet, so I figure when I finally get around to buying one/building one I can either buy the adaptor, make an adaptor or have the resistor circuit built into the amp itself ala superdual. I don't exactly see why everyone says it's nessicary to clean your ears before using the ety's. Is it to keep the phones themselves clean, improve the sound in some way, or just to make them seal easier?

You have to clean your ears, first and foremost, for the sake of your own hygeine.. the next "equally important" reason is that earwax tends to clog up the foamies and the filters leading to less than full-potential sonic performance of the Etys, and the last reason is not to make someone puke looking at the wax-laden eartips.. the sight could be truly ugly..