[ER4S]

Yes, @TheDreamthinker is right, you are eligible for the special purchase option. Check details from here: http://www.etymotic.com/support/out-of-warranty-and-special-purchase-options
 
It says: Customer-damaged or modified products that are not covered under Etymotic's warranty policy are eligible for the Special Purchase Option.
 
So, you can buy new ER4 for $179.40
 

  I bought my set of ER4-Ps in about 2006/2007 and have enjoyed them for years. Finally they have completely worn out, so I need a new set of headphones.
 
After researching the current state of the market I have finally returned to the ER4-Ps as the right choice. I am stunned that almost a decade after I bought my first pair these headphones have not been bested.
 
Am I crazy? Are there any other choices that have emerged in the interim that I have missed? My priorities are portability, extremely good sound isolation, and detailed, neutral, accurate sound.
 
Otherwise I'll be ordering my second pair of these - apparently - timeless classics pretty soon.
 
Tom

 

  These are originally from 1991...you are not the first on to be surprised.
 
Don't you get the special replacement price if yours fail?

   
Just searched back through my emails. I did get the "extended warranty" but it was only for 2 years, so they are certainly outside that period now.

 

[TheDreamthinker]

Originally Posted by mohandas /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
Yes, @TheDreamthinker is right, you are eligible for the special purchase option. Check details from here: http://www.etymotic.com/support/out-of-warranty-and-special-purchase-options

 

It says: Customer-damaged or modified products that are not covered under Etymotic's warranty policy are eligible for the Special Purchase Option.

 

So, you can buy new ER4 for $179.40

Thanks for confirming, @mohandas.
 

 
Just searched back through my emails. I did get the "extended warranty" but it was only for 2 years, so they are certainly outside that period now.

To be honest, at that price, you could just buy another ER4 and get another (warmer?) iem on top of that.

 

[tomscrace]

Wow. What a great company.
 
Thanks guys! You just saved me money. I had no idea that this special price existed.
 
Tom

 

[TheDreamthinker]

  Wow. What a great company.
 
Thanks guys! You just saved me money. I had no idea that this special price existed.
 
Tom

That's why we are here. To empty your pockets - just to then put a few coins back in.

 

[ER4S]

  That's why we are here. To empty your pockets - just to then put a few coins back in.

 
Ahaha! That's right
 
 

  Wow. What a great company.
 
Thanks guys! You just saved me money. I had no idea that this special price existed.
 
Tom

 
You're welcome mate, enjoy with your new ER4 in advance

 

[tomscrace]

 
 
You're welcome mate, enjoy with your new ER4 in advance

 
Thanks; I'm sure I will. I've been making do with a set of Senn Momentums for a while, but it's just not the same at all. Can't wait to get back to the crystal clarity of the Etys.

 

[TheDreamthinker]

 
Thanks; I'm sure I will. I've been making do with a set of Senn Momentums for a while, but it's just not the same at all. Can't wait to get back to the crystal clarity of the Etys.

Recently tried some of the 'new' brands of 'urban' headphones (i find the marketing terms funny for some reason). Just to see what the mainstream market is doing these days.
 
Among which were the Momentums (OnEar), Momentum (OverEar), Urbanite (Over&OnEar), some beats and the a Philips (Bluetooth&Cable compatible - forgot the name) headphones.
 
They weren't bad per se, especially the Philips, but they all were in the same price range as the ER4 and for the same price the ER4 simply has a clarity and purity which can hardly be compared.
+ The Urbanites seem to have bad isolation. Well to be fair, everything has bad isolation compared to the ER4 with triple flanges.

 

[tomscrace]

I found the momentums decent. Very comfortable. Fairly detailed but a bit bass-heavy for my tastes. Very little noise-isolation compared with the Etys.
 
I'll keep the Momentums around, but I think they'll be relegated to movie-watching duty once I get the Etymotics back in my life.

 

[herjazz]

I registered just to say "thank you" to the person who pointed out the Ety has a out-of-warranty replacement program!!
 
And to the OP: yes I'm a huge Ety fan, I have bought over 20 Etys over the years since 2000 when I got my first ER4S...
 
I am not sure if the site was Head-Fi.org, but it was a forum/site for audiophiles/headphone enthusiasts (I think it was headphones.com), and I was browsing it one day and took a chance on buying the ER4S (it was $400 at the time, if memory serves me correctly...) and I was blown away by it and fell in love with it right away.  It was so comfortable (the 3-flange silicone one) and sounded so nice and clean and flat and accurate.  I am not an audiophile, but I am a musician.  I've been using Ety earplugs for years while playing in loud rock bands before I knew they made in-ear monitors!  They really reminded me of reference headphones that we used in the recording studio.  And I loved the noise isolation too.  In my home studio, it's the only way I overdub and record live instruments (especially playing the drums-- better to have lightweight in-ear monitors than have a big headphone can on your head, even a good closed-back one...).
 
Unfortunately that pair of ER4S got stolen in 2005 along with my iPod nano.  I have concurrently purchased a lot of Ety headsets (for my phones: flip phones to smartphones) and in-ear monitors...  And these types of in-ear phones started to gain more mainstream popularity about 5-10 years ago.  When I first got mine, people were asking about it all the time-- are they comfortable? How deep does that go in your ear?  How is the bass?   ...but these days, they are so commonplace that no one even gives it a second look.  If I ever see another person with Etys, I totally strike up a conversation with them; it has only happened a few times and I live in NYC riding the subways/buses all the time (so they are rare to spot).  I'm sure, as the OP said, there are lots of better IEMs now, but I sort of stuck with Etys over the years.  I've recommended them to my family and friends, so they all have them too, haha...  Just last year, my sister ordered the "kid" version for my niece (it has a volume limiter)...
 
Anyways, thanks again for that link.  I think I'm going to finally splurge and get another ER4S to replace the one I lost 10 years ago...

 

[ER4S]

  I registered just to say "thank you" to the person who pointed out the Ety has a out-of-warranty replacement program!!
 
And to the OP: yes I'm a huge Ety fan, I have bought over 20 Etys over the years since 2000 when I got my first ER4S...
 
I am not sure if the site was Head-Fi.org, but it was a forum/site for audiophiles/headphone enthusiasts (I think it was headphones.com), and I was browsing it one day and took a chance on buying the ER4S (it was $400 at the time, if memory serves me correctly...) and I was blown away by it and fell in love with it right away.  It was so comfortable (the 3-flange silicone one) and sounded so nice and clean and flat and accurate.  I am not an audiophile, but I am a musician.  I've been using Ety earplugs for years while playing in loud rock bands before I knew they made in-ear monitors!  They really reminded me of reference headphones that we used in the recording studio.  And I loved the noise isolation too.  In my home studio, it's the only way I overdub and record live instruments (especially playing the drums-- better to have lightweight in-ear monitors than have a big headphone can on your head, even a good closed-back one...).
 
Unfortunately that pair of ER4S got stolen in 2005 along with my iPod nano.  I have concurrently purchased a lot of Ety headsets (for my phones: flip phones to smartphones) and in-ear monitors...  And these types of in-ear phones started to gain more mainstream popularity about 5-10 years ago.  When I first got mine, people were asking about it all the time-- are they comfortable? How deep does that go in your ear?  How is the bass?   ...but these days, they are so commonplace that no one even gives it a second look.  If I ever see another person with Etys, I totally strike up a conversation with them; it has only happened a few times and I live in NYC riding the subways/buses all the time (so they are rare to spot).  I'm sure, as the OP said, there are lots of better IEMs now, but I sort of stuck with Etys over the years.  I've recommended them to my family and friends, so they all have them too, haha...  Just last year, my sister ordered the "kid" version for my niece (it has a volume limiter)...
 
Anyways, thanks again for that link.  I think I'm going to finally splurge and get another ER4S to replace the one I lost 10 years ago...

 
It's good if it served well Do you have ER4 now? (not necessary to work, it can be broken etc) Cause you need to have an ER4 and send it to Etymotic + pay special purchase price.
 
I didn't read any sentence about that you have broken ER4 now, maybe it escaped me.

 

[Mooses9]

It's good to see new comers to headfi ☺especially if you like the er4 .

 

[Zoop]

sorry if i havent been super updated with this post. does anyone make a balanced (3.5mm) cable for ER4 to be used with sony PHA-3? thanks.

 

[uzi2]

  sorry if i havent been super updated with this post. does anyone make a balanced (3.5mm) cable for ER4 to be used with sony PHA-3? thanks.

No. The way round it would be to use the widely available adapters and a cable made for a more standard fitting.

 

[gixxerwimp]

Haven't had a chance to filter through this 368 page thread yet. Bought my ER•4PTs last month and love them. Love them more now that I've solved the cable noise ("microphonics") problem and added a remote for listening from Android devices.
 
Here's a link to my write up on the conversion using awwan's adapters for Shure cables.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/560401/etymotic-er-4-aftermarket-low-microphonics-cable#post_11353406
[Edited to directly link to my tutorial]
 

 

[uzi2]

  Haven't had a chance to filter through this 368 page thread yet. Bought my ER•4PTs last month and love them. Love them more now that I've solved the cable noise ("microphonics") problem and added a remote for listening from Android devices.
 
Here's a link to my write up on the conversion using awwan's adapters for Shure cables.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/127133/etymotic-er-4-cord-noise-mod/15#post_11355335

Those are the first replacement Shure cables I've see with an angled connector.
Is this a substantial improvement to the fit over the more common straight connector? It does look to follow the angle over the ear much better.