[Ngjiachien]

Guys, just to confirm Jds c5d and er4s = good combination ?
I was looking for a pair of er4, but can't decide which version to go, and what amp can really drive it at the right authority.
I mean as budget as possible? An er4 cost me about 240usd, plus perhaps a 260usd amp ?
Accidentally saw most of u guys talking about this combination, so would like to know about it.
Thanks.

 

[imackler]

Guys, just to confirm Jds c5d and er4s = good combination ?
I was looking for a pair of er4, but can't decide which version to go, and what amp can really drive it at the right authority.
I mean as budget as possible? An er4 cost me about 240usd, plus perhaps a 260usd amp ?
Accidentally saw most of u guys talking about this combination, so would like to know about it.
Thanks.

The other combo that is often spoken of is the ER4S w the Leckerton UHA6S-MKII. 

 

[luisdent]

The arrow amp also has a nice multi bass boost as well if you did get the c5 for some strange reason

 

[gixxerwimp]

  Is it a new cable shown on the massdrop offer ?  (I did pay my er4p with the p4s cable for less than 200$ )

 
Looks like the old cable.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/303447/how-tough-is-the-cord-on-the-ety-4p#post_3900483
 
This is the current cable.

https://www.etymotic.com/consumer/earphones/er4.html

 

[Ngjiachien]

Okay, but is the er4s a better choice ? I have been hearing that er4s has a more refined sound...
And does er4s = er4pt + adapter p to s ?

 

[gixxerwimp]

  Okay, but is the er4s a better choice ? I have been hearing that er4s has a more refined sound...
And does er4s = er4pt + adapter p to s ?

 
"Better" depends on your personal preference. "P" has more bass, some like the highs of the "S".
 
Yes, "4S" = "4P" + "P-to-S adapter". The only difference is the "S" has a 75 Ω resistor in the Y-pod (well, 2 resistors - 1 per channel). "4PT" just means that the adapter comes in the box.

http://www.etymotic.com/er38-24.html
 
You can convert "P" to "S", but not the other way around (i.e. you can add resistance, but you can't take it away, unless you mod with adapters like these: http://www.ebay.com/itm/290630811020).

 

[Ngjiachien]

Are you saying that with the adapter, er4p is almost similar to er4s ？
I heard people saying that they are not exactly the same sounding, but about 99%.
The 1% I heard depends on the golden ears

...
I am actually more towards er4p because I can use it with my iphone on the go, lets say for short trip...
But I really dunwan to limit the potential of this iem, so if er4s > er4p with adapter, I will go for s version and get an amp after that

 

[gixxerwimp]

  Are you saying that with the adapter, er4p is almost similar to er4s ？
I heard people saying that they are not exactly the same sounding, but about 99%.
The 1% I heard depends on the golden ears

...
I am actually more towards er4p because I can use it with my iphone on the go, lets say for short trip...
But I really dunwan to limit the potential of this iem, so if er4s > er4p with adapter, I will go for s version and get an amp after that

 
I haven't heard the ER-4S, and I use my 4Ps without the adapter (I maybe have tried it once to make sure it worked). I doubt that there's a difference between a "4S" and "4P+adapter". But I also don't believe that cables make a difference in SQ (as long as the cable is a good conductor). I would say getting the "PT" and having the option of both "P" and "S" would outweigh differences in SQ (if any) with a "pure S". YVMV.
 
If you can get into store that carries both, give them a listen. Another thing to consider is that the stock cable is very mechanically noisy (a.k.a. "microphonics"). Trying it out will let you decide if this is bothersome for you. I did the cable adapter mod so I can use different cables.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/560401/etymotic-er-4-aftermarket-low-microphonics-cable#post_11353406

 

[gixxerwimp]

Double post.

 

[Jazic]

  Are you saying that with the adapter, er4p is almost similar to er4s ？
I heard people saying that they are not exactly the same sounding, but about 99%.
The 1% I heard depends on the golden ears

...
I am actually more towards er4p because I can use it with my iphone on the go, lets say for short trip...
But I really dunwan to limit the potential of this iem, so if er4s > er4p with adapter, I will go for s version and get an amp after that

 
I have the ER4P-T model which has the S adapter. I find that the "P" model sounds more bloated in the mid bass and is overly boomy in that area. I personally prefer a cleaner sound so I like the way the "S" sounds by cleaning up those frequencies some. A lot of it has to do with impedance miss-matches on the amp and headphones/iems. 
 
Another benefit of the "S" is it does require a bit more volume to get to a comfortable listening volume. For those ultra rare instances when you forget to lower the volume before pressing play and it's 100% you're ears and IEMs may thank you for that slight change in volume.
 
At the end of the day it comes down to you. Warmer sound or more neutral. Granted most issues with sound with either the S or the P can be fixed with slight EQ (*gasp*) adjustments.

 

[luisdent]

EQ is your friend.
 
I have to say that I don't find the er4p to have "more bass" as most people describe it. More warmth? Yes. This is because there isn't any more bass. There is no boost in bass frequencies that enhance the bass in any way. It is the identical earphone with less treble. Which means the er4p has more bass, more mids and more lower treble. Relatively speaking that is. So I literally hear it as more of a drop in treble than an increase in bass alone. It is an increase and bass and mids, which makes the treble sound less distinct. I don't get the sensation that the bass sounds any "better" either. In fact, the added treble accuracy helps the transparency of bass instruments to sound better. But that's my take on it.
 
If you eq the treble out of another earphone, it doesn't really have any better bass, but just more "everything" else in relation to the treble. Which means less treble and less clarity and less neutrality in the case of the er4...

 

[james444]

  I have to say that I don't find the er4p to have "more bass" as most people describe it. More warmth? Yes. This is because there isn't any more bass. There is no boost in bass frequencies that enhance the bass in any way. It is the identical earphone with less treble. Which means the er4p has more bass, more mids and more lower treble. Relatively speaking that is. So I literally hear it as more of a drop in treble than an increase in bass alone. It is an increase and bass and mids, which makes the treble sound less distinct. I don't get the sensation that the bass sounds any "better" either. In fact, the added treble accuracy helps the transparency of bass instruments to sound better. But that's my take on it.
 
If you eq the treble out of another earphone, it doesn't really have any better bass, but just more "everything" else in relation to the treble. Which means less treble and less clarity and less neutrality in the case of the er4...

 
Busted! The guys at Etymotic having been terribly wrong all those years...

 

 

[gnarlsagan]

Busted! The guys at Etymotic having been terribly wrong all those years...

 

[luisdent]

Busted! The guys at Etymotic having been terribly wrong all those years...

They are appealing to non technical users. . They consider less treble more bass, but really it's more everything other than treble. Lol. How come no one says the er4p has more mids? They do!

Face it, they are a crippled er4s. Anyone that has heard both knows that they are. haha

And that gif is amazing.

 

[Jazic]

Just got my S - Shure adapter plugs. Connected them to some FiiO Shure cables. I used some heatshrink because I don't quite trust the connection enough. I always liked the FiiO cable over the Shure cable but never liked how easily they came unsnapped even with my SE215's compared to the stock Shure cable. Plus the FiiO sounds a bit cleaner to my ears.
 
The heatshrink doesn't look too bad. I kind of wished I'd have put some to close the gap a little but I'll do that next time and heatshrink tube is cheap.
 
It seems to be a little bit more neutral than the ER4P-T with the S adapter I found but that's fine. These are very highly adjustable with EQ and I can tune it exactly how I want without having to shift too much of the sound compared to the P. 
 
Someone mentioned that there was about a 10% crossover/crossfeed with the channels and I can agree. I was noticing it right off the bat. My phone's sound suite (Viper4Android) has a crossover option and it was similar at around 5-10% to the stock cables. That said with less crossover/crossfeed and better channel separation comes larger soundstage. It's taking some getting used to because it no longer centers in your head as much but so far I dig!