[Voyageur]

In response to those who find the ER-4's fit uncomfortable, it is easy to fix this issue by simply trying third party tips. I could barely tolerate the tips included with my ER-4PT (apart from the grey foams and the tri-flange to some extent, the gliders were the worst), so I got my hands on:

- Westone Star Tips (green ones): good isolation, easy to insert and very comfortable, gets the ER-4 to be slightly "funnier sounding"

- Shure Olives (M): supreme isolation, comfortable, requires fiddling like for all foam tips, my favorite tips sonically speaking (very clear sounding with a tiny bass boost over stock tips). These tips just nail it for long haul flights, as I've been flying for 19 hours this week

- Klipsch oval tips: top notch comfort, but I barely use theme

I have yet to try the Comply tips, but I've heard they weren't that good (?).

 

[saxon48]

Welcome to the Etymotic club, mate.

Thanks.
 

In response to those who find the ER-4's fit uncomfortable, it is easy to fix this issue by simply trying third party tips. I could barely tolerate the tips included with my ER-4PT (apart from the grey foams and the tri-flange to some extent, the gliders were the worst), so I got my hands on:

- Westone Star Tips (green ones): good isolation, easy to insert and very comfortable, gets the ER-4 to be slightly "funnier sounding"

Could you elaborate on what you meant by "funnier" sounding, please? To what extent did the Westone tips differ from the stock tri-flanges, sonically speaking, in your experience?

 

[Voyageur]

Could you elaborate on what you meant by "funnier" sounding, please? To what extent did the Westone tips differ from the stock tri-flanges, sonically speaking, in your experience?

In my experience Westone Star tips make the ER-4 sound significantly darker than the stock tri-flange tips. It becomes a more V-shaped type of sound, with slightly recessed mids (voices don't sound as clean), and also much more bass. Still pretty balanced compared to today's sound trends, but not as flat as the original Etymotic philosophy intended the ER-4 to be I guess. I enjoy Star tips with more contemporary tracks (pop, rock, etc) as they make the ER-4 even more lively for these genres, but found them to be average for orchestral music since they don't give the feeling of resolution and airiness other tips have, imho.

 

[ElMarcado]

A good thing (among others) about the ER4S is their lightning-fast transient response! They are so fast my ears can't take all that sound at the same time. Just a great pair of headphones, a pleasure to listen to! Truly a legend

 

[Voyageur]

  A good thing (among others) about the ER4S is their lightning-fast transient response! They are so fast my ears can't take all that sound at the same time. Just a great pair of headphones, a pleasure to listen to! Truly a legend

Agree! They truly are the sharp blades of audio

 

[csglinux]

The only real problems are it may have too much isolation...

 
That's not any kind of a problem for me! I love the isolation with the ER4. It whups the butt of anything else out there in this regard

 

[HiFiChris]

I love about my ER-4S that it is extremely neutral and accurate and delivers a very stunning performance for such an old single-driver BA in-ear.
 
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Danpyre /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
EDIT: First Head-Fi overhype.  They really are amazing, though.

 
Really, there was an Ety hype going on here? But to be honest, the hype is quite rightly - the Ety is just amazing. Unfortunately it doesn't really attract attention over here in Germany, though I know at least two other people in Germany who have/had them and agree that they are likely the best single-drivers.
 
It's probably one of the most underestimated neutral IEMs ever.

 

[uzi2]

  I think it's the fact that the sound quality punches above it's price point by a good amount.  It also isolates a ton, and is just a wonderful IEM.
The only real problems are it may have too much isolation, and it's not exactly comfortable.
Oh, they're also pretty much as neutral as it gets.
 
EDIT: First Head-Fi overhype.  They really are amazing, though.

A neutral IEM with best in class isolation cannot be overhyped.
Hiwever, it does have it's problems - most of which can be overcome by re-cabling.
The one thing it doesn't do well is sub-bass, which is why they will always be pure Vivaldi.

 

[Danpyre]

 
hey there everyone, I'm kinda new here but what made the er4 so loved by many?

was it the unique analytical sound they produce or are people seeing this from rose tinted glasses?

While I wouldn't call ER4S exactly neutral...

Well, if you don't follow the Harman Curve, and you take into account that these are IEMs with a very small amount of space between your eardrums and the drivers, these are technically the most neutral universal in the market. The don't sound like it mainly because the space makes it impossible for certain waves to make, well, a wave before they reach your eardrum, so I end up feeling bass more on my Q701 + Vali setup.
Do you know what other headphone follows this tuning style of non-Harman Curve neutrality? The SR-009

EDIT: Nevermind, the 009 is tuned sliiiiightly differently, reduced dibilance, tons of air, etc., but it's still similar.

 

[castleofargh]

if an er4s is neutral what is bright/cold supposed to be? 
 the er4S has perceivable lack in the sub bass, mids are about right, can't argue too much with that. it's more pleasing when a little tilted down like with the harman curve, but it sounds right as is and we're looking for neutral not pleasing. then the trebles are clearly boosted. harman goes from the nice and relaxed steady drop from 3khz to the end. I would call neutral something that would stop dropping somewhere around 8 or 9khz where it would reach the level or 1khz or something, and from there be about electrically flat for as far as possible in the high freqs.
that would be perceived neutral for most people if we follow what known for IEMs.
the er4S has a clearly audible boost in the trebles, even their own graph tell us that. so it's not Ety talking nonsense, it's us users.

 
so what do you call something that lack in the low frequencies has the right mids, and has too much in the trebles? oh yeah, neutral!

the er4p is closer to neutral than the S and it still would need a kick in the lows to be really it on a perceived level(that's where I disagree with their curve).
 
of course if we're comparing with a pair of westone 4, then any ETY is mighty neutral. so I guess all is relative, and no IEM is perfect.

 

[H20Fidelity]

  if an er4s is neutral what is bright/cold supposed to be? 
 the er4S has perceivable lack in the sub bass, mids are about right, can't argue too much with that. it's more pleasing when a little tilted down like with the harman curve, but it sounds right as is and we're looking for neutral not pleasing. then the trebles are clearly boosted. harman goes from the nice and relaxed steady drop from 3khz to the end. I would call neutral something that would stop dropping somewhere around 8 or 9khz where it would reach the level or 1khz or something, and from there be about electrically flat for as far as possible in the high freqs.
that would be perceived neutral for most people if we follow what known for IEMs.
the er4S has a clearly audible boost in the trebles, even their own graph tell us that. so it's not Ety talking nonsense, it's us users.

 
so what do you call something that lack in the low frequencies has the right mids, and has too much in the trebles? oh yeah, neutral! 

the er4p is closer to neutral than the S and it still would need a kick in the lows to be really it on a perceived level(that's where I disagree with their curve).
 
of course if we're comparing with a pair of westone 4, then any ETY is mighty neutral. so I guess all is relative, and no IEM is perfect.
 

 
 
 
I believe neutral should possess perfectly even tonality straight down the line between cold/warm with an even quantity of bass,mids, highs. A presentation where no area is emphasised or recessed.  To crown true neutral it would take both tonality and a balanced frequency response. I have not heard such an IEM yet.
 
What I have heard in Ety is the tonality section is about where I'd call neutral though > absence of sub-bass means no prizes. 50% neutral, only winning tonality (imo). I do not hear raised treble with my ER4S, possibly due to a personal fit, although I do hear people talk it up sometimes as being wonderful. I could use a little more treble.

 

[ElMarcado]

  if an er4s is neutral what is bright/cold supposed to be? 
 the er4S has perceivable lack in the sub bass, mids are about right, can't argue too much with that. it's more pleasing when a little tilted down like with the harman curve, but it sounds right as is and we're looking for neutral not pleasing. then the trebles are clearly boosted. harman goes from the nice and relaxed steady drop from 3khz to the end. I would call neutral something that would stop dropping somewhere around 8 or 9khz where it would reach the level or 1khz or something, and from there be about electrically flat for as far as possible in the high freqs.
that would be perceived neutral for most people if we follow what known for IEMs.
the er4S has a clearly audible boost in the trebles, even their own graph tell us that. so it's not Ety talking nonsense, it's us users.

 
so what do you call something that lack in the low frequencies has the right mids, and has too much in the trebles? oh yeah, neutral!

the er4p is closer to neutral than the S and it still would need a kick in the lows to be really it on a perceived level(that's where I disagree with their curve).
 
of course if we're comparing with a pair of westone 4, then any ETY is mighty neutral. so I guess all is relative, and no IEM is perfect.

Less treble than that of the ER4S mean average treble extension. I highly doubt that dark cans like the HD650 and LCD-2 can achieve the treble performance and extension of the ER4S/HD800/SR-009/DT880 and other similar cans with not exaggerated but present treble. Something that roll-off in the treble can't be considered neutral IMO, but lots of people love that. With a treble roll-off you are losing a lot of information of the track, like cymbals, the accurate reproduction of a guitar, etc.
 
In the end, what you like is what matters, and I love the ER4S to death. 

 

 
In this can, the bass is 5dB above upper-mids and 5-10dB above treble, which is a complete lol because Audeze calls this neutral. But yeah, everyone's opinion about what is neutral is different, so let's leave this.

 

[jeffyh]

Man, i bought a pair of these when I lost my UE super.fi 5 years and years ago based on head-fi's reviews, and couldn't be more displeased... There was something about the SQ that just made me mad. I think they just sounded tinny. I literally did everything I could to "accidentally" loose them so I could justify new IEMs. I then proceeded to buy 4 pairs of the UE 600s after they discontinued them.
 
On the upside, the ER4* were THE headphone that made me realize just cause a driver is high quality, it might not be a good fit SQ-wise subjectively. Realizing that was a huuuge revelation to me. So thanks ety!

 

[H20Fidelity]

Well, in other news...

I picked this up last night.



Maybe it will be an ER4S demon slayer combination, maybe not. We will try and I always wanted C4 since I saw it. And yes I know about the bass roll-off. I'm hoping at 100ohm we can push the roll-off up enough.

If not, I hear there's a few other options available at Uncle H20's we can try. Audionewbi seems to think C4 is worthy with ER4S.

 

[GN-0015]

Well, in other news...

I picked this up last night.



Maybe it will be an ER4S demon slayer combination, maybe not. We will try and I always wanted C4 since I saw it. And yes I know about the bass roll-off. I'm hoping at 100ohm we can push the roll-off up enough.

If not, I hear there's a few other options available at Uncle H20's we can try. Audionewbi seems to think C4 is worthy with ER4S.

Congratulations on your purchase dude. I'm... jealous.