If you still love Etymotic ER4, this is the thread for you...
Aug 5, 2016 at 9:52 AM Post #9,001 of 19,269
mirrors my experience as well.



I tried ER4P long time ago and the triple flange was the deal breaker, it just hurt my ears.
And normally foam tip, kind of, "absorb" the high, boost the bass, making the sound less transparent. 
Can the ety foam really keep the trait of silicon tip plus the trait of ER4 while providing comfort and seal?



The foamies are the only reason i still have and love my er4s

No problem with sound here



It should be individualy I guess, I don't experience any issue with them either.



can't really say, because I can't go as deep with different tips, so the impact for me goes past the tip itself.
in my case most foams actually make me lose a little of the subs. variations in the trebles depend on the kind of foam tip.


Thanks for the responses. It seems like tips impact is very individual. For now, I'm using foamies. Even though the flanges sound clearer(as less bass compared to treble), the notes are quite too thin to be considered as accurate for my taste.

I have yet to try Comply foamies. My guess they would enhance bass even more than Ety's foams.
 
Aug 5, 2016 at 9:56 AM Post #9,002 of 19,269
I much prefer the p-series tips. They're a little longer but have a tube that runs the length of them. Don't seem to attenuate the highs like other tips. I also feel they increase the bass slightly. I like them better than any of the ety tips. I just can't get their 3-flange to agree with my ears. I do like the gliders. But overall still prefer the p-100's.

As far as size I think I have slightly smaller ears than average. I can use the mediums but after an hour or so they start to feel a little "tight" in the ears. The small isolate just as well and are more comfortable. But I would think the mediums would work with most people.



Keep in mind that Comply tips have different diameters per type per size - a Comfort M is a different size than a Sport M, and both are a different size than an Isolation M.

Thanks guys

From what ive been reading re various experiences here and me being happy with the etymotic foamies i think i'll stick with them for now

If theres a chance of extra bass and treble being muted i'll stay where i am as there's no issues re comfort that i'm feeling
 
Aug 5, 2016 at 12:20 PM Post #9,003 of 19,269
  no I meant software plugins for foobar or even more advanced stuff(not always free :'( )  sorry for not being clear...
...some DAPs have some kind of effect that is close to crossfeed, like the "studio" surround effect on sony(IMO sometimes ruin voices). or some of the BBE effects on cowon(that do more than just crossfeed but who know, you might like that). you could also simply get some android device and use... I believe neutron had something about crossfeed? I'm not a huge android user for audio so someone might need to confirm that. or add viper4android to some rooted device and it has also something(not tweakable sadly). edit: I forgot rockbox!!!!
eek.gif
on most rockboxable devices you can hope for some version of what I believe to be Meier's original crossfeed...


Thanks again! I will most certainly investigate some of your suggested plugins.
beerchug.gif

 
Aug 5, 2016 at 12:44 PM Post #9,004 of 19,269
It's crazy how much different people can have between tips. The comply foam tips for me slightly muffle the treble and diminish the bass impact. but in no way are the ety foam tips causing any sibilance for me. In fact the silicone tips sound identical to the ety foam tips when they are both sealed at a proper depth and tightness of seal. The main reason you would be getting more sibilance with the foam tips is probably that you're not getting them deep enough. Otherwise, and I believe etydave would probably back this up, the tips should provide almost identical frequency response if they are sealed at the proper depth. They shouldn't vary enough to cause one or the other to have sibilance or bass differences to any noticeable degree.

The comply tips on the other hand have a different bore size and stem length and foam density, which all could sighty affect the intended response... But if they seal tight enough and a good depth they should still be similar enough.
 
Aug 5, 2016 at 2:56 PM Post #9,006 of 19,269
It's crazy how much different people can have between tips. The comply foam tips for me slightly muffle the treble and diminish the bass impact. but in no way are the ety foam tips causing any sibilance for me. In fact the silicone tips sound identical to the ety foam tips when they are both sealed at a proper depth and tightness of seal. The main reason you would be getting more sibilance with the foam tips is probably that you're not getting them deep enough. Otherwise, and I believe etydave would probably back this up, the tips should provide almost identical frequency response if they are sealed at the proper depth. They shouldn't vary enough to cause one or the other to have sibilance or bass differences to any noticeable degree.

The comply tips on the other hand have a different bore size and stem length and foam density, which all could sighty affect the intended response... But if they seal tight enough and a good depth they should still be similar enough.

 
With comply tips I get slightly muffled treble however I can't notice much change in the bass. Unfortunately fit isn't perfect with universal earphones. I've had issues with tips and fit in the past with other earphones. If in a few months I still have the ER4SR and like them I will probably go custom tips. 
 
Aug 5, 2016 at 4:28 PM Post #9,007 of 19,269
   
With comply tips I get slightly muffled treble however I can't notice much change in the bass. Unfortunately fit isn't perfect with universal earphones. I've had issues with tips and fit in the past with other earphones. If in a few months I still have the ER4SR and like them I will probably go custom tips. 

 
Comply is easily my least favorite brand on the market when it comes to IEM tips.
 
They're comfortable but they just ruin the sound of most of my IEM (I have many different brands and designs). Comply tips tend to make the whole sound presentation congested, remove most of the airiness/sparkle, bloats the bass. To my ears it would often result in a hollow, muddled sound, lacking energy and pace.
 
And last but not least: they get dirty very quickly, are hard to maintain, and are not cheap.
 
Just my opinion after having a long past experience with this brand.
 
Aug 5, 2016 at 6:00 PM Post #9,008 of 19,269
I resorted back to regular 3 flange tips. I believe that the foamies tilted the frequency toward bass because I can't insert the foamies to the second bend - my canals are smaller than compressed foamies.
 
Aug 6, 2016 at 9:53 AM Post #9,009 of 19,269
I believe the clamp that is holding the cable for ER4SR shirt clip is too weak. It detaches too easily from the cable. I fear I will loose it some day. 
 
The clamp for ER-4PT and ER-4S is much sturdier and NEVER detached from the cable during 10 years I have been using them. Sadly the shirt clips are not compatible between the new ER4SR and the older models.
 
Aug 7, 2016 at 10:33 AM Post #9,010 of 19,269
  I believe the clamp that is holding the cable for ER4SR shirt clip is too weak. It detaches too easily from the cable. I fear I will loose it some day. 
 
The clamp for ER-4PT and ER-4S is much sturdier and NEVER detached from the cable during 10 years I have been using them. Sadly the shirt clips are not compatible between the new ER4SR and the older models.

 
That makes two of us. As trivial as it may sound, it's maddening every time that darn thing gets flicked off the barrel by only the slightest of contact with my arm. It's an issue Etymotic really needs to take up and address.
 
Aug 7, 2016 at 2:45 PM Post #9,011 of 19,269
Here is an interesting question. I have had my original pair of Etymotics Er4's since the days of the original iPod 1 (!). Unfortunately I lost hem last year and have been dragging my feet n getting a new pair.

It is (just about) a known fact that the next iPhone will do away with the headphone jack and replace it with a lightning jack. Any guess as to if Etymotics will start shipping with a lightning terminated end- or make people spend more on a replacement cable - and at what cost? It almost seems crazy not to wait on my purchase - but then again who knows how long it will take Ety to get up to speed with a new cable
 
Aug 7, 2016 at 3:12 PM Post #9,012 of 19,269
Just put on a set of yellow Shure foam tips (with a built in wax guard!) and I think I've found the tips I'll stick with. They isolate fantastically, the tip doesn't interfere with the sound at all, and they're the most comfortable. They're a very soft foam that's slightly narrower than the Etymotic foam, so they don't press along the ear canal as hard. Recommended.
 
Aug 7, 2016 at 6:44 PM Post #9,014 of 19,269
Here is an interesting question. I have had my original pair of Etymotics Er4's since the days of the original iPod 1 (!). Unfortunately I lost hem last year and have been dragging my feet n getting a new pair.

It is (just about) a known fact that the next iPhone will do away with the headphone jack and replace it with a lightning jack. Any guess as to if Etymotics will start shipping with a lightning terminated end- or make people spend more on a replacement cable - and at what cost? It almost seems crazy not to wait on my purchase - but then again who knows how long it will take Ety to get up to speed with a new cable

 
I would just get whichever ER4 model you want now. I would be surprised if Etymotic releases a model of the ER4 that has the lightning termination as the default. It would make more sense to have some kind of adapter made since plenty of people will use the older iphones or have phones outside of apple. I'm sure once apple releases the phone with no headphone jack that they will offer an adapter up for sale similar to when they changed to the lightning connection they provided adapters from their previous pins to the lightning. 
 
Aug 7, 2016 at 9:58 PM Post #9,015 of 19,269
I waited a little while before posting my thoughts on these to be sure of my impressions.
 
A wee background first. 
 
I started buying Iem's around 12/13 years ago with the Shure E2c I think they were called  before quickly moving onto the Er6i, loved those and tried a few others from Futuresonics and UE before buying the Er4p.  Loved them but struggled with the triple flange's getting stuck in my right ear!!.  Bought and sold the Er4 a couple of times over the years and moved onto many different and wonderful iem's including single and multi driver BA models.  Anyway decided to take the plunge and buy the ER4sr.  A few weeks in and so far I am in love with the Etymotic sound all over again.  I had forgot the level of detail that they retrieve from recordings and the clarity to mids and highs, with a bass response that might not shudder like my ASG 2.5 but is in some ways more accurate to my ears.  I've also found that the grey foamies are ideal for me, didn't find that a few years ago but perfect fit now nad also like others have said dont find they alter the sound.
 

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