[H20Fidelity]

I've never laid eyes on a black set, someone else will need to help out.

Enjoy your ER4S.

 

[ER4S]

@K_19 
Enjoy with your ER-4S mate.. I have also this classical one and wonder about newer one but I love that red-blue mark

 

[K_19]

Enjoy with your ER-4S mate.. I have also this classical one and wonder about newer one but I love that red-blue mark

 
Yeah, it's definitely much easier to identify L/R with these unlike that little red dot on the newer ones. Kind of the throwback Ety trademark too so I'm pretty sure I'll just keep this one. The serial number on this one is in the 260,000's, not sure where that fits as far as production period goes.
 
These seem slightly more comfortable to wear than Ety Kids/MK5 as well... have been listening for an hr without any comfort problems with large TF's... maybe it's due to its wider angle of the connector and narrower body.
 
Real wonderful stuff as far as SQ goes. Kind of makes me wonder why I found the Etys so late in my Head-fi journey.

 

[H20Fidelity]

If ER4S sit well with you they'll entertain you for many years. ER4S never gets old no matter what '50' driver IEM is around the corner. I'll never sell mine, instead I treated them to a new source recently, Pono player.

 

[K_19]

So I already got a email response back from Etymotic:
 
"Good afternoon:
 
Thank you for writing. The change from the red/blue cables to all-black on the ER4S is a running one, so it is quite likely that there are units in the field that still reflect the traditional colored cable.
 
We do not sell cables as an accessory, however it is possible to send the unit to us to have the cable changed out for you. Please let us know if you are interested in pursuing this option."
 
 
So I guess the NOS units are still out there in retail. They're offering a free cable change to the newer version if I send it in, which is very nice of them (combined with their ultra fast response, very impressive customer service), but I think I'll just stick with the current classic look. 

 

 

[castleofargh]

....  
These seem slightly more comfortable to wear than Ety Kids/MK5 as well... have been listening for an hr without any comfort problems with large TF's... maybe it's due to its wider angle of the connector and narrower body.
...

really?
out of all pairs of ety, I couldn't stand using the er4 because of the cable(tried all tricks and cables adapters, the best being the bend 180° and roll over with a wire IMO), and the MC5 because the shell is too wide for my ear canal(maybe this one isn't supposed to go as deep as others?).  the kid/mk5 (same shell) are almost a perfect fit for me. I only cut like 1 or 2mm of the silicon cable relief, so that the cable can go more directly over my ear, but that's not even a necessity.
 
and as the er4 does sound a good deal better than even the hf5, I can tell you I tried to find a way that would be right for me. I tried hard, sold them, bought another pair, tried again, sold it again and I'm now once more wondering if I made a mistake...

  so that's 3 pairs of er4 in my life counting the one I had that looked like yours back in the days(hated the cable noise and it felt even worst on that old cable, but maybe that's my subjective memory speaking?).
 
this ER4 is that impossible GF that's so great at sex. can't stand living with her, want to go back to her as soon as I left. right now I'm compensating by dating a lot of cheap girls instead and the mk5/hf5/kid are some of them.

 

[ER4S]

   
Yeah, it's definitely much easier to identify L/R with these unlike that little red dot on the newer ones. Kind of the throwback Ety trademark too so I'm pretty sure I'll just keep this one. The serial number on this one is in the 260,000's, not sure where that fits as far as production period goes.
 
These seem slightly more comfortable to wear than Ety Kids/MK5 as well... have been listening for an hr without any comfort problems with large TF's... maybe it's due to its wider angle of the connector and narrower body.
 
Real wonderful stuff as far as SQ goes. Kind of makes me wonder why I found the Etys so late in my Head-fi journey.

 
Also it seems you've used very high quality stuff before ER4S, like HD800 or some STAXs.
 
What can you say about similarities between ER4S and them? Especially about reality of sound repreduction, possible upgrades from ER4S, most similar headphones etc... I'm really looking forward from you about these topics. Just share your detailed opinions about "ER4S and the others"

 

[K_19]

really?
out of all pairs of ety, I couldn't stand using the er4 because of the cable(tried all tricks and cables adapters, the best being the bend 180° and roll over with a wire IMO), and the MC5 because the shell is too wide for my ear canal(maybe this one isn't supposed to go as deep as others?).  the kid/mk5 (same shell) are almost a perfect fit for me. I only cut like 1 or 2mm of the silicon cable relief, so that the cable can go more directly over my ear, but that's not even a necessity.

and as the er4 does sound a good deal better than even the hf5, I can tell you I tried to find a way that would be right for me. I tried hard, sold them, bought another pair, tried again, sold it again and I'm now once more wondering if I made a mistake...:confused_face:   so that's 3 pairs of er4 in my life counting the one I had that looked like yours back in the days(hated the cable noise and it felt even worst on that old cable, but maybe that's my subjective memory speaking?).

this ER4 is that impossible GF that's so great at sex. can't stand living with her, want to go back to her as soon as I left. right now I'm compensating by dating a lot of cheap girls instead and the mk5/hf5/kid are some of them.

It's the oddest thing, really. Before the Etys I never had a great success using IEM's such as Shure SE series, for an extended amount of time. There was always something about the expanding of foams that irritated the hell out of my inner ear, and I never liked any silicone tips with them. Seal was a problem as well as my left ear had this weird cartilige bump on the ear opening that was for some reason very hard to get a reliable seal with. Even tried custom sleeves for them which didn't work with then either so I moved away. The Phonak PFE's were perhaps by best success before this, with a lovely flat response, but with the grey filters and grey silicone tips (both only one that I liked), I always longed for a more present bass, as well as more isolation. I only came upon the Etys by chance with Etykids and was so surprised when I found the Etys fit PERFECTLY in my ears with the larger triple flanges... Maybe something with a deep insertion without expanding foam was what I needed all along... And that I could easily tolerate it for hours! Are my ears sore after two+ hours? Of course it does slightly, but after sleeping it off it goes back to being normal the next day... It may be due to the fact that I got a small ear opening yet HUGE ear canals (which slope unusually upwards, making usual hook over the hear IEM's difficult to angle) is why Etys are a better fit for me overall. I guess this just goes to show you comfort is such a subjective thing since I do realize most people find the opposite true and find the Etys one of the most uncomfy ones out there.

Love that GF analogy, LOL... But seriously though, that's real unfortunate about the fit... I can definitely relate to it due to my similar experience with other IEM's. Really sucks when you really love the sound but the fit just won't work. Maybe try the custom route? Although I heard varying results with that with the ER4's....

Also it seems you've used very high quality stuff before ER4S, like HD800 or some STAXs.

What can you say about similarities between ER4S and them? Especially about reality of sound repreduction, possible upgrades from ER4S, most similar headphones etc... I'm really looking forward from you about these topics. Just share your detailed opinions about "ER4S and the others"

Right now I'm at the stage of the hobby where I experienced the top of the line, upgradeitis finally levelled off, then kind of realized that I need to balance my other financial priorities in life along with reasonable price/performance ratio in spending on my hobbies... And that balance for me was going right back to mid-fi gear. Plus I found myself stressing over matching sources/amps more than I should and wasting a lot of money on that... and eventually realized I can be happy with something simple that just works reasonably well and reliably. Of course I miss my Stax, HD800's etc., from time to time but I can definitely say that I still really, really enjoy and am totally satisfied with what I have ended up with! Selling the 009 rig actually paid for my family vacation too, lol.

As for the comparisons please do remember I've only had these for a day(!) thus far and I of course have to do it by memory as I no longer have those higher end stuff, but I can definitely say that with the Ety's typical upper midrange clarity they do share some of the mids characteristics of the Staxens (Stax like the Etys, often have that bump in the 1~3k range). In that respect it's also somewhat reminiscent of K702's that I currently have in overall tonality... but IMO ER4S sounds more natural than those. Speed and decay wise they remind me a lot of Stax and HD800 as well. Personally fan of a quick yet still somewhat natural decay and while opinions may differ on this, I find them incredibly quick yet still natural enough. The bass I find is also reminiscent of the Stax higher ends in tone, overall flatness and that bit of roll off at the lowest registers (flatter than the HD800's which have a very slight midbass hump, though HD800's do go lower). Again I can only describe by memory with these comparisons but overall, I find that these match up quite well to those, except of course that closed in soundstage which can't be helped due to their nature of being IEM's.

 

[VladTheImpala]

K_19,

I own the newer Etymotic (ER4B) with the all black and the red dot. It's a couple of years old, and was originally purchased in Hong Kong. I don't know if I have the newest cable, or what, but here are my two cents. I heard that the newer cables are supposed to be better for cable noise (I've never tried the older version), but I can tell you that the braided cable I own is pretty horrible as far as cable noise goes. You have the clip it to your shirt or to your collar to avoid cable noise. There's no way around it. Also, the barrel piece on the cable makes it pretty heavy, and with the deep insertion I find it painful to have the cable hanging there without being clipped to something. It puts all the weight into my ear canals. Not sure how heavy the old cable is, but clipping the cable to your shirt is absolutely necessary with the newer cables both for comfort and for cable noise. 

Also, I'm not sure about this, but the new braided cable might actually be worse for microphonics than the older cable. The braided part creates really bad cable noise when it rubs against anything hard on your collar or chest area, whether it's a zipper, a collar, buttons, or some other hard surface. If you don't have it clipped in the right place, the braided cable grinds across zippers or other hard surfaces every time you move your head, and because of its shape, it makes this grinding noise as it saws back and forth. You just have to clip it in a way that the cables aren't rubbing anything as you turn your head - I find clipping it higher works well, so I usually clip it right to my collar on the side of my neck and let the wires droop. They have lots of room and don't rub against anything.

If you're really interested in getting rid of cable noise entirely, you definitely wouldn't go with an Etymotic replacement cable anyway. It's much better to get adapters and buy a third party cable. There are adapters you can get that will convert your Etymotics to take Westone or Shure cables. The thing about The ER4 is that all the different models of the ER4 are actually the same IEM, but with different resistances in the cables, so if you are getting a new cable, you have to make sure that the cable has 100 ohms of resistance for the better models like ER4S and ER4B. Usually resistors are in the adapters, but they can also be in the jack - as long as the cable has 100 ohms resistance. If you search Ebay "etymotic adapter", you will find people selling adapters for specific models, like ER4P or ER4S, etc. If you are ever going that route, make sure you select the adapters with the right resistance value. If you read around this massive thread, some people report really good results with certain cables. I think Westone cables were getting some high praise a few dozen pages back

All the best,

Vlad

 

[uzi2]

 

Route cable over ears to cure all your complaints
See here

 

[gixxerwimp]

.

Agree with Vlad about the newer cable NOT providing a lower noise solution. Can't see how anything could be worse.

Here's my tutorial for the cable mod.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/560401/etymotic-er-4-aftermarket-low-microphonics-cable#post_11353406

You need the adapters because (as Vlad mentioned) the resistors are in the pod at the Y-join of the stock cables. Highly recommended Awwan's adapters. You can choose the ER•4 variant you want.

The Linum BaX cable comes highly recommended.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/719062/review-estron-linum-bax-new-iem-cable-for-a-new-age

 

[K_19]

Thanks for all the tips guys. Yeah, it seems that the braided cables don't do much microphonics wise. It's just the nature of the Etys I guess due to their deep insertion. At the end of the day, I'm likely going to be using this stationary most of the time (since walking around with such an isolating IEM would be very dangerous) so hopefully the shirt clip will be enough to keep it under control most of the time. It's still worth looking at those new cables though, since another concern of mine with the older flat cables is whether they may be prone to kinking and memory and such.
 
Meanwhile, I just purchased a high quality case of renowned tradition for housing these:
 

 

 
Seriously though they do a good job for now, just gotta make some sort of a soft lining for the inside.
 
Any good minimalistic hard case recommendations for these? Due to the long body, chunky cable and the huge shirt clip and the impedance barrel these do get quite big when winded and barely fit even in an altoids can...

 

[imackler]

Just purchased a brand new ER4PT but I found a ER4S instead. The ER4PT is still sealed if anyone wants one: http://www.head-fi.org/t/768304/new-sealed-etymotic-er4pt-er4p-to-er4s-cable-included
 
Edit: Sold to uchihaitachi  

 

[Jazic]

Thanks for all the tips guys. Yeah, it seems that the braided cables don't do much microphonics wise. It's just the nature of the Etys I guess due to their deep insertion. At the end of the day, I'm likely going to be using this stationary most of the time (since walking around with such an isolating IEM would be very dangerous) so hopefully the shirt clip will be enough to keep it under control most of the time. It's still worth looking at those new cables though, since another concern of mine with the older flat cables is whether they may be prone to kinking and memory and such.

Meanwhile, I just purchased a high quality case of renowned tradition for housing these:






Seriously though they do a good job for now, just gotta make some sort of a soft lining for the inside.

Any good minimalistic hard case recommendations for these? Due to the long body, chunky cable and the huge shirt clip and the impedance barrel these do get quite big when winded and barely fit even in an altoids can...

I put some foam with adhesive backing on mine. Came out pretty darn good. No scratching or rattling.

 

[Jazic]

The Linum BaX cable comes highly recommended.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/719062/review-estron-linum-bax-new-iem-cable-for-a-new-age

How much and where can you get those cables from here on the states. Yen to dollars shows it being about $100.