[Happytalk]

I was planning to buy his cable too, but for good reasons like reliability concerns, a memory wire wasn't included. Are you able to have the wire rest on your ears without them falling off?

Yes but I've been wearing them with a winter hat. If I run into any issues, i may just use an over ear cable guide that came with my old sound magic pl30's. I also installed shirt clip.

Edit. Over the ear works fine. Particularly good if you use the cinch, which is a nice addition since it doesn't come with the oem etymotic cable.

 

[TheDreamthinker]

Does anybody here use the ER4s with the Sony Walkman ZX100 or Sony Walkman A20 and can report about how they perform together. With and without an amp attached.
 
I read that the ZX100 is a somewhat weak player (15mW output).

 

[ClieOS]

  Does anybody here use the ER4s with the Sony Walkman ZX100 or Sony Walkman A20 and can report about how they perform together. With and without an amp attached.
 
I read that the ZX100 is a somewhat weak player (15mW output).

 
There is no such a thing as Sony DAP with powerful output.

 

[TheDreamthinker]

 
There is no such a thing as Sony DAP with powerful output.

I have never owned a Sony DAP for extended periods of time. When briefly trying some other Sony DAPs they did strike me as rather reserved.
 
From this I take that the ER4s doesn't go well with Sony DAPs in general? Or are there any specific amps which alleviate that problem well and add some 'bite' to the Sony DAPs.

 

[ClieOS]

  I have never owned a Sony DAP for extended periods of time. When briefly trying some other Sony DAPs they did strike me as rather reserved.
 
From this I take that the ER4s doesn't go well with Sony DAPs in general? Or are there any specific amps which alleviate that problem well and add some 'bite' to the Sony DAPs.

 
Typical Sony's DAP problem are that they all have fairly weak output and relatively high noise floor (and on lesser note, some of them has slightly high output impedance as well). You want to avoid using them with either demanding, very sensitive or very low impedance multi-driver headphone. In other words, Sony DAP goes better with more 'consumer friendly' headphone rather than audiophile headphone. In the case of ER4S, I'll say you are just not going to hear the full potential of the IEM.

 

[TheDreamthinker]

 
Typical Sony's DAP problem are that they all have fairly weak output and relatively high noise floor (and on lesser note, some of them has slightly high output impedance as well). You want to avoid using them with either demanding, very sensitive or very low impedance multi-driver headphone. In other words, Sony DAP goes better with more 'consumer friendly' headphone rather than audiophile headphone. In the case of ER4S, I'll say you are just not going to hear the full potential of the IEM.

I have heard of the high noise floor being a problem with the ZX1 for example, but didn't know that it is a problem across all Sony DAPs.
Yet would these problems not be removed by using a better amp via LOD?
The ZX100 has just dropped to $438 on amazon.com
 
Has anyone tried the ER4s with the CL Theorem 720, Fostex HP-P1 or even other DAC/AMP combos. Looking at other, possibly more preferable option to the ZX100.

 

[ClieOS]

  I have heard of the high noise floor being a problem with the ZX1 for example, but didn't know that it is a problem across all Sony DAPs.
Yet would these problems not be removed by using a better amp via LOD?
The ZX100 has just dropped to $438 on amazon.com

 
From my experience with playing around the Sony A10 line-out vs. headphone-out, I'll say the line-out quality is actually no better than the headphone-out on the same volume. The only way to improve it is to use Sony DAP as a digital source to feed an external DAC/amp, but that limits to the A and ZX series only.

 

[Happytalk]

Does the lotoo paw 5000 have enough power to drive the er4s? Synergy?

 

[ER4S]

Does the lotoo paw 5000 have enough power to drive the er4s? Synergy?

 
Don't know about synergy but it's one of the weakest players.

 

[TheDreamthinker]

 
From my experience with playing around the Sony A10 line-out vs. headphone-out, I'll say the line-out quality is actually no better than the headphone-out on the same volume. The only way to improve it is to use Sony DAP as a digital source to feed an external DAC/amp, but that limits to the A and ZX series only.

 
Using a Sony like this would undermine the point of using a expensive high-end DAP to begin with imo. Although wouldn't using a good external amp, reduce the noise floor and increase the output?
Are high end Sony DAPs therefore generally not well suited to high end headphones?
 
Has anyone tried the ER4s with the CL Theorem 720, Fostex HP-P1 or even other DAC/AMP combos.
Looking at other, possibly more preferable option to the ZX100. It seems like second hand options for iPod Classic 160GB + DAC/AMP combos would be similarly (even cheaper) priced.

 

[castleofargh]

ClieOS said all there is to say from an objective audio fidelity standpoint. now is it always audible? does it matter to you? do you enjoy the sound of a sony DAP?
it's kind of the same as the talks about the portable amp with tubes last page. from a signal fidelity standpoint, tubes, and moving around with them, it seems like such a bad idea(and I won't talk about the size of that thing). but can it sound nice? sure, and it could improve on some specs, or at least on the feeling of nice sound. TBH runing after signal fidelity while insisting that it's portable/practical, it's a cruel life.
 
hiss, impedance, and low power(usually more than enough for IEMs), are the reality of sony DAPs(and others), hiss and impedance are pretty much a non issue with an er4s. for power, I guess it depends. to me the problem has more to do with the weak output of the LO than with actual power of the HO. so again ClieOS is right from a signal fidelity standpoint, in most cases, using a sony into a portable DAC/amp can offer the better signal(you need to check for compatibility of the digital out). but are you ok with the massive drop in battery life, and the added brick? I'm not. I'd rather have a friendly DAP that's easy to use, than the best possible sound that I end up leaving at home most times when I go out because it annoys me. I've had a cool leckerton dac amp for a few years now and am very satisfied with it, but I just went on a trip, and I left it home. and my FIIO DAP and all the other DAPs I own, I still left with a sony like every other times. a pair of BT headphones and a HF5(my vision of an er4 you can move with) to go with the sony, pretty close to the worst audio combos I could create with my gears and IEMs(seriously). but it lasts a long time, and is super friendly to use.  so from a subjective standpoint, it makes me enjoy my music more than the fiio X1 + UHA760 + JH13, even though the signal fidelity would improve a all lot, and I can hear the background hiss in any calm places with the sony+hf5

. the strength of the ER4S is that it's not sensitive and will push the background noise way low below the music. so even less trouble than me and my hf5.
 
I've had some sony DAPs for pretty much as long as I can remember and enjoyed using them, but I never had the illusion that they were hifi gears. the expensive sony DAPs IMO, are a rather poor investment if signal fidelity is the only target. but then again, portable gears aren't home systems.

 

[TheDreamthinker]

  ClieOS said all there is to say from an objective audio fidelity standpoint. now is it always audible? does it matter to you? do you enjoy the sound of a sony DAP?
it's kind of the same as the talks about the portable amp with tubes last page. from a signal fidelity standpoint, tubes, and moving around with them, it seems like such a bad idea(and I won't talk about the size of that thing). but can it sound nice? sure, and it could improve on some specs, or at least on the feeling of nice sound. TBH runing after signal fidelity while insisting that it's portable/practical, it's a cruel life.
 
hiss, impedance, and low power(usually more than enough for IEMs), are the reality of sony DAPs(and others), hiss and impedance are pretty much a non issue with an er4s. for power, I guess it depends. to me the problem has more to do with the weak output of the LO than with actual power of the HO. so again ClieOS is right from a signal fidelity standpoint, in most cases, using a sony into a portable DAC/amp can offer the better signal(you need to check for compatibility of the digital out). but are you ok with the massive drop in battery life, and the added brick? I'm not. I'd rather have a friendly DAP that's easy to use, than the best possible sound that I end up leaving at home most times when I go out because it annoys me. I've had a cool leckerton dac amp for a few years now and am very satisfied with it, but I just went on a trip, and I left it home. and my FIIO DAP and all the other DAPs I own, I still left with a sony like every other times. a pair of BT headphones and a HF5(my vision of an er4 you can move with) to go with the sony, pretty close to the worst audio combos I could create with my gears and IEMs(seriously). but it lasts a long time, and is super friendly to use.  so from a subjective standpoint, it makes me enjoy my music more than the fiio X1 + UHA760 + JH13, even though the signal fidelity would improve a all lot, and I can hear the background hiss in any calm places with the sony+hf5

. the is that it's not sensitive and will push the background noise way low below the music. so even less trouble than me and my hf5.
 
I've had some sony DAPs for pretty much as long as I can remember and enjoyed using them, but I never had the illusion that they were hifi gears. the expensive sony DAPs IMO, are a rather poor investment if signal fidelity is the only target. but then again, portable gears aren't home systems.

 
Thanks, castleofargh for you extensive input.
 
My consideration of Sony DAPs did not come from an intrinsic motivation or a reputation for SQ. It is rather a move toward 'desperation' (a overly strong word to use in this context). After having compared several DAPs from numerous manufacturers, I still have not found anything I feel I would like to commit too. With a rather limited budget (ie. no high-end AKs) Sony seemed like a reliable manufacturer, so I went and started looking into that direction.
 
I completely agree with you on the point that portable sound rigs are not meant to compete with home rigs in terms of fidelity. 
Yet as an on-the-go person, I have found little use in investing heavily in stationary gear. Finding a good portable solution to 'use in place of' a good home setup is what I seek. 
This includes high capacity, low noise floor (which I am very sensitive to) and versatility (variable power output suitable to sensitive iems as well as headphones). To this end I would be willing to trade in battery life and weight. This would then become my go-to setup for the foreseeable future (ie future-proofing), therefore it should also be able to support a range future purchases (ex. UERM, ATH R70x...nothing ultra hard).
From what I have read here and other sources, a Sony would not fulfill these ambitions very well. It seems like Sony gear are more of a personal preference than 'objectively good' gear.
 
This being said, I have run out of 'reasonable ideas' and angles from which to approach this dilemma. iPod Classic + DAC/AMP based rigs can also be very expensive, as the iPod itself still cost EUR300 second hand (which in turn seems unreasonable to me). I am still scavenging for possible bargain sales on Head-Fi and beyond.
 
I am very sorry for plastering you with such petty concerns.
 
Thank you. 

 

[yurikoiko26]

is er4pt and er4s are have different driver? or in cable only?im just curious i have new er4pt.thnx

 

[uzi2]

is er4pt and er4s are have different driver? or in cable only?im just curious i have new er4pt.thnx

If you have ER4PT, then you have both ER4S and ER4P. S is using the 75ohm adapter and P without. They are the same driver and cable.
 
@TheDreamthinker Have you considered the Mojo?

 

[staxfreak]

Same driver - only different cable..