[nc8000]

For me with the kind of music I mostly listen to in my rig with a balanced APureSound cable there is nothing better but that was an awfull lot of qualifications and is probably one of the silliest and most extreme ways of using an ER4 bot I LOVE it

 

[EFN]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nc8000 /img/forum/go_quote.gif For me with the kind of music I mostly listen to in my rig with a balanced APureSound cable there is nothing better but that was an awfull lot of qualifications and is probably one of the silliest and most extreme ways of using an ER4 bot I LOVE it

Which I envy a lot. And I hope to be able to do the same in the near future with my own balanced ER-4S....or perhaps even a balanced portable setup (not impossible). The more I tried other cans and buds the more it is becoming apparent how kick ass this ER-4 is. The transparency and speed is pratically unmatched.

 

[oak3x]

When using a quality AMP...does the ER-4S have any better bass impact then the ER-4P?

This may be a question for a person who own both...

 

[M3NTAL]

I feel that the impact is pretty close between the two when amplified, but the detail (attack/decay) are better

 

[mvw2]

If you've used one or the other and seek more bottom end presence and extension, the PFE will give you what you're seeking. Otherwise, EQ it in or run an amp that emphasizes bass.

I've never really thought the ER4S lacks bass. Output is pretty even. About the only thing that it does do is roll off a little early. Some other earphones like the PFE simply dig deeper. The PFE also has a slightly emphasized bass response being bumped up a few dB and has greater impact of note. If bass is your concern, the PFE may be the better fit unless you can EQ in what you want. Even then, the ER4S doesn't quite have the dynamics and energy in presentation of the PFE.

 

[mape00]

Quote:

Originally Posted by oak3x /img/forum/go_quote.gif When using a quality AMP...does the ER-4S have any better bass impact then the ER-4P? This may be a question for a person who own both...

Most people who own 4P have an impedance adapter and therefore 'own both'. ER-4P has 3 dB more output at low frequencies (up to around 1-2 kHz I think). I don't know the definition of 'bass impact' (maybe it's indirectly related to musicality, fun-ness or foot-tap-inductivity?

) but in terms of quantity, the ER-4P has twice the amount of bass. If you compare ER-4S and ER-4P, the P is definitely more bassy unless your amp implements bass boost.

 

[EFN]

Quote:

Originally Posted by oak3x /img/forum/go_quote.gif When using a quality AMP...does the ER-4S have any better bass impact then the ER-4P? This may be a question for a person who own both...

With the right amp, both will offer impacful bass and strong dynamic reverb. I will never listen to my ER-4S unamped. The main difference between ER-4P and ER-4S is that the ER-4S will offer slightly wider headstage and slightly better treble extension. But ER-4S is never meant for direct DAP usage so the ER-4P will be a lot more musical for casual listening.

On serious note, through personal auditioning I have compared ER-4S SQ against the likes of AKG K701, BeyerDynamic DT990 250 Ohm and ATH-W5000. Amped from the same source, the ER-4S does not have any problem keeping up with the big boys in term of SQ. The only thing that it lacked was soundstage depth and height which is expected of an IEM, and of course the big boys have stronger dynamics

 

[mvw2]

By impact I mean energy, hit, not so much presence. The ER4S has body within the note. There's good attack and decay, presence. The PFE is lighter with less body. The attack is stronger, sharper, but the decay is quicker. The bass sensitivity is higher with the PFE so it has a fuller, warmer tone but still light and energetic in note. The ER4S is more drawn out in note. It gives time to develop texture and space to the information. The PFE comes across more transient and transparent in note because it has the quick decay. It's very direct, a very good sense that you are listening the source itself. The ER4S is somewhat indirect. It sounds more like you're listening to a speaker playing the source. It's not bad as it gives the sound a greater sense of space, volume, body, but it is a less direct experience.

I'm curious about the boost of the ER4P. Etymotic's user manual states a bump in bass response, but the graphs it shows of both the ER4S and ER4P really doesn't show much of a boost at all. It shows the 12dB gain via impedence for the P version, but the response graph they show is basically a mirror of the S version. The PFE has a good 3dB bump in response below the midrange. The ER4P just doesn't show it. I made a graph with Etymotic manual's graph with the PFE black and gray filter responses correctly sized and overlayed.

I would expect a similar bump or something of the ER4P frequency plot, but it's just not there.

 

[Sonicpath]

I think it really depend on what types of music you are listening, If you like female vocal I will prefer UE. If you like bass heavy I will suggest se530 and IE8. overall I prefer W3. as I said there is no ranking involved, it's all depend on your "OWN TASTE OF MUSIC"

 

[FlyPenFly]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mvw2 /img/forum/go_quote.gif By impact I mean energy, hit, not so much presence. The ER4S has body within the note. There's good attack and decay, presence. The PFE is lighter with less body. The attack is stronger, sharper, but the decay is quicker. The bass sensitivity is higher with the PFE so it has a fuller, warmer tone but still light and energetic in note. The ER4S is more drawn out in note. It gives time to develop texture and space to the information. The PFE comes across more transient and transparent in note because it has the quick decay. It's very direct, a very good sense that you are listening the source itself. The ER4S is somewhat indirect. It sounds more like you're listening to a speaker playing the source. It's not bad as it gives the sound a greater sense of space, volume, body, but it is a less direct experience. I'm curious about the boost of the ER4P. Etymotic's user manual states a bump in bass response, but the graphs it shows of both the ER4S and ER4P really doesn't show much of a boost at all. It shows the 12dB gain via impedence for the P version, but the response graph they show is basically a mirror of the S version. The PFE has a good 3dB bump in response below the midrange. The ER4P just doesn't show it. I made a graph with Etymotic manual's graph with the PFE black and gray filter responses correctly sized and overlayed. I would expect a similar bump or something of the ER4P frequency plot, but it's just not there.

Bigger image please?

 

[mvw2]

Lol, I actually don't have one. I pulled it from an online copy of the Etymotic user's manual. It's a pretty small pic. In the real manual, it's only 1" x 2.25". I can enlarge it, but I won't get any more pixel density. Ctrl + mouse scroll zooms in and out of the web page. I don't know if there's a larger copy available. Google search for frequency response graphs of the ER4 IEMs.

From Etymotic's site:
Etymotic Research, Inc. - ER-4 - Technical Specifications
Etymotic Research, Inc. - ER-4 - Which ER•4 is Right for You

That's about 20% bigger.

 

[cantsleep]

ive tried a bunch but still er4 is my favorite iem, amongst all.

but i hate its weak stem. it is too fragile. i just have to be more careful..

 

[coolbilly]

I think the custom ones from UE and Westone are definitely better than er4s

 

[mape00]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mvw2 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm curious about the boost of the ER4P. Etymotic's user manual states a bump in bass response, but the graphs it shows of both the ER4S and ER4P really doesn't show much of a boost at all. It shows the 12dB gain via impedence for the P version, but the response graph they show is basically a mirror of the S version.

The Pink line is the ER-4P response lowered 10 dB. The fact that 4P has around 3 dB more bass is clearly visible in the graph, as it would have been in your lower resolution graph if you had compared them in detail.