[jbforever05]

I've been a proud owner of the Etymotic ER6i isolating IEMs for almost a year now and enjoy them immensely. I get a much clearer sound than on any other earphones I've ever used and love hearing the clarity of the different instruments and the isolation. They definitely add a new dimension to my music and I must wholeheartedly agree with all of the positive things I heard about the ER6i's before purchasing them.

Despite this, I can't help but wonder if Etymotic has something out there that would work even better for me, the ER4's. From what I can tell the ER4's are the best that Etymotic has to offer, with the ER6i's a still very good second best. I also see that the ER4's are very pricey, perhaps above what I'm willing to spend for headphones. Basically, I am trying to decide whether I should upgrade to the ER4's or keep using my trusty ER6i's.

These would be mainly used with my ipod nano or with listening on my PC, so no audio powerhouse or fancy audio equipment to connect these too and won't be using an amp. Also, I would not call myself an audiophile. I like good quality music and the ER6i's have been the best quality listening I've ever heard. However, I'm not someone who could sit down and tell the difference between a compressed and a noncompressed file probably. All of my music is encoded at 128 kbps VBR AAC format which to my ears sounds just as good as the cd. I wouldn't want a new IEM that would start to make me hear flaws in this music forcing me to reencode my entire music library and meaning less stuff would fit on my ipod. I also don't know much about the differences in sound between the ER4 and the ER6i. From waht I've read the main difference is in the amount of bass which I don't care about that much. The ER6i has pretty decent bass when I have a good seal. I care more about the mids and highs which the ER6i already does very well and it's partly about how much more bang I would get for the buck. So do I keep using the trusty ER6i's or would it be worth it to fork over the cash for the ER4's?

 

[AudioNoob]

why not go custom? the freqs seem to be pleasing people, you can go fo a freq of nature

 

[Varcharz]

The ER4s really shouldn't cost more than $150 new, and they're worth every single penny.

 

[Jx87]

Al 716?

 

[kugino]

the er4s is one of my favorite headphones...but it needs a good amp to really shine. i don't think the er4p is that much better than the er6i so it's not a step up IMO. however, the strength of the er4p is that with the p->s cable you have a quick transition to a really good headphone, so you really have almost 2 headphones in one...

 

[GreatDane]

I own ER6 (not the ER6i) and ER4P(also use it as ER4S).

To me there is a fairly obvious step up in available detail(better SQ) when switching to ER4 from ER6. The only advantage that the ER6 has is that they can be worn when lying down which was my only reason for buying them.

 

[jbforever05]

So how much improvement is there actually between the ER6i and the ER4p? I know there is improvement but is the step up worth another $150 after already paying for the ER6i's? How does the sound compare to the ER6i's? And my greatest fear is that the ER4p's will reveal errors in my music that is encoded at 128 kbps VBR AAC that would ruin my music for me. I wouldn't want this to happen. Would the ER4p's reveal errors from encoding the music that I can't detect now with the ER6i's?

 

[malnar]

How strange - I'm in almost exactly the same position. I'm currently considering selling my Shure EC3's because I greatly prefer my Etymotic ER6i's, and am thinking about buying a second pair or upgrading to the ER4P's. This is one of those times that I really wish I could try out IEMs before I make the investment. The ER6i's were one of the best things I've bought for use at work, and the two years I've been using this pair has been great. Now I wonder if I wouldn't benefit from the step up, which is what I thought the Shure's would be, but unfortunately they just don't suit me - not clean enough for me. I see we have conflicting views on the advantage of the ER4P over the ER6i, which only muddies the issue for me. I wouldn't have a problem buying a second pair of the 6i, but I'm ready to invest in the upgrade if it truly is a decent upgrade . . .

(On a side note, would a newbie like me do best to offer my Shures on the site's for-sale forum? I know nobody knows me, but I can offer several hundred very positive feedback reports from Ebay.)

 

[malnar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbforever05 /img/forum/go_quote.gif And my greatest fear is that the ER4p's will reveal errors in my music that is encoded at 128 kbps VBR AAC that would ruin my music for me.

I actually hear that now in my 6i's and have been upgrading anything that had been encoded that way years ago. When you've got 2500 CDs, you try to reason with yourself that you can't hear the difference - or I did, at least. Now I'm paying for it because I most definitely CAN hear the difference and it makes such a difference that I don't really enjoy listening to those really flat-sounding files as much as I'd hope.

 

[panda]

er6 isn't even on a close level to the er4, that should tell you enough. erorrs or not, it will still sound better than what you have now so don't fret.

 

[malnar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by panda /img/forum/go_quote.gif er6 isn't even on a close level to the er4, that should tell you enough. erorrs or not, it will still sound better than what you have now so don't fret.

What is the difference in sound between the 4P and 4S? Is it that drastic a change?

 

[jsmithepa]

My er4p was stolen and I went to an er6i due to financial reason. If sonic Q trumps $, then no question ER4p.

ER4 used to retail $350 (1998), then $290, $245 (2000), now $170.

Accept no substitutions.

 

[immtbiker]

As others have said, the ER6's are not in the same league as the ER4's.
If you don't want to use an amp (or do) then go with the ER4P instead of "S" because the P comes with 50 ohms of impedance, and the S uses a resistor in the cable to make it 100 ohms for amplifier or home use. The P stands for portable.
I have the E500's and the UE-10's and I can say that I really enjoy my ER4P's. The ER4P/S have a neutral, non-colored presentation, but it is a bit bass shy. That, I believe is it's one downfall.
I gave my ER6's (not i) to my wife because it is more on the lines of a Shure E3C and is not really an audiophile headphone and she is OK with that. It's better that a lot of IEMs and earbuds, but it is not on par with the ER4's or the E4C/E5C/E500's.
The Yuin PK1's are and excellent headphone, especially for it's price. They have incredible bass and a great soundstage, but they are earbuds, not IEM's and they need to be amped also.

 

[lan]

I also use the ER6is.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbforever05 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I can't help but wonder...

The solution is to simply stop wondering.

Enjoy what you have!

 

[jbforever05]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lan /img/forum/go_quote.gif I also use the ER6is. The solution is to simply stop wondering. Enjoy what you have!

Yes, I must agree with that. It is certainly easy to overlook what you have and wonder what new and better thing you could replace it with. I really enjoy the ER6i and will probably continue to use it for the foreseeable future, especially since I am in college and have limited funds.