[patashnik]

First of all, my experience have been with Etymotic ER-4P and ER6i. I've had two of each, and they have all had wire break, and as much as I like them - it's time to go elsewhere.

I use these on an iPod 80GB, and without external amp. I listen to a vast range of music, but feel at home with electronica (Aphex Twin, Plastikman, Biosphere, Scanner), pop (Pet Shop Boys, Lenka, Anna Ternheim, Saint Etienne), rap (Wu Tang, Gravediggaz, GZA). Rock? Meh. Not really my thing. I might play some Rolling Stones, but that's about it.

Order of the day is "neutral". My first Etymotic (ER6i) made me re-encode all my music from 128kbps to 256kbps. My Etymotic ER-4P made me do it all over again, only this time I went for lossless. I'm not looking for "humps" in the midrange, or "ooomph" in the bass. What I like is when everything just hangs in front of me, and you go "I didn't know you could get that with IEM's!" Also, I want IEM's that will allow me to enjoy music for long periods, without fatigue.

Three of the IEM's that I've read a bit about is Shure SE530, Westone 3 and Westone UM3X. If I've got this right: The Shure's have that "hump" that I'm looking to avoid, boosting the midrange? And the UM3X leans to the neutral side, with Westone 3 somewhere inbetween SE530 and UM3X? This makes me tend towards trying the UM3X, which I presume would be a natural route from the ER-4P's?

Feel free to knock me on the head, if I've gotten this all wrong...

Budget is somewhat relaxed. I see I can find these around $400, and I'm fine with that.

As you might understand, I'm a bit out of the loop, so any input is deeply appreciated!

 

[james444]

Read the Ortofon e-Q7 threads.

 

[patashnik]

Oh, that looks interesting... Thanks!

 

[xtr3me]

RE0? They might be the kind of neutral you're looking for. If not, they're a pretty good bet for what they sell for anyway.

 

[Spyro]

Coming from Ety, I would cross SE530 off the list. They have the MOST rolled off treble of all three. W3 has the largest mid-bass hump of the three and pretty heavy bass. I personally love them but I'm not sure it would be the best choice of what you are looking for.

UM3X is getting closer. Pretty neutral, much thicker (than ER4) but while very detailed overall, the treble is a little rolled off. Coming from Etys it's a tough call. Nevertheless, it is a terrific IEM.

As long as you do not need BIG BASS, W2 is my #1 recommendation for people that love the ER4 but are looking for a heavier sound and a larger soundstage, great detail, clarity and balance.

Check the W2 Impressions thread for more info.

 

[swayne]

Have you considered the Audio Technica CK-10?

I'm looking to upgrade from my HF5's and so far I'm between UM3X and the CK10.

 

[theKraken11]

Of the earphones you listed, the Westones and the Shures, the Shures are probably closer to the Etymotic sound signature. However, since you want a flatter sound, you might look into the SE420's. I haven't tried the 420's myself, but they're said to be more neutral than the 530's, which are often described as being too bassy.

 

[Spyro]

Just to jump back in here....SE420 was my single biggest dissapointment of any IEM I have ever purchased versus expectations. Sent it back in 2 days I disliked it so much. While theKracken11 is correct in that it is flatter and more neutral than SE530, I found it overly grainy and very tunnel'ish in it's presentation.

 

[kostalex]

No SE530.
I don't know Westones besides UM2, sorry.
I may recommend RE0 or RE252. Both are pretty close to Ety, RE252 is closer, RE0 is more enjoyable. I am comparing them and ER-4P/S right now from iPod 5.5 gen 80GB (is it same to your?). Later I would know which I like more.

 

[DigDub]

yea, try the ortofon e-q7 for the ety like clarity, but with bass and a wider sound stage.

 

[tstarn06]

A vote for the W2s, which I just picked up. Excellent mids/highs, but a little more bottom oomph than the Etys, and I have owned both UM3X and W3. The only hitch with the W2s is they are very small, and for me, it means using long tips, tri-flanges or full-sized Complys (or my UM56s). Short tips don't seal. But you are Ety-familiar, that should not be a problem. It's still very comfy.

Went back to my UM56s (custom sleeves) and these W2s are really sounding better. I had some fit hassles, but with a little futzing, got it down. Anyway, I think the long sleeves sound better on the W2s, so something to consider.

 

[ZARIM]

I think CK100, E_Q7 and UM3x willbe closer to what you are looking for but to me CK100 is better upgrade.

 

[dragoonf144]

I personally found the SE530 (with double flange tips) to be similar to the ER4 which is why i kept it. Highs of the SE530 are just smoothed out imo

Then again, i havent tried any Westone IEMs.

 

[patashnik]

Thank you all, you certainly provided food for thought... After having spent hours reading up on the different models, I have decided to go with the Ortofon E-Q7. If anyone have tried both the ER-4P and the E-Q7, I would love to hear what you think about the differences.

Also, I found out that the cables on my ER-4P are replaceable, so I'm trying to hunt down a good source for those as well. Apuresound got some, but cost as much as getting a new pair of ER-4P's, so that feels like a weird route to take. But, I guess they are worth it?

 

[tnmike1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by patashnik /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thank you all, you certainly provided food for thought... After having spent hours reading up on the different models, I have decided to go with the Ortofon E-Q7. If anyone have tried both the ER-4P and the E-Q7, I would love to hear what you think about the differences. Also, I found out that the cables on my ER-4P are replaceable, so I'm trying to hunt down a good source for those as well. Apuresound got some, but cost as much as getting a new pair of ER-4P's, so that feels like a weird route to take. But, I guess they are worth it?

I'm confused here. You said you like the Ety but the cables break. SO??? Return them to Etymotics for repair. They do the repair work--have done mine a few times--free and return in under a week. Why spend more money if you're happy with Ety??

Back toyour original query: I've owned Trip Fi, Sleek, Klipsch X10, have sampled cheaper Ety, AudioTechnica and a few others I forget over the years. And here I sit having sold everything but the Etys. And this is with too many amps to even remember.

Finally: many trusted sources on here preferred the Westone3 over other higher-ended IEMs. If you really want tospend some money, would suggest looking at a top-quality amp like Mustang or Pico or Minibox E+ (which was designed around the Ety4) to really flesh out the Ety sound. Reviews on all these are on the Portable Amp section