hardbop
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Feb 16, 2005
- Posts
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I posted last week about the ER-Ps after listening to them for a few days.(http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=113702) Now I suppose it's time to expound upon those thoughts. Since I could easily spend the next thousand hours getting to know these canalphones, what follows is a semi-final review.
What I like best about these headphones is that the sound almost originates from inside my own head. I can only assume that this is because the drivers are so close to the eardrums and that this a normal feature for canalphones. Even when the the sound comes exclusively from either channel, it doesn't feel like the music is very far outside my ears. It makes for an interesting listening experience when it's just my brain and the music. My ears are hardly involved. I doubt I'll find this in full-size headsets.
They isolate very well. I have been listening to the music at a far lower volume than with the stock buds, sometimes half as much on the volume meter. Even at the lower volumes, the details come alive. Bass impact is diminished without volume, but for the most part, it is still articulate.
As for the soundstaging, it's a little hard for me to describe. I don't have the extensive experience in audiophiledom that some of our illustrious members do, nor do I have the command of the audiophile jargon. What I can say is in more of a contrast with my Grados. While listening to my SR-60's, I was frequently reminded of sitting in the band performing alongside them, which is a sound I am familiar with. The ER-4P's do not sound like that, which has to do with the in-ear design, I'm sure. They aren't laid back and uninvolving either. Quite the opposite, in fact. Depending on the recording, the music has been very involving for me, regardless of the genre.
These canalphones are analytical, in that they try to present the sound neutrally, without coloration. I think they succeed. They have also been a bit unforgiving with poorer recordings and mixes, which is when I feel detached from the music. Where the percussion is buried in the mix, the cymbals and snares have been muted and uninvolving. I've also listened to a few track in which the the bass was taken out of the bass guitar. Again, univolving and it lacked impact.
When the recording was good, however, that is where these canalphones shine, literally. The high percussion is bright and clear and mallets striking bass drums sound authentic. Very fun to listen to and very moving, besides.
I set out to find a headphone for classical and jazz or less complicated, acoustic music, but the ER-4Ps augment the rock music I listen to, as well. It occurs in a very different way than with the Grados, of course, but they show the value of a well recorded rock album. Perhaps it's because I haven't heard a good headphone in such a while. (My SR-60's are still away getting repaired; they were down for a long time, too.) It makes things a bit difficult when I try to tear myself away from modern music. A lot of rock music is about creating a wall of noise, but with these canalphones, it's like I can tell what kind of bricks were used to make that wall.
When I manage to break free of the devil's music, though, I am well rewarded. That instrumetal separation I spoke of earlier goes very well with all the stuff that's happening in classical music. Everything seems so clear, the bow on the string, the air in the woodwinds, that beautiful attack of the brass. It is all laid out for my ears to listen to. I can focus on the details of the smallest part to the blend of the entire orchestra. So very nice. This could very well be the clasical sound I was looking for.
I haven't really gotten past the symphonic music yet, but what I have heard of the vocals is no less impressive, especially with solos and duets.
Jazz is likewise involving and fun to listen to. Every disjointed nuance comes out to play. Charles Mingus' bass has never sounded so engaging.
The ER-4Ps handle simpler music well. Acoustic guitars are presented not as aggressive, but warm nonetheless. Each pluck of the string is articulated and it's clear how fast or slow the strumming speed is.
I'm pleasantly surprised at how well the ER-4Ps sound directly out of my iPod and computer. I wasn't sure how well a higher-end headphone would perform without an amp, but these really seem to be built for the task. It makes me salivate over having a good amp and headset combo, though.
I had to encode the rest of my classical and jazz to a lossless format. They were just too hollow even at 256 kbps. I've used the EAC to Lame "--alt preset extreme" for all my MP3s and they still hold up fairly well against these headphones, except for the aforementioned genres. I've listened to a few rock albums back to back in a lossless format versus MP3, but I can't tell which is which. I haven't scrutinized the two formats heavily, yet, so it's probably just a matter of time.
Comfort has improved, except for the small amount of soreness, but that passed quickly. I am already able to remove and replace either canalphone easily and reestablish the seal immediately. It's become as easy as using earbuds. Moreover, I can almost forget that they are plugging my ears. It has been an interesting discovery to get an idea of the shape of my inner ears and how they differ from each other. They each have very different shapes and my right ears seems to be deeper than the left.
I still haven't received any complaints about missed phone calls while at work, so I guess I'm doing okay with the isolation.
I'm still using the tri-flanges, since they seem to agree more with my ears. Besides, I think I already destroyed one foam tip. The flanges are a lot easier to clean than I thought they would be. And they do attract a bit of mess.
I am really enjoying these canalphones and I expect it will be very difficult to send them back to Headroom in a couple weeks. I don't think I'll be able to try out other headphones unless I make an exchange. Though, I could definitely see myself using the ER-4Ps alongside a set of full-size headphones, if only for the things that canalphones can do that are unique to the design. I guess I'll find out on my own, though, if I can force myself to move on to another audition. I'm not sure which set of headphones I want to try next, but I think I've decided to try the SuperMacro as my first portable amp.
Moreso than the desire I have to try out new and wonderful headphone setups is that to listen to more and better music. I think I may be experiencing a correct reaction to listening to high-end phones. Or at least what I would consider a good reaction to the headphones. I really want to go out and buy more music...
All right. I suppose this has been less of a review and more about my subjective relationship with the headphones, colored by my impressions on how they make my beloved music sound. In any case this review has gone on long enough, far longer than I anticipated. Anyone who made it this far should trust their own ears, but I do recommend giving the Etymotic ER-4's a try.
What I like best about these headphones is that the sound almost originates from inside my own head. I can only assume that this is because the drivers are so close to the eardrums and that this a normal feature for canalphones. Even when the the sound comes exclusively from either channel, it doesn't feel like the music is very far outside my ears. It makes for an interesting listening experience when it's just my brain and the music. My ears are hardly involved. I doubt I'll find this in full-size headsets.
They isolate very well. I have been listening to the music at a far lower volume than with the stock buds, sometimes half as much on the volume meter. Even at the lower volumes, the details come alive. Bass impact is diminished without volume, but for the most part, it is still articulate.
As for the soundstaging, it's a little hard for me to describe. I don't have the extensive experience in audiophiledom that some of our illustrious members do, nor do I have the command of the audiophile jargon. What I can say is in more of a contrast with my Grados. While listening to my SR-60's, I was frequently reminded of sitting in the band performing alongside them, which is a sound I am familiar with. The ER-4P's do not sound like that, which has to do with the in-ear design, I'm sure. They aren't laid back and uninvolving either. Quite the opposite, in fact. Depending on the recording, the music has been very involving for me, regardless of the genre.
These canalphones are analytical, in that they try to present the sound neutrally, without coloration. I think they succeed. They have also been a bit unforgiving with poorer recordings and mixes, which is when I feel detached from the music. Where the percussion is buried in the mix, the cymbals and snares have been muted and uninvolving. I've also listened to a few track in which the the bass was taken out of the bass guitar. Again, univolving and it lacked impact.
When the recording was good, however, that is where these canalphones shine, literally. The high percussion is bright and clear and mallets striking bass drums sound authentic. Very fun to listen to and very moving, besides.
I set out to find a headphone for classical and jazz or less complicated, acoustic music, but the ER-4Ps augment the rock music I listen to, as well. It occurs in a very different way than with the Grados, of course, but they show the value of a well recorded rock album. Perhaps it's because I haven't heard a good headphone in such a while. (My SR-60's are still away getting repaired; they were down for a long time, too.) It makes things a bit difficult when I try to tear myself away from modern music. A lot of rock music is about creating a wall of noise, but with these canalphones, it's like I can tell what kind of bricks were used to make that wall.
When I manage to break free of the devil's music, though, I am well rewarded. That instrumetal separation I spoke of earlier goes very well with all the stuff that's happening in classical music. Everything seems so clear, the bow on the string, the air in the woodwinds, that beautiful attack of the brass. It is all laid out for my ears to listen to. I can focus on the details of the smallest part to the blend of the entire orchestra. So very nice. This could very well be the clasical sound I was looking for.
I haven't really gotten past the symphonic music yet, but what I have heard of the vocals is no less impressive, especially with solos and duets.
Jazz is likewise involving and fun to listen to. Every disjointed nuance comes out to play. Charles Mingus' bass has never sounded so engaging.
The ER-4Ps handle simpler music well. Acoustic guitars are presented not as aggressive, but warm nonetheless. Each pluck of the string is articulated and it's clear how fast or slow the strumming speed is.
I'm pleasantly surprised at how well the ER-4Ps sound directly out of my iPod and computer. I wasn't sure how well a higher-end headphone would perform without an amp, but these really seem to be built for the task. It makes me salivate over having a good amp and headset combo, though.
I had to encode the rest of my classical and jazz to a lossless format. They were just too hollow even at 256 kbps. I've used the EAC to Lame "--alt preset extreme" for all my MP3s and they still hold up fairly well against these headphones, except for the aforementioned genres. I've listened to a few rock albums back to back in a lossless format versus MP3, but I can't tell which is which. I haven't scrutinized the two formats heavily, yet, so it's probably just a matter of time.
Comfort has improved, except for the small amount of soreness, but that passed quickly. I am already able to remove and replace either canalphone easily and reestablish the seal immediately. It's become as easy as using earbuds. Moreover, I can almost forget that they are plugging my ears. It has been an interesting discovery to get an idea of the shape of my inner ears and how they differ from each other. They each have very different shapes and my right ears seems to be deeper than the left.
I still haven't received any complaints about missed phone calls while at work, so I guess I'm doing okay with the isolation.
I'm still using the tri-flanges, since they seem to agree more with my ears. Besides, I think I already destroyed one foam tip. The flanges are a lot easier to clean than I thought they would be. And they do attract a bit of mess.
I am really enjoying these canalphones and I expect it will be very difficult to send them back to Headroom in a couple weeks. I don't think I'll be able to try out other headphones unless I make an exchange. Though, I could definitely see myself using the ER-4Ps alongside a set of full-size headphones, if only for the things that canalphones can do that are unique to the design. I guess I'll find out on my own, though, if I can force myself to move on to another audition. I'm not sure which set of headphones I want to try next, but I think I've decided to try the SuperMacro as my first portable amp.
Moreso than the desire I have to try out new and wonderful headphone setups is that to listen to more and better music. I think I may be experiencing a correct reaction to listening to high-end phones. Or at least what I would consider a good reaction to the headphones. I really want to go out and buy more music...
All right. I suppose this has been less of a review and more about my subjective relationship with the headphones, colored by my impressions on how they make my beloved music sound. In any case this review has gone on long enough, far longer than I anticipated. Anyone who made it this far should trust their own ears, but I do recommend giving the Etymotic ER-4's a try.
