[freeflight]

I want to check with other ER-4P owners about the visual appearance of the ER-4P, especially the driver enclosure.

Mine (received today from headroom) have some visual blemish on the black driver enclosure. I found some scratches at the end of the driver enclosure, and one dent on each plastic enclosure. It seems like that someone tried very hard to connect the cable and driver. There is a gap between the cable connector and the right driver, but seamless connection to the left.

The serial number of the drivers are 20484 (left) and 20899 (right), which seems way too old for the Etys. You can check
here to check the serial # of Etys. People have Etys of 24***.

I paid $276 for ER-4P. The questions are:
1. What does your ER-4P look like? Are those scratch and dents normal?
2. Can someone please post the serial numbers of their new ER-4Ps?
2. Is it possible that my pair of ER-4P is NOT brand new?

 

[AIM9x]

My brand new pair of etys lacks your weird fit of the right enclosure. I have a small indentation on both modules, which looks like a slight circular scar on each. My cables fit flush into my modules, and the serial #s on my etys are early 27000, so your pair might be a little suspicious. If they look kinda trashy, i'd recommend sending them back. If you're paying 300 dollars for something, make sure you get a quality 300$ product.

 

[Spad]

The dents make them sound like used--if not downright abused--to me, freeflight. I'd return them.

Your handle really makes me smile. FreeFlight was one of SoCal's larger BBSs, and I ran it for years beginning in the mid-80s.

 

[freeflight]

Quote:

Originally posted by AIM9x My brand new pair of etys lacks your weird fit of the right enclosure. I have a small indentation on both modules, which looks like a slight circular scar on each. My cables fit flush into my modules, and the serial #s on my etys are early 27000, so your pair might be a little suspicious. If they look kinda trashy, i'd recommend sending them back. If you're paying 300 dollars for something, make sure you get a quality 300$ product.

Thanks, AIM9X.
Your description of indentation and scar matches mine. Now the two strange things are: the gap between the connection of the dirver and the old serial numbers.

 

[chych]

The gap between the cable thing? Try pushing the cable in, they are detachable, so you can push it right back in.

 

[freeflight]

Quote:

Originally posted by Spad The dents make them sound like used--if not downright abused--to me, freeflight. I'd return them. Your handle really makes me smile. FreeFlight was one of SoCal's larger BBSs, and I ran it for years beginning in the mid-80s.

Like AIM9X said, I want to make sure that I get a quality pair of ER-4P. It is worth the trouble to return or exchange the thing.

Spad, you got PM about the name FreeFlight.

 

[kelly]

Mine were also received today from Headroom and are numbered 20630 and 19572. The sticker on the outside of the plastic box was barely attached--it could have been removed or simply never was very sticky.I have one small circular scar each on the black drivers but have not yet taken them apart to inspect further.

The thread you posted a link to was serial numbers for 4S wasn't it? Maybe the numbers were reserved in different blocks.

 

[RobertR]

I got my ER4p's about 3 weeks ago.
The #'s`are 28337 & 28382. These were a replacement since the first ones which I got in Feb. were returned because the insulation was coming out of the strain relief exposing bare wire.
Otherwise they sounded great. I think the #'s were in the 24000 range.
Ever since then I've been carefull in use although I never abused the original pair

 

[freeflight]

Quote:

Originally posted by kelly Mine were also received today from Headroom and are numbered 20630 and 19572. The sticker on the outside of the plastic box was barely attached--it could have been removed or simply never was very sticky.I have one small circular scar each on the black drivers but have not yet taken them apart to inspect further. The thread you posted a link to was serial numbers for 4S wasn't it? Maybe the numbers were reserved in different blocks.

My sticker is on the outside of the paper box, not the plastic box. The serial numbers were handwritten with a blue ballpen.

It could be that I am overacting a bit. But would anyone be happy with spending $276 on a used or B stock pair of ER-4P? I know I won't.
For the peace of mind, let's see other Etys owners' reponse. And better yet, Don from Ety Research and people from headroom.

 

[Spad]

Don't be too concerned about the serial numbers, Freeflight. The drivers are hand matched to a gnat's butt. Supposedly, every Ety driver has a stored response curve. If you ever need a driver replacement in the future, you have only to give the serial number of the good driver and Ety will match its curve.

Whats troublesome is the dents. Mine had none. But as I recall (I no longer have the originals cables installed) one of the connectors wouldn't seat properly.

As you'll see, some replacement tips are fairly difficult to install and it's possible to dent or bend the tubes in the process.

Sounds fishy to me.

 

[d_wilson]

The ER-4 transducer assembly is potted in epoxy. There is a hole in the side of the case for the excess epoxy to leak out when we attach the cap. After the epoxy is dry we go back and touch up the hole. If you look closely enough everyone will see where the hole is patched. I am sure there are some which look better than others. It is a somewhat archaic process which will hopefully be redesigned someday.

The cable is attached to the transducer with a 2 pin plug and socket. It is a tight fit and I wouldn't recommend trying to remove it (you will most likely pull a pin out of the plug). You might be able to push the two halves together. I made a special tool to help press the two halves together. I guess one of the assemblers was feeling weak the day your units were attached to the cable. I will stress the visual checks again.

One of our test computer DSP boards was giving distortion levels that were a couple tenths of a percent higher than actual. When we confirmed the problem several different ways, we retested parts in quarantine and recovered some older parts. I also have found that our internal distortion limit is too low. After I conduct some more testing we might change the way the test is conducted to make it more meaningful.

Don Wilson
Etymotic Research

 

[freeflight]

Thanks for the reply, Don.
Quote:

Originally posted by d_wilson The ER-4 transducer assembly is potted in epoxy. There is a hole in the side of the case for the excess epoxy to leak out when we attach the cap. After the epoxy is dry we go back and touch up the hole. If you look closely enough everyone will see where the hole is patched. I am sure there are some which look better than others. It is a somewhat archaic process which will hopefully be redesigned someday. Don Wilson Etymotic Research

This explains the dents on both driver. Besides the dents, the plastic enclosures of both driver are not in mint black condition, i.e., with some scratches on both drivers, which seem like the result of forced connection. Are those normal?

Did I expect too much about the manufacture of something so expensive and good sounding? As an Engineer in design and manufacture, I do not think it is very difficult to make a visually appealing enclosure for ER-4P. I might be wrong about this, but my el-cheapo MX500 looks better, not to mention my V6, 7506, and HD-600.

 

[freeflight]

Quote:

Originally posted by d_wilson The cable is attached to the transducer with a 2 pin plug and socket. It is a tight fit and I wouldn't recommend trying to remove it (you will most likely pull a pin out of the plug). You might be able to push the two halves together. I made a special tool to help press the two halves together. I guess one of the assemblers was feeling weak the day your units were attached to the cable. I will stress the visual checks again. Don Wilson Etymotic Research

The gap between the driver and red connector is about 1mm. I feel the connection is tight. But god knows if it will loose in the future.
I do not dare to push or unplug the connector. Dude, I am not too handy on these small staff.

 

[freeflight]

Quote:

Originally posted by d_wilson One of our test computer DSP boards was giving distortion levels that were a couple tenths of a percent higher than actual. When we confirmed the problem several different ways, we retested parts in quarantine and recovered some older parts. I also have found that our internal distortion limit is too low. After I conduct some more testing we might change the way the test is conducted to make it more meaningful. Don Wilson Etymotic Research

Don, I absolutely admire the effort of Etys Research on the matching of the drivers. I know it will be very very costly to push the tolerance just a bit above the average. And I perfer you spend more on drivers than the visual appearance. I have not intention to challenge the reputation of Ety Research by any means. (BTW, I will start job hunting in a year or so.)

As far as my pair of ER-4P, I think it is below average condition. I want to collect a bit more information before I make a decision about returning the ER-4P, which costs time and money. And I will hate to be apart with the ER-4P for a week or so.

 

[kelly]

Don

Thank you for responding to this. In addition to your job in the research department, you do an exceptional job at PR. I consider us to be very fortunate hobbyists to have the quick responses of Etymotic, Headroom and Meier Audio be so commonplace at HeadFi. Just wanted you to know that although it's become commonplace, it has not been taken for granted. We really appreciate it.