[Ingo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rx7_fan I own both the UE super.fi 5 pro and the Shure E4. I can tell you that you can't expect to have super.fi 5 type of bass on an E4. It wont happen, the E4 has weak bass, it's as simple as that. You can't use the E4 for hip/hop, rap, or techno, it's just too weak. And before people jump all over me by saying this, I used cardas interconnect with Ray Samuels Audio Hornet; amping it has been done.

I agree, the E4 can't come close to the bass impact of the SF5P or the E5 even with an amp.

 

[apnk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ingo I agree, the E4 can't come close to the bass impact of the SF5P or the E5 even with an amp.

Or the UM2.

I chose the e4 because imo it has the tightest bass. I owned the UM2's, and the SF5P and I hated recessed mids and boomy bass.

 

[iamnoone]

I've come full circle sort of. For some inexplicable reason, i cannot get a seal with any of the grey tips anymore. And I forgot to pack any of the clear ones. So I tried the foamies again and boy are they comfy. Sounded ok, not a great seal. I'm going to order the comply tips. they look longer and unlike most ppl, I like the feeling of having the plug in the ear. I don't mind if it needs to go farther in, which is why I was dissapointed when the tri flange didn't fit me. I'm still wary of snipping the biggest flange off until I get some spares.

cheers

 

[escher]

1. Burn-in - there is debate about burnin. Some believe in it with IEM's some don't (same for other headphones too, actually). I personally don't think the sound has changed on my E4 since i purchased it.

2. Bass response. I had to adjust the EQ on my iRiver to get the proper bass response that i wanted (i listen to hip hop almost exclusively at the gym) - with the foamies it really booms. I'm quite happy with the results.

3. The crackling is probably due to the on-board sound. I had the same problem until i switched to a proper sound card and the crackling went away. YMMV.

 

[Spyro]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iamnoone Hey guys, tell me if this is possible. I used the middle sized flex sleeve initially and got what I think is a good seal. Because when i take them out, I get the whole suction effect like it wants to pull my ear drum out with it. That's the sign of a good seal right?

You bet it is!

I would say THIS is the epitome of a perfect seal and foamies can not do this.

 

[schneido12]

Quote:

Originally Posted by warrior05 my portable rig Zen Sleek > PA2V2 > E4 has a real nice bass response. the key is a really good seal. i'm one of the few who actually prefer their gray tips. when i pull these suckers out its like a suction cup letting go the seal is so good. keep in mind, you won't get deep booming bass but nice tight present bass is achievable. i love 'em!

I have a very similar portable setup (Zen Xtra 40GB > PA2V2 > E4c), and I agree that the bass with the E4c is quite nice with the proper seal. The E4c bass doesn't have the impact and power of the HD595, but it is tight and clean when amped. I was using the gray, soft-flex tips and I thought I was getting a good seal with them, but I found that I get a better seal with the foamies or the clear flex tips if I moisten them first. I'm using the clear tips exclusively since they don't need to be replaced.

 

[Oski]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oski Based on the fact that the medium to small sleeves seem to work best for you, I'd highly recommend that you cut off the LARGEST flange of the tri flange. This is what I did and the fit was much better. Too often people just suggest cutting off the smallest flange without consideration for the proper fit in advance.

I have to modify my previous suggestion. Over the weekend I was fortunate enough to attend the International Meet and the gracious folks at Etymotic allowed me to audition the ER4P (which sounded exceptional by the way) and gave me the pair of tri-flanges that I used for the audition.

I tried the Ety tri-flanges on my E4c and it's now my favorite tip, as it is very comfortable and actually provides the greatest isolation for my train commute. But previously I had recommended potentially cutting off the largest flange. After comparing the Ety tri-flange to Shure's, it seems that the biggest difference is the longer stem of the Shures. So I believe, that rather than trimming off a flange, it is best to just cut off most of the stalk instead. This is if the medium/small grey tips are the proper fit. If the medium/large tip works best (and the Shure flange is too long or inserted too far in otherwise, then maybe instead of trimming the stalk the smallest flange is cut off as others have suggested.

 

[P0iNT]

OMG I got my new shure e4's this afternoon and I am loving them. My perfect setup is now complete. Iriver H340 > PA2V2 with cardas mini to mini > Shure E4. The PA2V2 gives the E4's very nice deep bass and brings out the lovely highs. I don't know if a burn in period would be required for IEM however at the moment I am very happy. The E4's are a nice upgrade from the E3c's and is money well spent. With the E3c's I was using the medium grey tips however with the E4's it sounded like something was missing. So I did a bit of modding with the tri flanges. The stem was way to long so I cut that in half then cut off the first flange. The bi flanges fit perfectly now and sound awesome.

 

[BushGuy]

Foamies provide the most profound isolation (plus retaining much more of the bass produced by the IEM) - which is unmatched by any other currently available tips/sleeves. The negative impact to sound is an easily discernible muffling in the lower register. A great many wearers feel a slight tickling sensation after more than a hour's wear - irritatation to the earcanal.

Softflex tips tend to be the most comfortable. They are often reported as providing the same good sound signature of the triflanges, but, also described as being the least isolating. While this is usually attibuted to the differing (even more flexible) material, I'd posit the real difference is the design of the flanged tips. When you used flanged tips you are placing 2 (biflange) or 3 (triflange) sound barriers in the earcanal at the same time. Actually if you insert iems with softflex tips and, eg. tap you fingers on a hard surface, and then do the same with Biflange tips - the degree of isolation will be ostensively the same. There is a clear difference when you opt for the triflange comparison.
So, it can be said to suggest foamies in a high noise environment when removal/re-insertion does not have " socially acceptable" component (it ain't a pretty sight). Otherwise (unless greater bass output is a primary consideration), the softflex makes the most sense and tips made for Shure e4, e5 can also be used on Ety er6 (6i) models.

 

[Zephyron]

I just got my Shure e4g earlier today.

Well extended bass, nice bass body, warm, lush , liquid-like mids and resolving highs coupled with great detail, decay rate, tone and timbre (The pianoes OMG! *hyperventilates*) despite my source beng limited to a lowly iAudio U3. I'll be waiting for my PINT amp to come in, since I heard the e4 works best with an amp.

To Jasper994, Edwood and Scrypt, thanks to the 3 of you for having convinced me to get the e4g, I much prefer them to the UM2. They're excellent IEMs too but they're too warm for my tastes.

 

[koljaho]

extended bass.........you sure? Hmm.....maybe i will have to change my source...

 

[Zephyron]

Yo, you're here too!

You gotta remember I'm no basshead, and I prefer tonal accuracy as opposed to overquantised bass. The e4's bass goes pretty deep (bass extension) as it is pretty much punchy to me. Bass extension does not equal bass quantity

 

[koljaho]

hmm.....deep is deep. But not strong enough. Only part of the song goes deep.

 

[Zephyron]

Its slamming enough for me though, but as I've said before, I'm not a basshead, but an analytical listener as you know from the HWZ forums, and the E4's bass more than plenty enough for me