[bobeau]

Point being people are looking for phones to split up the considerable Ety market. The E5 appears to stray far from that sound according to feedback on this board. For someone who is into the house Shure sound I can understand how the E5 may be a step.

 

[Jmmmmm]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MichaelFranks the e5c have bass yes, an incredible amount, no! compared to the etys sure they do, but it is far from visceral. I know it isn't fair, but someone should say it anyway to remind people to trust their own ears and remember that not all opinions are necessarily unbiased

I own the um2's, and if I remember correctly, the e5c's are supposed to have slightly more bass than the um2's. To my ears, the bass IS too much on the um2's. If you are a basshead, e5c/um2 is the way to go. I think that if you believe the e5c's dont have 'an incredible amount' of bass, you certainly must be a basshead. I eq the bass down on my um2's because I think it covers up some of the detail. I trust my ears, and that is what I hear.

 

[hawkfire]

hello,

Point being people are looking for phones to split up the considerable Ety market

And where did this info come from?

 

[jesse_w]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jmmmmm I own the um2's, and if I remember correctly, the e5c's are supposed to have slightly more bass than the um2's. To my ears, the bass IS too much on the um2's. If you are a basshead, e5c/um2 is the way to go. I think that if you believe the e5c's dont have 'an incredible amount' of bass, you certainly must be a basshead. I eq the bass down on my um2's because I think it covers up some of the detail. I trust my ears, and that is what I hear.

Every single non-canalphone I've heard (grados, hd580,650,595, px100 ath-a900) has more bass than the E5, which has a fair amount more than the ER4 but by no means 'an incredible amount.'

jesse

 

[bobeau]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hawkfire hello, Point being people are looking for phones to split up the considerable Ety market And where did this info come from?

Just a hunch from reading hundreds of posts in this forum. I did not mean everyone interested in these phones (or the new UE offerings) are attempting a defect from the Ety camp, just a sizable portion.

 

[jude]

Of course, I'll only speak for me, but I've been listening to both of these earphones since I got my E4c, and have been doing more back-and-forth with them today, and whether I'm listening to Nick Drake, the John Pizzarelli Trio, Soul Coughing or Mahler, the E4c is to my ears all of the following, relative to the E5c:

1. Better in terms of tonal continuity. Whereas some might see the two-driver configuration as a plus, I don't think it's necessarily so. As with my AKG K340 (which I also like, and, like the E5c, is also a two-way configuration), there's an occasional sense of disjointedness with the E5c that I think may be due the crossover and the necessity of melding two drivers to present as one. This is most apparent to me with jazz piano trios. With the E4c (as well as my ER-4S/4P), they're always in the same space, same place, and never do I get the sense that the bassist is playing in a different acoustic than the pianist, which I sometimes get with the E5c.
2. Quieter (in terms of noise floor). The E5c exhibits hiss with all but a few amps I've tried it with. With as much emphasis I've put on keeping my rigs quiet (in terms of background noise)--from dedicated lines to power conditioning--the hiss is an issue, and noticeable between tracks, and during quiet passages, with most rigs I use it in.
3. Better in terms of bass control. As far as earphones go, there's no doubt that the E5c's bass is alluring, and I was relatively happy with it. After listening to the E4c, however, the E5c sounds loose in comparison.
4. Better in terms of treble extension. Where as I can see how some might hear the E5c and think it softer up top than ideal, I'd be much more surprised to see such an assessment of the E4c.

These are my opinions, and how I hear 'em. To me, the long run is not going to have as much back-and-forth between the E4c and E5c, but between the E4c and Etymotic's products. As someone else already pointed out, if you really dig the E5c, then the Etymotic ER-4P/4S may be a hard sell. But I was one of the folks who liked the relatively impactful bass and body of the E5c, but felt it came at the expense of the detail and resolution of, say, the ER-4S. I have both the ER-4S and ER-4P, and, whereas I'd occasionally turn to them in lieu of the E5c when I needed a bit more air and detail, I've not had to do that since I got my E4c--for me, it's what I wanted from my ER-4S/4P, but with much more solid bass response and a more impactful presentation overall.

As for how loud they can play: it wouldn't surprise me if the E5c can ultimately reach higher SPLs, but, since I've turned the E4c up as loud as I can take it, without a hint of strain on the E4c's part, its maximum sound pressure levels are far beyond my reach, so I can't comment on how the two compare in that regard.

At both last month's Detroit Mini-Meet and last weekend's Ann Arbor/Detroit Meet, the E4c went over very well, and certainly not due to any prodding from me for the folks to dig it. I just left the earphones out with some spare foamies, other eartips and alcohol pads, and let anyone who wanted to give it a hear do so. At the Mini-Meet, chosen1 compared the E5c and the E4c. At last weekend's Meet, I think it was rcgrant who asked me if he could borrow both the E4c and ER-4P to compare. Several others gave the E4c a listen, too, but these two guys are the only ones I actually saw actively doing back-and-forth comparisons with another earphone (the other guys might have done the same, but I didn't see them doing that).

There'll always be folks who prefer the E5c to the E4c, and the ER-4S/4P to either, but, for me (and I think this will eventually be true of many others, too), the E4c is my go-to earphone until I hear a better overall earphone for me.

 

[Oliver :)]

Comprehensive & rational, thank you jude

 

[hawkfire]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobeau Just a hunch from reading hundreds of posts in this forum. I did not mean everyone interested in these phones (or the new UE offerings) are attempting a defect from the Ety camp, just a sizable portion.

Hello,

Defect from the ety camp? Are ety owners in a gulag held prisoner by the company or something?

I think the reason for the amount of interest is simple.

Many new IEM products being offered (moreso this year so far than any other year to date) and many are curious to performance and sound quality of said products.

 

[dskywalker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jesse_w Every single non-canalphone I've heard (grados, hd580,650,595, px100 ath-a900) has more bass than the E5, which has a fair amount more than the ER4 but by no means 'an incredible amount.' jesse

I second that, my HD-600 is bassier than my e4c, e3c, and er4p. Now, can someone elighten me how a dual driver reproduces better sound than a singer driver earphone? Better sound stage?

 

[PFRfan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hawkfire Hello, Defect from the ety camp? Are ety owners in a gulag held prisoner by the company or something? I think the reason for the amount of interest is simple. Many new IEM products being offered (moreso this year so far than any other year to date) and many are curious to performance and sound quality of said products.

I could be wrong, but I think the explanation that's being attempted here is that there are many who would like something with similar detail and treble performance as the ER4 series, but with a stronger bass presence. I have strongly considered picking up a pair of Ety's, but have been concerned about the lack of impact in the lower rangers. If the E4Cs (or any other newer canalphone) can provide such a signature (basically Ety+bass), then I will find it very difficult to avoid wallet abuse.

I'm sure that no one is suggesting an Etymonic prison-break. I believe that when someone says they're in a particular camp, it indicates that they have chosen to align their point of view with the others in that "camp". That's funny, though! I'll remember the next time someone tells me they're in someone's camp that maybe there's barbed wire and spotlights there!

 

[bobeau]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hawkfire Hello, Many new IEM products being offered (moreso this year so far than any other year to date) and many are curious to performance and sound quality of said products.

What PFRan said and Jude addressed.

 

[yhmzzz]

I believe my choice.. Thanks jude..

 

[CodeGuy]

Ok, I have the E3 and E5. I am pretty much just looking for a straight yes or no answer from somone who has the E3, E4, and E5. Is it worth my money to go for the E4, or will I just be wasting my money given the phones that I already own? Having a real hard time figuring this out from the opinions posted thus far regarding the E4.

 

[vranswer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CodeGuy Ok, I have the E3 and E5. I am pretty much just looking for a straight yes or no answer from somone who has the E3, E4, and E5. Is it worth my money to go for the E4, or will I just be wasting my money given the phones that I already own? Having a real hard time figuring this out from the opinions posted thus far regarding the E4.

Whoah. Straight answer almost certainly not-forthcoming on that one. I will say this. If you listen to both your E5s and E3s, say, for different moods or music and you buy the E4s, then you'll leave the E3s in the drawer (or sell them). To my ears, the E4s do everything better than the E3s but can't replace what the E5s can do. If you're looking for just one be-all, end-all earphone...well, obviously there isn't any.

 

[jude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CodeGuy Ok, I have the E3 and E5. I am pretty much just looking for a straight yes or no answer from somone who has the E3, E4, and E5. Is it worth my money to go for the E4, or will I just be wasting my money given the phones that I already own? Having a real hard time figuring this out from the opinions posted thus far regarding the E4.

I have the E3c, E4c and E5c. I also have the Etymotic ER-4S and ER-4P. Of these, the E4c is my favorite, and, yes, even if you already have the other two SHUREs, I'd recommend the E4c. If you end up liking the E4c as much as I do, then the E3c and E5c won't see as much use, and you should be able to sell them here at Head-Fi without much problem. Of course, if for any reason you still prefer either or both of what you already have to the E4c, then I'd guess you should be able to sell that one even quicker than either of the other two here at Head-Fi.

Long answer short, based on my feelings about these three earphones, my answer to your question is "yes."