[drssyoon]

I used to have E2s. When I saw E3s, I thought I'd upgrade. Despite trying all kinds of fits, plugs, never could get the kind of sound I wanted out of them. In fact, I did not like E3s as much as I did the E2s despite trying really tried. The sound was very fatigue-ing. Couldn't listen to them for a long period without fidgeting. So, I bit the bullet, sold the E3s and bought E4P from a head-fier (thanks BThall!). What a difference. I REALLY like the sound. I don't need to fidget with the EQ or the fit once I insert them. I am very happy. I hope this post will encourage those that are thinking about upgrading to E3s to go for the Ety 4s instead. Of course, my 2 cents...

 

[wontanamo]

I went from e3 to er-4p. sound-wise, it was a great move. comfort-wise, not so great...

 

[DJGeorgeT]

Nice post

I feel the same way. I have the ER4 and the E2. I never really liked the E3 or the E5. The E3 was all about mids, no bass and no high end. The ER4 is all about detail and good bass (not bloated). With the foamies, the ER4 provides the best isolation that any universal fit canalphones can provide. The foamies also provide the best bass response. The amount of detail the ER4 provides, makes every penny worth it.

 

[toaster]

the er4S's smoke the the e3's on every sonic level, absolutely every one.

the er4's, despite their extremely detailed treble, are less fatiguing than the e3's. The bass on the er4's is much more audible and consistent. Everything is balanced and there is no upper-mid-range hump as on the e3's.

Ergonomically however, the etymotics are really terrible. i never could have imagined how poorly they'd sit in your ears.

 

[drssyoon]

Actually, I find the fit of Ety 4s much better (comfortable?) than the E3s. The real test will be my trans-Atlantic flight from Atlanta to South Africa. Can I handle having the thing in my ears for 14 hours??? Will let y'all know.

 

[toaster]

do you think it's easier to get the etymotics in your ears than the e3's?

the e3's never stayed in my ears, so i could see the etys possibly being better in that regard.

 

[wontanamo]

i think there are about the same (difficulty of inserting) if you use the foamies. I bought e1/e3/e5 yellow foamies and use them with er-4p. works great and less abrasive.

 

[TonyTripleA]

The etymotics with foamies stay in my ears for at least seven hours a day (with 5-10 minute breaks for phone calls once an hour). Some days I find I have forgotten they are in even after continuous listening for two or three hours. Nothing special about my ears but I thought it might be worth pointing to the possibility that maybe there are as many perfect fits as uncomfortable fits.

Don't you just hate it though when your ear gets an itch that needs "canal scratching" and its right at the peak of some magical musical performance...

Etys... you won't regret them.

Cheers,

TonyAAA

 

[DJGeorgeT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wontanamo i think there are about the same (difficulty of inserting) if you use the foamies. I bought e1/e3/e5 yellow foamies and use them with er-4p. works great and less abrasive.

I prefer the original stock etys foamies (the black ones) to use with my ER4. They are longer than the shures, so the nozzle stays back and gets less exposure to ear wax, which in turn means that I do not have to replace the filter all that often. They seem to compress and decompress better and seem to be of higher quality than the shure yellow foamies. The key is to squeeze, roll with your fingers for about 10 seconds and then shove them into your ears as far as they can go. They will then decompress slowly and you should feel NO discomfort. I love my etys. I really do not feel them in my ears. The tri flanges on the other hand are nasty to my ears. They always hurt going in and going out of my ears and do not block the sound as good.

njoy the etys

 

[wontanamo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJGeorgeT I prefer the original stock etys foamies (the black ones) to use with my ER4. They are longer than the shures, so the nozzle stays back and gets less exposure to ear wax, which in turn means that I do not have to replace the filter all that often.

might be true, but not a problem for my low wax-producing ears.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJGeorgeT They seem to compress and decompress better and seem to be of higher quality than the shure yellow foamies.

i disagree. Yes, ety foamies compress and decompresses more easily, but they are also less dense, wear out more quickly, and are more abrasive compared to shure foamies. The longer length of ety foamies also make them less comfortable. Either way, etys are great, are they?

 

[DJGeorgeT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wontanamo might be true, but not a problem for my low wax-producing ears. i disagree. Yes, ety foamies compress and decompresses more easily, but they are also less dense, wear out more quickly, and are more abrasive compared to shure foamies. The longer length of ety foamies also make them less comfortable. Either way, etys are great, are they?

The shure foamies hardly retain its shape even after I use them one time. I mean, even the material used by the etys foam feels stronger and returns to its shape. I still think they are much better than the shure, this is why I buy the ety foams even though they are more expensive than the shures. The longer length of the ety foamy helps with getting more isolation. IMHO the length has nothing to do with comfort. The shape of your ear canal is the main factor.

 

[drssyoon]

OK. This may sound gross to you non-asians, but coming from the far east, we keep our inner ears very clean. In fact, you can purchase one of those ear wax cleaners that looks like a little spoon and go at it. I keep my ear canals very clean and have had no problems with the hygienic issue with foams or plugs. For those of us that are used to this, the scratching feels kinda nice...

 

[cmascatello]

I kind of wish that we could get the ear spoons/scrapers/knives here in the US. I'm not sure how far I would try and dig in there, but I would like to have it for inner-ear scratching from time to time. Beats the hell out of pen caps and other smaller home-made tools.

 

[wontanamo]

try large asian grocery supermarkets, like Ranch 99 or Mitsuwa here in California.

 

[Harty]

Quote:

Originally Posted by drssyoon OK. This may sound gross to you non-asians, but coming from the far east, we keep our inner ears very clean. In fact, you can purchase one of those ear wax cleaners that looks like a little spoon and go at it. I keep my ear canals very clean and have had no problems with the hygienic issue with foams or plugs. For those of us that are used to this, the scratching feels kinda nice...

drssyoon,

I get quite a bit of wax build up, is the method you use safe. I've been told that you shouldn't use any impliments to clean out your ears.

Best wishes,

Paul.