OMG! I just ordered a pair of Etymotic ER-4S!!!

[Eagle_Driver]

I just placed an order for a pair of Etymotic ER-4S canalphones! I decided on the 4S instead of the 4P because though the added bass on the 4P sounds nice with rock, it tends to semi-squash some of the detail on jazz (this is based on my listening tastes). Oh, boy, the Etys cost me much more than I have ever spent on headphones of any size!

And though I will use them directly from my portable players at first, eventually I will order an amp.

Let's hope this works out when I ride the bus to work. If so, my AKG K240DF and my Sennheiser HD 590 (and maybe my Grado SR-80, as well) will be on the For Sale forum or on eBay (I haven't used those headphones much any more).

cya l8r

Randall

 

[gerG]

'bout time! We were getting tired of twisting your arm

You will like them, especially on a bus or plane.


gerG

 

[Eagle_Driver]

I just hope those Etys come in before I go to work on Monday. I paid for Priority Overnight shipping, which adds an additional $8 in cost over the default 2nd-day method. Can't wait to do some extensive listening to them!

 

[Wes]

Not to worry, Eagle_Driver. All will be well. You will have a hard time beating them expecially for your intended use.

 

[The Quality Guru]

Congrats, Eagle_Driver! Tell us what you think of them after some extended listening, though I'm sure nothing will change from your initial impressions of them . . .

 

[Nezer]

After setting really high expectations watch him be dissappointed...

 

[JaZZ]

Congratulations, Randall!

They will work well even without an amp, provided there's enough output power to drive them. But the ER-4 are not critical concerning their source, IMO. So even MP3 makes a lot uf fun with them, although they are appointed to higher things. (By the way: I use and recommend foam tips.)

Together with my brand new Meier Headamp-1 I can't but concede them to be the perfect headphones at all! Above my three pairs of electrostatics, above my HD 600 and clearly above all other Headphones I have and have ever possessed.

Unbeatable accuracy over the whole, very extended frequency range, freedom of any coloration and resonances, perfect resolution ability, stunning dynamic... what an accurate, dust-dry and nevertheless ultra-low bass! And a soundstage that is concentrated in the middle of the brain, after a certain familiarisation appearing as a backdoor to new dimensions...

Am I too enthousiastic? – Oh, sorry! That's my temperament...

Have a lot of fun!

JaZZ

 

[Tim D]

He already heard them at a headroom show...so that might be why he ordered them with priority overnight to boot.

 

[john_jcb]

Quote:

Originally posted by JaZZ Congratulations, Randall! (By the way: I use and recommend foam tips.)

Why do you like the foam tips? Do you mind the sacrifice in isolation at all. I would think that on a plane, train or subway you would want as much isolation as you can get. At home or work where it is relatively quiet the foam would be good. I dislike foam for another reason (earplug use) it is harder to get a good seal and isolate your ears from loud noises as it tends to expand quickly when new not allowing you to get them in far enough. It is funny of all the people that tried them at the show when I was manning the table not one asked for foam.

 

[Eagle_Driver]

Quote:

Originally posted by Nezer After setting really high expectations watch him be dissappointed...

ROFLMFAO!!!

And as for acidtripwow saying that the ER-4P (not ER-4S) was "not worth even $20", I think he might not have gotten a good seal. I think I got a good seal the first time I tried the ER-4P, which delivers (if anything) too much bass for my tastes, even directly out of a PCDP. At least that bass isn't that boomy crap that lesser-sounding headphones tend to deliver. Accordingly, I've judged the ER-4P as the one headphone that will satisfy both "duh-m-basses" and audiophiles alike, provided that they're properly inserted into their ears.

 

[Ken]

my current favorite

 

[MacDEF]

Quote:

Originally posted by john_jcb Why do you like the foam tips? Do you mind the sacrifice in isolation at all. I would think that on a plane, train or subway you would want as much isolation as you can get.

Keep in mind that the only way the foam tips provide less isolation than the white rubber tips is if you get a perfect seal with both, or if you don't get any seal at all with the foam tips. I think the "white tips provide more isolation" thing is a bit overstated, since by the nature of the materials (foam molds to its surroundings), it's empirically easier to get a "good seal" with the foam tips than the white tips, so many people (including myself) find that they get a better seal with the foamies.

Basically, with "full" seals, white > foam. But if you don't get a good seal with the whites, that isn't necessarily true.

 

[Eagle_Driver]

The white tips suit me just fine; I feel no need for the foam tips, as I can get a "perfect" seal with the white tips.

 

[JaZZ]

john_jcb...

...you're right – the white plastic tips give better isolation, also in my case.

I have to explain: I forgot to mention (and for myself) that my foam tips are not the stock ones. Now that I have – after a long time of listening with my modified ER4S – tried the white plastic tips, I realize how much different they sound in comparison to the original state.

With the white plastic tips, the sound is awfully pressed, with an unnatural coloration, and there's no credible soundstage at all. My present foam tips are made of noise protection plugs: cut to the length of 2/3 and pierced by an awl, they fit well on the transducers' tubes. Their filter tips thus lie free, nearly overhang the foam... and that was the cause for my problems with the filters afterwards... Anyway, the sound resulting by this modification is far better than that of the stock tips.

But I have found a solution for the filter problem... (I'll post my modifications in a separate thread soon.) And a very good modification of the white plastic tips is the following: cut the top lamella away; thus the narrow canal which elongates the transducer's canal is substantially shortened. Furthermore widen up a bit the hole at the tip by a scissor. The result is a huge enhancement of the sound, which is now similar to the one with my own foamies, even provides a bit more efficiency, especially in the bass – probably due to better seal –, though it is slightly coolish in comparison.

So long!

JaZZ

 

[Vertigo-1]

Strangely I also perceive the sound to be slightly better using the rubber tips as well. Specifically I think there are improvements (or just slight differences) in soundstaging and imaging. The best way to check being to just use one side with foams, and the other with a rubber tip, and seeing if you get any drastic differences if you are one of those that can get solid seals with both. I have no problems getting solid seals with either one.

Maybe it's a difference in reflections within your ear once the Etys are embedded in your ear canal? Wouldn't foam be a greater absorber of reflections than the rubber? The driver itself is completely hidden within the rubber or foam so the sound going out can't get changed that much because of the material.