[nep]

afternoon everyone, heres the deal:
i just recently purchased a new portaphile v2 amp and a pair of etymotic ER-4S canalphones. ive been doing some A/B comparison with the new etys and a pair of year old grado sr-125's and to my disappointment ive discovered that im much more fond of the grados sound. they are lush, vibrant, and not as distant sounding as the etys. my question is this: should i give the etys more burn in time? ive had them for approaching a week and have probably 20 hours of burn in on them. i have the option of returning them to headroom within their 30 day policy, however i would hate to give up on what is renowned as such great sounding headphones.

 

[PTheD]

I don't have much experience with either of the headphones you have emntioned, however I do own both of them, & my sugjestion would be to wait a while longer & let the Etymotics do their thing for a while. I love the Grado sound as well & think that Etymotics are incapable of bringing to the table anything near the Grado sound, but they are better in my opinion than the Grados as far as accuracy of signal replication.

I'm sure there are some on this forum that will tell you the Etys need much more burn-in than 20 hours, but I don't know that for sure. All I can say is that ou should definitly use them for as long as you canto get as used to them and as confident about their sound as you can. If you find you really don't like it then you can return it. But if they grow on you then you will sure be glad you didn't give up on them.

 

[ameyer17]

Maybe you just find the Grados more fun. There's nothing wrong with that.

 

[SptsNaz]

Interesting, I just recently got the ety's and I find the same to be true. My Grado SR60's are MUCH more involving, and there is significant body to the sound that the ety's lack(call it whatever you wish). On the other hand, the ety's are amazingly detailed in the high-end, but sound distant and somewhat thin. Guitars, while more detailed, sound nothing like they do on the grado's.

The ety's are definitely a good case of "getting used to something". Last I had them, I really fell in love with them, but I guess the Grado's have spoiled in the meantime. I think you should give them a week, then decide for yourself

 

[NeoteriX]

The balanced armature design of most canalphones do not "burn in" -- it's mostly the user getting used to the sound. It's true -- I was blown away at the fun of listening to an SR-60 compared to my Shure e3c, it was really disappointing. It was painful to switch back and forth between the two. The Grado sound was so open and the canalphone was like listening to music underwater. However, I was listening in a very quiet room used for demoing very expensive home audio systems.

The reality for me is that I have a roommate, air conditioning, an airfilter, and a loud as sin computer in my room. The open headphone would just not work. I can't even get the full enjoyment out of my KSC-35 unless I turn everything off, plus an open headphone and a roommate don't mix too well.

After listening to my e3c some more after having some time away from the Grado, I've gotten back to be used to the sound and it's not so bad anymore. I just picked up the closed Beyer DT770 and even though I really love the sound, I'm sure if I listened to the cheaper SR60 again I might get angry once more.

 

[Rkawa]

Just because everyone else likes something better and all the numbers say that it is better. That doesn't mean that you have to like it better too. Like ameyer17 said:
Quote:

Maybe you just find the Grados more fun. There's nothing wrong with that.

After all isn't this what we are all looking for? Something that sounds great to me may not sound so good to you.

 

[nep]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NeoteriX The Grado sound was so open and the canalphone was like listening to music underwater

exactly! ive decided keep these phones another week to fully audition the sound. in the meantime ill be swapping between the two provided tip styles and experiment with ways to ensure a proper fit. another question, assuming i return etys ill be in the market for another pair of cans to replace my sr-125's (as the sound intermittently cuts out in the left ear). what would you guys recommend? 300~ is my price range. thoughts on the Beyerdynamic DT 880's?

 

[EdipisReks]

if the music sounds thin or congested (that is what i think of with the comment that it's like listening underwater) with the Etys, then you most likely are not getting a good seal.

 

[redshifter]

nep,
it could be an amp-matching issue. i use my er4s with an sr71 amp, and the grado sr125 with a maxed-out jmt meta.

to my ears the etys are just as involving in a different way than the grados. grado and ety have very different house sounds, but i like them both. i'll give you the pat "it's the ety seal" problem, but you may also just not like the ety house sound.

 

[nep]

Quote:

Originally Posted by redshifter nep, it could be an amp-matching issue. i use my er4s with an sr71 amp, and the grado sr125 with a maxed-out jmt meta. to my ears the etys are just as involving in a different way than the grados. grado and ety have very different house sounds, but i like them both. i'll give you the pat "it's the ety seal" problem, but you may also just not like the ety house sound.

perhaps you have a point regarding amp synergy however i just dont have the means to buy another one. in all fairness the porta v2 hasnt been allowed to burn in, although im not sure how much stock i place in that anyway. thanks for the help

 

[maxxfell]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nep what would you guys recommend? 300~ is my price range. thoughts on the Beyerdynamic DT 880's?

I ultimately didn't like the combo of DT880 and Portaphile too well. Just one person's experience though.

Once the Portaphile was burned in, I liked it with my ER-4S. The ER-4S and the SR125 were my only two 'phones for a long time. It took me ages--several months--to get used to the Etys. I don't think it need have taken that long though. Experiment with insertion techniques--get them in really deep. And you might also want to try slightly shortening a pair of the foam tips, so that when they are fitted the Ety filter is almost, but not quite, flush with the end of the foam. Some people find this tweak really helps to fill out the sound of the Etys.

 

[DanT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EdipisReks if the music sounds thin or congested (that is what i think of with the comment that it's like listening underwater) with the Etys, then you most likely are not getting a good seal.

The trick with ety and triflange is there is a just right position between good seal and too much pressure. If you shove the ety too much in order to create a great seal then the pressure build up will make it sound bad like underwater. if you don't seal enough it will sound thin.

I believe one of the reason amoung others why for some, if the foamy seal well, they usually get better sound because it easier to create without sealed pressure.

For me with the triflanges there is 2 position of seal. one deep that isolate better but create a more congested sound and an other more on the outside that isolate a bit less but still keep the seal and create a better sound.

 

[redshifter]

i've tried just about every tip that can be used with the er4 and the shure comfy tips are the clear winner.

 

[SptsNaz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by redshifter i've tried just about every tip that can be used with the er4 and the shure comfy tips are the clear winner.

Hm, interesting. Are these the Soft Flex tips? How do they change the sound?

 

[Nomad]

Maybe Westone is what you are looking for. According to some people, they seem to be the more "grado-like" canalphones you can get. I can't confirm this as I never tried them.

Cheers