jrodefeld
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2011
- Posts
- 22
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- 0
Hi everyone,
I'm new here but I have recently gotten interested in high end headphones and the "audiophile" world, so to speak. I have looked on these forums a few times for suggestions about products I should buy. About a month ago, I purchased a pair of Etymotic ER4P earphones with the P to S converter. For the price I was willing to spend they seemed like far and away the best deal in IEMs. I do love the sound of these, but I was wondering if anyone could give me some tips about how to get the best sound from these earphones, since their seems to be many different tweaks and customizations people have done for the Etymotic earphones. I have a few specific questions, but first I thought I'd tell you what I am using at the moment:
Etymotic ER4P earphones with "spacer" mod (http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/418406/brilliant-er4-tip-mod/15)
HeadRoom Total Bithead Portable Amplifier
32 GB iPod Touch 3rd Generation
I have both the Shure "Olives" and the Comply Tx-100 tips.
All music is lossless.
Thats it for now. I'm sure this setup is fairly modest compared to what many are listening to, but for portability, it sounds pretty good.
I am currently looking at the A Pure Sound replacement cable and other ideas to improve the sound even further (though I really don't want to spend $200). Anyway, a few questions I have about these earphones:
1. Many on here talk about the "accuracy" of these earphones and how they have great potential in that the sound can improve dramatically with better amplifiers, cable mods and other tweaks and improvements. Lets say I bought the APS cable, better amp or any and all other "tweaks" I can do, how good can the sound get on these IEMs? How would a recabled, properly driven ER4 compare to the best of Ultimate Ears, Shure or the competition (even the high end, $500-$1000)? The reason I ask is that I have read some comments on here from people that prefer a recabled, tweaked ER4 to virtually all other IEMs on the market. I just want to get an idea of the potential of the Etymotic earphones.
2. How can I improve the bass on these earphones? Obviously I knew from the start that these are bass shy, but I wanted the extreme detail these provide. I have heard that amps with Bass Boost features (not the BitHead) can have a dramatic improvement. Also, the types of tips matter, apparently. The APS cable seems to improve bass as well. Then there is the iPod equalizer settings. For those that own Etymotic earphones, what have you done to improve the bass response? What would you suggest?
3. I know the Total Bithead is not the best portable amp on the market. Would I notice a dramatic improvement in sound quality by switching to a better amplifier? I would certainly not want to spend more than $250. If so, what portable amplifier would you suggest to drive the ER4s optimally?
4. I would be interested in the APS cable, but I cannot spend that much. Are there any other aftermarket cables I can buy that would be cheaper? Is there something in the range of $100 to $150? Or. is it possible to buy one used? Is it worth it?
I appreciate the great resource this forum is for everything related to headphones, and I appreciate all the responses I will receive on this topic. Like I said, I am new to the world of "high end" audio and I am looking for ways to maximize my enjoyment of the Etymotic earphones.
I'm new here but I have recently gotten interested in high end headphones and the "audiophile" world, so to speak. I have looked on these forums a few times for suggestions about products I should buy. About a month ago, I purchased a pair of Etymotic ER4P earphones with the P to S converter. For the price I was willing to spend they seemed like far and away the best deal in IEMs. I do love the sound of these, but I was wondering if anyone could give me some tips about how to get the best sound from these earphones, since their seems to be many different tweaks and customizations people have done for the Etymotic earphones. I have a few specific questions, but first I thought I'd tell you what I am using at the moment:
Etymotic ER4P earphones with "spacer" mod (http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/418406/brilliant-er4-tip-mod/15)
HeadRoom Total Bithead Portable Amplifier
32 GB iPod Touch 3rd Generation
I have both the Shure "Olives" and the Comply Tx-100 tips.
All music is lossless.
Thats it for now. I'm sure this setup is fairly modest compared to what many are listening to, but for portability, it sounds pretty good.
I am currently looking at the A Pure Sound replacement cable and other ideas to improve the sound even further (though I really don't want to spend $200). Anyway, a few questions I have about these earphones:
1. Many on here talk about the "accuracy" of these earphones and how they have great potential in that the sound can improve dramatically with better amplifiers, cable mods and other tweaks and improvements. Lets say I bought the APS cable, better amp or any and all other "tweaks" I can do, how good can the sound get on these IEMs? How would a recabled, properly driven ER4 compare to the best of Ultimate Ears, Shure or the competition (even the high end, $500-$1000)? The reason I ask is that I have read some comments on here from people that prefer a recabled, tweaked ER4 to virtually all other IEMs on the market. I just want to get an idea of the potential of the Etymotic earphones.
2. How can I improve the bass on these earphones? Obviously I knew from the start that these are bass shy, but I wanted the extreme detail these provide. I have heard that amps with Bass Boost features (not the BitHead) can have a dramatic improvement. Also, the types of tips matter, apparently. The APS cable seems to improve bass as well. Then there is the iPod equalizer settings. For those that own Etymotic earphones, what have you done to improve the bass response? What would you suggest?
3. I know the Total Bithead is not the best portable amp on the market. Would I notice a dramatic improvement in sound quality by switching to a better amplifier? I would certainly not want to spend more than $250. If so, what portable amplifier would you suggest to drive the ER4s optimally?
4. I would be interested in the APS cable, but I cannot spend that much. Are there any other aftermarket cables I can buy that would be cheaper? Is there something in the range of $100 to $150? Or. is it possible to buy one used? Is it worth it?
I appreciate the great resource this forum is for everything related to headphones, and I appreciate all the responses I will receive on this topic. Like I said, I am new to the world of "high end" audio and I am looking for ways to maximize my enjoyment of the Etymotic earphones.