[errskib]

Hello all
 
I'm looking for some advice and opinions. I seem to have lost my Etymotic ER4P IEMs. No idea why, how or where.
 
I had them for a couple of years and love the clean, crisp, balanced sound plus the decent isolation and I desperately need a replacement set.
 
I'd buy another pair in a shot but wondered if anyone could offer any decent alternatives. Preferably under £200. Anything very close to £200 or over must be REALLY worth it.
 
Or... do you think that if you like the sound of the ER4Ps then you'd be hard pushed to find something as 'good' for the money?
 
Some people seem to have issues with the fact that they don't have a huge soundscape, pounding lows and blistering highs but that's exactly what I like about them. They're pretty bang on the money for what I'm after.
 
Really interested to hear your opinions.
 
Thanks

 

[Spyro]

Then perhaps you should just get another pair?  Similar but better IMHO are
e-Q7, GR8, CK10 and W2.  You could read up on those to see if they might be a good match for you.
 
I just think with all of today's offerings the ER4's are starting to show some age.  Great treble, transparency and isolation but it ends there IMHO.  Still not bad for $180 but I need much more great sound characteristics.

 

[tnmike1]

O PLEASE just get another pair of Etys.  have had them ever since they came out many years ago.  There's a real reason they're still on the market despite all the other competitors.  And you can still find them on the F/S forums here.  I alternate between them and the pricier  UM3X nd love each equally but for different musical selections.
 
well whaddya know??  Just hit 1600 posts.  OBOY

 

[7swell]

I have not heard them but would suggest you look into the CK10s.

 

[AudioDwebe]

I, too, recommend the CK10's.  You should read up on them and see if it sounds like they're to your liking.
 
Cheers.

 

[Young Spade]

Quote:

O PLEASE just get another pair of Etys.  have had them ever since they came out many years ago.  There's a real reason they're still on the market despite all the other competitors.  And you can still find them on the F/S forums here.  I alternate between them and the pricier  UM3X nd love each equally but for different musical selections.
 
well whaddya know??  Just hit 1600 posts.  OBOY

I actually sold my UM3Xs after I got the ER4P/Ss because I liked the isolation I was getting and also, after getting my 702s, I realized that the UM3Xs aren't exactly neutral. I loved the UM3Xs for what they were but listening to mostly Classical and OSTs, I preferred the Ety sound more.

 

[tnmike1]

but that's exactly why I like the differences between UM3X and Ety.  The Ety, to me, is highly accurate and very crystalline in their preciseness; the UM3X adds a touch of "flavor".  Yes, they're not neutral like the Ety is but that's what I love about them.

 

[Young Spade]

Oh yea, I'm sorry if you misread what I was saying; I wasn't discrediting either IEM or talking bad about the, just giving a quick summary of the differences and what I preferred. Both IEMs are amazing and if I had the money I would have just bought the 4Ps and kept the UM3Xs but I needed the cash to use with some other stuff at the time. 
 
With acoustic and jazz music (along with the more "powerful" classical stuff) the UM3Xs were amazing and gave me satisfaction every time I put them in. I just started leaning more towards the classical and I found my usage of the UM3Xs less and less after I got my K702s for home use. 
 
To be honest I actually went and got the Blue-Dragon cable from Moon Audio that gives the 702s some nice body in the lower region and they sound somewhat similar to the UM3Xs right now. Not as MUCH body but it's about 1/2 way to give a rough estimate. 

 

[tnmike1]

I'm noticing several things about Ety/UM3X: with the Minibox E+ both sound great.  WIth the Portaphile, the UM3X is very bass heavy (altho that may have something to do with the eartips I'm using).  iBasso D10 smooths everything out and I enjoy both IEMs with that amp.  Never use my IEM without an amp so can't comment on using them straight out of the iPod.  And I got a pair of Beyer 880s recabled with Moon Audio's Blue Dragon and you're right in that the recableing opens things up very nicely.
 
Sorry to wander off-thread about the Ety---still one of my faves despite which amp I'm using

 

[helljudgement]

Re0, ck10 or the er4s.

 

[ajkda]

hmm i would not recommend the ck10s, i heard the before and do not think they are that great...
 
to me they seemed to be over hyped here imo

 

[Antony6555]

I got ck100 after er-4. I like a lighter sound (not a fan of heavy base). The er-4 was ok, but didn't offer a balanced sound like my headphone (k701). The ck100 sounds awesome, much more like a full-size headphone. I'd say the soundstage is 50% bigger, treble sounds more neutral (on er-4 sounds too forward). There's more bass impact, but it's still not heavy by any means. So they are pretty much perfect, but I find the mids are both too forward and too cold  (they have an upper mid emphasis rather than lower mid which makes them sound cold). Detail is equivalent to er-4. But they are over your price. In any case, my point being, as an er-4 owner, I am happy with these phones as an upgrade. 
 
Since ck100 isn't in your price range, I'd recommend ck10, which is similar but with a smaller soundstage and less forward mids (according to what I've heard, I don't own them).