Ivabign
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2012
- Posts
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Hi
I try to find out if there is any difference in SQ between the ER4S and the ER4P with the converter cable.
The accuracy of the ER4S is 92% and the ER4P 86%. Does the converter increase the accuracy of the ER4P to 92%?
Here a quote from somebody who made a comment on Amazon user reviews. It says that the S version is
efficient enough even for simple mobile players:
"The "S" version was specifically voiced to have the balance of the average pair of full range audiophile speakers, while the "P" version is skewed to be more mid-fi. The P will get louder and has boosted bass, but the S does not have less bass on a portable player than it does with a separate good amp. A separate amp can produce higher quality sound overall and get louder, but 100ohms is a breeze. In fact, I can show you electrically how 100ohms is actually easier for many portable players to produce flat bass at normal volumes with the ER4S. I have a review of portable players on AudioReview.com's forums where I test two different ones and show that 100ohms is easier and more consistent a load to drive. Very few people (outside of maybe the EU where portable devices now have output limits) would need the P's sensitivity. The main benefit, then, is for people who prefer more bass in general, not due to portable versus home useage. ER calling it the "portable" version is really a marketing strategy to target the segment that enjoys bass boost on headphones that the audiophile crowd would call flat".
Some Response:
I completely agree with Reticuli's comment. 100 ohms is actually EASIER to drive than 27 ohms. A headphone output amplifier is a voltage source, so the higher the resistance the fewer the complications and the greater the fidelity of the amplified voltage signal to the input voltage signal. And, in point of fact, a dedicated separate amplifier like a Fiio E11 (or whatever) has LOTS of resistance at its input. It's supposed to. It MAKES IT EASY TO DRIVE.
So why then do people think that 250 ohm or 600 ohm headphones are hard to drive? Because most portable players will not output HIGH ENOUGH voltage to drive 600 ohm headphones LOUDLY. But 100 ohms? Not a problem on any iDevice or Sanza or etc. I drive the ER-4S IEMS from my iPhone 5S and they can get so loud that I have a volume limit set in system preference so I don't accidentally hurt my ears. At about 5/8 ths on the slider (with no volume limit set) they are nice and loud. AND THEY SOUND INCREDIBLE, STRAIGHT OUT OF THE 5S. I'm sure a good amp (or amp + dac) could help them sound even a bit better. But I doubt it would be a big difference, and ER-4S owners in discussion threads on HeadFi have said as much.
So, DO NOT get the "p" version of the ER4's unless you want a bass heavy sound, and a reproduction that is therefore, by definition, less faithful to the source material.
Now I have to clean the milk that spewed out my nose.