Should I upgrade to the ER4P?

[bg4533]

My portable rig currently consists of an Ipod Mini, Ety ER6s and sometimes a Mint. I also use my beyer DT770s portably sometimes because I find the ER6s lacking. Mainly lacking in bass and fullness. TTVJ has the ER4P on sale for $199 and I am thinking of upgrading. If I upgrade I will probably sell my ER6 and DT770s to cover the cost.

How will the ER4P do with the Ipod Mini? Is the Ipod too crappy of a source for these? Will they improve with an amp like the Mint?

I have heard the ER4P isn't the best for rock. Is this true? On the go I listen to about half classical rock and half tool, radiohead, nirvana and a few others.

How is isolation compared to the ER6?

Should I upgrade?

 

[Kirosia]

IMO, the er-4P is better in isolation and overall presentation. I think it sounds much much better than the er-6. But the P's bass isn't very strong, and I really didn't like them too much for rock. They were good for vocal though.

 

[tiberian]

er4p is crap, if you want to upgrade get the er4s.

 

[bg4533]

I regularly walk around campus using the ipod and don't always want to have an amp in my pocket. When I am walking I rarely care about perfect cound anyway. Will the ER4S work with the Ipod without an amp?

 

[bg4533]

Also, what if I wired a P->S adaptor directly into the output of my amp. Would that make the P sound the same as the S? This would allow me to use them portably and improve the sound even more with the amp.

 

[goatwuss]

I just got the ER4S - its day two now... I'm going to keep giving them chances until my 30 day return policy wears out... but as of now, they're sounding like crap compared to my Senn. HD600s. Very thin, no deep bass, overemphasized highs. Now I do understand that it's quite possible I may not be putting them in right - but I have tried following the instructions (wetting them, etc) quite a few times all with the same results.

So from where I'm at right now with them - I'd say no for rock, or anything for that matter.

 

[tiberian]

er4s' work fine without an amp, i had a pair of er4s' for 7 months and used them with a nomad zen nx for most of the time. if you think they are too bright, use EQ.
if you are going to get a er4p + adaptor combo, make sure you can return them later on. the adaptor IMO is a waste of money.

 

[dougmwpsu]

Crap isn't exactly how I’d describe the er-4p. In fact, coming out of a portable jack, the differences between the p and s are slight at best. Out of my crappy (rolls ha-43) amp the s gets more detailed and balanced, but to be honest coming out of my Rio karma I prefer the p's sound. Also, wiring resistors into your amp's output should create a p ->s converter, and an extremely convenient one to boot, imho.

You probably already know this because of the er6's, but these little things completely change character depending on which tips you are using. I find the white tips to be very detailed but bright and the foamies to be much more laid back sounding and bass heavy, but with less of those incredible details. I use the white's for classical, jazz, vocals and other softer types of music, and the foamies for just about everything else. (I find some rock bands almost completely unlistenable with the white's yet extremely groovy with the foamies.)

To answer whether or not you should get them, well that's a toughie. I regularly see these things for sale on the forum for about 170, so if you decide you don't like them you aren’t out a great sum of money.

 

[Woody]

May not be much help here as I havent tried the other devices you mention.

I have Stax and AKG K1000 for home use and ER4p (+ s adapter) for iPod use. This probably tells you I like detail and clarity over bass heavy presentation. BTW, the Stax are my absolute favourite, awesome.

FWIW, portable sound reproduction is always going to be a compromise, regardless of how much you spend. As for others reviews here, with the best will in the world anyone spending $1000+ is not going to admit it was a waste are they now ?

The ER4p/ iPod combo is a good compromise for me. With the 's' adapter its even better, although you'll need max volume on the iPod. The 's' is better balanced across the spectrum, bass is compromised over the 'p' and thats my opinion, it just happens to agree with Etys marketing blurb.

I recently compared the ER4p with the various other 'portable' earphones/buds I've accumulated over the years, EX71, MDR 888 and too many others to mention. The ER4p is immeasurably better than all of them, and that ignores the bonus of isolation. OK so I havent compared with E5cs, 2Xs, UE10s etc etc but logic tells me a microscopic driver is never going to reproduce bass realistically (Note the use of 'realistic' as opposed to 'accurate'), so again it can only ever be a compromise. If I ever have money to burn or my ER4P fail maybe I'll consider the UE10s just to itch that itch.

I sometimes wonder what it is people are looking for in sound reproduction, all of the other ear buds I have are hopeless in comparison, although at the time I thought they were OK (Telling comment !), way too much sibilance, bordering on chronic distortion and muddy bass. Without doubt all of the others I compared the ER4p with have more prominent bass, but prominent doesnt equate to good.

 

[JohnRich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by goatwuss I just got the ER4S - its day two now... I'm going to keep giving them chances until my 30 day return policy wears out... but as of now, they're sounding like crap compared to my Senn. HD600s. Very thin, no deep bass, overemphasized highs. Now I do understand that it's quite possible I may not be putting them in right - but I have tried following the instructions (wetting them, etc) quite a few times all with the same results. So from where I'm at right now with them - I'd say no for rock, or anything for that matter.

Inserted and driven correctly the ER4S give comparable sound to the HD600, aside from the bass having less 'impact'. Have you tried the foam tips? the white ones can be a bit of a challenge to position correctly at first; the foamies can be more forgiving but are less durable.

 

[goatwuss]

I have tried the foamies, and I'm driving them with a MG Head DT - which is a smooth sounding amp. I'll post an update if I begin to like them - otherwise, it's back to the store to try and find something I like better

 

[bg4533]

I don't know what the hell I want now. Well, I want full sized closed headphones that will shrink down to take up next to no space in my backpack when not in use

I think I am going to just hold off for right now. I don't need to spend more money anyway...

 

[Trinity]

I have to agree with dougmwpsu...another vote for the Ety ER4-p with the iPod. Alone, they have awesome detail and reasonable bass (assuming the silicone triflange correctly inserted).

I recent picked up the Super Mini Moy and a whole "new and improved" soundstage/level of detail emerged. For trans-Atlantic flying (which I have done several times this year....<groan>), the combination of size, quality, etc. can't be beat. (IMHO

)

YMMV

 

[Oink1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trinity I have to agree with dougmwpsu...another vote for the Ety ER4-p with the iPod. Alone, they have awesome detail and reasonable bass (assuming the silicone triflange correctly inserted). I recent picked up the Super Mini Moy and a whole "new and improved" soundstage/level of detail emerged. For trans-Atlantic flying (which I have done several times this year....<groan>), the combination of size, quality, etc. can't be beat. (IMHO ) YMMV

Glad to hear it - my 4-P's arrive tomorrow and lets say i'm a little worried about what to expect... Hope this doesn't turn out to be an expensive mistake

 

[justanotheruser]

Most ety-related complaints seem to be about harsh highs, little bass, and overall thinness...very similar to your own, goatwuss. But I've heard that if you amp them properly you overcome all this and their only real weakness is the bass...which is acceptable but a little weak. The Shures (E5c), again only from what I've heard, should sound better overall...especially in the bass department, but have laid back highs, which some prefer (but don't rave about) and others outright hate. The detail is supposed to be there, though. Maybe you should try 'em. (I am. If the treble is too weak I know where to look.)