[panda21]

I almost bought a pair of shure e4c's today but changed my mind and decided to check out some more options...

At the moment I have some cheap sony in ear phones (fontopia i think) I use with my ipod video playing lossless files but I want to upgrade. I was foolish enough to buy some Bose triports because I heard the bass was good. They do sound clearer than the sonys but they are also absolutely terrible in so many ways that I won't go into.

I've been looking at headphone.com and checking out prices on amazon.co.uk and I think I'm willing to spend somewhere in the £150 range, and both the etymotic and shures are near that. I'm hoping that will be enough for there to be a noticeable improvement.

I listen to mainly electronic, jazz and dub, so the ability to provide some bass is essential, but I also want to be able to have it clean. From the frequency response graphs I have checked out they both look pretty flat in the low end. Am I right in thinking that this will allow me to use an eq boost on my ipod (i rockboxed it so i have a parametric eq) to get the bass, as the response is there, just not boosted like on a lot of phones? But it should also sound nice and clear and clean for listening to jazz/classical if i switch the eq off?

Are there any other obscure brands i havent heard of that are worth checking out? Is there much difference between the shures and etymotics or is it just down to personal preference?

I tend to get through headphones at the rate of about one pair every 1-2 years, almost always because one ear goes dead, which is why I've been sticking with the cheaper ones. So any tips on how to look after them better would be welcome too!

 

[mark_h]

If your going to get an amp etymotic, if not, shure.

 

[redrich2000]

I am in a similar situation except I bought the E4Gs. I am a little disappointed with the treble roll off. I am wondering if the Ety ER-4S would suit me better, someone else recommended the q-Jays.

Just that I'd jump in to add the q-Jays to the mix rather than making a new thread.

So people SE420 v ER4-S v q-Jays...

 

[panda21]

thanks for the replies

I meant the ER4-P not E4P but I guess you realised that

would be interested to hear what people think about the q-jays too, otherwise I think its the shures.

 

[Ton]

I went from Etymotic ER4P to E4G's and now to SE420's. Without going into detail, I can only say that the SE420 sounds the best to me, with regards to bass, soundstage, midrange and overall sound.

 

[panda21]

Wow from a quick bit of searching and reading about the q-Jays they sound like very good value.

Are they flat or do they have a low shelf? It looks like the j-Jays do. I'd rather get away from the bass boosted sound of the cheaper headphones really

 

[Strudel]

My vote would go for the SE420 since I have been extremely happy with them. Some people might claim that the bass is a little on the weak side, but they are very EQ tweakable and provide tons of detail and clarity. I will admit I was somewhat unhappy with the SE420s plugged into my 2G Nano, but switching to a Sony NWZ-A818 made my ears much happier.

 

[gtp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mark_h /img/forum/go_quote.gif If your going to get an amp etymotic, if not, shure.

This is horrible advice: unsubstantiated, unhelpful, and unexplained.

 

[gtp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by panda21 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I almost bought a pair of shure e4c's today but changed my mind and decided to check out some more options... At the moment I have some cheap sony in ear phones (fontopia i think) I use with my ipod video playing lossless files but I want to upgrade. I was foolish enough to buy some Bose triports because I heard the bass was good. They do sound clearer than the sonys but they are also absolutely terrible in so many ways that I won't go into. I've been looking at headphone.com and checking out prices on amazon.co.uk and I think I'm willing to spend somewhere in the £150 range, and both the etymotic and shures are near that. I'm hoping that will be enough for there to be a noticeable improvement. I listen to mainly electronic, jazz and dub, so the ability to provide some bass is essential, but I also want to be able to have it clean. From the frequency response graphs I have checked out they both look pretty flat in the low end. Am I right in thinking that this will allow me to use an eq boost on my ipod (i rockboxed it so i have a parametric eq) to get the bass, as the response is there, just not boosted like on a lot of phones? But it should also sound nice and clear and clean for listening to jazz/classical if i switch the eq off? Are there any other obscure brands i havent heard of that are worth checking out? Is there much difference between the shures and etymotics or is it just down to personal preference? I tend to get through headphones at the rate of about one pair every 1-2 years, almost always because one ear goes dead, which is why I've been sticking with the cheaper ones. So any tips on how to look after them better would be welcome too!

I own both. The ER4P have a more forward midrange and better highs. The SE420 are warmer, have better bass (w/o EQ), and soundstage, but have rolled off highs.

Both respond well to EQ, though the ER4P are more responsive.

Both are tremendously detailed, but the ER4P is a bit more detailed, and both have similar speed.

The SE420 are over-ear, while the ER4P require a shirt clip to avoid microphonics. The SE420 give more isolation and are a bit more comfortable to me.

The SE420 respond much more to an amp. The ER4P are improved with an amp, but the difference is not as great as the SE420...it is just a different animal when amped.

Neither one has bloated bass, so you will need a couple days to adjust to the bass level compared to your Triports.

 

[Spyro]

To each his own but I am shocked anyone would claim SE420 has better bass than ER4P. The SE420 might have a slightly overall fuller sound presentation but I find the ER4P bass to extend far deeper with greater detail as well. This is unamped straight out of a 3G Nano.

 

[gtp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spyro /img/forum/go_quote.gif To each his own but I am shocked anyone would claim SE420 has better bass than ER4P. The SE420 might have a slightly overall fuller sound presentation but I find the ER4P bass to extend far deeper with greater detail as well. This is unamped straight out of a 3G Nano.

Spyro, try an amp with the SE420

, but yes, I agree the ER4P has *better* bass...I should have said the SE420 has *more* bass.

 

[Jonoh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by panda21 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I almost bought a pair of shure e4c's today but changed my mind and decided to check out some more options... At the moment I have some cheap sony in ear phones (fontopia i think) I use with my ipod video playing lossless files but I want to upgrade. I was foolish enough to buy some Bose triports because I heard the bass was good. They do sound clearer than the sonys but they are also absolutely terrible in so many ways that I won't go into. I've been looking at headphone.com and checking out prices on amazon.co.uk and I think I'm willing to spend somewhere in the £150 range, and both the etymotic and shures are near that. I'm hoping that will be enough for there to be a noticeable improvement. I listen to mainly electronic, jazz and dub, so the ability to provide some bass is essential, but I also want to be able to have it clean. From the frequency response graphs I have checked out they both look pretty flat in the low end. Am I right in thinking that this will allow me to use an eq boost on my ipod (i rockboxed it so i have a parametric eq) to get the bass, as the response is there, just not boosted like on a lot of phones? But it should also sound nice and clear and clean for listening to jazz/classical if i switch the eq off? Are there any other obscure brands i havent heard of that are worth checking out? Is there much difference between the shures and etymotics or is it just down to personal preference? I tend to get through headphones at the rate of about one pair every 1-2 years, almost always because one ear goes dead, which is why I've been sticking with the cheaper ones. So any tips on how to look after them better would be welcome too!

I recommend taking a listen to these phones if you can. They are all good but different.

Another thing to consider is warranty given your history with phones. Shure as a 2 year warranty here in the US but only if you buy from an authorized dealer (which makes them more expensive than say ebay or the Amazon marketplace sellers). Check with the local company website to see if you will get a warranty with however you buy them.

Given the 2yr warranty, if you get it, that would be factor in my decision if I were you given your experience with earphones breaking on you. You must be getting a lot of use out of them.

I love the Ety sound having had both the 6i and ER4P. I really like my Shure E4 too. I do not like a pronounced bass and I feel these phones have bass that is well defined but not forceful -- right up my alley. The Shures win for me based on comfort and less microphonics though the Etys were okay.

I have less experience with the SE series though the SE530s are far and away (to my ears) the best IEMs I have ever heard. I did not spend too much time with the SE420s but they were flatter sounding and closer IMO to the E4. I consider the SE420 an upgrade to the E4.

Going back to my first point, while all of these IEMs are really good IMO, they are all different and it is hard to generalize which one is really "best" as best is a subjective term.

 

[episiarch]

Jonoh is right on. These are good earphones but very different.

The Shures have a sound that people frequently describe as "full" and sometimes "lush," while the Etys are often described as "analytical" and, by some, "thin."

Personally I dislike the high-frequency roll-off of the Shures, and what other people describe as the E4's "fullness" sounds to me more like "imprecise tonality." I'm a pretty confirmed Ety fan.

But I'm in the minority. On the whole over my years of reading Head-Fi it appears to me that fewer people dislike the Shures than dislike the Etys, so if you have to choose blind, I would go with the Shures. But listen to both if you can.

FWIW another one I like is the d-JAYs. They have a pleasantly neutral sound that, to my ears, does fewer things wrong than the E4, though it doesn't have the treble clarity of the Etys. In other words to my ears it splits the difference between the E4 and Ety sounds, and does so rather well.