[pez]

So my B-day was today and got money, and of course it's going towards new IEM's. My question is which of these are better, I have made these the final two choices, and am not looking for anymore suggestions. The SF5's are $160 and the Ety's are $170, so either one really doesn't matter. I'll tell you my needs, because telling my genre wouldn't help considering the fact that I like clarity in my metal more than my bass

. I need to know which ones will be clearer, but at the same time, I need to have more bass than the Super.fi 3's, because they will become my "default" headphones for my new Shuffle. So vote and please state why you voted what you voted. Also, could you tell me any flaws with either one?

Thanks,
Pez

 

[DavidMahler]

Hey Pez, I know you've been after the best IEM in your budget for a while and you're looking for a combo of well defined clarity and bass...........It is my opinion that the ER4P is the best universal IEM, but I'm not sure that it will give you the bass you are desiring. That said.......the Super Fis are quite bassy, still a very good IEM and certianly better than the ER6 or the Super Fi 3.................

I personally don't feel that the shure E500s are better than the Etymotics Er4, and theyre 300 bucks more........thats how highly I think of the ER4. The bass is tight, but well extended, similar to the AKG 701. It does not have visceral bass that you feel in your gut, but the bass is not distorted!

The Super Fi 5 has a fairly well defined hump in the Freq Response around the low mids. It creates a visceral bass feeling but can clutter the mix. The E500s have a similar feeling to me.

In the end I don't know if you're going to get the bass you desire with the ER4 or if you'll get the clarity you want with the Super Fi 5, but I know which one's a better IEM......there's a reason the ER4 havent been changed for 15 years plus, because they don't need to be.......they are somewhat of an industry standard.


An added bonus is you get tons more isolation with the ER4 than you do with any Universal UE product.

Good luck on your purchase,

Dave

 

[pez]

david, would you say the SF5's have at least or more clarity than the SF3's, because the 3's are pretty clear and seem clear enough for me, but if I can get more bass and clarity for that, I'm all up for it.

 

[Bigburger]

Stick with the super.fi line if you like what you got at the moment, and simply want an upgrade. If you want to try something new, got for the Ety and then you will have the choice between the Ety and your current super.fi 3.

 

[DavidMahler]

Yes the Superfi' 5's are clearer than the 3's i think, it may be about the same.

 

[pez]

think i'm gonna go w/ the sf5's

 

[EFN]

I disagree with this poll. ER-4P and SF5 are complete different beast meant for different type of people. ER-4, for details junkie, SF5 for those seeking fun. ER-4 single armature drivers and SF5 Dual armatures.

But NVM, I vote for ER-4 anyway. IMHO, for the last 16 years, ER-4 has stand the test of time to claim the throne for the best universal single armature IEM

 

[vulc4n]

No contest.

I've owned both and the Super.Fi 5 Pros are so much more practical for every day listening than the ER-4 could ever be.

EDIT: The design of the ER-4 is 16 years old, and it shows. Things have come a long way in terms of microphonics and comfort.

 

[faichiu]

You should go for ER-4 if you like clarity.

Super.fi 5 gives you more surpise on bass. Not the clarity.

 

[pez]

hey how is the clarity of the Super.fi 5 EB's compared to the Super.fi 3's? It's very attractively priced.

 

[DavidMahler]

Pez, remind me which music you're going to be listening to again?

 

[Wid]

I had the SF 3s up till I got the IM716s. At that point I gave the SF 3s to my sister. Granted I have not heard the SF 5s but if this is any indication of the sound sig of each I would have to go with the ERs.

 

[rb67]

My vote goes to the ER-4P. I spent about 1 day with the SF5's and I find them too muddy. Sure the bass was bigger, but it was uncontrolled and getting in the way of the details of the music.
I don't listen to much metal, but the closest I've listened to are Dragonforce, Tool, and Cul De Sac. I can tell you that I like the ER-4P's do these much better as the guitars come clear and crisp. With the SF-5's everything becomes kind of confused and muddy.

 

[IEMaddict]

Definitely the ER4P. I have both headphones and the ER4P sounds better in every way once you get use to both of them. Bass is not an issue once you adjust to them. The Etys have all the bass you will need...just give them a week so you can get use to them.

 

[only500made]

I might have the same question - thread hi-jack.

I'm torn between the superfi 5 pros and the atrio M5s. Ive had my eyes on the SFP5s but somehow I'm getting swayed into the M5s. Now the ER-4Ps kinda what everyones suggesting...the situation is a wallet breaker.

What kind of bass does the ER-4Ps have? I noticed that cans that supply weak bass have that "toomp" bass sound - it sounds like a bass is put to a hault and I hate that type of bass.

I'm not an "analytical listener", more of a casual listener. Im not one to pick on my music but I appreciate good bass, instrument separation and a good soundstage. I just don't know which ones for me right now.