[minya]

Quote:

Originally Posted by VicAjax to be honest, i spent more time listening to music that i knew had hidden details that would play to the ety's strengths -- zappa, john zorn, autechre -- all sounded absolutely phenomenal. i was totally lost in the clarity and detail, just swept away. the most interesting thing i noticed was listening to funkadelic, cosmic slop. i couldn't feel the bass in the slightest, but for the first time ever... i heard the bass as a musical element, rather than a visceral one, if that makes sense. i heard very clearly the deepest bass notes, and it really made me listen differently. and i still found myself bouncing my head to the beat.

This right here is truly the magic of Etymotic (and Stax

).

- Chris

 

[bong]

the etys ER4P are THE BEST thing for unamped portables since sliced bread. everything about them is perfect... great, tight bass response, smooth midrange, and detailed treble without the slightest hint of harshness. the overall presentation is so good you'll either get lost with the music (if it's a good recording), or you'll constantly analyze flaws (if it's a poor recording). works great on iPods.

the ER6, hmm... i'm liking them less and less these days. they're not as smooth as the ER4P, bass response is lacking, and there's some kind of harsh honkiness at the upper midrange/lower treble. they don't sound so good with my iPod, which can make some recordings sound overly bright. not a good match for the ER6.

IMO, the Shure E2C are a great match with the iPod, a lot better than the ER6. sure, there's a hint of boominess in bass, but that's fine when you're out and about. the E2C also has better midrange and a nice overall presentation, very musical if i have to say so. the treble is slightly laid back though... but for me the E2C has better isolation than the ER6.

if you want to try some full sized headphones, the Ultrasone HFI-650 Trackmasters are very easily driven unamped. these have nice, deep bass (slightly boomy), acceptable midrange, and detailed highs, although they could be a little fatiguing as they are a bit bright. the sound out of the 650's are fun and lively, and my iPod can drive these to levels that are pretty loud enough (usually at just over 3/4 volume with these phones) for portable listening.

 

[appar111]

I tried the E2's with my iPod mini when I had it, and hated the sound once I got used to it-- boomy, no high end, good midrange though. Never thought an iPod would sound muffled though--lol.

I was so close to going with the ER4P's, but I've heard too many things about how the 4P's aren't the best for rock and metal, which i find myself listening to alot lately. The other thing is the insertion and re-insertion, which might bug me. Other than that, it's a 50/50 split between the 4P's and the HD25's.

I figure if the HD25's don't cut it, I can always return them, as samedaymusic has a 60 day return policy. But I don't think I'll need to-- got a good feeling about this pair. But isn't that what we always say?

 

[Spankypoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by appar111 I was so close to going with the ER4P's, but I've heard too many things about how the 4P's aren't the best for rock and metal, which i find myself listening to alot lately.

Ugh. I'm starting to get sick of hearing the, 'Shures are better for rock/metal' perspective. I LOVE my Etys, and I listen to a lot of punk, rock and metal and have no complaints.

Ragged guitars have new clarity on these things - they cut through the music with such sharpness that it can be captivating, nay mesmerizing. I've spent hours listening to metal on these things, amazed at their attack and clarity.

Not enough bass? I will say that they won't 'EQ' an old, bad recording into submission like the Shures will. 70s and early 80s punk, poorly recorded, won't have a lot of bass, but that's because the source doesn't have it.

Meanwhile, my more erudite alter-ego finds on recordings of full-size pipe organs that the bass is AMAZING in both quantity and quality. The bass of the Etys, as it was so well put, always remains musical and completely integrated with everything else. It's never a separate part of the experience. For classical, it's a dream. My brother, who's auditioned many high-end home systems, listened to a performance of Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring on my Etys (P, unamped at the time) and said with almost religious reverence, 'Wow - I've NEVER heard bass like THAT before.' Shures won't give you that - they'll give you a different kind of bass - which may very well be more interesting to you. But it's not my thing.

And for harsher music, I listen to everything from Panetra and Biohazard to Queens of the Stone Age and Refused, and I never find myself missing bass.

The only time, as I said, I want more bass is when it's to correct a bad recording. And I'm not willing to put up with the compromise that implies on other recordings.

 

[saint.panda]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bong the etys ER4P are THE BEST thing for unamped portables since sliced bread. everything about them is perfect... great, tight bass response, smooth midrange, and detailed treble without the slightest hint of harshness. the overall presentation is so good you'll either get lost with the music (if it's a good recording), or you'll constantly analyze flaws (if it's a poor recording). works great on iPods. if you want to try some full sized headphones, the Ultrasone HFI-650 Trackmasters are very easily driven unamped. these have nice, deep bass (slightly boomy), acceptable midrange, and detailed highs, although they could be a little fatiguing as they are a bit bright. the sound out of the 650's are fun and lively, and my iPod can drive these to levels that are pretty loud enough (usually at just over 3/4 volume with these phones) for portable listening.

You make the ER4P sound really tasty. I'll have to try these someday.

About the HFI-650: I had the HFI-700 which are supposed to have a little bit more bass. But I really found the highs fatiguing as you said, plus they were much bigger than the hd25 and more uncomfortable as your ears get really hot. The HFI700 did have more soundstage and overall a more exciting sound than the hd25 but nonetheless, I couldn't listen to them for more than half an hour straight.
Actually I was also surprised how well the Ultrasones could be driven unamped, not as good as the hd25 but still to a very enjoyable level. I think they are not bad headphones at all, just not very well-suited for people who are rather sensivitve to harsh highs, I guess.

 

[appar111]

Ugh. I'm starting to get sick of hearing the, 'Shures are better for rock/metal' perspective. I LOVE my Etys, and I listen to a lot of punk, rock and metal and have no complaints.

Ragged guitars have new clarity on these things - they cut through the music with such sharpness that it can be captivating, nay mesmerizing. I've spent hours listening to metal on these things, amazed at their attack and clarity.

And for harsher music, I listen to everything from Panetra and Biohazard to Queens of the Stone Age and Refused, and I never find myself missing bass.


Actually, I never said I thought the Shures were better than Etys for rock and metal (not sure if that's what you meant. I've just heard alot of people say that the Etys aren't rock/metal phones. It's good to know your opinion on them for this type of music, as I may go the Ety route if I don't dig the HD25's.

BTW, do you use the silicon tips or the foamies?

 

[Jahn]

We got my friend the Ety ER4p for his birthday, and within a month he went audio crazy - got a 4G 40 gig Ipod, got the SR71 (shipped yesterday, I'll get to hear it next week!) the pocketdock line out, even did the foamy mod on his etys - and wow that really brought out the bass while retaining the detail. He listens mostly to electronica and he is VERY happy with these.

My DT770s are shipping out to me probably on monday, so i'll let you know how it is driven thru a low-z cmoy since it's the 80 ohm version. i see you've already tried it straight out of an ipod and thought it wasn't driven enough - we'll see how a bit of amperage helps!

 

[appar111]

I'm sure a little bit of amperage would make them sound great-- I was thinking something like a Go-Vibe would be great for them. Right now I'm trying to keep it minimal. For dvd watching through my receiver's headphone jack without bothering my girlfriend, the DT770's would be sweet though!

I think the next cans would be the 4P's, if I get more money... I think the HD25's will cover alot of bases for a while though... Hopefully they'll get me into '05!

 

[3805]

what about the new ety er6i that are specifically designed to give better bass and sensitivity out of the ipod compared to the original er6's

ER6I INFO

Only $150

 

[Spankypoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by appar111 Actually, I never said I thought the Shures were better than Etys for rock and metal (not sure if that's what you meant. I've just heard alot of people say that the Etys aren't rock/metal phones. It's good to know your opinion on them for this type of music, as I may go the Ety route if I don't dig the HD25's.

No, I didn't mean you - sorry if that was unclear. It's just something which has been said dozens of times on here: "Etys for jazz/classical/acoustic, Shures for rock/metal." It's like a perscription, of sorts. I do believe it has some truth to it, in that some people do prefer one for one and another for the other, but I don't like its implications that the Etys are bad for a particular type for music (or even that some won't enjoy the Shures for classical - some may).

I think a better way to put it would be that each has a type of character to it, and you should know going into it which is your preference.

Quote:

Originally Posted by appar111 BTW, do you use the silicon tips or the foamies?

Stock, medium foamies. (Still can't get the yellows to fit in my ears!) Triflanges are a bit of a fitment nightmare for me. And I don't enjoy their sound as much, either - tops are a bit more harsh. The foamies (to my ears, at least) have a slightly more relaxed sound - and they isolate better, too. Only downside is you've gotta replace/wash them somewhat frequently.

I still haven't (successfully) modded my foamies. I tried on one old pair and pretty much botched it. They were old anyway, so it wouldn't have been a good test.

One day when I'm feeling rich enough to buy a spare pack of them I'll go mod-crazy - until then, I thoroughly enjoy the stock sound, especially with the S cable.

Good luck.

 

[Spankypoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by appar111 I'm sure a little bit of amperage would make them sound great-- I was thinking something like a Go-Vibe would be great for them. Right now I'm trying to keep it minimal.

My Go-Vibe will be showing up in a couple of weeks - I'll let you know how it works out.

 

[appar111]

Yeah even though the Etys are obviously smaller than the Senns, I also don't want to have to worry too much about washing tips, replacing foamies, that sort of thing. I just want a no hassle, durable, good sounding, easy to drive set of cans. Also, there's something inherent about full size cans (or medium to full size) that is more comfy to me than sticking something clear in my ear canal

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