Which to get: Ety ER-4P or ER-4S?

[Meloncoly]

Denons keep backordering and I'm getting tired of it. I'm kind of back in the portable scene and I thought it would just be better to buy an IEM. Going to get the Etys, but I don't know which one would be better suited for me. I will be powering them with a Go-vibe V6 with a gain of 2, and the source is a Rockbox'd iPod Video with a Starquad LOD. Would the V6 be able to power the ER-4S efficiently? Which to get...thanks in advance!

 

[gtp]

The standard advice is that if you have an amp, go with ER4S. If you ever plan to go ampless, go with the 4P. In the 2nd case, you can always add an inline 75 Ohms adapter to make your 4P in 4S. The GoVibe will work nicely with the 4S.

 

[Meloncoly]

That's good to know. I was going to get a 4P->4S adapter, but I'm thinking that a solid 4S is better, but I'm not too sure. Any thoughts on that? Also, are the diameter of the Ety tube the same as the Shure ones? I would love to use the Shure olive foamies with the Etys. Thanks!

 

[apnk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meloncoly /img/forum/go_quote.gif Also, are the diameter of the Ety tube the same as the Shure ones? I would love to use the Shure olive foamies with the Etys. Thanks!

Yes, you can freely interchange tips from Ety/Westone/Shure.

 

[Nebby]

I use the shure olive foamies with no issues. If you will be taking your ety's somewhere without an amp, then it is better to get the er-4p, since you can always use the adapter.

 

[blipmusic]

If I'd buying another pair of ER4 I'd probably go for the "non-adapter:ed" ER4S, if only because I'm always using an amp and I'm really starting to hate the cable management involved with the adapter. The cable is long as it is and the adapter adds extra bulk on top of that. I have even stitched a ghetto bag for ipod and amp with an elastic pocket for excess cable which works ok. (I have to say I love the IEMs with short "front shirt pocket lenght-cable" with the option to just add some cable length when needed.)

On the other hand... If I *hadn't* chosen the ER4P + S-adapter combo I'd probably regret that as well as now I at least have the option of going amp-less with the ER4 (of course some players like the D2 will be able to power the ER4S with no amp and some people still seem to like the S better, amp or no amp, but nano+amp+ER4S still wins by quite a margin, IMHO). Want to make it even harder? Some amps have the necessary impedence switch (like Xin Supermini fex) making the S-adapter obsolete (for those particular amps, that is).

Sorry, I'm not making it easier for you am I? I really want to recommend the plain ER4S over the ER4P + S-cable but I'm not sure I can since I'm all about versatility and having options. So in the end I'd probably go for ER4P + S-adapter anyway. Maybe you'll find a good way to manage all that cable?

Edit: Oh, and the Shure olives are great for comfort (also maybe a little different sounding than the stock Ety foamies, but not too much)

 

[tbonner1]

Quote:

Denons keep backordering and I'm getting tired of it.

The word is out, they must be good.

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Would the V6 be able to power the ER-4S efficiently?

ER-4S are among the least efficient IEM's I have tried and need a powerful amp. How adequate the V6 is depends on your need for power. I would go for the P with S adaptor.