[bonethugz]

just wondering if anybody pay any attention to this

http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/epcomp.aspx


i was/am still looking at the accuracy score, er6 has 90% accuracy? that's very close to er4. is this tell something or nothing?

 

[TheSloth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bonethugz just wondering if anybody pay any attention to this http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/epcomp.aspx i was/am still looking at the accuracy score, er6 has 90% accuracy? that's very close to er4. is this tell something or nothing?

Closer to nothing than something. That is a pure FR score. Two transducers producing the same FR measurement can sound quite different from one another in the perceived SQ department.

I find the ER4s (listening to classical music, even straight out of an iPod) to me one of the most neutral and resolving transducers around. They require a deep insertion (instead of licking the tips which is somewhat nasty, I have 'otocreme' that came with my custom ear plugs which helps them slide in comfortably, and avoids saliva in your ear canal), but I'm not sure about this idea that an iPod can't drive them to a reasonable quality or accuracy. 107ohms isn't THAT difficult to drive, and as a load, it's easier to drive than the 27ohm ER4p which will suffer some bass roll of at least with an iPod.

I think the 'made for iPod' idea that the ER4p somehow works better with a weak source is marketing mumbo-jumbo. The ER4p is just a slightly midbass enhanced, treble rolled off version for those who prefer such a sound, and that happens to be easy to achieve with the ER4 by reducing the serial resistance hence lowering the impedance accordingly.

 

[jSatch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheSloth Closer to nothing than something. That is a pure FR score. Two transducers producing the same FR measurement can sound quite different from one another in the perceived SQ department.

Absolutely! FR measurements remind me of measureing distortion when solid state amps came out. Wow, they 'measured' great. Sure love the sound of tubes though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheSloth ...instead of licking the tips which is somewhat nasty, I have 'otocreme' that came with my custom ear plugs which helps them slide in comfortably, and avoids saliva in your ear canal

No worries. You can have you gf stick her tongue in your ear all day. Its all good.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheSloth ...107ohms isn't THAT difficult to drive, and as a load, it's easier to drive than the 27ohm ER4p which will suffer some bass roll of at least with an iPod. I think the 'made for iPod' idea that the ER4p somehow works better with a weak source is marketing mumbo-jumbo. The ER4p is just a slightly midbass enhanced, treble rolled off version for those who prefer such a sound, and that happens to be easy to achieve with the ER4 by reducing the serial resistance hence lowering the impedance accordingly.

Agreed, the increased resistance somewhat compensates for the deficiencies in the DAP as a source, but has its drawbacks, as you mention.

EDIT: Above sentence should read decreased resistance/impedance. Sorry.

Sloth, yo da MAN, Bro!

 

[PiccoloNamek]

Wow, what a battle. I just noticed that jSatch posted here only a few hours ago. I should reply too. I prefer the Etys over the Shures. The extra treble (which is very natural sounding and not at all harsh [the treble boosts are there for a reason, people, look it up on their website]) is just wonderful. I didn't even know what I was missing. Nor have I perceived any of this so-called "fake detail" that everyone has been talking about. I perceive much more real detail and the ability to discriminate individual sounds among a large jumble of sounds, however. The transient speed is very nice, like my SR-60s, only faster and even more defined.

All in all a very nice IEM!

 

[Tuarreg]

Has anyone had a chance to compare the Etys to the new Shure E500s?

 

[The_Duke_Of_Eli]

Once you go etymotic, you're shure you'll never go back.

 

[derek8555]

Quote:

Originally Posted by redshifter i disagree. but i like industrial design so the ety's appeal to me. they are simple, and functional. what could be more beautiful?

Ditto

I like the industrial yet practical look of ER4s. I also like the stylish look of my E4s. That's why I keep both.

 

[derek8555]

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_Duke_Of_Eli Once you go etymotic, you're shure you'll never go back.

I actually still like Shure's midrange.

Too bad the ER4s don't have that...

 

[PiccoloNamek]

There ain't no problems with the ER-4S' s midrange...

 

[lostbobby]

almost 2 weeks with no Shure/Ety argument. I got my ER-4ps today, and, ...,
man, I love them, they have kind of the smae pleasant coloration of mids and treble that DT880's do (They don't sound like 880's, but they have something in common)

Anyway, looking for 2nd pair, i noticed this ad claiming the ER-4p's FR curve had been revamped. (you have to scroll way down, about halfway down the (very long)page) Can anybody confirm/deny? Or we can all just argue some more.

 

[Spyro]

Just got my ER-4p's today too. Will post impressions probably tomorrow.

I was surprised to see all black housings, wires, etc. Is that a new version or something? Every single advertising including Etymotics (I believe) still show the red and blue housings.

 

[PiccoloNamek]

Luckily, I got a pair of red and blue ones.

 

[GreatDane]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spyro I was surprised to see all black housings, wires, etc. Is that a new version or something?

I believe so.

I have the "old" red & blue version . I haven't seen the all black version up close .I'm glad to have the old version because even with my E4 it's not always easy to see the little red & blue markings.

TEAM ETY

 

[DougGreenberg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tuarreg Has anyone had a chance to compare the Etys to the new Shure E500s?

Yes, as a matter of fact. I have owned Etys for many years, both ER-4S and ER-4P. They remain the most detailed IEM's, particularly for those delicate high frequency sounds. But for some kinds of music I listen to (i.e., drum n' bass, progressive house, other electronica) the bass rolloff exhibited by the Etys is just too pronounced. This is even more true when they are used with an iPod. To get any kind of decent bass output I have use a severe EQ setting, which then has other undesirable results.

For classical and jazz I still prefer the Etys. But for most kinds of music I now prefer the Shure E500s. The degree and detail of treble is not quite as good as the Etymotics, but the overall sound is excellent and well-balanced.

 

[nvkid909]

i'd be interested in these then...

is there any difference between, say, a rockboxed ipod w/ ER4p, & rockboxed ipod w/ER4s & a decent headphone amp? i'd rather go without amps as i'm using an external battery...