[setmenu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by redshifter great dane, sadly ludwig was deaf at that point in his life, so ety's would be a cruel joke (ironic to have him as a headphone avatar too). he winks because he wasn't always serious. setmenu, i still maintain that decay is primarily a product of the recording, but i see what you mean. going from other headphones to the ety's can be strange experience, considering the unusual house sound the er4 has. once my brain and ears start decoding what i'm hearing the music sounds very natural. it may be worth your while to try the sr71 with your ety's. the peakiness in the treble is tamed somehow by ray's amp.

I agree that recordings are often the cause of many anomalies.
I also agree that it possible to acclimatize to many different sonic signatures.
It often makes me chuckle when I read so many people recommending their
own headphone of choice because ,it is so 'accurate and flat sounding'.
It's funny how everyones own phones are the accurate ones eh?
I make no pretense about any of mine bing accurate, they just press the right
personal sonic buttons.
You may be right about the SR71 ER4 combo, I may love it.[more]
But I also love my current setup.The little tweaks have for me fleshed out
the midband a little whilst making the overall sound more broadband,
more akin to what I like about my stax setup.



.

 

[tnmike1]

another lover of the Ety4p esp. when hooked up to the Portaphile maxxed amp. What a soundstage, not to mention accurac y in music

 

[jpelg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by setmenu I found that the standard ER4 was just a tad to hot in the 2.5k region for my ears.

My ears are very sensitive to brightness as well. However, I have realized that "nature" is actually bright in the upper registers. This after much experience listening to live music performances of all types (classical, folk, pop, rock, acoustic, amped, indoors, outdoors, etc.) Headphones like the ER4's & AKG K1000 are conveying what is in nature.

If you prefer a less natural sound (typically termed "euphonic" around here) and voice your amps toward that, that's cool too.

 

[cantsleep]

even though i use e4c all the time, i admit that er4 are better sounding IEM..
but they arent as comfortable..

 

[redshifter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpelg My ears are very sensitive to brightness as well. However, I have realized that "nature" is actually bright in the upper registers. This after much experience listening to live music performances of all types (classical, folk, pop, rock, acoustic, amped, indoors, outdoors, etc.) Headphones like the ER4's & AKG K1000 are conveying what is in nature. If you prefer a less natural sound (typically termed "euphonic" around here) and voice your amps toward that, that's cool too.

live classical is my touchstone. the textures of the strings, especially cello and bass, is sometimes hard to hear in recordings. i get that texture with the er4s. it has been stated (i think at the national meet) that shure iems are made to sound good (euphonic) while ety's are designed for accuracy.

 

[setmenu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpelg My ears are very sensitive to brightness as well. However, I have realized that "nature" is actually bright in the upper registers. This after much experience listening to live music performances of all types (classical, folk, pop, rock, acoustic, amped, indoors, outdoors, etc.) Headphones like the ER4's & AKG K1000 are conveying what is in nature. If you prefer a less natural sound (typically termed "euphonic" around here) and voice your amps toward that, that's cool too.

I completely agree regarding natures real sounds.
I love so sit and listen to the sound of people talking, not what they actually
say but the sound of their voices.
The natural sibilance of a hushed female voice can sound delicious.
Shattering glass, delicate violin,steel drums you name it.
But I never experience that peaky edginess that some hifi kit is capable of.
The ER 4 hot spot is intentional , but I guess my ears are not quite like the
ideal model it was based on.
I also think some of those other peaks are product of port tuning and ear
canal interaction.

I don't mind a bit of euphony but not syrupy rolled off stuff, I like my sounds
open airy and well lit, but with good body in the mid upper trebles I like to
hear the mass in my cymbals not just the tink tink and upper harmonics.[if
you are lucky enough to have a recording that properly captures the upper
harmonics that is.]

.

 

[nightfire]

Quote:

Originally Posted by setmenu With my own ER4's I use an amp 'bass boost' to add a bit to the very low end and a little passive filter module that is used to fill in the dip centered around 800hz as well as a bit of attenuation in the 2.5k region coupled with a further lift in the trough with a 10k peak in the middle. A slight trimming of the foamies allows for a deeper insertion to tame the 5k peak. Maybe the lower midbass a tad heavier than I would listen to indoors but for for on the move it is great. I love both the ER4 and the E4. IEMs are great!

Another way to smooth out the upper mids a touch and raise the 20-200hz response (while eliminating the cost of foamies):

Try my mod!

http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showt...t=ultimate+er4

 

[GreatDane]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nightfire Another way to smooth out the upper mids a touch and raise the 20-200hz response (while eliminating the cost of foamies): Try my mod! http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showt...t=ultimate+er4

That seems like it'd be a good mod but I don't like the way bi-flange tips feel,that suction effect is uncomfortable. I used them for a few months after I bought my first IEM, then gave foamies an honest try and there's no going back for me. I recently tried bi-flange with my E4 and everything sounded wrong.

 

[Zanth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpelg My ears are very sensitive to brightness as well. However, I have realized that "nature" is actually bright in the upper registers. This after much experience listening to live music performances of all types (classical, folk, pop, rock, acoustic, amped, indoors, outdoors, etc.) Headphones like the ER4's & AKG K1000 are conveying what is in nature. If you prefer a less natural sound (typically termed "euphonic" around here) and voice your amps toward that, that's cool too.

Jimmy, this is it exactly! I think often people forget that sometimes treble is supposed to have some BITE! However, I do believe that some phones accentuate the highs in a way that is far from natural. That said, it seems you and I definitely concur on what sounds natural in the top end, as we share many of the same phones. Etys are wonderful IEM's. They would be perfect if made to be used lying down. Customs could make that work, but I'm opposed to customs at this point so something like the E500's win in that department.

 

[Spyro]

I don't think the hi-end detail on the ER-4P sounds quite right. A little bit grainy and harsh especially when played at louder volumes. I haven't really heard anybody mention that. I think if you tend to listen to your music on the louder side, the highs of the Etys may get more fatiguing on the ears and this is something else to consider if chosing between the E4 or ER-4. ER-4S, however, are a little smoother and less fatiguing. But if you don't listen very loudly, the extra detail of the Etys may be a better experience.

 

[brospin]

I like the ER4S more than any other IEM I've ever tried or used. They can't even compare to the disastrous E3. Call me a fool, but I prefer the ER4S even to the UE-10. The fact is I use the Etys daily and the UE-10 anre inside their box and haven't been in use for months.

 

[lucifix]

I really like my er4p but the treble, like what some people have said, is rather high and it is tiring to listen to music like eminem or others with igh-pitched drum beats.

When you yawn sometimes , and your ears have that feeling, if you know what I am talking about, that is the feeling i experience everytime I listen to some treble intense tracks, and my ears get all tensed up.

Its late and my mind is not working right. sorry for the weird language

 

[Spyro]

ER-4P's still sound incredible coming straight out of the Nano. Just amazing...

 

[smeggy]

More ETY 4S luvvins here.
Yes they are bright and have a lightweight bass but they are so clear and natural. I gave my Shure E5c away to another head-fier, not gonna happen with the ETY

. Part of the reason I love the Stax SR-X is because they share a similar signature with the Ety, though fuller and sweeter. The Ety is comfy, detailed, fast and natural. I've tried living with euphonic but I tend to lose interest quickly as they are not engaging in the right way for me.

 

[ILikeMusic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DougGreenberg /img/forum/go_quote.gif 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.

I'm in complete agreement. The Etys have their undeniable strong points but they have been surpassed by the likes of the E500 and Triple-Fi for most uses. I prefer the E500 even for some classical music since a full orchestra needs impact as well as accuracy. Love the Etys for the strings though.

Sometimes I think that instead of 'Sorry about your wallet' this forum's unofficial motto should be 'Etys do have bass!' since the latter phrase seems to be repeated even more often. I wonder why that is..?