wordsworth
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A review X ETY an Etymotic ER4P to ER4S adapter by Mike (Pink Floyd)
This little sonic gem came about as a result of fixup no longer selling the etymotic ER4P to ER4S adapter. I originally asked Mike (PinkFloyd) just to adapt a volume control with the relevant resistance. Well getting a volume control can be surprisingly difficult and expensive for what they are. Well Mike being the perfectionist that he is, decided to not go with the volume control but instead to build adapter using some choice components.
Take from Mike’s website
“This adapter converts the ER4P to ER4S using only the finest quality components. Carefully matched 73 ohm metal film resistors are employed to make the match with the ERP4's resistors a perfect 100 ohm.
The signal cable is high quality shielded 99.9% OFC which ensures there is no loss whatsoever in sound quality and all terminations are thermal shrink protected and then encased in epoxy resin to ensure maximum durability and total protection from oxidization. The jack plug and socket are both professional grade with nickel plated bodies, strain relief springs and gold connectors.”
Picture of the X ETY below:
I tested the X ETY with:
Philips 963SA
Sotenuto-1 (DAC + Amp by Aos)
Black Rhodium Rhythm Interconnect
Etymotic ER4P
Music:
Gomez – In Our Gun
Gomez has a lot going on in there music, from unusual sound effects, acoustic and electric guitar, rhythmic bass and drums plus 3 different vocalists. It is easy to lose detail with there music and for it to become a wall of sound.
Gorecki – Symphony No3
This is one of the most beautiful classical pieces of the 20th century. It needs a delicate touch and balance to allow the music to sound its best.
The Sound:
Without the adapter playing Gomez – In Our Gun:
The first thing you notice is that the bass sounds bloated and flabby which covers the other parts of the music.
You also notice that the vocals seem harsh and not balanced correctly with the rest of the music.
Along with the bass the other dominate aspect that comes to the fore is the mid section which forces the music to be more a cacophony of sound than a rhythmic blend of different instruments and sounds.
For me the ER4P’s on there own with an amp are unlistenable, with bass and mid being way too strong.
With the adapter playing Gomez – In Our Gun:
As you would hope the first thing you notice is that the music seems balanced and in harmony with itself.
You notice that the bass is considerably reduced but you gain a more controlled and tight sound, which complements the music though it does lack the ability to engage you in the music.
As the music is more balanced you hear all the little details in the music. As the Ety’s don’t have a very large sound stage you have to listen for the details as they don’t jump out at you.
Without the adapter playing Gorecki – Symphony No3:
This is where the ety’s are at there worst. I should be hearing the delicate sounds of the strings accentuated by the one chord of the piano. The voice should be gentle and haunting portraying the sorrow contained in the words. What you get is this awful sound that has no delicacy or finesse. Instead the music is unbalanced, with the mids far too prominent making the chord of the piano hollow and reverberate into the strings.
Then you hear the voice, but you hear no gentle echoing of the sorrow of war, but instead a mid biased harsh sound that melds with the reverberations of the piano. The ety’s take a beautiful haunting piece of music and systematically destroy it.
With the adapter playing Gorecki – Symphony No3:
Beautiful. From the moment the piano strikes is haunting chord and the strings start up, you know this is how this piece of music should sound. The balance is just perfect. The piano strikes a exact balance with the strings, which is so subtle and understated. Then the voice softly punctuates through with that wonderfully haunting and sorrowful sound. There is just such wonderful harmony I was loathed to stop listening a write these few words. Truly beautiful.
Summation:
Well I feel the ety ER4P is perfect for portables and offers depth and detail that you might not get with other headphones, whilst still giving you a real feel for the music. For me it is great for Rock or classical when listened through a portable device.
With the adapter you get a headphone which is so finely balanced and in control that classical pieces become sublime. However this is not a device for portables or for listening rock music in my opinion. The resistance substantially reduces volume and engagement with the music.
With the ER4P and adapter you get the best of both worlds.The ability to still enjoy my portable music as best I can without an amp. Then by adding the X ETY adapter I can fully enjoy some woderful classical music through an amp.
Sadly at the moment I cannot say whether the sound I hear with the adapter is the same as I would with a true pair of ER4S or whether the audiophile components make any great difference over using a volume control with resistors. But for me I feel I have something that can transform some of the best pieces of music.
For more pictures go to:
http://freespace.virgin.net/borders.break/etymotic.htm
Also a quick thank you to Mike (PinkFloyd) for finding the time to build me the X ETY.
Wordsworth
This little sonic gem came about as a result of fixup no longer selling the etymotic ER4P to ER4S adapter. I originally asked Mike (PinkFloyd) just to adapt a volume control with the relevant resistance. Well getting a volume control can be surprisingly difficult and expensive for what they are. Well Mike being the perfectionist that he is, decided to not go with the volume control but instead to build adapter using some choice components.
Take from Mike’s website
“This adapter converts the ER4P to ER4S using only the finest quality components. Carefully matched 73 ohm metal film resistors are employed to make the match with the ERP4's resistors a perfect 100 ohm.
The signal cable is high quality shielded 99.9% OFC which ensures there is no loss whatsoever in sound quality and all terminations are thermal shrink protected and then encased in epoxy resin to ensure maximum durability and total protection from oxidization. The jack plug and socket are both professional grade with nickel plated bodies, strain relief springs and gold connectors.”
Picture of the X ETY below:
I tested the X ETY with:
Philips 963SA
Sotenuto-1 (DAC + Amp by Aos)
Black Rhodium Rhythm Interconnect
Etymotic ER4P
Music:
Gomez – In Our Gun
Gomez has a lot going on in there music, from unusual sound effects, acoustic and electric guitar, rhythmic bass and drums plus 3 different vocalists. It is easy to lose detail with there music and for it to become a wall of sound.
Gorecki – Symphony No3
This is one of the most beautiful classical pieces of the 20th century. It needs a delicate touch and balance to allow the music to sound its best.
The Sound:
Without the adapter playing Gomez – In Our Gun:
The first thing you notice is that the bass sounds bloated and flabby which covers the other parts of the music.
You also notice that the vocals seem harsh and not balanced correctly with the rest of the music.
Along with the bass the other dominate aspect that comes to the fore is the mid section which forces the music to be more a cacophony of sound than a rhythmic blend of different instruments and sounds.
For me the ER4P’s on there own with an amp are unlistenable, with bass and mid being way too strong.
With the adapter playing Gomez – In Our Gun:
As you would hope the first thing you notice is that the music seems balanced and in harmony with itself.
You notice that the bass is considerably reduced but you gain a more controlled and tight sound, which complements the music though it does lack the ability to engage you in the music.
As the music is more balanced you hear all the little details in the music. As the Ety’s don’t have a very large sound stage you have to listen for the details as they don’t jump out at you.
Without the adapter playing Gorecki – Symphony No3:
This is where the ety’s are at there worst. I should be hearing the delicate sounds of the strings accentuated by the one chord of the piano. The voice should be gentle and haunting portraying the sorrow contained in the words. What you get is this awful sound that has no delicacy or finesse. Instead the music is unbalanced, with the mids far too prominent making the chord of the piano hollow and reverberate into the strings.
Then you hear the voice, but you hear no gentle echoing of the sorrow of war, but instead a mid biased harsh sound that melds with the reverberations of the piano. The ety’s take a beautiful haunting piece of music and systematically destroy it.
With the adapter playing Gorecki – Symphony No3:
Beautiful. From the moment the piano strikes is haunting chord and the strings start up, you know this is how this piece of music should sound. The balance is just perfect. The piano strikes a exact balance with the strings, which is so subtle and understated. Then the voice softly punctuates through with that wonderfully haunting and sorrowful sound. There is just such wonderful harmony I was loathed to stop listening a write these few words. Truly beautiful.
Summation:
Well I feel the ety ER4P is perfect for portables and offers depth and detail that you might not get with other headphones, whilst still giving you a real feel for the music. For me it is great for Rock or classical when listened through a portable device.
With the adapter you get a headphone which is so finely balanced and in control that classical pieces become sublime. However this is not a device for portables or for listening rock music in my opinion. The resistance substantially reduces volume and engagement with the music.
With the ER4P and adapter you get the best of both worlds.The ability to still enjoy my portable music as best I can without an amp. Then by adding the X ETY adapter I can fully enjoy some woderful classical music through an amp.
Sadly at the moment I cannot say whether the sound I hear with the adapter is the same as I would with a true pair of ER4S or whether the audiophile components make any great difference over using a volume control with resistors. But for me I feel I have something that can transform some of the best pieces of music.
For more pictures go to:
http://freespace.virgin.net/borders.break/etymotic.htm
Also a quick thank you to Mike (PinkFloyd) for finding the time to build me the X ETY.
Wordsworth
