I finally heard the ER4S but ...

[boomana]

I also use the Shure olive foam thingies. I get a better seal with the flanges, but I can wear the Shure for a longer time, and they can be removed and reinserted much easier, if you end up in an environment that might need to happen multiple times (work, school, waiting rooms in doc offices).

[socrates63]

I love the ER4P. I tried the E500 briefly when it first came out, and I stuck with the Ety.

Does anyone have any experience with recabling the Ety? APureSound offers a cable replacement for the Ety, and I've been thinking about it. If it can maintain the clarity and detail of the stock cable and add some bass quantity and impact, it'd be perfect.

[postjack]

I also use the Shure olive foam thingies. I get a better seal with the flanges, but I can wear the Shure for a longer time, and they can be removed and reinserted much easier, if you end up in an environment that might need to happen multiple times (work, school, waiting rooms in doc offices).

are these the olive foamies y'all are talking about?

[laxx]

Well, looks like I'll be going to the meet to try otu the ER4P/S'.

[hYdrociTy]

I thought you said you weren't going...

JUST FOR AN IEM?!

[jinp6301]

are these the olive foamies y'all are talking about?

yes they are. Get them and I'll buy a pair off you

[hYdrociTy]

15 bucks + shipping for 5 pairs. I thought headroom shipping was like 10 bucks or something.

[n_maher]

15 bucks + shipping for 5 pairs. I thought headroom shipping was like 10 bucks or something.

All you need to do is call Headroom. I ordered Ety tips from them last week and was charged $1 for shipping them in a padded envelope.

[laxx]

I thought you said you weren't going...

JUST FOR AN IEM?!

I found out the plans I thought I had for the meet weekend is actually the following weekend. So now all of November is booked. =[

[ojnihs]

All you need to do is call Headroom. I ordered Ety tips from them last week and was charged $1 for shipping them in a padded envelope.

you ever going to get those custom molds Nate?

[n_maher]

you ever going to get those custom molds Nate?

I'd really like to but right now I've just got so much going on that I can't deal with trying to coordinate getting molds taken, shipping the headphones off, etc., etc.

[ojnihs]

I'd really like to but right now I've just got so much going on that I can't deal with trying to coordinate getting molds taken, shipping the headphones off, etc., etc.

i hear you. personally what i'd be more interested in is if there was some way to use these etys without having them stick straight out of your ears. it bothers the fuck out of me when i'm lying down and using them. but obviously that's not possible because the design isn't the same as the shures and ues. meh

[postjack]

I'd really like to but right now I've just got so much going on that I can't deal with trying to coordinate getting molds taken, shipping the headphones off, etc., etc.

actually on the hearyourself site, I'm pretty sure they say you don't have to mail them your IEMs, that you can just slide on the molds like any other tip.

I think?

Still a pain to get the molds made though. I wouldn't want to try to attempt to do it myself, the instructions sound tricky.

[jlingo]

the thing is that its only on certain songs that its EXTREMELY sibilant (ex. ted leo and the pharmacists - me and mia)

btw, its straight out of a iriver ihp140 so maybe thats why? because when its amped, the sibilance goes away and its pretty fucking sweet.

slightly off topic but for portable use I should get the er4p since P is for portable right?

Actually if you replace stock ER-4S cable with apuresound cable, the high is very silky smooth, reduced sibilance dramatically even directly off iPOD. and the bass sounds bigger too.

[jinp6301]

welcome to head-case, sorry about your thin skin

and i was too lazy to do that so i just got a im716

[apnk]

Actually if you replace stock ER-4S cable with apuresound cable, the high is very silky smooth, reduced sibilance dramatically even directly off iPOD. and the bass sounds bigger too.

Do you think it's worth the $200?

[jlingo]

Do you think it's worth the $200?

If you think you love ety sound signature that much yes, I do think it's worth that much.

First of all, esthetically awesome, the cable is a lot lighter. It fits snuggly over the ear, no longer microphonic.

And the harshness gone, the bass quantity is more.

But if you are not a fan of etymotic to start of with, then don't worry about upgrading the cable.

[justin]

The Ety ER-4S are also still my preferred IEMs, at least until I try splurging on custom Ultimate Ears. I tried the ~$300 Westone UM2s a while ago, and they just sounded bloated in the lower-mids and rolled off treble, overall a very muffled sound compared to the Etys. It was also difficult and painful for me to keep a seal, the Ety triple flange tips work best for me and aren't painful at all although my ears do get tired after they've been in for several hours. One of my non-audiophile friends recently bought Ety ER-6i and prefers his Apple iBuds for exactly the opposite things that I don't like the sound of the UM2s. I have always taken the reviews on Head-Fi of newer IEMs with a grain of salt as I suspect most of them have never tried any of the "obsolete" like the Etymotics.

I also hate how ridiculously sensitive most of the new IEMs are. They just make amp design/building more difficult, requiring SNRs that are impossible with current technology to completely avoid hiss, mis-matched volume controls, and difficult to use them on planes and on gym equipment because you have to be at the lowest volume setting and then if the equipment is reset remotely and comes back on a higher volume level you get blasted

[laxx]

I actually like the sound sig of the ER-4S alot after hearing Jin's at the NY meet. It definitely needs amping as I thought it sounded really thin straight out of my mp3 player, but once I hooked up the Portaphile amp, it sounded great. Too bad I won't own a pair because I thought they were really uncomfortable (the cable is heavy and I feel its weight pulling on my ears). I wonder if Etymotic has every thought of a redesign...

[ojnihs]

I actually like the sound sig of the ER-4S alot after hearing Jin's at the NY meet. It definitely needs amping as I thought it sounded really thin straight out of my mp3 player, but once I hooked up the Portaphile amp, it sounded great. Too bad I won't own a pair because I thought they were really uncomfortable (the cable is heavy and I feel its weight pulling on my ears). I wonder if Etymotic has every thought of a redesign...

i've been using my er4s straight out of my iPhone and I think it sounds excellent. got rid of my amp because i couldn't really tell the difference between having one and not having one. team minimalist ftw!

[darkless]

I've briefly compared a pair of Etys with APureSound cable and Shure black foamies with my Super.Fi 5 Pros out of my iRiver H140 as well as out of an iBasso D1. I loved the treble out of the Etys, but the fullness of the lower end and soundstage in my Super.Fi 5 Pro was also really nice.

I wonder how the Etys would compare to the q-JAYS... Has anyone done a direct comparison between the two?

[laxx]

Someone get them to redesign them!

i've been using my er4s straight out of my iPhone and I think it sounds excellent. got rid of my amp because i couldn't really tell the difference between having one and not having one. team minimalist ftw!

I don't know how strong the headphone out on the iPhone is, so I can't compare. I never found my mp3 player to be too weak, but there's definitely room for improvement. I'm just not looking to carry the bulk of an amp for my current on the go buds.

If Etymotic ever decides to come out with a sleeker ER4S, I'd be more than willing to carry an amp then. I only needed to hear one song before I knew it's sound was for me. I've yet to hear another IEM anywhere close to what I like, so I was pleasantly surprised when I heard these.

I used to own E500's and with a bit of EQ, they sounded decent, but some songs would just be downright odd sounding. That plus I used to drive to work and be able to listen during work was part of the reason I kept them for as long as I did, but I eventually sold them because I rather not keep a pair of $300 IEM's that I need to tweak to enjoy ~75% of the time. That and I got some Yuin Pk1's from the NY meet around the same time and they sounded great without any EQ. But now I switched jobs and public transportation in NYC is just too loud for me to listen to the Pk1's at a comfortable volume. I either can't hear music or I turn it up, but end up with ear fatigue.

What I've always wondered was what's the next closest IEM that sounds like ER4's? I used to ask what's the closest sounding IEM to K701's, and I think ER4's were as close as I can get (very very very gross generalization about treble and bass only. I didn't have time to listen for anything else). Any ideas?

[jinp6301]

I told you man. Get the im716. Theyre like the er4s but with more midbass and less treble energy, but they still have a similar presentation to the er4s. I still havent done the podrectomy but supposedly they make them better. I should get on that

[jinp6301]

http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?sduid=106919&t=674232

this is an amazing deal btw

[grawk]

http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?sduid=106919&t=674232

this is an amazing deal btw

I don't need another pair of these, but for $40, wtf. I just ordered em.