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"One of the Top headphones out there" on by wilsonywx2001
Pros: Excellent sound reproduction; isolation of sound
Cons: Some find in-ear-monitors uncomfortable
Summary: I own the ER4P for a year, as well as Sennheiser HD650, and Stax OmegaII. In comparasion to the other two top headphones available on the market today, this earphone stands up very well. Its details and clarity is comparable to the electrostatic headphone; some say the bass is lacking on this thing. However, I find its bass very nice. Some people are too into the overly heavy bass in low quality audio reproduction from bad boom boxes, speakers, and cheap headphones, as a result, they would think the bass is lacking on this very neutral earphone. If you buy the upgrade cable and change the ER4P's cable, you get the ER4S model, which delivers even higher fidelity audio, and is an excellent alternative to expensive full sized headphones. I heartily recommend these phones to anyone who is interested in hi end, hi quality audio reproduction. Trust me, you won't regret your purchase. I recommend trying out the foam eartips that comes with the box, as well as those available from Shure, because they fit your ear canals better, and have a better isolation than the silicon plastic eartip these earphones originally comes with. You might find the sound rather thin in the beginning; as I said you might be too accustomed to the low fidelity sound from cheap earbuds, so just give a few hours of listening to adjust to the sound, and you will notice how different this is from those earbuds!!
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"The Deaf Pundits at CNET Miss Another One" on by metaltomato
Pros: Spectacular Sound - Solid Construction
Cons: Dirth of Included Ear Pieces
Summary: I am not a very knowledgable fellow when it comes to the nuts and bolts of high end audio. That being said, I KNOW what sounds good to me, and these IEMs sound spectacular.
Compared to anything I have tried before, these cans kick ass. Crisp highs, subtle, faithful mids, and rich, sonorous, mellow lows. If there can be a fault found, it would be that some of our more bass happy friends might want more low end.
Regardless, my audiophile pressing of Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" sounded as good as I've ever heard, and I found myself catching sounds I had never heard before on many well loved albums.
I must say here that I cannot compare these cans to the ER-4S' rival Sure and Ultimate Ears products, and for anyone who is sweating a purchase of some high end cans, I apologize for not being able to give you that level of comparrison.
I spent many hours reviewing what the users and reviewers had to say about the Sure E4cs, and the Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5 Pro as these seemed to be the favorites in the 200$ price range. I decided on the Etymotic cans at the last moment based on some very favorable comments from some satisfied users, and can say that barring a side by side comparrison, that I am completely convinced.
I, in retrospect, am astounded that the wizards at CNET havent even bothered to review these little jewels.
Mind you, these cans wont be for everyone, and definitely take a bit of getting used to as proper seating of the ear piece in the ear canal are a prime requistite for optimum performance. Keep in mind that these headphone are IN CANAL phones. That means that they must sit INSIDE the ear canal, and will annoy folks out there who don't go in for such tomfoolery.
Another thing; these cans really need to have an headphone amp to produce higher volumes. You can read about many options here; http://www.dansdata.com/index.html.
One additional caviat; When I wear these phones, I cannot hear ANYTHING other than the music, and even at low volumn, would not hear the train until after it had run me over. A good thing to some...
One thing that was slightly disappointing was that the only included ear pieces were medium size, and that I would have to pay extra for either the small or large sizes.
The phones come with flanged and foam earpieces, a big plastic case to carry everything, a small neoprene case to carry the cans and some additional earpieces, a phial of filters (which keep the ol' earwax out), a filter changing tool, and cost me $181.00. -
"Great sound, but only lasts one year!" on by FunkyMan3333
Pros: Great sound, excellent noise cancelling quality, decent bass (compared to previous Eytomics), very comfortable to wear.
Cons: Wires fray at Y connection YEARLY, despite repairs.
Summary: Great sound quality, but the issue at the Y connector would present me recommending these earbuds, especially in light of their cost. Despite keeping my earbuds in their case when not in use, one bud cut out after one year. Etymotic covered it under warranty. Same happened one year later. Now, I am 3 years after purchase and the same thing happened! It's a shame, because I like the earbuds a lot! Unfortunately, most reviewers aren't keeping the earbuds for 1+ years to let you know how they work.
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"No bottom, Shure E3c blows them away in range" on by HowardBeale
Pros: SImple design, easy to tell R from L, nice clip reduces cable noise, durable. Useful soft carry case.
Cons: To my ears, poor low end relative to others in this price range.
Summary: I have both this model and Shure E3c's and after extensive A/B have abandoned these for the Shures. Much better frequency response in Shure. The Etymotics have it all over the Shures in durability, though. I'm replacing the Shures now but it won't be with an Etymotic.
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"The best universal fit in-ear monitor, period." on by PiccoloNamek
Pros: Extremely clear, uncolored, detailed sound; sparkling treble, deep, tight bass, smooth mids
Cons: Cable noise
Summary: This is flat-out the best universal fit in-ear monitor money can buy. Some people have claimed that the sound is harsh, or tipped toward the treble region, but this is completely, utterly, false. They are by far the smoothest, most neutral, most accurate, most detailed, most musical IEM I have ever used. I would even say that they are lush. I have never been able to enjoy music quite like I have with these. The frequency response was always off somehow. Too much bass, or not enough treble, or dim, distant mids. But these, wow. They let me forget that I am wearing headphones and allow me to truly delve into the depths of whatever I am listening to. The sound they produce is so smooth and natural I don't even have the vocabulary to describe it. For the mids, think smooth, like freshly churned butter, and just as delicious. For the highs, think clear and sharp, like a polished diamond. For the bass, think deep like the mariana trench. The sheer naturalness of the sound is something to behold, and the detail, the ability to discriminate between sounds, the ability to hear each instrument exactly the way it sounds, the ability to hear even the smallest background noises, is unsurpassed by anything else in this price range.
Truly a king among headphones. I'm ashamed I didn't buy them sooner.
Phew. Now, for the cons. The cables are very noisy. Noiser than any other IEM cables. You must use the shirt clip or find some other way to secure them or else the transmitted noise will be very disturbing. Potentially, they may be uncomfortable for some people, but I have yet to have any problems. With the foamies or Comply tips, I can wear them for hours on end with no discomfort. Undoubtedly, some people will find them uncomfortable.
Etymotic ER-4S MicroPro Reference Stereo Earphones user reviews
Results 1-5 of 5
Results 1-5 of 5
