( 17 reviews )
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Posted: Jun 15 2009
These headphones come from a brilliant premise - why invest in shrinking and fitting noise cancelling technology when earplugs have worked for years. The shape fits naturally into your ear and really blocks sound. Unlike most modern, high-end headphones these don't boost the bass or the treble in an attempt to make you physically feel the music. Instead what's delivered is a well blended, acoustically sound performance akin to sitting in a concert hall listening to a symphony. I felt like I was being re-introduced to some of my favorite songs. Without the bass thumping my eardrum, I could make out the subtlety of the guitar picking and the way the bass interplayed with the rhythm. To test the "noise cancellation" affects, I wore these while mowing the lawn. I had my iPod set to mid-range volume and put on an acoustic folk concert. I was really impressed. While the lawn mower could be heard in the background - it sounded as though it was blocks away. The music came through bright and clear without the need to adjust the volume up. In all, a brilliant set of earphones.
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Posted: Apr 19 2009
I got my first ER4S set 10 years ago and a second set a couple of years later to ensure that I would not be without some ER4S. Both sets are fine after all this time and use but I want a 3rd set! IMO, the single best thing about the ER4S is their durability. I've literally owned dozens of earphone sets and all but the Etymotics that I continued to use eventually bit the dust. Usually it was a cord discontinuity most likely very near the plug. I've replaced countless cables and plugs, pulling out my soldering iron and rummaging through my collection of parts. Once I got the Etymotics I had put all that behind me. Not once have I had a problem with the ER4S cables or plugs. The only times I have experienced cutout of a channel was when a filter got clogged, which has happened a few times. It's pretty simple to replace a filter, and they give you extra filters and a tool to remove the old filter. I figure I can probably clean the old filters but haven't bothered trying because I have an ample supply of new ones. I bought the Etymotics because I needed some privacy at my new office job. It wasn't just that I wanted my space, I had a lot of thinking to do and needed to block out distracting noise and at times there was far too much of that. I did some research and determined that the Etymotics were a likely good choice. They were highly touted by audiophiles and had a reputation for being very effective in noisy environments. Of course, they still enjoy that reputation. I no longer have that office job and I mostly use the Etymotics in the gym, where their isolation is just as critical as at that office job. When I read the reviews before buying my first ER4S I quickly realized that people who used them with portable devices seemed to always use headphone amps, and I assumed that I too would need one and so I bought an Airhead "Headphone Amplifier and Audio Image Processor" at the same time. However, to my amazement and delight I found that I got adequate volume from my portable devices without having to use it. I did use the amp when listening to audio files at my computer, at least sometimes, but have ever since just set aside the Airhead. I have used the ER4S phones without an amplifier with satisfactory results with a Sony WM-FX465 cassette/TV/FM/AM portable, iRiver SlimX IMP-350 portables, iRiver H120 and H140 portables and Sansa Sandisk M250 MP3/FM portables (2 different firmware/chipset models). My hearing isn't the best, and I won't get into subtle discussions concerning performance in various frequency ranges. However, I recently acquired a set of Sennheiser CX300B earbud headphones and determined that the Etymotics sound far superior. I also don't expect that the Sennheisers are very durable. Also, they came with only one set of buds that fit my ears. The Etymotics came with several sets of both types of buds (the white plastic, which I always use and the foam). I bought extra white plastic tips, but have only had to replace a couple (they got a bit loose over time and would remain in my ear after pulling out the drivers). It is true that the sound from brushing the cable goes right to your ears and it's a major annoyance. I rarely notice that now, having developed strategies to avoid brushing the cables. I'll take the durability over other considerations! Lately, I use the ER4S with small Sandisk MP3 players, the M250's. There are 4 different types of M250's and 2 of mine aren't as loud as the 3rd at maximum volume and I've had problems achieving satisfactory listening levels with them at times when using the ER4S's so I anticipate getting the more efficient ER-4P for my 3rd set of Etymotics at some point. I've been reading reviews and considered getting another brand, but I think I'd probably regret that and plan to stick with Etymotic. Fortunately, the price has come down from the $269 + shipping I paid for my last set!
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Posted: Dec 25 2008
I got the ER4S because I needed a pair of high impedance headphones that could go unnoticed in the office while providing a decent load for a vacuum tube headphone amplifier. The sound isolation of these headphones is impressive, but even more so is the detail. I can hear things that even good over the ear headphones cannot reveal. The response seems flat (as in accurate), and drops off a bit on the bass end, but it's well worth the sacrifice for top notch listening in the office without having huge cans on your head. Most earbuds are super high efficient and low impedance which is fine for cheap portable devices, but for high impedance I've not found any earbuds that present a 100 ohm load which is good for more serious amplification equipment.
