The Bottom Line: These are the best headphones I have ever heard. They provide amazing sound and isolation and are very small. The only drawback is the price.
bdb55's Full Review: Etymotic Research MicroProâ„¢ ER-4P Consumer Headp...
The Purchase
I had been looking for some new headphones to replace my Sony MDR-D22s. The Sonys sounded fine, but they were too big for me to carry around with my mp3 CD player. The Sonys were also semi-open, meaning that some sound leaked in from outside, and some of my music leaked out. This was a problem in crowded spaces, especially the library where my music would annoy those around me. I started browsing the internet looking for closed headphones (i.e. no sound comes in or out) that were also small enough that I could easily carry them in my CD case. I found an extremely complementary review of the Etymotic ER-4P earphones that piqued my interest. I was somewhat shocked by the retail price of $330, but did some more research nevertheless because they were exactly what I was looking for. It turns out that these earphones are made by Etymotic Research (pronounced "et-im-oh-tik" and meaning "true to the ear," according to their web site). Etymotic Research is a small Chicago company that makes high-end hearing aids and, on the side, high end earphones. Almost everything I read was strongly recommending the Etys. I bought the ER-4Ps from Headroom for $269 because they had a 30 day return policy, if I wasn't amazed with them I would send them back.
The Phones
What's Included
I received the Etymotics from Headroom about a week ago. They arrived in a black hard plastic box lined with thick foam. It contained the earphones, three pairs of white silicone eartips, five pairs of foam eartips, a shirt clip, a filter changing tool, a small carrying case, a 1/8 to 1/4 inch stereo plug adaptor (for use with home systems), an instruction manual, and the earphones themselves.
Sound
I carefully inserted the Etys into my ears, plugged them into my CD player, and started to listen. I was blown away. The Etymotics are amazingly detailed and clear. I heard new things in many of my favorite recordings; I was amazed to hear an orchestra in the background that I had never noticed before in music I had listened to hundreds of times. Everything is clear, controlled, and accurate. The bass is not like with other headphones where you feel the bass and hear only a deep boom. With the Etys you don't feel the bass at all, but you hear it, clearly. Instead of deep booming, bass is articulate and precise. It's hard to describe, you have to hear it. Clarity can also be a curse, however. On one classical recording I heard, very distinctly, the violinist breathing and tapping his foot lightly. Amazing, yes, but also annoying when you want to hear the music. With good recordings, I think these are easily superior to my home stereo system that cost about $1000.
Microphonic cord
I had read a lot about how annoying the microphonic cord is, but I didn't really think it was a major problem. The issue is that when the Etys' cord rubs against your shirt, you can hear it, kind of like a stethoscope. With the shirt clip, I almost never hear the cord noise unless I'm walking around with them in. ER-4s would not be good for jogging or any other use while you are moving around a lot. But if you are going to be sitting still most of the time, cord noise shouldn't be an issue.
Isolation
Even if there wasn't any cord noise, you still probably wouldn't want to walk around with the Etymotics in your ears. They provide such good isolation that you are nearly oblivious to the world around you while wearing them. Its just like wearing good earplugs. If I have the Etys in my ears and I pause the music I can just barley hear someone talking to me in a normal voice. If music is on, I would not notice the phone ringing. This is exactly what I wanted because no external sound comes in and none of my music leaks out.
Getting a Good Seal
In order to get the full effect of the Etymotics, it is absolutely essential to get a good seal in your ears. I read many accounts of people not being able to get a good seal and thinking about returning their Etys. After they actually got a good seal they raved about the sound. I think people returning the Etys simply because they can't get a good seal has become somewhat of a problem for the company. They have started including a bright red card in the hard plastic case that says "ATTENTION! A good seal is very important: without it, you will lose bass response and the sound will tend to be overbright." It then talks about how to insert the Etys into your ears. Both silicone and foam eartips are provided so that the user can get the best possible seal. I prefer the silicone tips, as they are quicker to insert and easier to clean. The key to getting a good seal is moistening the silicone eartips and sticking them in your ears at a 45 degree angle up the ear canal. Your ear canal goes up, so if you insert the Etys at a 90 degree angle there is no way that you'll get a good seal. You know you have a good seal when you feel slight pressure in your ears (which can be released by tugging the tips of your ears up and away from your face). The best way to know when you have a good seal, however, is when the music sounds the best. If the Etys sound tinny or bassless, you do not have them inserted properly. Some people cannot get a good seal just because of the shape of their ear canals; the only remedy is to get custom earmolds.
The Different Models
Etymotic makes three different models of the ER-4 earphones and a cheaper version, the ER-6. The ER-4B, ER-4S, and ER-4P are the three high-end models, all of which are the same price.
ER-4B
The 4B is made for binaural recordings. If you don't know what those are, these are not for you. All you need to know is that 4Bs sound too bright for normal recordings.
ER-4S
The 4Ss are the highest fidelity Etymotics, these are what you want if you will be listening out of an amp. The problem is that if you don't have a portable amp, these are pretty hard to drive. With 100 ohms of impedance, most portable CD and MP3 players will not be able to get these up to high volumes and will create the illusion of poor bass. These actually provide even better, more accurate bass than the 4Ps, but you have to have an amp to hear it.
ER-4P
4Ps are what I have, and what you should get if you want to use your earphones directly out of a portable source. They have been enhanced for better bass and have much lower impedance, only 27 ohms. This means you can get them pretty loud out of a portable source and the bass will sound much better. If you are not going to use an amp, the 4Ps will give you the best sound. Another difference between the 4S and 4P is that the 4Ps have a cord made out of a different rubber that reduces the microphonic cord effect (perhaps this is why I didn't find cord noise a problem.)
ER-6
Etymotic's lower end earphone (calling $134 headphones low end seems kind of ridiculous doesn't it?) is the ER-6. I have read that they provide 85% of the sound quality of ER-4s at half the price. There's the law of diminishing returns for you. These supposedly still provide all the isolation of the ER-4s as well. I think that these would be a great purchase if the ER-4s are out of your price range.
Final Thoughts
The ER-4P earphones provide phenomenal sound and isolation and, though they are expensive, are not overpriced (remember I said they sound better than my $1000 stereo). They are handmade in the USA, and Etymotic has a ton of patents on all of their technology, so don't expect to find a foreign made rip-off of this design that sounds as good. In addition, these are small and look ubiquitous. No one is going to suspect that these are expensive, so they are at less of a risk of getting stolen than any other pair of headphones. They don't even have a brand name on them! Headroom has a 30 day refund policy, so if you are not completely satisfied for any reason they'll take them back. No re-stocking fee, you only lose shipping. If you want great portable headphones, try a pair of Etymotics.
Other Information
These are the sites I found most helpful when researching the Etymotics and making my decision what to buy (4S w/amp vs. 4P w/o amp).
Etymotic Research: www.etymotic.com
The company's website
Headroom Corporation: www.headphone.com
The best place to buy Etymotic products
Best Stuff Review: www.beststuff.com/articles/1358/
A very good review
Head-fi message boards: www.head-fi.com
Great place to get information on all headphones, amps, etc.
The ER4P MicroPro earphones are the next best thing to live music, with noise isolation far surpassing that of active noise-canceling earphones.More at PCNation
The Etymotic Research ER 4 MicroPro™ earphones are the next best thing to live music; with noise isolation far surpassing that of active noise-cancel...More at Compuplus.com
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