timeslip
02-28-2007, 05:58 PM
I am sure this has been discussed many times in the past on this forum. I was searching around the forums for a good cheap pair of earphones to use with my IPOD at the Gym as my Sennheiser HD650 was too big and bulky, and my Etymotic ER4P felt too fragile. I also wanted a little more bass than what the ER4P provided. I have gone through 2 revisions of the ER4P, and been using them for 6 or 7 years now.
The first thing I noticed was the number of companies that had entered this space over the past few years. I had was always aware of the Shure, but do not care for them one bit. Of course i've only listened to their lower models, but I was more or less a Etymotic Research fan. However, for whatever reason that day I became interested in the Ultimate Ears SuperFi 5 EB and Pro. The Tripple 10 was a bit out of my price range, as I love my HD650 for the big and warm sound. I was open to replacing my ER4P's though at the $200 price range. There were a few things I had disliked about the ER4P, but always sacrificed or put up with because of it's clarity and fantastic sound. I found the ER4P were annoying to insert and remove, so I never would use them for short trips. I also hated the feedback from the cable rubbing against your shirt. They also started to become uncomfortable during long trips, and my ears would become tired. I did however love the isolation from outside noise when I was flying though.
Anyhow, I picked up the Superfi 5EB and 5 Pro from Amazon, as they have a great return policy and I love Amazon Prime next day air. I tried the 5EB, as several people on this forum and head-fi.org recommended it for people who love electronic music. As a DJ and electronic music fan, I figured these would be the best ones for me. It turned out to be the opposite. Almost immediatley I felt the bass was very messy, and the mids and highs sounded so muffled and muddy, I could not bare it. Sure they would be good for the gym, but I could not replace my ER4P with these. They were however very comfortable, and easy to insert. Next I tried my ER4P's again, and found myself missing the bass that I had heard with the SuperFi 5 EB. It was almost like half the song was missing with the ER4P's. So I tried the SuperFi 5 Pro and found myself liking them quite a bit. They did produce less bass than the 5 EB, but it was CLEAN bass.
Overall, I am going to run the Superfi 5 Pro a bit more and let them break in properly. I used several different types of songs for my test with all 3 earphones. Music ranged from Electronic Prog House, to Breakbeats, to rock and vocals. The one thing I do miss is how electronic music swirls inside of my head with the ER4P. However, I don't think I could go back to them without the extra low end frequencies. I am going to keep the ER4P for another 6 months, so I can test them vs the SuperFi 5 Pro on the plane. After that, I may or may not sell the ER4P on ebay.
The first thing I noticed was the number of companies that had entered this space over the past few years. I had was always aware of the Shure, but do not care for them one bit. Of course i've only listened to their lower models, but I was more or less a Etymotic Research fan. However, for whatever reason that day I became interested in the Ultimate Ears SuperFi 5 EB and Pro. The Tripple 10 was a bit out of my price range, as I love my HD650 for the big and warm sound. I was open to replacing my ER4P's though at the $200 price range. There were a few things I had disliked about the ER4P, but always sacrificed or put up with because of it's clarity and fantastic sound. I found the ER4P were annoying to insert and remove, so I never would use them for short trips. I also hated the feedback from the cable rubbing against your shirt. They also started to become uncomfortable during long trips, and my ears would become tired. I did however love the isolation from outside noise when I was flying though.
Anyhow, I picked up the Superfi 5EB and 5 Pro from Amazon, as they have a great return policy and I love Amazon Prime next day air. I tried the 5EB, as several people on this forum and head-fi.org recommended it for people who love electronic music. As a DJ and electronic music fan, I figured these would be the best ones for me. It turned out to be the opposite. Almost immediatley I felt the bass was very messy, and the mids and highs sounded so muffled and muddy, I could not bare it. Sure they would be good for the gym, but I could not replace my ER4P with these. They were however very comfortable, and easy to insert. Next I tried my ER4P's again, and found myself missing the bass that I had heard with the SuperFi 5 EB. It was almost like half the song was missing with the ER4P's. So I tried the SuperFi 5 Pro and found myself liking them quite a bit. They did produce less bass than the 5 EB, but it was CLEAN bass.
Overall, I am going to run the Superfi 5 Pro a bit more and let them break in properly. I used several different types of songs for my test with all 3 earphones. Music ranged from Electronic Prog House, to Breakbeats, to rock and vocals. The one thing I do miss is how electronic music swirls inside of my head with the ER4P. However, I don't think I could go back to them without the extra low end frequencies. I am going to keep the ER4P for another 6 months, so I can test them vs the SuperFi 5 Pro on the plane. After that, I may or may not sell the ER4P on ebay.