Ic3Floe
08-08-2004, 10:44 PM
Well, to start off, I'll let you know that this is my first real experience with canal phones, but not with high quality headphones. All my listening was done with lossless audio formats, and the music ranged from various different albums. This review is long, but it has to be in order to cover all the relevant information for any prospective buyer.
The Preface
My friend bought a pair of er4p's almost 6 months ago. He had an excellent experience dealing with etymotic's sales staff, and he bought straight from them. The only bad thing was that he got sacked with duty and taxes when they came across the border and into canada. Just last week, I recieved my 4g 40gb, and decided that it would be an excellent opportunity to test out some good cans. So, for the last three days, I have been listening intesely to my friends 4ps. Note that all testing was done with the tripple flange sleeves that shipped with the earphones.
Insertion and Comfort
For both my friend and I, the achievement of a seal was both quick and painless. I find the best technique for insertion, is to, with one hand pull up my upper ear, and then with the other hand insert the sleeve into my ear canal. Once the earphone has been inserted as far as possible into the ear, let go of the upper ear and commence with listening. Contrary to other reviews that I have read, the process of insertion and achievement of a seal was very simplistic. That may have been just because we both use the tripple flange sleeves.
Comfort is a slightly different issue. I find that even after three days of heavy listening, after listening to music for around 2 hours, my ears start to get really uncomfortable. You may say that I just haven't listened to the 4ps enough for my ears to adapt, but even my friend, who has listened for approximately 1-2 hours a day since he bought the headphones finds them uncomfortable after 2 hours of use. This is not a very good sign, but once again, could be attributed to the use of only the tripple flange sleeves (knows as probably the least easy to find comfortable)
Isolation
The isolating ability of these headphones has never ceased to amaze me. With them in, and a proper seal made, the isolation is incredible. Without music playing, the sound of my fingers typing is just barely noticible, and I have to take them out to talk to my parents else I can't hear them speak.
With music playing, I have absolutely no chance of hearing anything. I turned the fan on in my bathroom, while listening to some coldplay, and I couldn't even tell if it had turned out. The isolation, with proper seal, is everything it is cut out to be.
Testing
Ok, so after listening to a wide range of music (details far below), I have reached several conclusions about the er4ps. All testing was done with lossless songs.
Upper Range
The trebbles of the er4ps were the most pronounced of all the ranges. They sounded bright and perfectly (for my tastes) accentuated the rest of the music. They were very detailed overall I didn't find them at all to bright. The crash of a symbol during a classical song or the upper notes in Bono's voice both sounded very resounding and suprisingly clean and brisk.
Midrange
The midrange of the er4ps sounded quite accurate, and seemed in general to be very accurate and detailed, as one can expect from these products. Nothing really stood out here, but it all sounded excellent.
Lower Range
This is where most of the complaining about canal phones comes in. The er4ps are not known for their bass response, and I can't say that I thought differently after using them. Bass is noticible, but it is far from pronounced nor strong. It is simply there. I admit that I am more accustomed to a little bit of strength in my bass, but the er4ps 'lack' of bass more relates to my overall feeling of the headphones.
Soundstage
For reference, the term sound stage refers to how well the listener can depict the original positions of the musicians and vocalists in reference to other noises. A perfect soundstage would be depicted in the user's ears as large (large space between the 'positions' of the sounds). The etys produce a fairly large soundstage, and I can easily depict the positions of the various artists in all of the songs I listened to without much trouble. Furthermore, the ety's create a very interesting affect. When listening, the sounds seems to be very independant of the earphones. Creating a very pronounced out-of-head feeling. This is a very good thing, and proves that the earphones are very effective and of high quality.
Overall
These headphones produce and incredibly accurate rendition of the source material. The highs, mids, and lows all sound exactly as they were intended to by the artists. My only complaint would be the lack of strength in the bass.
I say "would be" in order to explain that this is not really a complaint. We all are accustomed to strong bass, beit through speakers or headphones, we all are used to a pronounced bass. Just because this is what we are used to doesn't mean that this is necessarily correct. The er4ps produce the bass, as well as most of the rest of the sound, exactly as it was meant to be heards, and doesn't place any extra emphasis on the sound.
The sound of the etys overall is very polite. Somewhat reserved, but overall quite impressive and accurate. The trebbly portion of the music was the only place where the headphones added anything to the music, and that wasn't even that noticible. The music that came of the etys was truly pure, and shocked me with its natural brilliance and depth to the sound. I found myself noticing whole new components of my music while these 'buds were in my ear canals. That is truly the most enjoyable thing about an ear/headphone of this quality. The shear depth and detail that can be discovered while enjoying your favourite tunes.
Other Info
Often people are worried about the microphonic effects of in-ear phones, and I was too. The etys take some steps in order to try to reduce this effect. At the point where the cord splits, there is a green piece of plastic where the cord actually splits. This serves as one of two measures that, accidentaly or not, cuts down on microphonics. If the cord is rubbed below this green piece, then the vibrations will not make it to your ears as the plastic will stop the reverberations. furthermore, included with the earphones is a lapel clip. This lapel clip also stops vibration from the cord at any point below the clip. With the lapel clip on, I could walk around and not be noticibly affected by the microphonic tendencies of the phones.
Occlusion is another problem. Occlusion refers to the amplification of internal noises from our body seeing as our ears are sealed shut. This effect is noticble with the er4ps. When talking, the voice is amplified inside of my head, and the music becomes obscured. In the same way, enjoying a bagel with peanut butter on it lead to the music being sucessfully obstructed. In the same way, jaw movement can sometime break the seal of the er4p's and can also be heard inside the user's head.
Overall, neither of these effects is enough to discourage me from buying a pair of in-ear headphones.
Summary
The er4ps are an excellent pair of earphones, and without using any of the shure models, these etys seem like an excellent choice for anyone looking to venture into the canal-phone domain. The comfort was one issue of mine, and I worry about whether or not my ears would ever grow comfortable with the er4ps with the tripple flange tips. Another small complaint is that the sound may be slightly too reserved at times.
Seeing as how the sound is an exact rendition of the music, they seem to slightly underperform in a mobile situation. With external noises, and movement, I found that the accuracy of these headphones may have been traded for a little bit of emphasis on certain parts of the music that may have compensated slighltly for the external noise and stimuli. Overall, these headphones do sound quite polite and reserved.
The Etymotic Er4p earphones are an excellent choice for any audiophile who wants paramount accuracy and detail in their music, and doesn't mind bass that doesn't 'thump'.
+ positives
/Excellent highs, and great lows
/Accurate and detailed sound in all genres of music
/Great isolation
/Good customer support and packaging
/Easy to achieve a seal
- negatives
/Non-customary strength in bass
/Too 'reserved' sound
/Comfort issues
/Some microphoning (not a big issue)
Test Selections
Coldplay "Parachutes"
Coldplay "A Rush Of Blood to the Head
Holst "The Planets"
Chopin "Chopin Piano Concertos"
Radiohead "The Bends"
Radiohead "Pablo Honey"
Porcupine Tree "In Absolutia"
Velvet Revolver "Contraband"
VA "The Very Best of Relaxing Classical"
The Trews "House of Ill Fame"
Oasis "Definitely Maybe"
Moby "Play"
Note: those were the main test albums, but many more were listened to for recreational use, and they all seemed to produce the same results. The above selections were chosen to exemplify a wide range of musical trends. From hard rock, to acoustic guitar, to classical, to opera, to music reliant on bass, I feel the selections gave a wide enough spread to pass judgement on the headphones.
Thanks for reading through, and please feel free to give me you experiences/questions/comments.
The Preface
My friend bought a pair of er4p's almost 6 months ago. He had an excellent experience dealing with etymotic's sales staff, and he bought straight from them. The only bad thing was that he got sacked with duty and taxes when they came across the border and into canada. Just last week, I recieved my 4g 40gb, and decided that it would be an excellent opportunity to test out some good cans. So, for the last three days, I have been listening intesely to my friends 4ps. Note that all testing was done with the tripple flange sleeves that shipped with the earphones.
Insertion and Comfort
For both my friend and I, the achievement of a seal was both quick and painless. I find the best technique for insertion, is to, with one hand pull up my upper ear, and then with the other hand insert the sleeve into my ear canal. Once the earphone has been inserted as far as possible into the ear, let go of the upper ear and commence with listening. Contrary to other reviews that I have read, the process of insertion and achievement of a seal was very simplistic. That may have been just because we both use the tripple flange sleeves.
Comfort is a slightly different issue. I find that even after three days of heavy listening, after listening to music for around 2 hours, my ears start to get really uncomfortable. You may say that I just haven't listened to the 4ps enough for my ears to adapt, but even my friend, who has listened for approximately 1-2 hours a day since he bought the headphones finds them uncomfortable after 2 hours of use. This is not a very good sign, but once again, could be attributed to the use of only the tripple flange sleeves (knows as probably the least easy to find comfortable)
Isolation
The isolating ability of these headphones has never ceased to amaze me. With them in, and a proper seal made, the isolation is incredible. Without music playing, the sound of my fingers typing is just barely noticible, and I have to take them out to talk to my parents else I can't hear them speak.
With music playing, I have absolutely no chance of hearing anything. I turned the fan on in my bathroom, while listening to some coldplay, and I couldn't even tell if it had turned out. The isolation, with proper seal, is everything it is cut out to be.
Testing
Ok, so after listening to a wide range of music (details far below), I have reached several conclusions about the er4ps. All testing was done with lossless songs.
Upper Range
The trebbles of the er4ps were the most pronounced of all the ranges. They sounded bright and perfectly (for my tastes) accentuated the rest of the music. They were very detailed overall I didn't find them at all to bright. The crash of a symbol during a classical song or the upper notes in Bono's voice both sounded very resounding and suprisingly clean and brisk.
Midrange
The midrange of the er4ps sounded quite accurate, and seemed in general to be very accurate and detailed, as one can expect from these products. Nothing really stood out here, but it all sounded excellent.
Lower Range
This is where most of the complaining about canal phones comes in. The er4ps are not known for their bass response, and I can't say that I thought differently after using them. Bass is noticible, but it is far from pronounced nor strong. It is simply there. I admit that I am more accustomed to a little bit of strength in my bass, but the er4ps 'lack' of bass more relates to my overall feeling of the headphones.
Soundstage
For reference, the term sound stage refers to how well the listener can depict the original positions of the musicians and vocalists in reference to other noises. A perfect soundstage would be depicted in the user's ears as large (large space between the 'positions' of the sounds). The etys produce a fairly large soundstage, and I can easily depict the positions of the various artists in all of the songs I listened to without much trouble. Furthermore, the ety's create a very interesting affect. When listening, the sounds seems to be very independant of the earphones. Creating a very pronounced out-of-head feeling. This is a very good thing, and proves that the earphones are very effective and of high quality.
Overall
These headphones produce and incredibly accurate rendition of the source material. The highs, mids, and lows all sound exactly as they were intended to by the artists. My only complaint would be the lack of strength in the bass.
I say "would be" in order to explain that this is not really a complaint. We all are accustomed to strong bass, beit through speakers or headphones, we all are used to a pronounced bass. Just because this is what we are used to doesn't mean that this is necessarily correct. The er4ps produce the bass, as well as most of the rest of the sound, exactly as it was meant to be heards, and doesn't place any extra emphasis on the sound.
The sound of the etys overall is very polite. Somewhat reserved, but overall quite impressive and accurate. The trebbly portion of the music was the only place where the headphones added anything to the music, and that wasn't even that noticible. The music that came of the etys was truly pure, and shocked me with its natural brilliance and depth to the sound. I found myself noticing whole new components of my music while these 'buds were in my ear canals. That is truly the most enjoyable thing about an ear/headphone of this quality. The shear depth and detail that can be discovered while enjoying your favourite tunes.
Other Info
Often people are worried about the microphonic effects of in-ear phones, and I was too. The etys take some steps in order to try to reduce this effect. At the point where the cord splits, there is a green piece of plastic where the cord actually splits. This serves as one of two measures that, accidentaly or not, cuts down on microphonics. If the cord is rubbed below this green piece, then the vibrations will not make it to your ears as the plastic will stop the reverberations. furthermore, included with the earphones is a lapel clip. This lapel clip also stops vibration from the cord at any point below the clip. With the lapel clip on, I could walk around and not be noticibly affected by the microphonic tendencies of the phones.
Occlusion is another problem. Occlusion refers to the amplification of internal noises from our body seeing as our ears are sealed shut. This effect is noticble with the er4ps. When talking, the voice is amplified inside of my head, and the music becomes obscured. In the same way, enjoying a bagel with peanut butter on it lead to the music being sucessfully obstructed. In the same way, jaw movement can sometime break the seal of the er4p's and can also be heard inside the user's head.
Overall, neither of these effects is enough to discourage me from buying a pair of in-ear headphones.
Summary
The er4ps are an excellent pair of earphones, and without using any of the shure models, these etys seem like an excellent choice for anyone looking to venture into the canal-phone domain. The comfort was one issue of mine, and I worry about whether or not my ears would ever grow comfortable with the er4ps with the tripple flange tips. Another small complaint is that the sound may be slightly too reserved at times.
Seeing as how the sound is an exact rendition of the music, they seem to slightly underperform in a mobile situation. With external noises, and movement, I found that the accuracy of these headphones may have been traded for a little bit of emphasis on certain parts of the music that may have compensated slighltly for the external noise and stimuli. Overall, these headphones do sound quite polite and reserved.
The Etymotic Er4p earphones are an excellent choice for any audiophile who wants paramount accuracy and detail in their music, and doesn't mind bass that doesn't 'thump'.
+ positives
/Excellent highs, and great lows
/Accurate and detailed sound in all genres of music
/Great isolation
/Good customer support and packaging
/Easy to achieve a seal
- negatives
/Non-customary strength in bass
/Too 'reserved' sound
/Comfort issues
/Some microphoning (not a big issue)
Test Selections
Coldplay "Parachutes"
Coldplay "A Rush Of Blood to the Head
Holst "The Planets"
Chopin "Chopin Piano Concertos"
Radiohead "The Bends"
Radiohead "Pablo Honey"
Porcupine Tree "In Absolutia"
Velvet Revolver "Contraband"
VA "The Very Best of Relaxing Classical"
The Trews "House of Ill Fame"
Oasis "Definitely Maybe"
Moby "Play"
Note: those were the main test albums, but many more were listened to for recreational use, and they all seemed to produce the same results. The above selections were chosen to exemplify a wide range of musical trends. From hard rock, to acoustic guitar, to classical, to opera, to music reliant on bass, I feel the selections gave a wide enough spread to pass judgement on the headphones.
Thanks for reading through, and please feel free to give me you experiences/questions/comments.