Audiophile-Grade Etymotic Earphones

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  • Chris D
    Moderator Emeritus
    • Dec 2000
    • 16877

    Audiophile-Grade Etymotic Earphones



    As I've posted in this thread here: http://www.htguide.com/CFBoards/inde...artRow=1&CFB=1 I bought a set of Etymotic ER-4P headphones. I was looking for an audiophile-grade set of earphones that I could use at home when needed, as well as take on the road on trips with me occasionally. It had to be at least a little portable, but I was willing to sacrifice size and portability to audio performance. Above all, it had to sound good.

    After the great suggestions here and a bunch of research on the internet, it looked like the Etymotic ER-4P's would be a good bet to try out, so I ordered a pair. Before this, I was DEAD SET AGAINST getting any sort of mini-headphones or earbuds. I just assumed that any unit of that small size had to seriously degrade the audio performance for the sake of compactability.

    The Etys (as they're affectionately referred to by some enthusiasts) arrived in a medium-sized plastic case inside a thick paper sleeve inside a cardboard box. Inside the case was the headphones themselves and many replacement parts such as extra rubber and foam ear inserts, replacement filters and changing tool, small cordura travelling case, etc, all held in place with a rubberized foam insert. This was a great start--everything presented very nicely, and lots of components included with the set.

    Immediately I was impressed by the construction of the headphones. The cord is a heavy duty rubber, very different from the thin plasticized cord line I'm used to on headsets. The connector on the headset cord is a gold-colored 90 degree 1/8" plug, which has come in handy for connections at times either in a tight space or just to begin pushing the cord in one direction instead of out away from the connection and then bending in towards me. A straight plug connector takes up a lot more space and cord line. For convenience, a 1/8" to 1/4" gold adapter plug is also included.

    The Etys are fairly unique in function and design--they are not earbuds, which rest inside the outer lobe of your ear without a headstrap. The ER-4 models are actually individually inserted INSIDE the ear canal, making them inherently functionally better than earbuds, both in audio performance and stability. Once fully inserted, they seal to your ear canal. There's no way these will accidentally fall out of your ears, even if bumped or the cord is jostled. Also, the Etys have no noise cancellation function, which has become popular of late. But they really don't need to, as the design has a natural noise BLOCKING function. Etymotic claims a 20-25 dB noise isolation.

    The standard Eymotic ear inserts are a durable rubber plug, with three directional flanges that seal directly to the ear canal when inserted. I'm a pilot, and work around jet engines regularly. I took the Etys with me on a trip, and decided to wear them for my exterior aircraft inspection, walking right next to operating jet engines, instead of putting in my normal ear plugs. With the flange construction, I was pleasantly suprised to find the Etys worked just as well, if not better, than my ear plugs for noise protection. Wearing them during flight when I took a break from flying to use our crew rest area, virtually all environmental noise was eliminated. The remaining background noise was very comparable to professional-grade noise cancelling headsets that I've worn on aircraft, which also leave a very low-grade hiss or howl once noise has been cancelled out. Wearing the set on a commercial airliner later, they again blocked out noise very well while providing great sound that can't be heard even a foot away from the listener. And the small size is very unobtrusive, not knocking into my seat or the person next to me. (heck, I even wore them to bed one night, falling asleep with the headphones on since they're not a clunky headset) One item I would have liked to have seen included would be a double-prong airline plug adapter, needed for some modern airplanes.

    One issue that became very evident from the start was comfort and proper fit. In order to create proper sound, the ear inserts need to be fully inserted into the ear canal. What I found was that the deeper they went, the better the sound was. Everyone's ears are different, so some people may not get the ear tips in as deeply. But if you think they can't go in any farther, try pulling up and back on the back of your ear to open up your ear canal. After some time in the ear, I found the flange edges on the standard rubber tips would rub inside my ear canal, creating some discomfort. Then later pulling the plugs out, even if lightly twisting them to break the flange seal, was at times rather uncomfortable, bordering on painful. I tried out the foam tips, rolling them between my fingers before insertion to create a good seal, and they were much more comfortable. Predictably, though, they didn't block out quite as much noise. Probably the best solution would be custom molded tips, but these must be made by a separate company at extra cost. I may try these out later.

    So, on to the big question: How do they sound? In a word, terrific. The sound is very full, producing strong sound across the audible spectrum. The ER-4P model was developed to have a higher bass response than the 4B or 4S models, as well as have a lower impedance to be able to be driven by any audio device without additional amplification power. I found both the low and high frequencies to be very strong, never lacking or cutting short. Bass is very nice, not boomy, and I never heard any clipping. I am definitely not used to this kind of sound from headphones, which can be quite thin and tinny at times. Trying out the Etys with a DVD-Audio version of Metallica's black album and my all-time favorite U2 DVDs like Rattle and Hum, I was thoroughly moved by the wide sound stage, even brought to tears by U2's heartfelt rendition of "Bad". Surprisingly, for some reason I did find some occasional slight distortion coming from the mid-range frequencies, of all places. I may try out a small headphones amplifier to see if it improves the response and output from the headphones, but as with the custom molded eartips, this would be at extra cost and something I'd have to justify for myself later.

    Due to the eartips going inside the ears, hygiene quickly became an issue. I personally keep my ears very clean, using Q-tips daily. (more info than some of you surely want to know) I didn't have too much trouble with the eartips, accumulating only a light amount of junk over time that was fairly easily rubbed off. However, I let an acquaintance of mine, who shall remain nameless, try out the earphones. After just a few minutes of use, they accumulated all sorts of ear wax from this person, and had to be cleaned thoroughly. The worst part was the dirt that had gathered in the inner tube of the tip. I'd recommend thinking twice about sharing these headphones with others. For the dirt that does make its way inside the tip, Etymotic has placed small filters that can be changed out with included replacements.

    With these types of headphones, two additional issues come into play. The headphones become like a stethescope inside the ears, amplifying the wearer's own breathing, as well as friction noise from the plugs or cord rubbing against items such as clothing. I didn't have a problem with the former, even using the headphones while breathing hard at the gym during workouts. (Side note: the Etys work fantastically in that application, as robust, full sounding music with deep bass is very motivational during tough workouts) I did find friction noise to be a problem at times when I was making large movements, such as during treadmill running. To solve this, Etymotic includes an alligator clip that can be attached at the neck of the cord where the two individual ear cords come together, then clipped to a shirt collar or such. It eliminates friction noise travelling from below the clip. Some users have reported better results from other aftermarket clips, but I found the one from Etymotic to work just fine.

    In addition to the airline plug adapter, custom molded eartips, and headphone amplifier that I've already mentioned as useful additions, two more features that could be handy are a longer cord and possibly a separate volume control on the headset cord. The designed cord is 5', which while sufficient most of the time, did limit a few applications.

    Overall, the Etymotic ER-4P's provided fantastic sound for the $330 retail price. The additional portability of these units is quite an extra bonus, easily fitting into a shirt pocket. While the sound reproduction didn't quite live up to the level of my home reference speaker set and subwoofer, it's the best I've heard yet from headphones. While some even higher-end headphones may provide better sound, (I haven't tried any yet that do) you'd have to be willing to cough up even more money, perhaps quite a bit more, and sacrifice compact size. Each reader looking for a headphone set will have to make their own decision on the combination of price, portability, performance, and style. No set is going to be 100% in every category. However, I think many people will find the ER-4P's to be quite a good solution that isn't much of a compromise.

    Etymotic Research, Inc. is an engineering-driven research, development and manufacturing company.
    Last edited by Chris D; 12 September 2004, 19:01 Sunday.
    CHRIS

    Well, we're safe for now. Thank goodness we're in a bowling alley.
    - Pleasantville
  • Chris D
    Moderator Emeritus
    • Dec 2000
    • 16877

    #2
    I'm reviving this review to generate discussion. Maybe it can help somebody out?
    CHRIS

    Well, we're safe for now. Thank goodness we're in a bowling alley.
    - Pleasantville

    Comment

    • David Meek
      Moderator Emeritus
      • Aug 2000
      • 8938

      #3
      Chris, that's a well written piece. Thank you.

      Having spent two 4-hour flights on Continental in the last 6 days, these "sound" more and more attractive. Especially when you've been exposed to those airline ear-grinders (that's physically AND sonically).
      .

      David - Trigger-happy HTGuide Admin

      Comment

      • Chris D
        Moderator Emeritus
        • Dec 2000
        • 16877

        #4
        I can't believe it's been 9 years since I posted this. I'm still using my Etys regularly, and love them. Since it's been so long, I have to update the link from the HTGuide servers. Here's the link that was originally posted in the review above: http://www.htguide.com/forum/showthread.php4?t=5469
        CHRIS

        Well, we're safe for now. Thank goodness we're in a bowling alley.
        - Pleasantville

        Comment

        • madmac
          Moderator Emeritus
          • Aug 2010
          • 3122

          #5
          Originally posted by Chris D
          I can't believe it's been 9 years since I posted this. I'm still using my Etys regularly, and love them. Since it's been so long, I have to update the link from the HTGuide servers. Here's the link that was originally posted in the review above: http://www.htguide.com/forum/showthread.php4?t=5469
          I agree about the stethoscope effect of deep penetrating earbuds and do not like that effect at all!!. I also do not like being that cut off from the outside sounds as well. Feels weird!!. The cords of my new earphones transfer all the noise from whatever they touch right up into the earbuds. Again, do not like!!
          Dan Madden :T

          Comment

          • aarsoe
            Senior Member
            • May 2004
            • 795

            #6
            I have a bunch of earbuds that I don't use as there have always been something lacking.
            Currently the best ones I have for flying are the Shure SE530. They are a pain to insert due to the weight of the unit, but those multiple drivers really do sound fantastic..
            Tried the Etomytics and hated the feel of them in my ears.
            And sad to say as fantastic the B&W P5 are, they earbuds are crap.. sorry, but that was a waste of my money..

            Comment

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