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Etymotic Research ER4S MicroPro Reference Earphones |
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Save 37%
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Price Range: $187.95 - $330.00
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$268.87 |
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$330.00 |
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It's hard to imagine that such superb sound can come from such tiny objects, but trust us¿these are a traveler's best friend. Extremely detailed, well-balanced, and deep, tight bass are just a few phrases used to describe the awesome sound of the Etymotic ER-4S. A sonic checkout from the real world is what the Etys offer¿and they deliver. Their 23db of isolation leave the ER-4S unrivaled by any other closed or sealed headphones. Comfort depends on your ear canals¿90% of people find them comfortable to wear¿and if you find the stock plugs uncomfortable, you can get a custom ear molds made. The Etymotic ER-4S provide excellent sound quality while being small enough for traveling ease. The chances of hearing damage are actually lessened with the Etys because of their amazing isolation¿you don't need to turn them up as loud to overcome ambient noise. They come with two types of earpieces: black foam tips and white flanged rubber tips. If you find that neither of these tips works for your ears, you can have a custom mold made by Westone Labs (800-525-5071). The ER-4S also include a shirt clip that serves dual functions: to keep tension from the cord off the ears, and to deaden microphonic sound (sound made by contact with the cable). The Etys are terminated to a mini with a 5-ft. cord, and come in a nice, plastic maintenance case that contains the following: 3 pairs of white flanged rubber tips; 5 pairs of black foam tips; 2 green filters; a changing tool; a shirt clip; a carrying pouch; and a 1/4 inch adapter. Obtaining a good seal with the Etymotics is very important. Read our Etymotic Insertion page to learn more.
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A decade with the ER4S -  |
Etymotic Research ER4S MicroPro Reference Earphones Review |
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My pair of ER4S is about to turn 10 years old. I thought enough time had passed to finally write an Amazon review. Heh heh. I was the second person on Headwize.com (before there was a Head-Fi) to get them and post comments. I've used a seemingly endless number of headphones over the years: Sennheiser HD580, Denon 950, Sony 7509, Sony 7506, Sony MDR600, Koss ESP950 electrostatics, about half a dozen Koss dynamic headphones, one pair of Stax, Ixos' top of the line 1001, Pioneer's top of the line DJing headphones, two models of AKG studio headphones, JVC's former top of the line (only available direct), HN-7506, both versions of the Extreme Isolation UR-29, and a seemingly unending number of cheapos bundled with music players.
Whew! So what do I think about the Etymotic Research ER4S? I think it is frankly without peer amongst those cans I've heard. It is flat, transparent, resolved, extended, dynamic, fast, tight, totally grain-free, and impossible to distort. It is not capable of the inner-light of, say, Pierre Gabriel of Quebec's loudspeaker systems, or the sheer delicacy, finesse, and seeming perfection of Burmeister of Germany's loudspeakers. But those are, after all, loudspeakers. I've never heard any headphones achieve what those two audiophile names have. And yes, I have listened to them thoroughly and been marveled. If you question my ears, I was the only person in a room run by Thiele at CES (filled with audiophiles and magazine writers) to point out repeatedly and correctly when the active cabling technology was changed without us seeing. People all have different tastes. We all have different hearing responses, even if slight. Our ear canals vary. And on and on. Your results may vary. But when I can take some of the most lauded DJ mixers and compare them adequately using such a relatively inexpensive piece of gear when heretofore it was only possible to do such comparisons on large nightclub sound systems, I feel pretty confident the little Etys are doing enough right to recommend them. Over time, I have found the black foam earpieces to give the best sound and comfort, but the white rubber flanged tips certainly isolate better, which if there's background noise is more beneficial to the sound than anything else. Years ago, I preferred the sound of the flange tips. Maybe I have hearing loss? Maybe I just didn't test the foam ones enough? Don't know, but they come with both, so you have no excuse not to try both. You can also get larger yellow foam ones and smaller blue flanged rubber tips. I tried the blues recently and they were too small to seal properly. A word of advice on the flanged tips, use a dab of water on them, pull your ear up slightly, and put it in so the edge of the flanges are the same depth on both ears. After a few minutes, assuming you don't have ear problems, the pressure of the air between the earphone and the eardrum will equalize since the tympanic membrane is slowly permeable to air. If there's not much bass, you don't have it in deep enough, you need a better headphone jack, or the source device sucks. Most MP3 players have poor headphone jacks, so don't blame the Ety for having an impedance of 100ohms and wanting a touch more of current capability. In spite of that, they still sound impressive connected even to cheap gear. I have a $40 portable CD player with a monster headphone jack that, combined with the Ety, you'd have to pay a significant sum to keep me from using on airline flights. It makes flying not only tolerable, but something to look forward to. |
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Delivers what it promises - |
Etymotic Research ER4S MicroPro Reference Earphones Review |
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This is my second set of Etymotic earphones. They perform as described, delivering superb stereo reproduction. I wore my first set daily 4-5 hours for 2+ years. Unfortunately my cat got hold of them and destroyed the wiring.
Here's why I think they deliver value for money: - first and foremost, they deliver terrific sound reproduction - they block extraneous outside noise - comfortable fit - durable, cats notwithstanding However, these earphones may not be right for you: - They insert into the ear canals. If this is troublesome for you, take a pass. - These earphones have filters that require periodic replacement depending on use. I use mine daily and change filters approximately every 6-8 weeks. While it's a very easy procedure to replace them, these filters cost $5.00 per pair, thereby adding to the cost of ownership. I purchase 4-5 sets of filters at a time to save on shipping costs. If the above caveats aren't a problem, you'll probably be very happy with your purchase. |
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Superb, natural sounding, reference quality earphones! - |
Etymotic Research ER4S MicroPro Reference Earphones Review |
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Etymotic Research ER-4S High fidelity earphone
I just received my ER-4S earphones, purchased at the bargain price of $159.95 with free shipping from Academic Superstore. I am a professional musician with extensive recording and performing experience. I have several other headphones in my arsenal, such as Sennheiser HD600, Sony MDR-V6, Nakamichi SP-7, and the Sennheiser PX100 among others, and because of their truest rendition of the recorded sound, my principal standby and favorites are the Sennheiser HD600, driven by the Little Dot MK 1 headphone amplifier. Much has already been written about the the Etymotic ER-4S, so I will not go into a lengthy discussion. Before ordering them, I was somewhat skeptical about their ability to reproduce a full range sound, but right out of the box, they surprised me with their exceptional clarity, smooth and detailed highs, excellent midrange, and rock-solid bass (provided they are inserted deep into the ear for a perfect seal). While the sound stage on these is not as wide and expansive as on the HD600s, I expect it to expand after about 100 hours of breaking in. If you are after a booming and earthshaking bass in your music, these cans are not for you, but if you are a classical music fan, or musician, who seeks realistic rendition of the recorded sound without an exaggerated and distorted bass, then you would be hard-put to find many others that could rival these, and you would have to pay well in excess of $1000 to begin to achieve the transparency and clarity that these provide. A FEW CAVEATS! 1. These cans are going to make a poorly engineered recording sound worse than the average run-of the mill bass boosted medium-fi cheap phones. You will instead be able to hear every little flaw in mike placement, room acoustics, and flaws in the musician's performance if any. The performance of these earphones is analogous to that of an extremely sharp photographic lens that reveals every little wrinkle in the face of the subject! 2. Proper insertion into the ear is a must! If not inserted far enough into the ear, they will sound tinny and weak. If you can not stand to have something in your ear, then these are not for you. One can get used to wearing them, but not everyone. 3. The ER-4S, with their 100 Ohm impedance, require amplification. Without a headphone amplifier, they will sound thin and weak. For the person who does not want to use a headphone amplifier, the ER-4Ps are a better choice -- they have slightly more bass and are more efficient. But, for the best, and truest rendition of the recorded program material, the ER-4S with a headphone amplifier is the way to go. Aug. 2, 2008 Update: After only 36 hours of break-in, the sound stage has expanded considerably, the bass is much more prominent, and the treble is now much smoother. These are indeed great earphones, which I would not hesitate to recommend to anyone who has the ability to appreciate them, and is aware of the caveats I have mentioned above! The ability to isolate oneself from ambient noise, and connect completely with the source in a way that is one of a very high quality is one that is hard to beat, even at much higher prices. |
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Pretty good ear canal phones -  |
Etymotic Research ER4S MicroPro Reference Earphones Review |
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The headphones come with a great case and a selection of three silicon earpieces. The earphones must really be shoved deep into your ears My ear canals are large so that it is hard to get a tight seal unless those earpieces are shoved deep. This makes it a little less comfortable. I found that I could achieve a deeper insertion and better seal if my mouth was open when I inserted the earpieces.
The sound appears to be quite good and accurate. I do not think that the bass is enhanced or exaggerated at all. These appear to be Eymotic's top of the line for a commercially popular product. Amazon has them significantly discounted so that they are very competatively priced. In fact, they are a pretty good deal right now. The wiring appears stout and is likely to last with proper care. I would say that given the choice, I might pony up a little extra cash and get the Ultra Ear or Shures. I think that you get a slightly warmer sound from either of those ear canal phones and the fit into the ear is not so aggressive. I do not regret the purchase of the Etymotic ear canal phones, but I think some others are more comfortable. The model that I am referring to is the ER-4P which is meant for mp3 devices. I think it sounded pretty good without a headphone amplifier. However, when I hooked it up to a headphone amplifer, the bass came in quite strong and I found it a better all around listening experience. |
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Etymotic Research ER4S - |
Etymotic Research ER4S MicroPro Reference Earphones Review |
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This is my third set of these earphones. As a production Sound Mixer I first bought a pair for High Noise monitoring. For this they worked as good as my regular headphones, but with the added bonus of being a fraction of the weight and a lot more comfortable during a 10 hour work day. They handle the full spectrum audio well including the bass response and are not tinny like some earbuds that are on the market. My last pair I took with me on a reality show in Palau Micronesia and once again they performed well, until they were caught on a tree branch. When I returned them to Etymotic for repair I experienced fast and excellent repair at no charge, as the earphones were still under warranty. As an added bonus these fit under a crash helmet and help keep wind noise down whilst riding my bike. |
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