Wow! A very different, but enjoyable sound.

Takes a while to get used to them, "installation" in the ear is a bit unusual.

Okay, I'm humbled. When I first pulled my new Ety 4Ss out of the box, I just plugged them into my new Total AirHead and shoved them in my ears without reading the directions. For those of you who have used Etys, you know that what I heard was extremely crappy tinny sound.

Alas, after reading dozens and dozens of rave reviews, I thought I was nuts--why did MINE sound so bad? Were my ears shaped weird? But, as we say in the computer world, RTFM (Read The F_n Manual). Aaaaaah, that's how you put them in your ear!

Once I moistened the white 'earplug', lifted my earlobe, and wiggled the bud all the way into my ear canal (not a natural experience at first), I realized that there was absolutely nothing wrong with the phones.

I have been a huge fan of Grado ever since I bought my SR-225s. The Grados have such incredible detail, light airiness, seperation of voices, and crisp, but warm sound that I doubted any other phones could sound better.

Alas, after listening to the Etys for several minutes, then switching to the Grados, it's a total shock to hear the difference. The Grados still sound good, but after the Etys, the bass sounds boomy and heavy, and the mids and highs sound and distant, like I want to push the earpieces closer to my ears.

As for the Total AirHead amp, I haven't yet been able to fully identify the complete difference it makes, or how much difference the "processor" makes when turned on and off. But, I can definitely hear that the amp removes a bit of harshness that exists without the amp and generally seems to give them a warmer sound in the mids.

As for comfort, I'm still adjusting. The white rubber buds on the Etys aren't necessarily uncomfortable, but they are bit distracting the first 5-10 minutes I wear them. After that, they aren't too bad--I'm just not used to putting anything that deep in my ear and feeling the slight pressure in my ear canal. I'll be trying the foam earpieces over the next few days to judge which I like better.

Overall, here's what I found:

1) They're perfect for travel and portability. Lightweight is an understatement and they redefine compact.

2) The isolation is definitely incredible, and is even more amazing considering how wonderful they sound. My Grado's are great, but they annoy anyone within 20 feet if they are turned up, and I can hear every noise in my surroundings. Right now, as I type this, I can't hear a single keystroke with the Etys on low volume.

3) As I said, I had a serious relationship with my Grados, and now I fear that I may have to go through a breakup since the Etys make my precious Grados sound boomy and heavy. The sound, once you get adjusted to it's different quality, sounds great and just seems to flow into your ear without any barriers.

4) Be patient. Don't jump to conclusions (as I did!) about the sound until you spend at least 30-60 minutes with them. Just find a few high-quality recordings in your collection, grab a drink, sit in a comfy listening chair, and let the Etys grow on you. Once you appreciate the sound, then give your other phones a try and I think you'll be shocked to hear the difference. It is definitely a very different sound coming out of these (perhaps because they are so accurate), so I would guess that the sound isn't for everyone. But I think irregardless of preference, they have a great sound of their own.

5) Personally, I'm sensing that the Etys are not particularly good for pop, rock, rap, etc. since they don't offer much of a strong bass floor to support those types of music. Vocals and highs (where you can really appreciate the detail) are perhaps their strong point. I have yet to try a range of music on them, but I that's my impression so far. For example, songs from Delerium's Karma sound pretty good in terms of the mids and highs, but I prefer a little more bass support for that type of music.

In any case, read the instructions, be patient, and enjoy!

Similar Products Used:

Grado SR-225

THE SOUND

The Learning Curve -- no joke.

The ER4P should only be purchased if you will be using them with an extremely low powered portable unit, such as a minidisk player. Many portable CD players are capable of driving the ER4S to sufficient volumes.
If you have tried the ER4S but thought the bass was ever-so-slightly lacking and the treble was ever-so-slightly exaggerated, then you are not properly sealing them in your ear canal, or you have hearing damage. Follow the directions in the Etymotics manual for inserting them into the ear. You will notice a drop in volume and full bass when you have a proper seal that is both deep and trapping the correct amount of air between the transducer and your eardrum. The ER4S should go very deep and have a warm, non-fatiguing sound. The microphonic effect of the cord transmitting bumps into the ear also seems to become less pronounced. The Etymotic Research ER4S are the closest thing to 22 century audiophile quality cochlear implants any of us are likely to get. I'm keeping these. $275 through Headroom.

Similar Products Used:

Sony MDR-V600, Sony MDR-7506, JVC HA-D727, Denon 950.
All sent back.

very natural midrange, accurate bass, and tonally quite accurate (i.e. musical).

Wish the ear-phone tip assembly is made of something stronger, some light alloys, instead of plastic (for long-term durability). Changing foams is a delicate job for fear of breaking the plastic!

I used Sony D-E885 with ER4-S with superb results. The Sony has more than enough output power to drive ER4-S to quite loud volume (classical music typically at 5-6 volume setting, and 'pop' music at 4 or less). I tried the Airhead but was disappointed because it affects the tonal balance and is less detailed.
As mentioned by many before me, the ear-piece must be inserted way into the ear-channel to obtain best results.
Clean ears obviously help, and good for hygiene anyway. Since I travel quite a bit, it's superb in the airplane.
I really enjoy listening to solo cellos, violins, piano and
voices through ER4-S; it's an intimate experience! Typical 'pop' songs sound quite good too. It's tonally accurate and rich sounding. And I've never encounter fatigue listening to it; the treble is really clean. Excellent dynamics too, though it depends whether the source is able to drive hard when needed.
I highly recommend it for someone who's fine with inserting something into their ears. I forget about the piece of hardware and just enjoy the music! And it is so 'small' to carry around.
(Somehow, I prefer Sony over Panasonic, even though Headroom recommends Panasonic. The Sony CD player I'm using simply sounds more accurate and detailed than other equally priced Panasonic portable CD player.)

Similar Products Used:

Grado

Detail, isolation, light weight, small

microphonic cable, low sensitivity

Recently I decided to sell my trusy Sennheiser HD-580s to a friend and get Etymotic ER-4S headphones. I used to use my 580s as my main system, but now that I have had a very good home system for a couple of years, I use the headphones at my desk and while traveling. The nonexistent isolation of the 580s made for good sound in quiet environments, but on an airplane, they lost all their advantage. In my office, I would annoy my other cube mates when I had them turned up. The Etymotics have none of these problems. With them on you can't hear ANYTHING; people have to wave their hands in front of my face to get my attention. And no sound makes it to the outside world either. Because of the isolation, the detail retrieved is amazing--a clear step above the Sennheisers. They are very smooth and non-fatiguing when the source equipment is. Unfortunately, they are very revealing of problems with other components. Other negatives include a very microphonic cable that you can hear rubbing againsy your shirt (a clip is provided to keep the cable still), and low sensitivity. I use a Headroom supreme amplifier, and have to turn the gain up much more to achieve the same perceived SPL as with the 580s. With no amp, my Sony D-321 discman can get them up to satisfying levels, but not really loud. With no amp they also sound dynamically flat and coarse, but that happens with every headphone. I also used a Audio Alchemy DAC-in-the-box with a home-made DC battery power supply fed by the optical digital out of the discman. This, with the headroom amp and Kimber PBJ cables is my desktop setup. For travel, I use the analog out of the discman into the Headroom Supreme through a Headroom straightwire portable cable. One footnote: I find the Etymotics very comfortable with the rubber flange earplugs, but I could see them being annoying for some people. I have not tried the foam earplugs yet.

Similar Products Used:

Sennheiser HD-580, HD-600, Grado SR-60