Portability, isolation, uniqueness (in that you can't get a comparable product elsewhere)

Comfort for some, build quality

If you fly a lot like I do or enjoy listening to music on the go, these are the best thing available on the market. I'm wondering why the Japanese haven't copied it and improved the build quality which is what they're good at, I suppose there's some patent preventing it. You get buckets of detail so it's fun listening to them and hearing stuff you disregard listening to other systems. In terms of dynamics and timbre it's very good, the only thing you might miss is the overall musicality and the "togetherness" you might get listening to a top-flight system. I use a X-CAN V2 for amplification out of a top of the notch Micromega transport & DAC, and the results are very good. Better yet when I travel with them and use my portable CD player (incidentally, I find the ALL sound the same and are priced the same, I suspect a Cartel going on.) My Grado RS-1 blows them away overall but I don't think the comparison is fair, it;s almost like comparing a Mercedes car to a BMW motorcycle. The ER 4P were made and designed for specific purposes, and if you consider the context in which I sue them (travel, and isloation of external noise on planes), they are second to none. In fact, you can't get a comparable product anywhere else. The noise cancelling phones never appealed to me due to the processed sound, bulkier apparatus and additional batteries hassle they involve. For home use, there are better stuff on the market for the money (like the SONY's MDR CD1700 for sound and comfort), let's not get carried away.

One complaint I've got is the build quality--the finish is not up to scratch, and they seem fairly delicate. But given the good warranty the company provides, I wouldn;t worry too much. In terms of value, one may think they're not worth $250 but given that there is no other comparable product and the amount of R&D that must have gone into it, I believe they're worth every cent. I won't go into the sound characterisitics as others below have done it well, suffice to conclude by saying that it's yet another good American product that deserves more publicity--if I were the marketing director I'd go out on an all-out advertising assault. I only found out about these through the headroom website. Heck, what's stoppping them, they've got a good product and a great story, word of moth ain't enough in thsi big world!! By the way, Headroom.com is a great place to educate oneself and get relatively impartial advice for free. Pay them back by buying from them, and they have good service to follow that up.

One final note--I find them not too uncomfortable, if you don't mind earplugs, these are just like them. My wife, on the other hand would never use them.

Similar Products Used:

SONY MDR cd1700, Grado RS-1

These came out at the end of September. I have had mine for a week or so now. I must say that for me (a person who wants audiophile sound with portability ie. not having to lug around an amp) they are the perfect headphone. After previously trying the ER4S and being blown away by their sound when hooked up to my Onkyo home cd player but not impressed by the portable cd player I was looking for a more sensitive headphone. Etymotic must have read my mind. The increased sensitivity and more pronounced base is a blessing. I am amazed at the quality of sound I am getting from these things. Take that with the 23db of isolation these provide and I can be in the world of my choosing anytime, anywhere. Gotta get these if portability and audiophile sound is what you are looking for. Gotta get these if your even a home listener. They are that good. In the manual it says that the 4S are higher fidelity but I like the sond out of the 4P better.

Excellent sound quality; comfortable for long listening hours

A volume control on cord and longer cord would be appreciated.

Incredible sound quality...heard instruments in music never heard before with any other headphone. Sounds great even at very low volume and does not feel painful after long hours of listening. Agree with other reviewers about feeling being on the stage lsitening to the singer/band. Totally isolates from external environment sounds..ideal for planes / trains / office, etc...do not use while jogging / driving / etc. Bass is deep and one can feel it rather than listening it. Very clear and balanced vocals...just close your eyes and you will be in the music!!! Have been listening XM radio ( xmradio.com ) digital music and its been a very rewarding and satisfying experience till date. Not sure if for the sound quality provided the cost is high or fine....

Clarity, Separation, & Punch

Cord Friction

After living with the Sony's for a few days, and trying to convince myself that the boomy, thumpy bass was actually musical, I finally broke out the charge card and ordered the Etymotic - Headroom's 30day guarantee made it easy. The Etymotic are as close to quality full sized cans as you're going to find in this size. In fact, you may find yourself replacing them, that's how good the Etymotics are. Yes, the bass is there (tight and soothing, not fatiguing) but so are the highs, not scratchy like the Sony's, but lushy and shimmering.
BTW, i'm also using Headroom's Total AirHead amp (also a recent purchase) and while the sound enhancement is extraordinary, the Etymotics do a great without amplification, but to truly experience their range, i'd highly recommend a headphone amp.

Similar Products Used:

Sony MDR-EX70LP

bass, transparency, smoothness

i have been using senheiser HD600s for many years now and i decided to try out some in ear headphones. the first ones i tried were the sony earphones (cannot remember the model number) they had alot of distorted bass and some midrange but the treble was terrible and i couldnt stand them so i decided to go with a pair of etymotic earphones which everyone raves about. so far everything i have heard about them is true. they have very clear sound and the bass is tight but not overwhelming, highs are clear and the mids smooth. they come in a really nice carrying case with 2 replacement rubber tips and a package of foam tips. i hope etymotic decides to keep making quality products such as this one in the future.

Sound

Takes a while to get comforatable with them

I got these from Headroom (amazing guys, great to deal with) based upon recommendations on Epinions. I had been researching active noise cancelling headphones for airplane travel. These seal out the rest of the world, so you don't need bulky electronics. I have never been able to sleep on planes until I started to use these. Now I use them on the plane, even when I am not listening to music.

The sound is definitely comparable to my set of Stax Gamma Pro headphones with its own headphone amp at home. Bass is fantastic and highs are balanced, not bright. Mid-range is fantastic. Capable of being driven by all portable audio devices. I use it with a PJB-100 20Gb MP3 player. Sample your CDs at 256/kbs and with these headphones it is comparable to a portable CD. Upside is it smaller and you have 300 CDs with you wherever you go.

Similar Products Used:

Usual mass-market crap, Stax Gamma Pro

Clarity, Sense of presence, Tonal quality without scarificing punch, aural isolation

Cord friction

I've had the Ety 4P's for 8 months now. I too was skeptical about these mini-in-your-ear phones but I must say that these are just the best phones I've had or demo'd. They are the most comfortable phones bar none. The learning curve for correct placement is probably a day or two, after that you don't even realize they are in. When correctly positioned you have the sense that you are completely involved with the music (fabulous PRAT)-- you are on stage listening and not rows back as with over the ear phones. The tonal quality, accuracy, detail etc. is excellent--(no it will not beat an excellent 2 channel system, but the headphone experience is a different experience than pushing air in a large room) and it is not fatiguing. The isolation factor is crucial for anyone listening out of their protected home environment. On planes, trains etc they are priceless (as long as the price isn't much higher). I played with the 4S's with a Max amp and much preferred the 4P (it had just about all the subtelty of the 4S but had a tighter and deeper bass). I even spent a long while demo'ing 4 units from the Stax line and came away liking the 4P. The noise from cord friction is annoying but nothing will be perfect. Fabulous phones

Similar Products Used:

Sennheiser 600, Stax, Sony

the claims etymotic is making about these having better base response and higher output then the ER-4S's are absolutely true! I am listening straight out of a portable cd player (the infamous radio shack 3400) and they are very, very easy on the ear. can't wait to try them at home tonight on real equipment (a rotel 971 thru a melos tube pre/headphone amp via transparent interconnects, all plugged into a chang lightspeed line filter). even thru the melos the ER4S's never impressed me THAT much. they gave me isolation and sounded GOOD, but they never blew me away as so many others have reported. (when using them I missed my favourite headphones - Grado RS1's - a lot.) But even thru the portable these ER-4P's are a killer, straight outta Elk Grove!! Now I'm impressed...Also a tip: Ellen Kelly and Dianne at the Center for Speech and Hearing Sciences are a great source for these and other good things. they ask $299 vs the 325 suggested retail. they ship right away. they are professional and pleasant; and Ellen is a great source of information on hearing/listening related matters. phone 732 613 238-1664 or go to www.neatnoise.com. 5 star's for the ER-4P's and for the Ctr for Speech and Hearing.