Summary

This is a pretty in-depth review. I'm writing this review because I wish that a review like this one had been written before I made my purchase, so that I could have read it and made a more informed decision. I have had these for some time now (about 9 months), and have used them with a variety of hardware and feel that I can now distinguish between the sound of these headphones and the sound of the equipment being used with them. The 'newness' has long since worn off, they are fully broken in, and I feel that my opinion on the ER4Ps is now an informed one. Engineering is all about trade-offs, some things have to be sacrificed in order to achieve particular design goals, and these ER4Ps are no exception. They have strengths, and they have weaknesses. First, the weaknesses: - Cord Design: This is the biggest pet peeve I have. This is design flaw, pure and simple. First, the cord attaches to the drivers at a 45 degree angle. This means that the cords stick out and down from your ears a few inches like pigtails, which looks goofy, and more importantly, affects sound when mobile. The weight of the cord pulls down on the drivers, acting like a lever which slowly loosens and pries the drivers from your ears. The feeling of this slow loosening is irritating, and if it breaks the seal, reduces low frequency response dramatically. A smarter design would be to have the cord attach at 90 degrees, going straight down, flush with your neck so that there is no leverage for loosening the headphones ( http://www.fixup.net/tips/ety/ety.htm ). The second major design flaw with the cord is that while the cord is durable, due to higher-gauge wires and thick insulation, these two 'strengths' produce vast amounts of microphonic noise, as mentioned in other posts. Do not underestimate how annoying this can be. Even while in bed, turning my head will produce this effect a little, masking the music that is playing. Running is out of the question, and even walking produces this. I have _sort of_ overcome this by pulling the ER4Ps up through my shirt/wife-beater and out through the neck, flush with my torso, so that very little cord is exposed and capable of chafing anything. Etymotic could solve this instantly and easily by offering a replacement cord made from limp wire like that used on lesser earbuds, which if combined with a 90 degree driver connection, would make these almost flawless, five star headphones instead of inherently flawed, four star headphones. This was a poor choice made by Etymotic, who paired this with their excellent drivers. Again, see http://www.fixup.net/tips/ety/ety.htm for details of what I mean. I hope Etymotic is reading this! I'd pay $35 for such a cord. - Low Frequency Bass: This is a tradeoff of having in-ear headphones. Low frequencies are not really heard, but rather felt. You will not feel these low frequencies with ER4Ps, even though, for all I know, the ER4Ps are producing them. Traditional, over-the-ear headphones (eg: Senn. HD600s) produce tones that are felt on the side of the head, a buzzing that provide a richness and depth to the bass. If you've ever been to a rave and felt the music buzzing your entire body, you know what I mean. The result is that the bass on the ER4Ps seems thinner than traditional 'phones. Simply be aware of this, especially drum'n'bass-heads! - In Ear Sound: The soundstage is very close and tight, especially as compared to open-ear headphones like Sennheisers higher quality products, as well as Grados. This is a trade-off of having the noise-blocking provided by foamy drivers wedged in your ear canals. It sounds like little drivers are in your ear, producing sound, as opposed to 'being there.' I must admit, sometimes that feeling does go away, and it is just me and my ocean of music. - Uber-revealing: This is also a strength, but the downside is that you will hear every blemish and weakness in your: transport, amp, interconnects, and source material. This can, depending on the latter, make for a very unpleasant listening experience. The super-revealing nature of these headphones is a two-edged sword. Be prepared to upgrade other audio hardware to accommodate these. Pair these with low-end crap (like my budget Panny discman) and you will have bright, noisy music. And now, the strengths: - Uber-revealing: Also a positive, these ER4Ps squeeze every last ounce of detail from your source material. Try Plastikman's Consumed, cranked up, and you will hear everything in the recording in crystal clarity and punch, from uber-lows to uber-highs. You can hear acoustics of recording rooms on some recordings, and on Miles Davis: live @ Newport 1958, one of the earliest stereo recordings, you can hear quite plainly the bassist humming along while he plucks strings on track 3. These are fast, tight, sweet little drivers. Give them quality hardware and they will reward you. - Quiet: They block noise considerably. It takes a little getting used to, but it is great on the bus, or sleeping w/ GF. It spares others of the trebly 'tss tss' of traditional earbuds/'phones, and allows you to listen at lower volumes with greater clarity. I can't wait to use them on an airplane! - Small: They can be stuffed in your pocket. Sennheiser HD650s cannot. - Durable: These are really durable. The small plastic drivers have been stepped on, with no ill effects. My sister has gone through three pairs of Bose Triports in the last year, without abusing them, so I really appreciate the 'toss 'em on the floor' build of the ER4Ps. Again, stuff them in your pocket/bag. - Frequency Response: These have flat response right through the frequency range of human hearing. Crank the treble/bass on your amp, and these respond in full. While you will miss the 'felt' frequencies, the 'heard' ones are all there, all the way down. These are not 'bright' but extremely neutral. I used to think they were bright, but it turns out both my cheapo, crappy Panasonic MP3 discman and Creek OBH-11 amp were the respective culprits there. If they sound bright to you, check your transports and interconnects. Their ruthless fidelity will make them seem bright if paired with bright hardware. Similarly, the may seem dark if vice versa. This is a testament to their neutrality. I use the foam earpieces for the best seal and thus the best freq response.

Strength

Really revealing! Durable, small, very high fidelity, full frequency response, noise blocking, cheaper than some other headphones.

Weakness

Really revealing! The cord is the worst design possible, although it can be replaced with home-brew solutions. Etymotic, fix this immediately! May lead to expensive system upgrades. Lowest frequencies cannot be felt. In-ear soundstage. Sound does not 'enter' ear, providing spatial cues, but rather is in your ear.

Summary

For those trying to decide between the P and the S model, I elected to go with the P and the P to S converter cable. As an afterthought, I emailed both HeadRoom and Etymotic the following question: "Is there any discernable difference in sound between the ER-4S and the ER-4P+ER4P-24 when connected to quality equipment un-amplified, such as Denon AVR-3803/DVD-2900?" Both HeadRoom and Etymotic said that, and I quote, "No. They are exactly the same". While I don't have any ER-4S's to compare to, the addition of the cable to the 4P's did change the extreme lows and highs, just as Etymotic’s data suggests. The converter appears to live up to its claim of turning the ER-4P’s into ER-4S’s. While it’s expensive at $49, the converter cable is a worthwhile purchase, in my opinion. It’s much cheaper than buying both the P and the S. Un-amplified ER-4P’s are quite adequately pushed by the following equipment: Sony D-NE300 CD Walkman, Palm Tungsten|T3 PDA, Aiwa CR-LD101 Digital AM/FM Stereo Radio, & Sony SRF-M70 FM/AM Sports Walkman. For the best of both worlds, I highly recommend the ER-4P+ER4P-24 combination.

Strength

Excellent Transparency

Weakness

They don't clean themselves :,)

Summary

I REALLY BECAME INTRIGUED WITH THE ETYMOTIC ER-4P'S THROUGH AUDIOREVIEW.COM AND READ ALL THE RAVE REVIEWS THAT PEOPLE WERE GIVING THEM. THEY WERE PURCHASED ON EBAY FOR THE "BIN" PRICE OF $199.00. THAT COMPANY, AUDIOFAIR, HAS NEVER TREATED ME BETTER. THEY UNDERSTAND PEOPLE, THEIR LISTENING DIFFERENCES AND THEY UNDERSTAND THESE ARE QUITE A LAYOUT OF FUNDS. I GOT THEM A COUPLE DAYS LATER, AND FOUND VERY QUICKLY THEY WERE VERY USER-FRIENDLY!! THE WHITE-TIPPED CONES FIT QUITE NICELY IN MY EARS (ALTHOUGH I DISCOVERED A COUPLE DAYS LATER THAT IF YOU MOISTEN THEM, THEY ARE THAT MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE, AND THE FIT IS, ER, WELL, QUITE TIGHT AND AWESOME. THEY BLOCK OUT ALL NOISE AROUND ME WHEN I HAVE THESE BABIES IN USE, AND THATS HALF THE BATTLE!! THE OTHER HALF IS WHAT COMES THROUGH THESE AMAZING CREATURES. SOUND AS I HAVE NEVER HEARD BEFORE. YOU READ THAT SAME COMMENT FROM OTHER REVIEWERS, BUT IT'S VERY TRUE. THERE ARE ROCKNROLL SONGS I HAVE LISTENED TO ALL MY LIFE, BUT WHEN LISTENING TO THEM THROUGH THESE "4"'S, I HEAR LITTLE SOUNDS AND NUANCES IN THE MUSIC I HAVE NEVER HEARD!!! THEY ARE TRULY AMAZING. A FEW REVIEWERS HAVE COMMENTED ON THE CORD THAT GIVES THE "STETHOSCOPE EFFECT" BUT SCOTT AT AUDIOFAIR ASSURED ME THAT THIS PART HAD BEEN REDESIGNED BY ETYMOTIC RESEARCH, AND TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH, I HAVE NOT HAD THIS PROBLEM ONCE. THE GETTING USED TO ASPECT FOR ME LASTED ONLY AS LONG AS I DISCOVERED A LITTLE MOISTURE ON THE WHITE CONES MAKES A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE!!! I USE MY PAIR WITH MY SONY DIGITAL PORTABLE MDLP PLAYER, AND IT IS TRULY A WONDERFUL COMBO. I RIDE THE TRAIN FREQUENTLY, AND LISTENING TO MY ROCKNROLL THROUGH THESE IS ALL I HEAR!!! YOU CANNOT GO WRONG WITH THESE 4'S. IT IS TRULY WORTH THE MONEY TO GET THESE. YOU OWE IT TO YOURSELF TO AT LEAST TRY THEM. AUDIOFAIR HAS A MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE. CALL SCOTT (1-800-992-0250) AND HE WILL CHANGE YOUR LISTENING LIFE. HE CHANGED THE WAY MY MUSIC SOUNDS--FOR GOOD!!!

Strength

SOUNDSTAGE, CLARITY, TOTAL HONESTY. YOU CANNOT BUY A BETTER PAIRS OF CANS!!!!! VERY COMFORTABLE ONCE YOU GET USED TO THEM--TOOK ME ONLY TO MOISTEN THEM A LITTLE FOR TOTAL COMFORT!!!!!!!

Weakness

NOT REAL SMART FOR JOGGING. YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO HEAR THE CARS...

Summary

Upgrading from Bong and Olufsen's nice little A8's, which sound good but cancel out no noise, I wanted something equal in sound quality but something that allows me to enjoy my music in the loudest of settings - after all, I do live in New York City. The price has continuously come down on these cans, so at the price I got them for, I feel they are quite a deal. They comfortbaly go in/out of your ears with either tip option (rubber or foam), and cancel out an amazing amount of noise. Cooking breakfast this morning while listening to music was truly bizarre - I couldn't hear the running faucet, the microwave, or even the blender - WITH MY HEAD NEXT TO IT. I'm sure these are stress-killers on long flights, although I can imagine these could get uncomfortable after long wearing-periods, simply because they block all air and moisture from getting in your ear. The sound quality is also amazing, and surpasses that of the A8's. I would describe the sound as very neutral and flat, with no noticible sonic personality (a true sign of a great audio product). The sound is crisp, detailed, and very transparent. I have even began noticing musical details that I never heard listening for years with varios high-end stereo's, including my current set-up. Cymbals crash with a brassy shimmer, vocals are crystal clear and powerful, and ambience is ridiculously natural considering these are are noise-isolating, in-ear phones. The bass is the thing most lacking, but you can't expect head-pounding lower end from tiny buds like these. The bass is, however, far better than other phones I've used in this size - far better even than my A8's. The bass is never overwhelming, just tight and punchy. I also like all the goodies they come with - a traveling case (small and large), numerous tips, a shirt clip, tools for changing filters, etc. My main issue with the phones is the effect caused my it being so far in your ear canal - the cable to the phones amplifies every sound, just like a stethoscope. Whenever you tap it or even brush your shirt against it, a nocible noise is heard in your head, disrupting the music. I'll just have to learn to deal with it, because I definitely got these for portable use - they're obviously so small to be ultra-portable, so I'm not just going to sit around not moving with them. But I can imagine that walking or exercising with them on, even with the shirt-clip, could be annoying.

Strength

Very small and portable, amazingly crisp, detailed and transparent sound. Great, natural ambience, especially for small size. COMPLETE noise isolation. Comfortable. Good warranty. Comes with plenty of goodies.

Weakness

Expensive. Cable amplifies sound to your ears whenever it's touched, like a stethoscope, meaning you either get used to it, or don't walk/exercise with them.