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Reviewed By Raoul(AudioPhile) Review Date 02/11/2003 Overall Rating  5 of 5 Value Rating  4 of 5 Rate this review? Price Paid: $320.00 from headphone.com Summary Excellent headphones if you dont' like moving! These phones sound as good as they get. They also isolate you from the outside world, something I find very nice when at the office. I took both my Seinheiser Noise Cancelling phones and my Etymotic 4Ps on my last trip to London. The Etymotics offered much better isolation from outside sound and aircraft noise than the Seinheiser. Since they don't muck with sound as the Seinheiser's do, they sound a lot better on planes. In addition, since they isolate, they do well with reducing outside noise, period, not just sounds that are easily drowned by NC circuits. Wetting the plugs slightly helps create a seal w/o you having to push the phones in really deep. It says so on the manual and it's really true.Strength Musical fidelity while isolating you from the outside world. This includes the subway, cars, etc... Musical sounding, excellent bass,Weakness After a few hours you'll find that they are harder to wear. Given that this is the PORTABLE model of the phones Etymotic should have a way of isolating cord sound. The seal makes friction on the cord very audible, when walking, this is a major pain in the ass. I have figured out how to keep the cord away from my body in the winter by using my scarf creativly but they should do a little work to remove this problem. The cord is also fairy stiff, probably a quality issue (better perhaps for sound) but that also makes any friction on the cord more audible. They are expensive. The Sony plugs sound good, not audiophile good, but are much cheaper, approx $50 or so... The portable model should have come with more adaptors. Not suited to outdoor activity. You would go mad listening to your breath and the cords friction if you used these when jogging, a good thing perhaps, they isolate you a little too well on streets for your safety.Would you like to Comment? Join audioReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member. Reviewed By Jonathan(Audio Enthusiast) Review Date 04/29/2002 Overall Rating 5 of 5 Value Rating 5 of 5 Visitors rate this review 3.00 of 5, 2 votes Rate this review? Price Paid: $270.00 from headphone.com Summary A phenomenal set of headphones. I heartily agree with the other positive comments placed by the last few reviewers. I have been using this with the Apple iPod, and could not be happier. Since purchasing them, I have not taken my Bose Noise Reduction headphones out of the drawer. They are also excellent for any crowded areas and on public transportation (I can''t even hear the conversations going on next to me anymore, yay!)Strength Crisp sound, virtually seals off all ambient/environmental sound.Weakness The "stethoscope" effect comes in a bit because they are in-ear canal design. However, you get used to it pretty quickly.Would you like to Comment? Join audioReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member. Reviewed By roth(AudioPhile) Review Date 02/26/2002 Overall Rating 5 of 5 Value Rating 5 of 5 Visitors rate this review 5.00 of 5, 1 votes Rate this review? Price Paid: $0.00 Summary According to www.headphone.com, the ER4P earphone was designed for electronics with low power amplification (basically line-level). If readers interpret this as a sign that the ER4P is lo-fi, then they will be mistaken. I cannot comment on the relative sonic qualitiy of the ER4S (the higher impedance sister to the ER4P), but I can say that after 4 months of using the ER4P''s, I think that my money was well-spent. The setup: just a cheap Sony CD portable, circa 1995, no external amp, no external power source. For everyday use, the 4P''s are sometimes more revealing than my Dynaudio speakers (driven by Meridian CD, Melos pre, EAR 509 mono''s), but they are never fatiguing. They also confirm my long-time hunch that the little Sony is an excellent CD player. The sound is never harsh or fatiguing, it is very detailed, expansive, and has deep, tight bass. As far as comfort, I have used cheap ear buds that become painful after 20-30 minutes. In contrast, I have worn the Etymotics comfortably for 3 hrs at a time. For people who find the phones uncomfortable, I believe that Etymotic can make a custom fit. As impressive as the sound is around the house, the real wow factor begins with air travel. I have used foam ear plugs on planes for years. They never shut out the sound completely; they just attenuate it to a tolerable level. With the 4P''s, however, when the music starts, the airplane noise disappears! Gone are the screaming children, the roar of wind over the skin of the plane, the blaring announcements overhead. If you already own 4P''s, you owe it to yourself to take them on your next flight with a CD player. No, you don''t have to turn them up to a higher SPL. I keep the Sony turned up to about a 4-5 volume both at home and on the plane and can''t tell the difference. Oh, and if you see some unfortunate soul who spent their hard-earned bucks on a pair of Bose sound-canceling headphones, be a humanitarian. Lend them your Etymotics and turn their life around. These headphones are that good!Strength Wonderful sound. Amazing noise isolation. Brings cheap CD players to life. Eliminates the clutter of an amplifier and external power source. Family members will thank you for months if you give a pair as a gift.aWeakness Clipping the cord to your shirt may reduce the friction noise, but it turns the little phones into a quasi-stethoscope. This is more an observation than a significant gripe.Would you like to Comment? Join audioReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member. Reviewed By adam(Audiophile) From portland Review Date 12/28/2001 Overall Rating 5 of 5 Value Rating 5 of 5 Visitors rate this review 5.00 of 5, 4 votes Rate this review? Price Paid: $260.00 from www.headphone.com Summary 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.Strength bass, transparency, smoothnessWeakness Would you like to Comment? Join audioReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member. Reviewed By Lou Lopez(Audio Enthusiast) From South Orange Review Date 12/22/2001 Overall Rating 5 of 5 Value Rating 4 of 5 Visitors rate this review 4.00 of 5, 1 votes Rate this review? Price Paid: $269.00 from Headphone.com Summary 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. Strength Clarity, Separation, & PunchWeakness Cord FrictionWould you like to Comment? Join audioReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
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4.79 of 5
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