I was browsing the stoneaudio site, when i came across the ER-4 headphones. Now im not a person who likes the think can be sold something to with ad's etc. but i found the comments for those headphones very appealing to the point i'm thinking "hey... i want some of those !".

I'm just wondering if they are really as good as ive seen mentioned in some reviews etc. or if anyone here has first hand experience vs other 'high end' headphones. A lot of things concern me though, the most dominant one being comfort. I've never really like in-ear phones (tho i've only used cheapo pairs before) as i find them quite uncomfortable to have wedged in my ear so any opinions on comfort are also welcome. Also i like the idea of thier noise cancelling properties, as im often in noisey enviroments.

The only other thing that worries me would be the differences (in terms of frequency response) between the 'Stereo' version and the 'Power' version. I'd very much like to be able to use them on my portable cdplayer as well as my home hifi so at first thought the Power version could be a better choice, but how do they compare in terms of quality with the stereo version ?

Phew ! That was a lot of typing, thanks for reading

[alexs2]

There's been a fair bit of comment on the Etymotic products in this forum,and if you look in this section,you'll find quite a few views on them.

I have a set of the ER4 phones,which I use when travelling,as the noise reduction is superb,and they still offer excellent quality.

From the comfort point of view,they do take a little bit of getting used to,but are very easy to use,and comfortable once inserted and seated properly.

I would think that you'll find the standard ones absolutely fine in terms of SPL,even with a CD walkman etc,unless you want very high levels.....if you do,I'd definitely recommend a portable headphone amp(like one of the Headroom amps) as you'd be expecting quite a lot from the CD player's inbuilt opamps.

[rOAdeh]

there's a convertor cable that changes a er-4p to an er-4s.. not entirely sure it does that tbh but id imagine it's something to do with increasing the impedance to that found in the 4s.. tis only about 20 quid and this allows you to have the best of both worlds..

i cant seem to find any comment as to whether the 4p + cable matches a standard 4s quality wise though... i was briefly considering this route a few days ago..

wrt portable headphone amps the headroom amps look good but from what i've read they would get trounced (well maybe not trounced but at least beaten) by a standard non portable headphone amp of similar cost unless you're spending >800 or something - the last thing i'd want is to have to buy a portable amp and a home amp etc etc..

[alexs2]

Originally posted by rOAdeh

wrt portable headphone amps the headroom amps look good but from what i've read they would get trounced (well maybe not trounced but at least beaten) by a standard non portable headphone amp of similar cost unless you're spending >800 or something - the last thing i'd want is to have to buy a portable amp and a home amp etc etc..

That's definitely worth considering,although it's not comparing like with like.....definitely better than the internals of a walkman,but not a substitute for a proper mains powered or similar amp,and not intended to be.

My point was that the Etymotics should(in my experience) supply sufficient SPL without an offboard amp,and I've had no problems with mine used that way on planes etc.....the suggestion of a portable H/p amp was if even higher SPL's are required.

[pendulum]

I use the er4ps(+4s cable) with a cmoy and porta corda2. I recommend them very highly. As alexs2 said, correct fitment is very important, esp for bass.
I use the 4ps if im outdoors, the 4s indoors.
I bought mine off fleabay for considerably less than over here.

I certainly seem to have more options than i thought at first. Thankfully a friend of mine knows someone who runs a hifi store in town and he's gonna let me have a listen to a demo pair (where i can just pay a tenner or so for the filter etc) on thier own and a try out a few portable amps (tho i have my eye on the headroom supreme). I don't actually have a headphone amp here at home, as i never use headphones so its a bit of a new world to me at the moment... thanks for the advice people

[terence8888]

I would strong recommend the Ety ER4Ps. I bot a pair 1 yr ago for my iPod and have since bot another pair for my wife's iPod. It's really effective in blocking out noise and makes the Tube almost bearable. I would say go for the 4P rather than 4S. You can convert a 4P to a 4S by adding a resistor (75ohm I think) but not the other way. Also the new 4P (my wife's) has new cables that lessens the friction noise.

Bot both pair from the same guy on ebay (US) and it only cost me 220 USD (inc delivery). It's a really good deal. If you want the contact for the person, pls pmail. Of course I have no connection with him except a satified customer

[terence8888]

Just realized I didn't comment on the sound itself. The sound is wonderfully detailed, non-fatiquing and generally excellent. Driven by the iPod, I doubt if you can get much better sound for the size. I have some serious audio gear at home (Jadis power amp and Avalon speakers) but I have to say the listening to the little Ety is pretty satisfying.

I have also heard good thing about the SHure range of portable headphone though I don't have experience with it.