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Etymotic ER-4P Portable In-Ear Earphones

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size eartips (they come a default size attached and three other sizes), they slide into your ear deeply and comfortably (with a little moisture). These truly are "noise canceling" - you can barely discern any outside noise whatsoever. My home PC is where I listen to the bulk of my music, thru an Azuntech X-Fi 2 Forte 7.1 to go with my quad core Q9550, and that sound with these earphones just leaves me gawking. My wife comes into my den and sees me with my mouth open, wondering what the h*ll I'm listening to. Just music baby, just music!!

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Etymotic ER-4P Portable In-Ear Earphones

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meet all my needs? When I came across the ER4P I was instantly drawn in by their impressive claims although I did manage to retain enough cynicism through previous experience to carry out further research. Reviews ranged mainly from "pretty good" to "astonishing" with the odd dissenter thrown in for good measure. The major gripes seemed to be from reviewers who knew little about what they were dealing with and so gradually I became convinced to invest. They arrived in a neat, if cheap looking, plastic accessory box, complete with spare rubber and foam tips as well as a shirt clip, jack adapter, soft carry case and other items. Out of the box I noticed that the plastic moulding, where the cable enters the earphone, looked a little bit scruffy, like you'd expect from a much cheaper set. One of the reviews I'd read had mentioned this so it wasn't a complete surprise but it didn't inspire confidence about the manufacturer's exacting production standards. However, I then plugged them in and fitted the earphones snuggly and firmly, deep into my lugholes and hit play... Now, if you can imagine it were possible to jack the perfect sound source directly into you central nervous system you might be somewhere near to appreciating the sensation of wearing these earphones. Every little detail is as sharp as a razor and you can hear the most subtle nuance of fingers on guitar strings. If anything, the sound is too perfect, and small, normally imperceptible flaws are delivered directly to your audio receptors. The bass tones are as punchy and clear as the higher frequencies and there is no muddying of the sound with clarity throughout the spectrum. Having played live music for many years I thought my hearing was way past its best but these earphones have given my ears new hope. In addition, the seal on the earphones is so good that the sound attenuation massively outperforms that of over-hyped noise cancelling sets. That makes them unbeatable when flying and in the studio the noise isolation proves invaluable. And they are so snug that no amount of treadmill pounding will shake them loose, especially with the shirt clip supporting the weight of the cable. The price may seem like a major obstacle but I suspect that if you're reading this then you've already accounted for that. This kind of sound reproduction doesn't come cheap and they are worth every last penny. Etymotic Research ER-4P Portable In-Ear Earphones I've recently had cause to return the earphones to Etymotic under the warranty after I managed to snap the end off of one of the transducers whilst changing the foam tips. I'm not sure if this is a common fault or a one-off but Etymotic handled the repair perfectly and their customer service and efficiency is amongst the best I have ever experienced. It's nice, and indeed quite rare these days, to deal with a company that gets it right with both the product and the aftercare and Etymotic have certainly secured my loyalty and my voice of praise.

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Etymotic ER-4P Portable In-Ear Earphones

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as my old in-ear monitors. Microphonics: The cord dangling around will transmit annoying sound into your ears. I don't use the included shirt clip, but have adopted a solution that was incorporated in my last set of monitors. I use a rubber band around the wires to limit their length and run around behind my head. Problem solved and the wires are hidden. I'd definitely buy these again if they were lost or destroyed. The protection they afford my ears while in this band is worth it.

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Etymotic ER-4P Portable In-Ear Earphones

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as my old in-ear monitors. Microphonics: The cord dangling around will transmit annoying sound into your ears. I don't use the included shirt clip, but have adopted a solution that was incorporated in my last set of monitors. I use a rubber band around the wires to limit their length and run around behind my head. Problem solved and the wires are hidden. I'd definitely buy these again if they were lost or destroyed. The protection they afford my ears while in this band is worth it.

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Etymotic ER-4P Portable In-Ear Earphones

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bothered trying because I have an ample supply of new ones.

I bought the Etymotics because I needed some privacy at my new office job. It wasn't just that I wanted my space, I had a lot of thinking to do and needed to block out distracting noise and at times there was far too much of that. I did some research and determined that the Etymotics were a likely good choice. They were highly touted by audiophiles and had a reputation for being very effective in noisy environments. Of course, they still enjoy that reputation. I no longer have that office job and I mostly use the Etymotics in the gym, where their isolation is just as critical as at that office job.

When I read the reviews before buying my first ER4S I quickly realized that people who used them with portable devices seemed to always use headphone amps, and I assumed that I too would need one and so I bought an Airhead "Headphone Amplifier and Audio Image Processor" at the same time. However, to my amazement and delight I found that I got adequate volume from my portable devices without having to use it. I did use the amp when listening to audio files at my computer, at least sometimes, but have ever since just set aside the Airhead. I have used the ER4S phones without an amplifier with satisfactory results with a Sony WM-FX465 cassette/TV/FM/AM portable, iRiver SlimX IMP-350 portables, iRiver H120 and H140 portables and Sansa Sandisk M250 MP3/FM portables (2 different firmware/chipset models).

My hearing isn't the best, and I won't get into subtle discussions concerning performance in various frequency ranges. However, I recently acquired a set of Sennheiser CX300B earbud headphones and determined that the Etymotics sound far superior. I also don't expect that the Sennheisers are very durable. Also, they came with only one set of buds that fit my ears. The Etymotics came with several sets of both types of buds (the white plastic, which I always use and the foam). I bought extra white plastic tips, but have only had to replace a couple (they got a bit loose over time and would remain in my ear after pulling out the drivers).

It is true that the sound from brushing the cable goes right to your ears and it's a major annoyance. I rarely notice that now, having developed strategies to avoid brushing the cables. I'll take the durability over other considerations!

Lately, I use the ER4S with small Sandisk MP3 players, the M250's. There are 4 different types of M250's and 2 of mine aren't as loud as the 3rd at maximum volume and I've had problems achieving satisfactory listening levels with them at times when using the ER4S's so I anticipate getting the more efficient ER-4P for my 3rd set of Etymotics at some point. I've been reading reviews and considered getting another brand, but I think I'd probably regret that and plan to stick with Etymotic. Fortunately, the price has come down from the $269 + shipping I paid for my last set!

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Etymotic ER-4P Portable In-Ear Earphones

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bothered trying because I have an ample supply of new ones.



I bought the Etymotics because I needed some privacy at my new office job. It wasn't just that I wanted my space, I had a lot of thinking to do and needed to block out distracting noise and at times there was far too much of that. I did some research and determined that the Etymotics were a likely good choice. They were highly touted by audiophiles and had a reputation for being very effective in noisy environments. Of course, they still enjoy that reputation. I no longer have that office job and I mostly use the Etymotics in the gym, where their isolation is just as critical as at that office job.



When I read the reviews before buying my first ER4S I quickly realized that people who used them with portable devices seemed to always use headphone amps, and I assumed that I too would need one and so I bought an Airhead "Headphone Amplifier and Audio Image Processor" at the same time. However, to my amazement and delight I found that I got adequate volume from my portable devices without having to use it. I did use the amp when listening to audio files at my computer, at least sometimes, but have ever since just set aside the Airhead. I have used the ER4S phones without an amplifier with satisfactory results with a Sony WM-FX465 cassette/TV/FM/AM portable, iRiver SlimX IMP-350 portables, iRiver H120 and H140 portables and Sansa Sandisk M250 MP3/FM portables (2 different firmware/chipset models).



My hearing isn't the best, and I won't get into subtle discussions concerning performance in various frequency ranges. However, I recently acquired a set of Sennheiser CX300B earbud headphones and determined that the Etymotics sound far superior. I also don't expect that the Sennheisers are very durable. Also, they came with only one set of buds that fit my ears. The Etymotics came with several sets of both types of buds (the white plastic, which I always use and the foam). I bought extra white plastic tips, but have only had to replace a couple (they got a bit loose over time and would remain in my ear after pulling out the drivers).



It is true that the sound from brushing the cable goes right to your ears and it's a major annoyance. I rarely notice that now, having developed strategies to avoid brushing the cables. I'll take the durability over other considerations!



Lately, I use the ER4S with small Sandisk MP3 players, the M250's. There are 4 different types of M250's and 2 of mine aren't as loud as the 3rd at maximum volume and I've had problems achieving satisfactory listening levels with them at times when using the ER4S's so I anticipate getting the more efficient ER-4P for my 3rd set of Etymotics at some point. I've been reading reviews and considered getting another brand, but I think I'd probably regret that and plan to stick with Etymotic. Fortunately, the price has come down from the $269 + shipping I paid for my last set!

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Etymotic ER-4P Portable In-Ear Earphones

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bothered trying because I have an ample supply of new ones.





I bought the Etymotics because I needed some privacy at my new office job. It wasn't just that I wanted my space, I had a lot of thinking to do and needed to block out distracting noise and at times there was far too much of that. I did some research and determined that the Etymotics were a likely good choice. They were highly touted by audiophiles and had a reputation for being very effective in noisy environments. Of course, they still enjoy that reputation. I no longer have that office job and I mostly use the Etymotics in the gym, where their isolation is just as critical as at that office job.





When I read the reviews before buying my first ER4S I quickly realized that people who used them with portable devices seemed to always use headphone amps, and I assumed that I too would need one and so I bought an Airhead "Headphone Amplifier and Audio Image Processor" at the same time. However, to my amazement and delight I found that I got adequate volume from my portable devices without having to use it. I did use the amp when listening to audio files at my computer, at least sometimes, but have ever since just set aside the Airhead. I have used the ER4S phones without an amplifier with satisfactory results with a Sony WM-FX465 cassette/TV/FM/AM portable, iRiver SlimX IMP-350 portables, iRiver H120 and H140 portables and Sansa Sandisk M250 MP3/FM portables (2 different firmware/chipset models).





My hearing isn't the best, and I won't get into subtle discussions concerning performance in various frequency ranges. However, I recently acquired a set of Sennheiser CX300B earbud headphones and determined that the Etymotics sound far superior. I also don't expect that the Sennheisers are very durable. Also, they came with only one set of buds that fit my ears. The Etymotics came with several sets of both types of buds (the white plastic, which I always use and the foam). I bought extra white plastic tips, but have only had to replace a couple (they got a bit loose over time and would remain in my ear after pulling out the drivers).





It is true that the sound from brushing the cable goes right to your ears and it's a major annoyance. I rarely notice that now, having developed strategies to avoid brushing the cables. I'll take the durability over other considerations!





Lately, I use the ER4S with small Sandisk MP3 players, the M250's. There are 4 different types of M250's and 2 of mine aren't as loud as the 3rd at maximum volume and I've had problems achieving satisfactory listening levels with them at times when using the ER4S's so I anticipate getting the more efficient ER-4P for my 3rd set of Etymotics at some point. I've been reading reviews and considered getting another brand, but I think I'd probably regret that and plan to stick with Etymotic. Fortunately, the price has come down from the $269 + shipping I paid for my last set!

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Etymotic ER-4P Portable In-Ear Earphones

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these headphones.

If you have poor bass response you need to make sure your ears are sealing properly and that you have a high quality player.

These phones are a really good deal and really do the job of isolating while having great response.

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Etymotic ER-4P Portable In-Ear Earphones

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these headphones.



If you have poor bass response you need to make sure your ears are sealing properly and that you have a high quality player.



These phones are a really good deal and really do the job of isolating while having great response.

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Etymotic ER-4P Portable In-Ear Earphones

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SonicStage burdened NW-A806 and now the NWZ-A729...best sounding players I've heard) and they never fail to put me in ear nirvana no matter the mood.

The Burr-Brown OPA2134 CMOY helps for a slightly fuller, bass heavy, experience. But when it comes to a strong soundstage accompanied by the ability to find a small 'v' equalizer band sound from minor EQ tweaking, these never fail. Never have, and they've been going strong a long time...only 3 filter changes (they used to give you 5 or so in the original packaging) and one replacement 6 pair pack of gray foamies (these provide the best seal but can wear out quickly if you smoosh them too much) and I've been set.

If you're in the market for a pair of true-to-the-recording, top-notch yet aesthetically ghastly Franken-bolts (I don't mind them so much, but I prefer more lower profile buds for portable coat jaunts...see ATH-EC7) then you have found your phones. Noise-cancelling? You can't hear too much when you have these cranked up half-way or more...as it should when the tunes sound this good!

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Etymotic ER-4P Portable In-Ear Earphones

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SonicStage burdened NW-A806 and now the NWZ-A729...best sounding players I've heard) and they never fail to put me in ear nirvana no matter the mood.



The Burr-Brown OPA2134 CMOY helps for a slightly fuller, bass heavy, experience. But when it comes to a strong soundstage accompanied by the ability to find a small 'v' equalizer band sound from minor EQ tweaking, these never fail. Never have, and they've been going strong a long time...only 3 filter changes (they used to give you 5 or so in the original packaging) and one replacement 6 pair pack of gray foamies (these provide the best seal but can wear out quickly if you smoosh them too much) and I've been set.



If you're in the market for a pair of true-to-the-recording, top-notch yet aesthetically ghastly Franken-bolts (I don't mind them so much, but I prefer more lower profile buds for portable coat jaunts...see ATH-EC7) then you have found your phones. Noise-cancelling? You can't hear too much when you have these cranked up half-way or more...as it should when the tunes sound this good!

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Etymotic ER-4P Portable In-Ear Earphones

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you is that each has its own character. (shure - comfortable, more uncontrolled bass, senn - nice, but not as good in all traits, etc.)

The only real competition i saw for the er4 was the ue5, rightfully so, since they are in the same "weight class", but the ue5 just didn't have the same feel of authenticity, clarity, etc. But it have more bass, so much so that at times it distorted/overpowered other tonal regions. If you're gunning for that, go for the ue5 (for those with heavy pop/rock tastes). But if bass doesn't need to be banging on your eardrum, I'd seriously say the er4 is unbeatable.

It's not like the bass is not there with the er4. But again, it's all about authenticity. You're hearing EXACTLY what the artist wants you hear. If that's not good enough for you, take it up with the artist you made the piece.

the only negative i can think of: the wires are funky and most of the time, i need the use of the given clip to get a real comfortable control of the wires. otherwise 5 stars.

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Etymotic ER-4P Portable In-Ear Earphones

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seal. They hurt and I was worried I was going to have to return them. I tried putting them in less far and not only are they comfortable (can't really feel them) but the sound is even better. If you moisten them just SLIDE them in to where they stop but you shouldn't have to PUSH. Pushing is where I made my mistake.

The noise isolation is awesome (though I can still hear my dog barking, ha) and I actually like the 'finger in your ears' feeling you get when you have them in. Not sure why but for me it gives me a 'safe' feeling.

Anyway, try these out. Experiment with getting them in (remember don't PUSH)and figuring out the direction of your ear canals. Once you get the hang of it they are a breeze to get in (actually easier than your average canal buds like the ATH-CK7's). If you don't like them you can always return them but there is no reason to do that!

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Etymotic ER-4P Portable In-Ear Earphones

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seal. They hurt and I was worried I was going to have to return them. I tried putting them in less far and not only are they comfortable (can't really feel them) but the sound is even better. If you moisten them just SLIDE them in to where they stop but you shouldn't have to PUSH. Pushing is where I made my mistake.



The noise isolation is awesome (though I can still hear my dog barking, ha) and I actually like the 'finger in your ears' feeling you get when you have them in. Not sure why but for me it gives me a 'safe' feeling.



Anyway, try these out. Experiment with getting them in (remember don't PUSH)and figuring out the direction of your ear canals. Once you get the hang of it they are a breeze to get in (actually easier than your average canal buds like the ATH-CK7's). If you don't like them you can always return them but there is no reason to do that!

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Etymotic ER-4P Portable In-Ear Earphones

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sound, there's really no comparison. The Etymotics have a tight, crisp, vibrant sound across the spectrum from low midrange to highs. Both of them lack booming bass, but I find the Etymotics to have a more accurate reproduction of bass. It's as you are listening through a tissue when you have the Shures on. Keep in mind, if you compared the Shures to the stock earbuds, you'd associate the tissue with your earbuds.

Check out the Shures here: Shure SE210 Sound Isolating Earphones (White)

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Etymotic ER-4P Portable In-Ear Earphones

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music that is in the recording.

Some reviewers have noted the microphonic quality of the cable. It is an inescapable problem of physics. I can say that the microphonic effect is less with the ER-4P's than with other isolation type earbuds that I own and have tried. It may be that Etymotics has improved the cable since earlier reviews. I purchased mine in September 2007.

These are in ear head phones. They must be properly inserted to hear the full sound spectrum and provide the sound isolation. This is not comfortable for everyone. I still have a slight discomfort on 9 hour flights. I sleep with them in. I consider a little discomfort compared to the aircraft cabin noise with screaming infants as a satisfactory trade off. In ear head phones give much better sound isolation than over the ear models.

The Shure e4C's may be the equal of the Etymotic ER-4P's on sound quality. But on noise isolation there is no comparison. The best competitive review I could find rated the Shure e4C as greater than 20 db isolation and the Etymotic ER-4P at greater than 30 db. If sound isolation is a major goal in your choice of head phones, then there is no comparison. The Etymotic ER-4P's are the best by far.

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Etymotic ER-4P Portable In-Ear Earphones

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music that is in the recording.



Some reviewers have noted the microphonic quality of the cable. It is an inescapable problem of physics. I can say that the microphonic effect is less with the ER-4P's than with other isolation type earbuds that I own and have tried. It may be that Etymotics has improved the cable since earlier reviews. I purchased mine in September 2007.



These are in ear head phones. They must be properly inserted to hear the full sound spectrum and provide the sound isolation. This is not comfortable for everyone. I still have a slight discomfort on 9 hour flights. I sleep with them in. I consider a little discomfort compared to the aircraft cabin noise with screaming infants as a satisfactory trade off. In ear head phones give much better sound isolation than over the ear models.



The Shure e4C's may be the equal of the Etymotic ER-4P's on sound quality. But on noise isolation there is no comparison. The best competitive review I could find rated the Shure e4C as greater than 20 db isolation and the Etymotic ER-4P at greater than 30 db. If sound isolation is a major goal in your choice of head phones, then there is no comparison. The Etymotic ER-4P's are the best by far.

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Etymotic ER-4P Portable In-Ear Earphones

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and lacking in the treble and mid end. The bass is excellent and just the right amount when the EQ of your machine is kept flat and the headphones have a superb balance as far as tonality.

Subtle details are even easier to hear with these than with the E2's. Overall, the sound quality of these things is superb and so is the noise isolation. In fact - these seem to cancel out more noise than the E2's which I thought were excellent but these are truly better. Also a very important point is that these headphones are comfortable! The E2's were good with the foam tips but man oh man was the flange tip uncomfortable! It was actually capable of scarring your ear! They were hard and uncomfortable so you can imagine what a pleasant surprise it was to find that the soft triple flanged tips are very comfortable with the Ety's as are the foam tips. They also block out a lot of external noise. The only issue I have is that indeed the cables do cause a microphone effect but the supplies clip is quite useful for keeping the cords from danling much - the E2's were less prone to this mic effect but they also didnt seal as well as these Ety's - especially with the flange tips. Overall - these are brilliant headphones and at a price that is now much more affordable than the $300 they are supposed to retail for they are superb value for money too. Do yourself a favor and pick up a pair of these - you will not be dissapointed - your music will literally come alive and you will appreciate the comfortable isolation these headphones provide. Lastly, the presentation is also superb, you get a box with all the accesories, a carrying case, extra foam and flange tips, etc. All in all these are the best headphones you can buy in the under $300 category.

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Etymotic ER-4P Portable In-Ear Earphones

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range is quite good. Feldman's "Rothko Chapel" is also particularly nice with its haunting mixture of small, delicate sounds. However, if you're a fan of electronic music (or any music that has a strong bass component), these are going to disappoint. You're much better off with a pair of headphones (such as the Grado SR60s) than the ER-4Ps.

I know the idea of the 4Ps is to work well without a dedicated headphone amp (are they are much more efficient than the 4Ss), but I'm not satisfied using them with my iPod nano. While I've never thought the iPods had amazing sound quality, the 4P/nano combination is particularly bad. I'm sure part of it has to do with the use of MP3s instead of uncompressed WAV or AIFF files, but since most people load their iPods up with MP3s only, this is an important point. If your music is compressed, these earphones will only exacerbate the problems. A lot of people still claim they can't tell the difference between compressed and uncompressed audio, but with these earphones, you surely will. The sound is just a little too analytical to make a bad recording (or a compressed recording) sound good. Where other headphones, such as the Grados, provide a very smooth, rich sound that glosses over imperfections, the 4Ps simply reproduce the audio with painful accuracy. Again, this is invaluable for a lot of occasions, but if you're planning to use MP3, ACC, or whatever, these will not sound as good.

Finally, nobody has sufficiently stated the annoyance of the cable sound. Of course, when you stick something this far in your ear, any motion in any part of the cable is amplified substantially. It really is a big problem. You simply can't move when you're using these. Sure, you get a shirt clip with the set, but that doesn't come close to eliminating it. It's very distracting and sometimes painful. If you're going to use these, plan on sitting still.

I don't mean for this to be a negative review. Not at all. These are some of the finest audio transducers that I've ever heard. The midrange is flawless. I just wanted to bring up a few points that I would have liked to know before I bought them myself. The ER-4Ps are not perfect, but they're worth the money.

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Etymotic ER-4P Portable In-Ear Earphones

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your music in comfort and silence, your music is either CD, or high bitrate MP3 (= or < 192kbps). I listen to all my music on these headphones at at least 320 kbps.

These headphones are definitely not for everyone though... you should NOT buy these headphones if: you like to hear outside noises, you don't want to use a shirt clip, you can't stand cable microphonics, you don't like putting things in your ears, you listen to low bitrate music (< 192 kbps) or if you can't afford a replacement pair if you lose them. (After using great headphones like this you will never be able to go back, so be careful if you can't afford them now... if you lose them and can't buy a new pair you will be far more dissapointed than if you had never had them at all!)

Overall, 5 stars and highly reccomended.

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Etymotic ER-4P Portable In-Ear Earphones

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environments. The box these come in is big (think 1980s walkman), so I keep mine packed in the included soft case when not in use, with spare flanges so others can try them out. If you are serious about music, and want to hear all the audio artifacts in your mp3s (and by extension the best reproduction from your lossless tracks), you should get these, stop looking, and enjoy. They are that good.