Etymotic ER-4S review, part 1: impressions
The Etymotic ER-4S are amazing. They are, without a doubt, the finest pair of sound reproduction devices I own, at least in terms of sonic quality. Obviously I own far louder devices, but that's not the point. My Infinity towers can't hold a candle to them, not even when paired with my Harmon Kardon amp. Right now I'm listening to the Etys powered by a first-generation iPod - no amplifier - and the sound quality is outstanding.
First things first, though. I admit, it's taking me a little bit of time to get used to the idea of sticking things into my ear canal. These are not your typical earbuds that sit right in the outer part of your ear. No, these puppies go right into the ear canal. You can see from the picture how big these are - the right angle mini-plug is shown as a comparison. It's a little bit uncomfortable putting them in, but once they're in, you can _almost_ forget that they're there. They tend to remind you whenever you move your head, so I can only really recommend these for use in a stable listening environment - at your desk, in your favorite chair, or in bed. Very little environmental sound gets through these - with the white flange tips, you could probably stand right next to a loudspeaker at a club and not be uncomfortable. Supposedly the foam tips have even better noise reduction, but I haven't tried those yet.
The cable is short - only 5 feet - which makes these wholly unsuitable for DJ-ing, although I suppose you could get a cable extension. My current DJ headphones are a pair of Sennheiser HD-25SP headphones, which are far more durable, cheaper, and better-sounding than the ubiquitous Sonys I see everywhere. Another problem that arises with the Etys is what to do with the second earpiece when listening to the main mix in the house. As these are loose earpieces not attached to a headband, you're going to end up with one earpiece swinging around, and at $220 a pair, that makes me a little nervous. I've also discovered that I listen to the house mix with both ears with my Sennheisers (even through the closed cup!), which is not possible with the Etys.
With respect to sound quality, the ER-4S blows away every pair of headphones I have ever owned previous to these. I've run through two pairs of Sony MDR-600, one pair of Sony MDR-7505, one pair of the Sennheisers, and one pair of Koss KSC-35 phones. The MDR-7505 and the Sennheisers were my choice for reference phones that I could afford - the Sennheisers were a little more punchy and better balanced, and the Sonys had a bit better bass response. One of the things that I noticed was that in the song _Girls! Girls! Girls!_ by Liz Phair there are subtle background vocals in the left channel. I had never, ever heard those before.
The ER-4S is very clear and transparent in the mids and highs, with a very fluid response. These are much crisper than any pair of Sony headphones I have ever tried, and slightly less punchy than the Sennheisers. There is much less of a noticeable attack to sounds with the Etys. Bass response is decent, but not great, but that's probably due to them being underpowered more than anything else. I've already noticed that listening out of my computer increases the bass response (vs. listening to the iPod) and the next test will be to power them with my NAD stereo amplifier. When I get the Total Bithead I will definitely post another review.
ah man now i want