Etymotic ER-4P In-Ear Earphones

Ok, this is what I think about the Etymotic ER4P headphones. I've owned them for 6 months now... this is a 100% unbiased review. I'm a qualified studio engineer, musician but not an audiophile! Overall I would say these are good headphones for listening to music, however I wouldn't recommend them to anyone other than a studio engineer. That's because the sound is flat and at times too bright for most peoples taste. The brightness in the sound offers an advantage to studio engineers as it gives us the detail we need when we mix music, and clearly points out any errors that we have missed in mixes such as digital clips and reverb delay. I like all genres of music, and with these things I've noticed mistakes in take combining... especially in classical music. I didn't realise that the combining of takes was used so much in classical music until I listened to music with these! It is also obvious in almost every other type of music when a vocal take has been cut and replaced with anot... Read more

First, I'll give you some background. I'm a student, a former music major (now Biomed engineer). I take my music and the quality of my experience very seriously. (I.e. - nothing under a 320 bit rate and no ipods) now, it's not all classical music - but all sorts. you name it, i probably have it. Here are my two cents about this piece. I myself am one of those people who need the foam piece to get a proper, comfortable fit. But once these bad boys are inserted, you pretty much forget that they are in to begin with. The experience is awesome. It's just clear and precise. exactly what etymotic was gunning for. They don't care about "maximizing bass" or some stupid stuff like that. It's about pure, unadulterated, music. Basically, you're hearing exactly what the composer/artist wants you to hear. You want the bass? Go crank it up yourself on your eq. I've tried the Shure e2c, the Senn cx300, and the ue5, etymotic er6, even some overheads like the sony and senn hd. What... Read more

great sound on highs and mids, just like everyone else here has stated. bass leaves something to be desired. i called etymotic and they sent me a bigger set of foam tips free of charge! would recommend to a friend.

Before I bought these, I did a LOT of research into the various headphones out there. I wanted something that offered great sound, provided complete noise isolation to the outside world, was portable, durable, and didn't cost $1000. I picked these, have had them over a year now, and am very happy with them. I listen to many types of music: rock, classical, rap, vocal, acoustic, etc. and they have been great. Walking through Times Square and only being able to hear a crystal clear Michael Buble singing "Feeling Good" is quite an experience, and these headphones were just the ticket!

I recently thought I had lost my ER-4Ps, so went through the process of looking at the Shure 530s and the Ultimate Ear Triple.fi 10vi's. At first, the bass in these two competitors wowed me. But after listening to both for a while and then going to my replacement ER-4P's I remembered what had attracted me to the Ety's in the first place. They are smooth, they are light weight, and just plain comfortable in the ears. I don't think you can go wrong with these. I listen to a lot of different music, but mostly classic rock and am satisfied that I made the right choice. Plus these are less than half the cost of the Shures or UEs. Highly recommended!

I bought these and the ER6i set at the same time. Compared to the ER6i, the ER-4P does have somewhat better response at the low frequencies. However for overall sonic reproduction, my Bose Tri-Ports and Bose QuietComfort 3 headphones far outperform either of the Etymotics. Here's my take on sound isolation/cancelling. My Bose QuietComfort 3 headphones do great on low frequency sounds (as they are designed to do). However, both of the Etymotic earphones do a much better job in the office environment. (The QuietComfort 3s do nothing to block or cancel office noise--you can only drown it out.) The good seal on the Etymotic earphones blocks sound from the computer fan whine and office conversations (co-worker whine)--even with my iPod set at its lowest volume. The Etymotics are the only earphones or headphones that I listen to with the volume set at minimum. For my money though (hoping to help someone out here), I would purchase the Etymotic ER6i for decent sound and excellent ... Read more