The sound of silence (Etymotic Research ER 4)

Member Name: Pablosammy

Product:	Etymotic Research ER 4
Date:	18/06/04 (2457 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Beautiful sounds, Noise attenuation, Discrete

Disadvantages: Uncomfortable for some, Microphonic cord

Etymotic Research ER-4P Micro-Pro Earbud Headphones (phew...)
---------------------------------------------- -----

Some people are never satisfied! After dispensing with the Sony MDR-EX70SL earbuds I had plugged into my iPod (they broke... twice) and being dissatisfied with the sound quality of the £30 replacement headphones, I was left in a bit of a rut. You see, I'm a bit fussy when it comes to the quality of the sound I let tickle my eardrums, and I really didn't know where to go next to satisfy my need. I suppose you could call me an audiophile, but I hate that word. I started to wonder just how good earbuds could get, and with the internet at my disposal I had all the tools I needed to find out.

It turns out that the field of quality earbud-style headphones is dominated by two American companies, Etmotic Research and Shure. They both have emerged from different sectors, with Etymotic being a manufacturer of high-quality hearing aids, and with Shure having a more musical history. What they both have in common is a desire to deliver reference-quality sound to those who have the money to spare.


The company
-----------

I ended up leaning towards the market leaders, Etymotic Research. They produce a range of earbuds - the 'budget' ER-6's come in at a hefty £119, while the more expensive but more popular ER-4's generally come in at over £240 (although I managed to get hold of a pair for £160 by importing from the US). The ER-4 range is split up further into three different types.

The ER-4S (S for Stereo) earbuds are the best quality, having superb accuracy for such a small driver. They are suited to studio or home use, where a decent amp
lifier is available to drive them. Portable devices with low-power amps will struggle, and as a result Etymotic introduced a new range, the ER-4P (P for Portable). These 'buds have exactly the same drivers as the ER-4S's, but with a lower impedance to make them easier to drive by devices such as the iPod. They also have enhanced bass response and a rolled-off higher-end to compensate for the harsh signal that usually comes from portables. A third type, the ER-4B (B for Binaural) is suited to binaural recordings that haven't been equalised for loudspeakers. If you don't know what this means, then you don't need them.


The design
----------

The ER-4 range all have the same novel design. They consist of a long, thin driver section (about three-quarters of an inch long) that goes deep into your ear. This section is normally housed by a white silicon triple-flange, which forms a very good seal in your ear canal. The earbuds therefore poke about half an inch into your ear canal, which is perfectly safe and enables isolation from the outside world to the order of 20-25dB, which is much more than active noise-cancelling systems can achieve. This is enough to totally block out most of the noise on a busy street, and as a result it is not safe to cycle or drive with these headphones in, and even when walking around you'll have to be very alert. On the flipside, this isolation makes plane/bus/train journeys a pleasure, and makes the music sound absolutely fantastic. This is something I'll come back to later.

Insertion is a tricky procedure, but it's vital you get it right for the sake of sound quality. I follow the supplied instructions and have no problem getting a good seal. Some people complain about lack of bass, only to come back a few days later saying that they w
eren't putting them in right. It entails reaching over your head with one arm, pulling your ear up and backwards, and then pushing the earbud into your ear canal until the third flange is just in. The first thing that will strike you is just how quiet everything is, with the exception of eating and drinking which can be very noisy indeed!

Once inserted, the headphones are very low-key and do not look like a £240 piece of kit. This will be a relief to people who are worried about their safety when wearing obvious "Come and mug me" headphones, such as the white iPod 'buds. The feel takes a while to get used to. In fact, for the first few days I found them uncomfortable, even bordering on painful. Now I'm used to them they're a lot better, although I still know they're there. The comfort of these headphones is a matter of personal opinion. One way of seeing if they'll be suitable is to buy some earplugs that go inside your ear (cheap from chemists or high-street stores) and try wearing them for a while. Foam inserts are supplied which replace the white flanges, and some people find these more comfortable.

Tiny green filters covered with acoustic mesh protect the diaphragms from your earwax. These are replaceable, although you won't have to do that more than a couple of times per year. The white flanges are washable, unlike the foam inserts which have to be replaced every now and then. The cord is very good quality twisted cable, covered with a black plastic.


The sound
---------

I have to say I was disappointed the first time I pressed 'play'. The midrange was beautifully detailed, but the bass was non-existent and the higher frequencies were harsh. The panic began to creep in, as I had bought these from the States and there was no option of returning them now. They
were still better than my old headphones, but definitely not six times better, as the price might have suggested.

I needn't have worried. I put my first few days of worry don't to something called "burn-in". The burn-in period is the amount of time it takes for the diaphragm of the headphones (or speakers) to reach the intended state. Some say it takes hours of music to occur. Some say it takes days, and some even say that it never reaches completion. Others say that they're all talking rubbish, and burn-in is a myth. Well, I believe that my headphones took about 25 hours to burn-in and each time I listen to them the bass gets weightier and the treble gets more refined.

The sound now is worth every single penny and more. If these headphones don't uncover some detail in your CD then the detail doesn't exist. Put simply, you can hear every nuance of every guitar string, the breath of the musician, the ambience of the recording studio. The bass is fantastic. It's not very strong, but a drum sounds like a drum, and that's what I expect. The midrange and treble boast unworldly detail, normally only found in speakers that cost more than your car. And nothing is drowned out by external noise, thanks to the effectiveness of the noise attenuation. You could say that I'm happy with my purchase!

Problems experiences by users generally come down to lack of bass. This is normally down to the lack of a good seal, but I've also found that a bit of pressure can build up when you insert these headphones. This has the effect of deadening the eardrum. Yawning can balance this pressure, a bit like when your ears 'pop' when coming down a mountain.


The package
-----------

The headphones come in a box about the size of a hardback novel, with a dense foam insert. 
4;he components are arranged a bit like the separate part of an assassin's rifle in a suitcase (yes, I have an active imagination!). Included in the package are the headphones, three sets of white flanges, ten foam eartips, four replacement green filters and a filter changing tool, a small zippered pouch, a shirt clip (the cable can be quite microphonic) and a gold plated jack converter to convert the small jack into a traditional larger jack. Everything was very nicely packaged, and there was no chance that these could have been damaged in transit.

Accessories available but not included are different size foam eartips, a cable which converts the ER-4P's into the ER-4S's if you want the best of both worlds and an airline jack for the headphone sockets on some planes.


Value for money
---------------

I believe these headphones are very good value for money, despite the price. You get reference-quality sound in a discrete portable package, something that is akin to taking a £3000 pair of speakers onto a train with you. Etymotic have developed somewhat of a cult following, and with good reason. Look around on the internet and try to find a negative review. Just try. Then maybe start to wonder what we're all shouting about, and maybe one day you'll understand when you put a pair of these beauties into you ears.

Summary: