er4p or the e5c??

[mmatrix 0]

I'm currently using the er4p with m mp3 player.. Question is should I sell my er4p away and upgrade to a Shure E5c? Does this consider an upgrade?

 

Thanks.

[Q00 0]

If you really like tight and deep bass response...this might be your ticket. I have not listened to it personally but most people deem it enough be considered an upgrade

[N@Z 0]

Depends on what sort of sound you are looking for. I don't quite see it as an upgrade if you already like the ety sound. More like a different character & strengths. If you want to improve on it get the P->S convertor & an amp (if your player has a line-out).

 

However, if you want to get more bass impact (although the bass extension on the etys sound slightly better) & an airier sound, then the E5 is worth considering. Especially if you want to forgo getting an amp altogether as I find portable players with good headphone-out sound goes well with the E5.

[Barradio 0]

This is the quote from bangraman at HeadFi :

"And when you need large bass hits on the iPod, then you simply switch off the Bass Reducer. The E5's bass also comes in handy in situation such as public transport travelling, as they compensate for near-infra/infrasonics transmitted through the body and prevent the music from sounding tinny."

http://www5.head-fi.org/forums/showthread....02&page=2&pp=25

 

Whether using iPod, MP3 or PCDP and traveling as above mentioned I would choose the E5c.

Edited August 21, 2004 by Barradio

[Absolute0 0]

You might want to take cost into consideration as well. The E5's are going for >$US300, which is not cheap by any means. Moreover, you might still have to sell the ER4P's and make a loss in the process. However, if budget is no concern, I think it should be a viable upgrade.

[Rameish 0]

First off the Ety 4P is an excellent in-ear phone. The question is whether your portable (playing MP3 and not redbook cds) is really good enough. In other words are you hearing the max potential out of your 4P. N@Z's suggestion of using a 4P to 4S adapter and a portable amp is an excellent idea for pure sonic improvement. However the "hi-fi" chain begins with the source and in your case MP3 playback isnt really gonna offer the potential to hear improvements. You willo hear a difference but please remember different isnt = improvement.

 

What I would suggest is getting a large capacity HD player (with a good line-out). Record onto it in uncompressed format (you should be able to put 40 -60 CDs into a 40 Gig HD). Get a good portable amp and get/make the 4P to 4S adapter and use it with your 4P.

 

To test the true potential of your Ety, why dont you plug it into a good home amp and cdp combo. Then you can decide if it's the Ety thats no satisfying you or your MP3 player.

 

Comimg back to your original question please note that the 4P are supposed to have a slightly better bass response then the 4s. The 4S is supposed to be more neutral but overall a bit better.

[arj 0]

in agreement with Rameish. And i like the phrase he is using " different is not equal to improvement".

 

Whatever you do at the end will not going to out do the source.

 

I have always been advise to get the source right first and they say this is where you should put your money on.

[lekguan 0]

IMHO MP3 is usually garbage (except maybe alt preset extreme and above). If you really need (as in MUST HAVE) something which you have to keep in your pocket, you can look at iPod mini which should be able to store some 7 albums uncompressed. If iPod mini is still too big you can look at iRiver series of players (700 series or 300 series. These have equalizer ) which can hold .ogg files. From my personal experience i find .ogg VBR 192kbps quite damn good. Muvo (this would have to good with high bitrate MP3s) is another option except without radio. Of course if you are not size-limited you might want to consider a good PCDP (in terms of line out, IMO D-EJ1000 is one of the good options) or iPod (like rameish suggested) with the SIK cable, with an amp.

 

From what I've read from head-fi there seems to be quite a number of people having poor fit with E5c and end up being unhappy with it. So My feeling here is since few have experience with this earphones PLUS etys are so highly rated, why take the risk?

 

Also you can play around with the different kind of sleeves the etys offer because some might prefer one over the other. My experience with shures is that they do change the sound of the buds.

[mmatrix 0]

Thanks for all the replies..

 

So, my stand is that, I would save up for a portable amp and use my er4p to er4s cable.. I'm getting the iRiver H340 this Friday from Comex...

[mmatrix 0]

Btw, what small portable amp suit er4s?

[Absolute0 0]

Most of fixup's amps are designed with ER4's in mind (bass boost, 4P->4S impedance switch) and they are really tiny by any standards. Be sure to be on the look-out for the Supermono due September/October.

 

Edit: You might also want to consider a simple but effective cmoy, or a portable PIMETA, and even the Ray Samuels SR-71, depending on your budget.

Edited August 23, 2004 by Absolute0

[N@Z 0]

From my experience, nothing beats a multi buffered META42/PIMETA (See Head-Fi) in terms of SQ. However, if you want uber portability with minimal sacrifice in SQ, try any of the amps offered from Dr Xin & you won't be dissapointed. His SuperMini (best value), SuperMicro (tiniest) & SuperDual (ultimate) suits the ER4S perfectly.

[N@Z 0]

Lo & behold...

A sweet looking Portable META42 headphone amp.

A bargain price SuperMini.

 

Edited August 23, 2004 by N@Z

[mmatrix 0]

Now, is how to get an amp from USA. I don't own a credit card. Can only pay through cash.

[mmatrix 0]

Lo & behold...

A sweet looking Portable META42 headphone amp.

A bargain price SuperMini.

btw, which is better for a hdd mp3 player to the er4p? Any pictures on Xin Superdual?

Edited August 23, 2004 by mmatrix