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etymotic 4P earphones

I just bought these for the ipod....dont have the ipod yet, but used them with portable Cd players. They sound very "tinny" - elevated high frequencies? Not natural at all. Do the Shure ipod earbuds/ phones sound better? Do the etymotics sound different with ipods? Should I try the other versions of these phones?
kocsis
rar1's avatar
rar1
1,818 posts
 
I started out with the Etymotic ER6's and just could not understand what all the raves were about with these earphones. I felt that just about everything was off with the sound and on top of it, I found them uncomfortable. Granted the ER6's are the cheaper of the two earphone products (ER6 & ER4), but for $140 ... I had much higher expectations ... I really thought that they were junk. For my ipod, I have been using Koss KSC 50 Sport Clips ($20). Do not let the price throw you ... these are an outrageously good bargain, especially for street & gym use. Go for the new KSC 35 ($30) ... supposedly the bass is a drop better. Music sounds very natural and very good with the KSC 50's and the ipod. For plane travel, I use Sennheiser's PX 100 ($40) ... which actually sound better than their Noise Cancelling Headphones (PXC 250).

Regards, Rich
mark7767
57 posts
 
I own the E4S and mine sound tinny too. I use them with a Headroon Cosmic reference amp and I am not happy with either products. The ear plugs must be pushed deep into the ear and feel irritating. If the seal is broken there is no bass and the sound becomes tinny. So push the plug well into the ear and wet the rubber plug for a better seal. And do not move around too much or the seal breaks. As for the Cosmic, I though it would sound better than what it does for the price. $800+ dollars! Also the CDs played through my CD player are bright sounding to begin with.
pmotz
413 posts
 
I've got the 4P's and I wouldn't consider them tinny at all. While the bass is not as good as my home system the rest of the spectrum is very good. The problem could be the drivers are not sealing properly. Either the fit is off or the driver is not being placed deep enough in the ear. There could also be a problem with whatever you are using to drive them. The Etymotic's are not for everyone and that probably is the case for you.
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