josd's Full Review: Etymotic Research MicroProâ„¢ ER-4P Consumer Headp...
First, I would never have found this product if not for Epinions! I was looking to upgrade my early version of the Sony noise-cancelling headphones (model 5)and wanted to get an opinion on the Bose unit. That led me to a review of these.
I purchased them online with a return provision (see below)and someone will have to steal them to get them away from me. I've even laid in, more or less, a lifetime supply of spares lest the company go out of business around 2020 without letting me know to lay in another spare pair or two, some flters or rubber bits.
I go back to the 1960's when stereo was new and headphones beat speakers any day of the week. These beat anything I have ever owned, including some equally pricy units I have bought recently, for just plain sound. I was a little worried about volume, based on a review here, but they boom just fine with my laptop, el-cheapo analog AM/FM radio (Europe and Japan run on different frequency steps.), my stereo and new RioVolt 250.
I've had a good bit of hearing trouble and so am down about 4db in my left ear. Moreover, I have substantially different frequency responses from ear to ear. I've always before felt that I ought to have a balance control for my headphones. Not with these. It's as though I was, say, ten seats off center in a medium sized hall. Noticeable when I think about it but not intrusive. And that's blinking amazing!
I've read some comments that the bass is deficient but I don't find it so. I think we are all so used to what we used to call "boom and sizzle" speakers that we forget what un-enhanced or un-speaker-modified sound really is. These phones are almost scarily flat. If you listen to a 1960's recording you will immediately notice that everything below 50 Hz, the limit of broadcasting in those days, is gone-gone! If it means anything to you... these are like the very best B&W speakers tucked into a package the size of your thumb.
As to convenience... These will wad up into a smaller space than a pack of cigarettes. The cord is long enough for everything up to sprawling on a bed to watch DVD's on your laptop planted on a pillow between your knees.
Accoustic isolation... It will take some training to walk down the street with these plugged in. You are liable to walk into something or have something run into you. On airplanes you are able to make out the announcements but will probably want to pull one earplug to hear them. Offers of drinks go un-noticed if you are diverted and I've slept through most everything else one time or another. You will NOT, nothing will, deaden the basic vibration of flying but the rest is well and truly gone. Even with the SONY's I had half an hour after a Trans-Pac flight when my ears were recovering. No such problem any more.
There is a small glitch here. These headphones are so good at killing external sound that you will clearly notice any noise conducted by vibration through the cable. This, in itself, is a heck of a tribute to the job these do at keeping out noise. The manufacturer includes a little clip to hold the cable at rest on your chest. I find the cable long enough that I simply drape it over the back of my neck.
Care and feeding. These are not "no maintenance" units but it should be no problem. I've had mine several months now and have yet to detect any problem with earwax in the rubber pieces or on the replaceable filters on the end of the transducers. I have replaced the filters once to make sure I could do it and unless you have a large scale shake it will pose no problem. But I am (see ear trouble above) rather fussy about keeping my ears clean.
Last, and FAR from least, you need to get used to having something in... not outside of, not hanging off, IN... your ears. It doesn't bother me a bit but may bother you. On the other hand, these folks have received enough compliments on the design of their plugs that they now sell them alone without transducers. I am quite content with these rubber pieces. I've tried the foam plugs Etymotic provides but they (any foam plug for me) always tend to itch. I have attended any number of safety conferences and I think I have tried just about every design of industrial earplug. These are the most comfortable for me and, if not the best sound killers, indistinguishable from them. I exempt the over the ear compression units which are the way to go if you intend to stand 30 feet downwind from a 747 on takeoff.
Additionally.... As I said, I purchased mine online. [www.customearsets.com] They offered a deal involving making something that looks like a hearing-aid insert. This is a custom molded unit fit to your ear and allows you not to have to shove it in. You take the mold and they make the insert. The do-it-yourself instructions were clear and well written. But you must follow them EXACTLY. Knowing something about chemistry I wasn't tempted to do otherwise. Don't even think about fooling with their timetables or you will end up with a wad of hardening goo. Those units lose some volume and a good bit of sound deadening but may well suit you. It's worth a shot if you are concerned. I was more curious than concerned.
In sum: These units, and their companions, deserve to be recognized for what I believe them to be. They are as good as the basic technology of winding wires will ever get.
The ER4P MicroPro earphones are the next best thing to live music, with noise isolation far surpassing that of active noise-canceling earphones.More at PCNation
Noise isolation: 35-42 dB Maximum output: 122 dB SPL Weight: less than 1 oz. Response accuracy: 86% Frequency response: 50-10 kHz ± 2 dB; 20-16 kHz...More at Amazon
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.