Pros: Flattest frequency response, Incredible detail (nearly unattainable on headset headphones)
Cons: "Ewww, there's something in my ear!" factor, "insertion routine" needs initial getting used to.
The Bottom Line: Sound resolution like no other, isolation which only enhances that and a low price for the sound quality. In my experience, my favorite headphones so far.
gretax's Full Review: Etymotic Research ER-4S Consumer Headphones
Hello.
I feel it would be most fruitful to compare the Etys to some established hi-fi leaders in the headphone realm.
Audio-Technica ATH-W100: these are frequently heralded on headphone hi-fi sites as posessing near-Ety resolution of tone color and detail. In direct comparison, this is true. These are both very transparent headphones, but the Etys are smoother and more detailed.
I put on a Gladys Knight CD ("The Ultimate Collection") and flipped through the tracks. With the W100's, the sound was good and, overall, very Etymotic-like, but I felt there was something odd, something added or missing. In direct comparison with the Etymotics, the W100's delivered Gladys' voice in a little harder fashion. The W100's delivery was *just* on the wrong side of tolerability (it had this unpleasant, scratchy, un-alive feel to it...though it was slight, it was noticeable), while the Etys were very much on the right side of it. The Etys were smooth, detailed and put forth vocals with *life*, something that the W100's were not doing as well. I'd say if the Etys were a pleasing 100, the W100's were a less pleasing 94. That can be a big difference if you're an experienced (and picky) listener.
For another test between these two, I used Daft Punk's "Discovery." On this album, the W100s sounded great. They had nice bass slam, body and volume and their resolution of the synthesizer tone(s) were very good. However, the Etys resolved the synth tones substantially better, with even more detail. They give you a "listening to the synth right in the studio" feel, which is gratifying.
One important difference between the Etys and most other cans is that they are not going to deliver to you slamming bass on the side of your face or ear itself. You will, however, hear it with the same response in your ear canal. You need not be discouraged, because I've found that once you get used to it, it is absolutely no problem.
Another headphone that has perhaps been compared to Etys as better than Etys in resolution and detail are Stax electrostatic headphones (of which I have a pair and Stax amp at my disposal, the SRS-3030 Classic System II). The funny thing is that, while I've only had them for a week now, the Stax's are *not* "clearly better" than Etys and, so far, I'd even say that the Etys are better. Why? Because when you buy Ety's (and here I'll explain the title of this review), you get a ten-thousand dollar room, along with the sound of a twenty-thousand dollar hi-fi speaker system (minus the full-body bass), when you buy these. What I mean by this is the isolation that the Etys provide give them a clear, clear advantage over open-backed headphones such as Grados, Stax's or Sennheiser HD600's, all of which these headphones strongly rival.
Being a closed-back design (which traps bass and shoots it back at you), the ATHW100's had a more slamming bass that you could feel on your ears and a small portion of the side of your face, but once I adjusted to the particular sounds of each headphone, I didn't feel one was better than the other. Personally, I felt the Etys' clear and audible bass response did not interfere with some music like I felt the W100's, or many other headphones I've extensively used, such as the Sennheisers HD600's, had.
The W100s are very pleasingly transparent headphones, but if you can get over the "Ewww, there's something in my ear" factor (which, if you give it a few days of regular use, you will), you are going to get a more transparent sound, a more versatile sound and a sound with more organic life in it.
Compared to Grados (I've extensively used SR-80's, SR-125's, SR-225's and RS-1's), Etys have a far more refined sound, communicating more detail and affording more transparency. They do not have the treble-emphasized, sizzling and exciting sound, so if you primarily like rock, would prefer the "live concert" sound and don't care about an ultra-refined sound, go Grado.
Also, compared to Grados, the Ety's have the "isolation advantage" which does make a big difference (the refrigerator whining in the background, the air conditioner blowing, the TV playing in the background, the neighbors chattering, etc. all contribute to a reduced sound fidelity).
This can be, however, a blessing or a curse. If you live in a high-crime neighborhood (where you'd need to hear if someone was breaking into your house), or if you've got kids to actively watch or if you have a wife who nags who you *want* (or need) to hear or need to hear a distant phone, these are not going to do well by you. Your outside sound response will be greatly reduced.
On the other hand, if you are subject to the above, but able to set aside time for yourself and put the phone near you, where you'll be able to reduce your outside hearing response, you'll be rewarded with a very high-fidelity sound.
Compared to Sennheiser HD600's:
Sennheiser HD600's are widely recognized as having a "distant" perspective on the music. For instance, this would mean that while listening to classical, you have the "true" perspective of being out in the audience, as opposed to feeling like you're on-stage with the performers. As far as reality goes, the HD600 headphones capture the sound of the "actual" experience better, but do not give you an un-influenced picture of what's on your recording.
Etymotics will give you that intimate, close perspective, which I personally prefer. As far as perspective goes, Grados put you on the stage, Etys put you on the stage with a flatter, more pleasing response, the W100's put you in the audience but right next to the stage (only a few feet of distance) and the HD600's put you at least ten rows back.
Stax headphones, from what I've gathered so far in the week I've had them, give you a close perspective, but that perspective also seems distant in a way, because the overall sound lacks body and fullness. They are extremely detailed and, in fact, present another substantial level of refinement over Etys in terms of the resolution of the higher frequencies involved in instrument tone (harmonics), but this is at the expense of a lot of the body of instruments which give them a "real life" feel. The Etys are, however, close enough to the Stax's and retain most all instrumental and vocal body. This is a good thing and definitely to the credit of the Etys.
Compared to AKG K1000's, the Staxs are still in the "hard left/hard right" category that most headphones are in, while the K1000's offer a more speaker-like experience. The experience is different enough that I feel the comparison is not really relevant. However, as far as absolute sound quality, detail and resolution, the K1000's are very good, very close to the W100's in transparency, but they still lack those last few percentage points towards the transparency of the Etys.
Etymotic headphones are, in my rather wide high-end experience, excellent cans and certainly my favorite sound, offering a flat response with no real "spikes" in frequency response (i.e. no emphasized treble, no distracting bass humps, etc.) Despite their flimsy, small look, they deliver big, important sound. They do take getting used to, but if you are moderately persistent, you *will* get used to them and you will realize the excellence and refinement of the sound.
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