Etymotic Research Inc. take much pride in the fact that they basically invented the in-ear earphone market. With the ER-4P, they extend their expertise in reference-quality earphones to the iPod and portable MP3 player market.
After using the Etymotic ER-4P earphones for a few weeks, I’m very impressed. Once snugly in your ear, the ER-4P become almost immediately invisible, in that you almost forget they are there. These earphones are super-light and with the excellent range of eartips included in the box, I found them to be extremely comfortable, encouraging the user to seal the eartips properly in the ear canal. This is critical, as it is fundamental in ensuring that the ER-4P are heard the way in which they were intended to. The refusal to sacrifice comfort in order to make these earphones all about appearing glitzy and stylish, is another major bonus for the ER-4P.
Using the 3-flange eartips to begin with, the ER-4P formed a perfectly tight seal, preventing leakage of precious audio details to the external environment. Etymotic claim that using the 3-flange eartips will provide the user with 35dB noise exclusion, and they don’t scrimp on them either - 3 pairs of 3-flange eartips are provided in the box. An added advantage to the 3-flange eartips is that they provide a decent alternative to the foam eartips in terms of isolation, which some users may not enjoy using due to the necessary hassle of having to constantly replace them. If that isn’t enough, Etymotic also generously provide 5 pairs of foam eartips which boast an impressive 42dB noise isolation.
When it comes to sound quality, it can be summed up quite nicely - the ER-4P reveal musical details that you never knew were present, which is no mean feat considering that these are single-driver earphones. The treble is reproduced faithfully, with stunning clarity, whilst the bass response is crisp, but not too punchy. This allows the ER-4P to bring every instrument to life, resulting in a very vibrant sound, but one which remains natural and not overly-stylised. Overall, this is what really makes the ER-4P stand out and, for me, what makes them the best earphone in their category.
Unfortunately, with such a high quality output, the ability to distinguish compressed audio artifacts becomes much easier with the ER-4P. Therefore, if you are intending on purchasing these, I would recommend ensuring that your digital audio files are encoded no less than 256 kbps, or more preferably, in a lossless format. Otherwise, the advantage of owning these earphones becomes much less obvious.
Another advantage of the ER-4P over other offerings, is that they basically double up as two pairs of earphones. Etymotic also produce the more accurate ER-4S, and, unlike the ER-4P, these are not specifically designed for portable use without a portable amplifier. With the ER-4P however, it is possible to purchase a short adapter cable which transforms these earphones into the more accurate ER-4S series, giving the user the best of both worlds.
The latest ER-4P model incorporates a twisted cord design, which significantly reduces the microphonic effect found in previous generations - that is, the amplification of noise from the cable rubbing against clothing. This was never a flaw isolated to the ER-4P series, but rather a common problem associated with in-ear-canal earphones. The ER-4P minimise this to an extent, and using the included shirt clip can help to ‘lock-down’ the cord, preventing them from rubbing against clothing.
It is difficult to criticise a product that is perfect in almost every way. However, the ER-4P do have some minor (read: very minor) caveats, such as: for users who have became accustomed to deep bass, it may take some time to fully appreciate these earphones, as this is not a feature they possess. In addition, with the latest design opting for a sleek jet black look, and discarding the different coloured earpieces, it is difficult to determine the right and left earpiece from one another in low light conditions.
In conclusion, it really is difficult to find much to complain about in Etymotic’s ER-4P earphones. Superb audio-handling, fantastic noise isolation and a very comfortable design results in an excellent overall package, which are well worth the expense. For the price, it is very difficult to find an alternative with the same audio clarity and performance. Taking all of this into account, the ER-4P get our highest rating:
Highly Recommended
I need some coffee.