Etymotic Research ER-4P vs Ultimate Ears Super.Fi 5 Pro : what to choose?

[marcnyc]

I am looking for a great AND accurate sounding pair of earphones that isolate sound well (so that I can listen to WAV files in the subway while on my iPhone) and that represent sound accurately (so that I can mix with them when I am on the road doing work on my PT laptop).

After a lot of reading and research I narrowed it down to these two pairs:
Etymotic Research ER-4P
Ultimate Ears Super.Fi 5 Pro

They are both in the $150-250 range and isolate about 25dB of external noise.

They get great reviews but I was wondering if there are any owners of them here or somebody that even tried them both and made a decision.
Your input would really be helpful because I am stuck in my decision making process...

Thanks a lot

[john caldwell]

Etymotic ER4 are excellent. The ER4 has become my preferred "headphone" during tracking, owing to dramatic isolation and neutral response. I can't compare the ER4 to the Ultimate Ears product, having used only Etymotic.

John-

[joeshambro]

for your budget, i would suggest the livewires:

Live Wires Custom Fit In-Ear Monitors / Headphones

custom fit for ultimate comfort & great sound quality.

[marcnyc]

Thanks a lot for your input John.
Do you use the ER4 P or S
Thank you

[NorseHorse]

I know a band director who recommended the Etymotic Musicians Earplugs (for noise reduction; they aren't monitors). I just emailed an audiologist about getting my own pair.

[hduncan]

Can in-ear monitors be used successfully for mixing?

[matthewd]

on this question of headphones for mixing, I wondered if people had seen the SPL phonitor which is a new 120V headphone monitor amp from sound performance lab which offers controls such as Crossfeed, Speaker Angle and Center Level. If like me you are having half your house knocked down at the moment and need to carry on working in your studio, I can recommend it.

Matt

[john caldwell]

ER4-P, sorry. Very neutral & detailed.

[rghose]

Haven't heard the Ultimate Ears but I love my Etymotics (ER4P). I've had them for over two years and they're invaluable to me for the work I do. I can highly recommend them. But be aware of microphonics...some people are really bothered by it in the ER4P's. I got used to it after a week.

[eligit]

my er4 plus shooters ear muffs are the ultimate combination of isolation and clarity.

i actually forget whether they are s or p.....they are the more neutral of the two....whichever one that is is the one i got.

and my recent customer service/repair experience with them was amazingly positive.

it is TRUE that some people really cannot deal with the noise that occurs when the cable rubs against your shirt...but for me my brain cancels it right out and it does not disrupt my work at all.

the only downside is that they are SO clear sounding that your monitors will sound dull by comparison....so be careful with any quick switches when judging mixes.

[marcnyc]

Thanks for the great feedback... I guess i'll be leaning towards the Etymotics... I am gonna try and see if the store lets me buy both so I can listen to them and return the one I like less...
Interesting about the microphonics, I didn't know that...
as for speakers, I have really good ones, since I work in a pro studio, so I am sure they'll hold up to the earbuds ;-)
now I just need to find a friggin Griffin SmartTalk to go with the Etymotics i'll be buying so I can use them with my iPhone

[marcnyc]

I wanted to let everyone know that I ended up buying both pairs so that I could make the judgment myself.
I compared the ER-P4 to the Super.Fi 5 PRO to my Grado SR-225 headphones.
It's a little hard to make these decisions when you have to take them out and put them in every time (I wish it was as easy as with speakers where you can just flip a switch).

After listening to some things I know very well I must say that the ER-P4 seem a little more realistic and accurate in the low while the Super.Fi 5 PRO make for a, maybe, more "enjoyable" listening experience.
Even though the UE come in a regular version and an extended bass version, the regular version I bought seems to actually be pretty excited in the low end already, at least when compared to the ER-P4, which sounds more neutral and precise in that area.

The UE has a little hotter output level, but I am not letting that influence my decision, I just noticed it.
Also not part of my decision making criterias is the fact that the UE look a lot better esthetically.

I think the UE come off a little better in the high end, where the ER-4P are slightly darker.

The winner for clarity in all frequencies is undoubtedly my Grado pair, but that was just my comparison benchmark headphone (which I already own) and I am looking to buy some earplugs, not headphones.

I think both earplugs are excellent and I think that if I could afford it, the more expensive UE models would probably be the way to go...

While the ER-4P is the top of the line for Etymotics, the Super.Fi are merely a mid-range product in the Ultimate Ears product line. I didn't get a chance to listen to their high end model and I am sure it would blow the Etymotics away, but I am not willing to spend $1k on earbuds just yet.

I think the UE are a little more comfortable to wear, although I am not sure I like having to have the cable go above and around the ear.

These UE are definitely more "exciting" headphones while these Etymotics are probably more "analytical". I am caught in the middle and the decision is not easy.

I am thinking at this point I should also give the Shure SE210 or SE310 a try before I decide...

[rghose]

Originally Posted by marcnyc

These UE are definitely more "exciting" headphones while these Etymotics are probably more "analytical".

That's why I ended up with the Etymotics. They don't flatter the mix. But a good mix will sound great on them. I tried a pair of Shure's once (can't remember the model). I could see why people would think they were more exciting but they had nothing to do with how my mixes sounded.

As far as the low end goes, make sure you have a good seal. If the seal isn't good, you'll lose low end. For me, I ended up having to cut the tip of the white flanges to make them fit better in my ears (I have small ear canals). So, they basically went from being a 3-flange to a 2-flange.

[HudHudson]

I really like the ERs when I'm sussing out what a mix will sound like on an iPod or similar MP3 player.

[marcnyc]

I went back to a store and also gave a try to the Shure SE210 and SE310 but I still think they don't sound natural and analytical enough.

The Etymotics have the issue of microphonics, which the UE seem not to have...

I think I like the Etymotics better sound wise but the UE definitely have better design and construction.

[Fearless1]

I bought the Shure SE310 - Sound was so-so and never was quite comfortable, but built quite well.
I had a pair of ER-4's and they fell apart. Actually, a drummer caught the cable on a drum lug and yanked out the cable. I think the build quality is cheap.
I bought the Super.Fi 5 Pro, which is the same as the M-Audio version, but it didn't really capture bass accurately.
I ended up paying a little extra and got the Triple.Fi. The sound is impeccable, and the build quality is more on par with Shure. I highly recommend that you buy the Triple.Fi Pro- it's the one with the three transducers - tweeter, mid, and woofer.
It's like night and day compared with the cheaper ones.
I also think that the UE's have the most comfortable fit.
I bought mine on eBay for $225, The UE site sells them for $399.
Since the Super.Fi 5, goes for $150 on eBay, $75 more is well worth it to get the Triple.Fi Pro.