Etymotic Research ER4P MicroPro Noise-Isolating In-Ear Earphones (Discontinued by Manufacturer)

I loved these headphones but after a little over two years they are broken. This is the 5th or so pair of various Etymotic headphones I have gone through in about 10 years. I always kept these in a case and they still went faulty at the area near where the headphones split into each ear (thick black part). When I jiggle that spot the sound goes in and out in each ear as if it’s loose.Any ideas how to fix? It’s so disappointing to love a headphone so much but always have them fail after the warranty expires. Etymotic used to give discounts on replacements but I don’t know what to do when ordering on Amazon. It feels like a $200+ headphone should last longer than 2 years.

I've been using Etymotic ER4SR for several years. I very much enjoy the sound quality, noise cancelling effect. Having said that, I've had 3 pair, including the ER4XR, ERP4. To date the cable on everyone of these earbuds have failed. They are only designed to be used at your desk. The cable is just to fragile to use for workouts. Additionally, the SR, XR models do offer a replacement cable at the cost of $50. This is the reason for 4 stars. As a result, I've recently switched to HeadSound H5 bluetooth wireless earbuds to good effect for anything that requires lots of head movement, such as workouts, gardening. The sound quality of these wireless earbuds is surprisingly good, although the bass is slightly boomy. Plus, they don't cost much more than the cord replacement for my Etymotic Research corded earbuds.The Ety on ear buds are my preferred cans for both active as well as critical listening. Especially while traveling on an airplane. The manage to cut out 85% of periferral noise. This the main reason they the preferred cans for workouts at the gym, which usually play their music too loud.

Background-This will be my second set of MicroPro's. My first set, lasted me around 6-7 years until they fell out of my pocket on a crowded night downtown, and were lost. I was devastated, and really couldn't bear the idea of spending the money again, because I really considered them an investment. But, after a couple months of using some Klipsch Image S4-II's and Kilpsch R6's, which were just sort of kick-around pairs, I decided I absolutely needed to have the Ety's back. I'm not an audiophile, but I do know a fair bit about good sound.Review-I'll start by addressing a few things I have seen frequently in other reviews:---"Flat" or uninteresting sound"---I "know" what people mean when they say this. These do have a "cool", and perhaps a slight, but not overt, "brightness" to them. The thing is, the detailed resolution that the ER4P's have makes it impossible for me to go to any of the more "warm" or "colorful" (mostly cheaper) earphones I've tried. It may take some getting used to, but I think anyone who purchases these who has a similar background as myself, and wants REALLY good sound, high isolation, and wants to drive them very frequently direct with only an iPhone, Macbook, or iPad, will come to love these. I can see how "audiophiles", musicians, studio engineers, etc, may prefer different or more expensive options, but these are really great earphones for $300--so much so that I have bought them twice at around that price.---"Lack of bass"---Yes, compared to perhaps 80% of consumer-oriented earphones (especially cheaper ones like Klipsch and Bose), the bass on the ER4P's will seem underwhelming. However, the bass that is there, is tight and accurate, with absolutely no boominess. I really have become accustomed to the sound signature of ER4P's and find that I don't miss the exaggerated bass that most ear/headphones have. Additionally, it must be said that there will be absolutely NO bass audible whatsoever if the wearer isn't truly getting an adequate seal, and placing the phones deep enough in the ear canal.---"Cables transmit a lot of microphonic noise"---This is also true. They do, plain and simple. For me, using the provided clip to attach the plastic "barrel" (where the cord separates into individual L/R cables" is a must. I always clip this barrel to my shirt or collar, to "lift" the portion of the cable closest to the ears, and relieve it of any tension or it's own weight. That being said, honestly I run long distances with these in all the time.---"Poor build quality, breaks easily"---Like I said, my first set still worked fine until I lost them. I did have the cable replaced for free once under warranty, and I think the replacement cable (the current design with the red/blue dot), is better than the original (which had red/blue plastic where it connects to the can). I take good care of them in general, however, and am very careful never to tug or place strain anywhere on them. I also wind them neatly and carefully each time when I am done with them, and never "ball them up" or cram them in pockets. If you don't plan on being able to handle these with at least a reasonable degree of care, then they aren't for you. They aren't designed to be used in a gym or during active use; more like for when sitting still in a room. But I use them all the time, and love them.

These have replaced my Shure 215s. The Shures never sealed quite right, even with Comply tips. The sound of the Shures was gutted; bass was scooped out, and highs were subdued, with everything crammed into midrange. The Shures were uncomfortable after 30-45 minutes.I've owned all kinds of $100-300 headphones, including Beyer-Dynamic, Sennheiser, Sony, Pioneer...The Etys have flat sound, but it's consistent across the spectrum. Bass is phenomenal, not muddy or overly emphasized. Highs are airy, similar to DT990s. The soundstage is incredible for a single balanced armature IEM, and especially for this price point.Make sure to use the flanged tips, insert them until you get a vacuum seal, and perhaps wet the tips to help them seal. Once sealed, you cannot hear a conversation happening a few feet away. It is like watching TV with the sound totally muted. I no longer need to blast my headphones to block out noise at the office. These IEMs pull double duty as both earplugs and headphones.Only downside is that the microphonics are very bad. You will not be running with these. However, using the lapel clip and looping the cables over your ears will get rid of 99% of the microphonic noises while sitting down. Easy issue to ignore when you get such amazing sound and performance for the price.I should have bought these years ago.

This is my third Etymotic product, following the 6i (now sadly discontinued) and ER4-PT models. I was using the 6i's for my Walkman and the ER4's - with a gizmo to convert them to ER4-S - for home listening. After the 6i's eventually lost a channel after 7 years' continuous use, I decided to pass on the ER4-PT's (without the gizmo) to the Walkman, and invest in ER4-S. Very pleased to find immediate purity of sound, without all the usual run-in procedure - if they get any better after run-in, that will be Nirvana! The music is so beautifully reproduced I can only endorse the makers' claim, "The next best thing to live sound." The ER4-S have an accuracy claim of 92%, so far undisputed: no other earphones make any such assertion. Such accuracy is not to everybody's taste, however, and often meets with luke-warm tributes such as "neutral", "clinical" and "analytical" - or more damningly, no bass! There are some who require more enhancement to their listening, but for sure accuracy of sound, you won't find any better than this. (As for the bass, if the ear-pieces are securely fitted into the ear-canal, you will hear genuine unbeefed-up bass, nothing artificial). I am very surprised that this product hasn't been given a review since 2011, and that there has been only one so far. This product is admittedly an old design, but it is first rate and has yet to be improved upon. Getting near £200 may seem a high price to pay for such a titchy looking object, but believe me, it is value for money, and you would have to pay a helluva lot more for anything better. Final note - as the previous reviewer notes - they need a lot of driving and are unsuitable for small devices such as iPhones, iPod and Walkman. For those, choose the ER4-PTS. Less accurate, but more output.

As a musician,audiophile and absolute lover of music I feel it very important for anyone considering purchasing these headphones to have the prior guarantee that these are quite simply breathtaking!!!! I have in the past purchased so many iems from sennheiser, shure,ultimate ears triple 10s,klipsch all top end models costing a fortune,and sometimes got close to what I felt was that sonic nirvana, but these are by far in my opinion the best set I now own.Even out of the box first time you get that wow factor , these are a serious set of phones they sound absolutely superb. the first thing to say is that the sound of these is only as good as the source material im afraid, garbage in garbage out!!! but all this means is that if you are using an ipod make sure youve downloaded at high bit rates or apple lossless. I only use mine with an ipod and the sound that can be obtained is simply stunning, but I also suggest that you . use a headphone amplifier either the e11 or the new e12 (check out mine and others reviews) soundstage is spacious and the separation of each piece of instrumentation is amazing(these headphones are remarkably accurate in this respect).I can honestly say that this is the first time that ive really felt wow!! the realism that these create is superb.Bass is woderfully presented in a perfectly accurate way its punchy and crisp and if the recording produced thunderous bass then thats what youll get. Midrange is amazing ( particularly listen to a recording which includes cello and they will demonstrate this beautifully, and the clarity that the top end produces is so detailed, no wonder sound engineers use these I can hear why.these have made my whole listening experience so much more enjoyable.Oddly enough the phones had the small earpieces on I put them in and first time fit perfect and are comfortable over extended times. I have to say when you first get them out its apparent that they dont look very expensive, but to me im buying them for their sonic abilities, and other reviewers say that theyve owned them for years with no problem, most also report great customer service from Etymotic what more can you ask for? im so very happy with these they are brilliant and worth every penny of the 180 pounds that I paid for them. I promise that you can buy these with full confidence they are absolutely superb well done etymotic!!!!! and by the way I dont work for them!!! happy purchasing!!!

This is now my 3rd pair of these earphones. The design has not changed for many years. I purchased my first set back in 2006. They died in 2010, on to the 2nd set, then, my 3rd were bought at the end of 2014. 4 years may not seem like a long time, but I use these for 2 hours a day, 5 days a week sometimes more on the tube. That is a lot of winding and unwinding the cable.Couple of tips:1. Ware the shirt clip, it ensures less noise when the wires rub against your collar etc. This isn't a design fault of the product, twires are just unfortunately good conductors of sound.2. Use the little pouch case that comes with them to store, they fold down very small.3. Ensure you hav the correct ear plug. There are lots of different options in the box, but if none of them work you might consider getting custom made ear molds which I had for a few years since i use them so much. Should go without saying that the best ear plug is one that blocks as much outside noise as possible.A great buy, very useful if you're in a noisey place and want good quality sound.

Like many, I have owned a wide range of IEMs over the years ranging from £20 to £200+. Without question, the best pair for pure sound quality were my Etymotic HF3's thought I bought about 3 years ago. Sadly, after regular usage the 3.5mm connector died on me and I felt I would find an alternative high end pair by other reputable companies including Sennheiser ie8's, Final Audio Heaven IV's and RHA's 750's. All of these are excellent in ears offering stella quality audio. Sadly, they all suffered from the same minor flaw - noise isolation.Nothing quite gets to eliminating ambient noise quite like the Ety's - unless you go custom. So I finally gave in and decided to go for the ER4-PT's and now I wish I'd done it as soon as my HF3's died. Isolation is incredible (be aware that you need to get the right choice of buds fitted, and most importantly, don't mind an IEM that goes so deep in your ear canal that it almost touches your brain!). But once you get past these to speed bumps, then Wow! the sound is amazing, and yes, the bass is very much there.Like many before, the sound is very accurate, detailed and neutral. The sound stage is very impressive too. Pretty wide, and certainly improved by the clarity of individual instruments. Audio quality of your music will be laid bare, so try to keep your files at a decent quality level - these things will reveal flaws. In terms of cable noise, I found using the supplied clip made the microphonics very low if not non-existent.All in, the ER4's are not cheap, not particularly pretty, and for some, take time to get comfortable. But, if you're after some of the best noise isolating and sound quality in-ears, then these should be on your wish list. I can see why they haven't needed to be changed much in 20 years.

THis is a replacement for my original set that unfortunately dropped into a cup of coffee, this is only second pair in 10 years and if it wasn't for the unfortunate incident with the coffee then I would have still had the first set I love them. Hopefully this one will last as long as the other one. The do not carry major bass but I am not a huge fan of bass. And the sound is excellent they needed a while to settle in but overall very pleased with them.Since I discovered Etymotic I haven't looked back all my Mobile headsets and the headphone set I have is Etymotic I work in a noisy environment and suffer from tinnitus and I appreciate the noise Isolation I get from them.