MusicRadar Verdict
Superb bass and bright highs from Etymonic's latest offering.
Pros
- +
Great bass.
Cons
- -
Uncomfortable for some.
MusicRadar's got your back
Etymotic's famous 'Christmas tree' earplugs slide snugly into the ear canal and, once pushed into place, deliver some of the best bass you can buy in-ear.
The process isn't exactly instant, or particularly comfortable for some, but the moment they're 'right' and the bass appears from nowhere it's a revelation. And their ability to isolate and cut out the outside world is second to none.
Most popular are their hf3 'iPhone' option which feature an in-line mic and buttons. This new ER-4 is altogether more serious with a very long, very sturdy, twisted cable and a new flatter reference grade response that makes mixing in-ears a reality.
Highs are super bright and crisp with mid and low far less scooped than the bass-friendly hf3. This means a less 'exciting' but far more trustworthy soundstage for those that require reference grade in a tiny, sleek and serious package.
Daniel Griffiths is a veteran journalist who has worked on some of the biggest entertainment, tech and home brands in the world. He's interviewed countless big names, and covered countless new releases in the fields of music, videogames, movies, tech, gadgets, home improvement, self build, interiors and garden design. He’s the ex-Editor of Future Music and ex-Group Editor-in-Chief of Electronic Musician, Guitarist, Guitar World, Computer Music and more. He renovates property and writes for MusicRadar.com.
“A synthesizer that is both easy to use and fun to play whilst maintaining a decent degree of programming depth and flexibility”: PWM Mantis review
“I feel like that song had everything we needed to come back with”: Bring Me The Horizon’s Lee Malia on Shadow Moses, its riff and the secrets behind its tone, and why it was the right anthem at the right time
“I said, ‘Are we sure we can write a song about death?’”: The story of Mike + The Mechanics' classic No.1 The Living Years