I have the ER-4S version of these ear phones and I have loved them from the first time I used them. To put it simply, they sound great. The only difference between the 4S and the 4P are the 4P are designed to be easier to drive by portable devices like the PSP. You can get these for well under the M.S.R.P. Of $333. I purchased mine for under $200.
The sound quality of these is almost unsurpassed, especially in something this tiny. I have heard better, but those were huge, came with their own amplifier, and cost more than my car. I decided not to buy them. These 'phones have fantastic sound clarity. Highs, mids, and lows come through so cleanly. Many headphones do the highs or the bass too much and the mids are lost in the background. You will really like how these Etymotic earphones sound. You won't be doing much critical listening while gaming or watching movies on the PSP, but you can definitely hear a difference with these as opposed to other head phones. If your music files are encoded at a high bit rate, you will really appreciate how nice these sound. You might want to do some test listening and comparisons when you first get them. After all, different people have different levels of hearing. If you can't really hear how nice these sound, or you just don't appreciate what they can do, return them. But I think most people who try them will love them.
I have heard and read of many people fearing hearing damage with this type of headphone. Some people think that because you stick them in your ears you risk damaging your hearing. I use these at much lower volumes than other types because they isolate most of the outside noise around you. Just as you would not (hopefully) crank up a stereo while inside a quiet, sealed room, you don't need to turn these up loud either. You can damage your hearing with any kind of speaker of headphone if you use them improperly, and these are no exception, but since these sound so very much better than most, you keep the volume down to a reasonable level and can safely enjoy years happy listening.
I have only two issues with these. One is that the cable is very microphonic. That means that if the cable is rubbing around on your clothes or something, you can hear that in the phones. It's not terrible, and they come with a clip to keep the cable attached to your shirt, but it is there. You most likely won't be moving around too much with these anyway.
And that is my other problem with them. One of the best features of these is that they isolate most outside noise. That makes them great to use on a train or jet or bus. If you are sitting in a loud room somewhere they block out all of that noise. But you do NOT want to be using these if you are moving about in a crowded area or outside running around. If you can't hear what's going on around you in those situations you could get hurt. You don't really appreciate all of the auditory queues we use every day until suddenly they are gone. Since the PSP has no moving parts it is great to use while exercising, but I would recommend a different, open ear bud for that.
Overall, the ER-4P/S are wonderful ear phones. If you can afford them and can hear a difference, do yourself a favor and pick up a set.
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