Etymotic ER4

[DonB]

Does anyone here use ER4 in the helmet? Any comments welcome...

[smiller]

Excellent product, but they stick out so much from your ears that I don't see how they could be practically/safely used under a helmet. For that purpose I would suggest the Etymotic ER6i which have the same isolation, nearly as good audio fidelity, and do fit well under a helmet.

[alanz]

I use Etymotic ER-4P for serious listening (through a Xin headphone amp), but they do not fit under my helmet.

 

I use custom molded units when riding.

I use Etymotic ER-6i when on airplanes or in the gym.

 

The ER-6i is a wonderful choice for under the helmet use, and you can get very good buys on them online (e.g., www.buy.com often has them on sale for half price)

[bakerzdosen]

Yeah, I do.

 

I own some er-4p's, er6i's, and an er-22. I've logged maybe 12k miles with my er-4p's under my RX-7 helmet (and probably 100k+ in airplanes). A couple of things:

 

I love the headphones. I'm sure there are better ones out there, but in the sub-$200 range, these are hard to beat. They've saved my bacon on many a flight with screaming children next to me.

 

They do stick out a bit farther than I like. I have to ride with the rubber (white) tips. If I ride with the foamie tips (black), I literally have to take the phones out of my ears prior to removing my helmet. (Think about how not easy that is...) However, it's doable and they have never hurt my ears.

 

After a couple of 12 hour days, my ears would hurt from the white tips.

 

My two bad experiences: In the McD's parking lot in Delta, UT, using the white tips, (which were probably 4 years old) I pulled the plugs out, only one of the tips stayed in my ear. I musta looked some kind of odd with my Leatherman sticking in my ear trying to remove an earplug tip.

 

I also rode two blocks from a food joint to a gas station with the phones just dangling out of the top of my jacket. Somehow, in that time, I tugged on the plug enough that it developed a short. They were maybe 4.5 years old. I sent them back to Ety for repair and they sent me a brand new pair for $50. Good customer service IMHO.

 

With all that said, I now own some er6i's as well - almost exclusively for bike duty. They work nearly as well, but are more comfy under the helmet. I'll let my S.O. use the er6i's when on the bike and I'll use the er-4p's as I don't plan on doing any SS1k's with her.

 

I'm also not as attached to them so if I do rip one off the wires, I won't feel as bad as they're a lot less expensive too.

[Billme]

I started with the ER4Ps but they do stick out further and the rubbing from the helmet padding would make my ears sore after riding awhile. I got the ER6i when it came out and they don't contact the padding so they are much more comfortable.

 

I typically plug directly into my XM receiver with the line out level set to the lowest level. If listening to the iPod I use the Xin amplifier, makes a big difference in sound quality. The only downside to the ER6i is the cord is a much smaller diameter than on the 4Ps so it appears more vulnerable.

 

I stuck a small piece of Velcro to the gas cap and another to the clip on the cord to keep the cord from flying around when plugged into the XM receiver.

[DonB]

Thanks for the info. Looks like I may have a go on the ER6.

[smiller]

Thanks for the info. Looks like I may have a go on the ER6.

Note the the ER6 and ER6i are two different models. The ER6i is probably best for this application.