Reasons to Look Further:

• Not everyone will have the patience (and/or manual dexterity) needed to do trial-and-error testing with Phonak’s various acoustic filters, which are extremely tiny and a bit tricky to install. Hint: When in doubt, start out with Phonak’s “Black” filters, which we found the most accurate overall.

Etymotic Research ER4P

Reasons to Choose Them:

• A classic in its own time.
• Though it has been in production for many years, the ER4P was and continues to be a truly great, high-resolution in-ear headphone. Some would argue that the ER4P’s overall accuracy has never been surpassed.
• Remarkably well-balanced, dead-neutral voicing, with a sound that is open, transparent and clear.
• Features balanced armature-type drivers—a type thought by many to offer the highest overall levels of performance.
• Once properly fitted, noise isolation is excellent.
• Comes with numerous cool and genuinely useful accessories.

Reasons to Look Further:

• Though undeniably accurate, the sound of the ER4P can and does strike some listeners as being a bit analytical and “cold.”
• Typically, the ER4P sounds best when fitted with Etymotic’s signature triple-flange eartips, which require a deep-within-the-ear-canal fit for best results. But the fit and feel of these eartips is controversial, leading some to quip that you “don’t so much wear the ER4P’s as you ‘implant’ them.” But note: Etymotic does offer alternative eartips that may, for some, yield a more comfortable, easy-to-live-with fit.

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You can read the full reviews of these and other earphones in the Playback Guide to Earphones & Custom-Fit In-Ear Monitors. Download your FREE copy, here.

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