But anyway. Enough babbling. Are they any good?

They are quite simply superb. Listening to music on these reveals parts of songs that you were never previously aware existed. This is aided by the fact that because of the design of the earpieces they literally cut out all background noise, and are actually more effective at this then even special noise reduction headphones (like the BOSEs) that are specifically designed for the task. And because you are not constantly combatting extraneous background noise it means that you can have the volume at a lower level, and so they are kinder to your hearing as well.

But the most important thing is the sound. And what a sound it is. The difference between these headphones and any others I have ever tried is like the difference between night and day. There is simply no comparison. Etymotic 4Ps are a symphony of sound. The rest are some guy whistling a tune in a crowded bar. 4Ps are passion, venice, strawberry ice cream, climbing Mount Everest. The others are cold weather and raw cabbage. I myself am frankly amazed at how much I like them. I bought them safe in the knowledge that this was quite possibly the stupidest, most irresponsible purchase I had made in quite some considerable time; but that "Hey what the heck, I hadn't done anything as unfathomably dumb in quite some time and so it was probably about time I did". And I can honestly say that they have made a believer out of me. I almost feel religious about them. They look nothing at all. But because within each ear there is literally a fully-working speaker they produce a large sound that is like hot-wiring the music into your brain.

It is the sense of tranquility and isolation that is especially noticeable when travelling on the train; and everyone around is nattering away and I can't hear a thing other then the music. And also there is no sense of bothering other people with loud music that "leaks" from normal headphones, because you can crank the music to full tilt and no-one can hear a thing. So these are also fine in libraries, or anywhere else where total silence is the order of the day.

If I lost them tomorrow I would endevour to replace them immediately, because after about 10 months of constant use I can honestly say I find them indispensable. My advice is to go get yourself a pair and hear the difference for yourself. If you like music, travel on a train or plane and want to experience the best from your tunes they are simply a must.

Copyright - Stuart Brown