It doesn’t matter if you’ve a superior MP3 player or an audio device if you can’t take advantage of the quality sound with a pair of decent earphones. The distinctively advanced earphones from Shure, Etymotic and other manufacturers target audiophiles and professional musicians with their ultra expensive products that do actually work, but you can expect to pay quite a bit depending upon the model you opt for. Etymotic’s ER-4 MicroPro earphones are an addition to its line of high-end earphones.

According to Etymotic, the ER-4 are designed and targeted at audiophiles, performing musicians and recording engineers that require definitive precision in sound as part of their professions. The ER-4 features natural sound canceling technology to obstruct excess noise while you are listening to music or working with other audio applications. Since the earpieces insert so well inside the ear, they tend to not only block intemperance sound, but it also allows you to listen at low volume levels, thereby protecting your eardrums from high vibrations.

Similar to Shure’s offerings, you’ll also get black foam eartips, a shirt clip, a stereo phone adapter plug, a filter changing tool and filters for their designated purposes. The average price of the ER-4 MicroPro earphones is around $200.00.

Initial Thoughts: There’s practically little difference between Shure and Etymotic’s earphones in terms of specifications. What you’ll notice is that once you desire ultra high-end earphones, the architectural enhancements have nearly topped out at an early level, and you are left with limited improvements as you go up the price ladder (in other words, the value drops considerably as you amplify the price tag). The natural sound isolating technology in addition to a comfortable fit (confirmed from previously tested Etymotic earphones) sounds exceptionally attractive. Etymotic has known for its quality earphones throughout its existence, so hopefully the ER-4 won’t prove to be disappointing, especially at a $200.00 price mark.

The price is indefinitely steep, but it’s fairly standard for high-end earphones. The earphones we initially "First Look" also had similar price tags. In fact, Shure’s E5c ended up costing around $500.00, so in that regard Etymotic’s ER-4 MicroPro is pretty affordable.