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Joe Bloggs=legendary Ety smasher (poll)

Poll Results: How durable do you find Etymotic BA-driver IEMs in general and the ER-4 series in particular?

 
  • 30% (4)
    1. Built like a tank, you can take them and drop them anywhere as far as I care
  • 46% (6)
    2. Above average--will take reasonable amounts of abuse, driver- and build-wise
  • 15% (2)
    3. Just so-so
  • 0% (0)
    4. Below average--be careful how you drive them, where you put them and how you handle them
  • 7% (1)
    5. The way they have been breaking down for me, you'd think they were made of glass, not plastic...
13 Total Votes  
post #1 of 6
12/22/11 at 8:19am
Thread Starter 

Man, I do believe this should earn me a new custom title.

 

I was on my fourth set of Etys by now.

 

Bought them in 2001.

 

First I broke a stem off trying to change foam tips.  Off to Etymotic they went.

 

Then I broke another stem the same way. (I don't even remember when these two incidents happened)

 

Finally having learned the correct way to change tips, I got another year or two of use out of them, until circa 2009, when one driver went dead.  It would eventually be diagnosed as possibly overdriven or dropped to distortion.  When and how I will never remember, since other things were on my mind and I ditched them until 2011 when I got them fixed.

 

This year I got them fixed, and lo and behold, they came back for not more than 3 months before a driver broke again.  This time the trouble started with an intermittent right bud, which I tried to fix by pulling out and reconnecting the cable.

 

The 3rd time I did this, the socket came off with the plug 2Q==

 

At this point I'm frankly incredulous at some people who applaud these Etys for their "bulletproof build", so I'm making this a poll:  what has been your experience with Etymotic BA-driver IEMs in general and the ER-4 series in particular? I mean in terms of durability--do you find them nigh bulletproof or more like they're built out of glass?  Somewhere in between?

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post #2 of 6
12/22/11 at 8:38am

The first time I put on and removed the Shure Olive tips on my HF5, I could tell the fit was very tight, so I forced myself to be patient, gently twisting the tip (to remove) while gently pulling, so I wouldn't snap the nozzle in half.  Patience rewarded me, but I also decided not to use the Olives on the HF5.  The Olives do fit the ER4 better, but I don't care for them enough to use them now, so I use the light-gray 3-flange rubber tips only now.

 

BTW, which foam tips are you referring to?  The Ety gray ones with the plastic core?  I do remember them being a bit tight -- I just put a little bit of spit on the sides of the ER4 nozzle to slide them on and off when I tried them once.

 

Not trying to offend, but if you keep breaking/snapping the ER4 nozzle, you are just probably being too rough with them.


Edited by kmhaynes - 12/22/11 at 8:41am
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post #3 of 6
12/22/11 at 9:09am
Thread Starter 

Yeah, the original stock foam tips.  After I broke them the second time I noticed that the replacement tips I ordered were easier to put on and off.  I also used to apply pressure when I tried to remove the tips, trying to gain more traction and prevent the foam from de-coring.  Then I wisened up to the fact that (a) applying pressure doesn't help me pull the tips off and may be the major factor in me breaking the tubes and (b) tips were a dime a dozen (well not exactly) while breaking the tube meant a $100+ return trip to Etymotic, so I just started pulling tips off with minimal pressure.  I never broke the tube after that but like I said,  I've accumulated another two breakages unrelated to the tube since then...

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post #4 of 6
12/22/11 at 10:59am

When I bought my ER4, I was very hesitant to spend nearly $200 for earphones, but haven't regretted it for a second.  I'm very careful with mine -- keep them in a pouch, and that in a small camera case with player and USB cable (in it's own pouch).  A friend of teenage son wanted to borrow them for a day to listen to them -- he thought I was very mean because I would only let him listen to them for about 5 minutes while I stood right there with him!

 

Just be sure to take them out only by grabbing the barrel, and not pulling on the cable -- the joint at the end of the barrel is the weakest link in the ER4.

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post #5 of 6
12/22/11 at 6:04pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by kmhaynes View Post

 

Just be sure to take them out only by grabbing the barrel, and not pulling on the cable -- the joint at the end of the barrel is the weakest link in the ER4.


 

That's exactly the joint that failed for me this time around.  So people are known to pull the socket off with the plug all the time?  Even when just taking the phones out of their ears? blink.gifblink.gifblink.gif

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post #6 of 6
12/22/11 at 8:38pm

I had my ER4S over ten years now. This little pair went through several deployments in the Army. I had many other iems during those years but this pair is the only one survived all those years. Since I have other iems, my ER4S get a rest once in awhile but still my pair is one tough iem. Sorry that your ety didn't last long for you.

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