[51days]

Enjoying my ER2XR since 2 years now. Underrated pair of IEM imo.

 

[OspreyAndy]

Enjoying my ER2XR since 2 years now. Underrated pair of IEM imo.

ER2XR is non extravagant by nature. But assuredly it has gained momentum of loyal users - me included, for the balanced experience it offers - I use my ER2XR especially when I need to gain more mileage listening to peaky sounding Black Metal or Shoegazing tracks (which can be piercing on my ER4SR)

 

[morefilling]

The bestselling model

So even when its in stock, Adorama doesn't discount it like they do the other Etymotic models?

 

[Zachik]

Etymotic EVO world tour is launching - see details:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/etymotic-evo-world-tour.957666/

 

[earmonger]

If you could return them - I would encourage you to try them!
Among MY Etymotic collection (ER3SE, ER3XR, ER4SR, MK5) - the ER3XR are my favorites. Not surprising, since I love bass!!
The ER3SE and ER4SR have better / more details (or the illusion of such) and better separation and air between instruments, but I just prefer more bass personally
ER2SE and/or ER2XR will be auditioned, too. Probably next month...

ER3XR dropped to $69 and I gave in. I hate Head-fi!

No I don't.

I am using Dekoni Bulletz foam tips and maybe it is new-toy syndrome, but I am thoroughly enjoying the clarity and timbre and heft of these. The bass doesn't smother everything else but, no matter what people say about Etys, it is definitely there.

If it can clarify this kind of murk, it's pretty impressive. (Black Midi: "John L")


Here's the deal (shipping brings it up to $80), and I don't think you'd regret it.
https://www.adorama.com/etyer3xr.html?emailprice=t

 

[Zachik]

@earmonger - I am now working on auditioning the HF3 headset. Busy listening and taking notes (hope to finish and publish here in a day or two...).
ER3XR are still my personal favorites Plan on getting the ER2XR and see how the dynamic driver there compare to the BA in the ER3XR!

 

[Zachik]

Etymotic HF3 headset - impressions:

What’s on the plate for today? Etymotic HF3 headset, priced at $79.95.
Can this be the ideal WFH (Work From Home) and Back-to-the-office accessory? Read on to find out...

Package and accessories:
The HF3 headset come along with:

• Fixed 4ft (1.2m) cable with inline remote and microphone, terminated in 3.5mm plug
• Eartips: 2 silicone pairs (1 pre-installed) and 1 pair of foam tips
• Filter removal tool and 2 spare filters
• Zippered case
• Shirt clip
• Paper manual

The cable looks and feels like the MK5 cable, other than the addition of inline remote and mic.
It is quite microphonic, but attaching it to your shirt with the included clip can help. Pulling up the chin slider helps, too.

Sources used:
In testing out the HF3, I used my Windows 10 Dell XPS laptop and my Samsung S10e phone as sources. In both cases, no additional DAC / Amp used, but rather connecting the HF3 directly to the 2 source devices.

Build Quality, Fit and Comfort:
The HF3 looks and feel just like the MK5, which is a step down from the ER4/ER3/ER2 IEMs.
Just like the MK5, the cable is fixed and the IEM shells are made of plastic.
The fit in the ears is the same for them all (ER2, ER3, ER4, MK5 and HF3). So, if you have no issues with the deep insertion – you’re good to go.

Sound impressions:
The way I see it – the HF3 being a headset (as opposed to earbuds) due to inline mic, should be tested mostly as a headset. In order to address its performance for music, I will just say that to my ears – resolution / detail retrieval is on par with the MK5 (and a step down from the ER3SE / ER3XR).
OK, now that we got the music performance aspect out of the way – how does it perform as a headset? This is a very timely question. Whether you work from home (WFH) or getting back to work from the office – you need a solution for Zoom (or “traditional”) calls… The HF3 work really well for that use case! The HF3 headset has impedance of 16 ohm and sensitivity of 105 dB (1 kHz) at 100mV. What does that mean? HF3 is super easy to drive! No need for any amp. Just plug directly to your phone (if it still has headphone jack) or laptop, and you are good to go.

The HF3 shines at the vocal / speech region of the audio range. I tested by listening to podcasts (both on my computer and phone), and participating in phone calls and Zoom calls. I was told (when comparing back and forth) that the HF3 microphone was comparable to the Samsung S10e built-in microphone. For me, the speech from the podcasts and phone / Zoom calls was significantly easier to understand. Very crisp and clear vocals. Add to that the amazing passive isolation – and you got yourself a winner here! The screaming kids outside – gone! The TV running in the other room – silenced. Those who never used Etymotic IEMs before are in for a treat when it comes to passive noise isolation

Couple small potential caveats:

• When I spoke, I could not hear myself. That is a very strange feeling! Possibly, I can get used to speaking without hearing myself. My solution was to just pull one IEM out when speaking, and insert it back once done talking…
• As mentioned before, the HF3 is very easy to drive due to its sensitivity. The downside of that: if your source is a little noisy – you WILL hear the noise floor. That was my case with the Dell laptop. Mind you it is not a big deal, and only noticeable during times that nobody was speaking on my calls. Once someone speaks – you will not notice the noise floor any longer.

Conclusions:

• For music: a step down from ER3SE & ER3XR. If you do not need the inline mic – I would strongly recommend the ER3SE or ER3XR instead, for roughly the same price!
• Podcasts & audiobooks: on par with the MK5, and great for that usage.
• Zoom calls: great fit. The speech is super clear, inline mic is good, and totally block the noise from colleagues in the office or your kids / TV / house noises if you WFH.

In summary, this is the perfect WFH and return-to-the-office accessory!

 

[blse59]

One year in and the ER4SR is, to me, the best earphones I'll ever use. I don't need anything more than this. It's pretty close to perfect. I use it for everything audio. Flat sound reproduction means flat sound reproduction which is what I believe a lot of people want but they don't know how to articulate it.

 

[CK Moustache]

One year in and the ER4SR is, to me, the best earphones I'll ever use. I don't need anything more than this. It's pretty close to perfect. I use it for everything audio. Flat sound reproduction means flat sound reproduction which is what I believe a lot of people want but they don't know how to articulate it.

Congratulations. If I had discovered the ER-4S much earlier, they might have stopped me from going "all in" into the headphones hobby, but unfortunately when I finally bought them, I had already more than 100 headphones and IEMs in my collection. They'd also made the purchase of my Ultimate Ears Reference Monitors that I got just a little before the Ety redundant, since ultimately the ER-4S are closer to my perception of sterile, uncoloured flat neutral than the UERM, and to be honest I rarely really need the extra transparency and control that the UE have as a bonus (in fact I also prefer my ER-4S and the ER4SR over my InEar ProPhile 8 simply because their flat neutral tuning appeals more to me than the PP8s' natural neutral approach to tonality, although there are scenarios like really dense, fast and complex arrangements where the PP8s' extra transparency, speed and control are a nice bonus, but honestly my ER-4S' technical performance is more than just "sufficient" for me for actual critical music listening).

As I see that you also have the Sennheiser HD 600, and as I assume that you also really like them, I'd recommend to also try the MrSpeakers AEON Flow Closed. While they are more relaxed in the upper mids, they are overall also tuned for a fairly neutral tonality (with a bit of added sub-bass boost that does however not appear artificial/out of place, and is a nice upgrade/alternative compared to the HD 600s' gradually rolled-off low-end); to keep it short, they sort of replaced my HD 600 that were previously my favourite full-sized headphones for CD listening.

 

[Zachik]

I had already more than 100 headphones and IEMs in my collection.

Thank you for that - I now feel a little more sane...

 

[Sunstealer]

Just ordered a custom 8 wire silver cable with Etymotic connectors for my ER2XR. Will report back when I get it.

I have used this vendor before for 4.4mm interconnects and their communication and advice is excellent.

 

[OspreyAndy]

Just ordered a custom 8 wire silver cable with Etymotic connectors for my ER2XR. Will report back when I get it.

I have used this vendor before for 4.4mm interconnects and their communication and advice is excellent.

Please do share us your findings. Last time I tried pure silver wires on my ER4S it went too sterile and dry sounding. Perhaps it will match better with a DD ER2XR

 

[Sunstealer]

I had a dx228 which was too glarey for ER4XR. The warmer, smoother BTR5 is a better match with silver for me than a stock balanced SPC. I also used a Zen DAC/CAN stack which has a nice synergy with the ER2XR when combined with SPC or silver.

I used the vendor's 4.4mm interconnects for the Zen stack which was far cheaper and nicer than the IFI offering.

 

[morefilling]

Just ordered a custom 8 wire silver cable with Etymotic connectors for my ER2XR. Will report back when I get it.

I have used this vendor before for 4.4mm interconnects and their communication and advice is excellent.

I didn't see the Etymotic connector in the listing from your link. When you say custom, do you mean he's able to put an Etymotic connector on that cable?

 

[Sunstealer]

I didn't see the Etymotic connector in the listing from your link. When you say custom, do you mean he's able to put an Etymotic connector on that cable?

Correct. I showed him a picture of the etymotic connector and he charged me a little bit more for those connectors.