Its easy to answer: Conca lock style shell prove more room for new design 3-ba module. And MIM SS balanced robust/durability and cost.
Why not aluminum or titanium? because accurate enough CNC is expensive, Some manufacturer would take this as "additional value". But a serious acoustic-design is not so relate about those thing. (beside inner chamber/nozzle part, that's another long discussion)
BTW,ABS material is another good choice with limited cost .
quite often the best material for the job is cheap, and it's cheap because it's used everywhere, and it's used everywhere because it's the best material for the job
Hi, I have been a long time lurker in this thread and have personally owned Etymotic products (namely hf5, ER4XR and ER2XR) over the past decade. I decided to register an account to rise a question for @EtyDave:
What is the design philosophy behind the decision for using steel in the Etymotic Evo? One of the reviewers did a measurement of the Evo's weight and it was (if my memory serves me right) 26g compared to 3g of the ER series. Is there significant improvement in durability and other factors over aluminum?
Its easy to answer: Conca lock style shell prove more room for new design 3-ba module. And MIM SS balanced robust/durability and cost.
Why not aluminum or titanium? because accurate enough CNC is expensive, Some manufacturer would take this as "additional value". But a serious acoustic-design is not so relate about those thing. (beside inner chamber/nozzle part, that's another long discussion)
BTW,ABS material is another good choice with limited cost .
Clearly, there was no way we were going to fit three drivers in the same form factor as the ER2/3/4 series. Some of us (myself included) have long wanted an in-concha option for times when you want to wear cables over-the-ear. Plus, this form factor might work a little better for folks that wear them on stage.
As far as materials, we looked at a lot of different things. CNC aluminum was considered, but we obviously went with injection-molded Stainless Steel. True, it's a bit heavier, but the CNC aluminum shells we tried during the prototype phase really weren't that light, either. As far as cost, like anything in engineering, there are trade-offs involved. Custom CNC aluminum shells for a part like this would be pricier from a piece-price standpoint, but MIM stainless required us to make multiple injection molding tools. Our design is a multi-piece design that lends itself well to molding so that's what we went with. Time will tell if we made the right decision or not.
As far as durability, both metals would be reasonably durable, but the sound tube on the EVO (the part that holds the eartip) is massively strong (although it still probably would've been strong enough with aluminum). Overall, the shell is extremely robust. You could probably run it over with your car, but please don't.
Member of the Trade: xMEMS ...is also a Hardcore Head-Fi'er. Watercooler Travel Team
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I would like to re-iterate what I wrote in my impressions:
Despite the huge weight difference (EVO vs. ER2/3/4) - once the EVO is in your ears, you won't notice the weight! That is NOT the same situation as heavy headphones on your head...
All I am saying - the weight of EVO should NOT be the reason not to give them a try!
I hope some of the 6 tour reviewers that already had the EVO in their hands (and the pre-order owners) would chime in on that one
I would like to re-iterate what I wrote in my impressions:
Despite the huge weight difference (EVO vs. ER2/3/4) - once the EVO is in your ears, you won't notice the weight! That is NOT the same situation as heavy headphones on your head...
All I am saying - the weight of EVO should NOT be the reason not to give them a try!
I hope some of the 6 tour reviewers that already had the EVO in their hands (and the pre-order owners) would chime in on that one
Yeah, I can confirm that. These are as good a fitting IEM as any I have ever worn, and the weight is an absolute non-factor so far, comfort-wise. So far, I've been using my own pair of triple-flange ear tips. Stability is is simply excellent with the latching connection those ear tips provide.
I would like to re-iterate what I wrote in my impressions:
Despite the huge weight difference (EVO vs. ER2/3/4) - once the EVO is in your ears, you won't notice the weight! That is NOT the same situation as heavy headphones on your head...
All I am saying - the weight of EVO should NOT be the reason not to give them a try!
I hope some of the 6 tour reviewers that already had the EVO in their hands (and the pre-order owners) would chime in on that one
quite often the best material for the job is cheap, and it's cheap because it's used everywhere, and it's used everywhere because it's the best material for the job
That limited case thinking is clearly not going to survive this century (with its natural feedbacks). Cheap materials are only cheap because there is naturally enough, the science is far enough to actually modify it and because some people can be convinced that it is worth very little.
Be nice to noobs, we were all noobs at one point in our life.
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Null Audio cable got to me. The connectors don't look nearly as nice, but it does work. The cable is supposedly handmade which is a nice touch. The output volume gets loud pretty quickly, I'm 1-2 clicks lower on my volume controls on my iPhone than I normally am with my 3.5mm to Lightning adapter and TC35i (the UE BT adapter requires about 1-2 clicks higher volume to reach the same output). To the sound... There is an obvious bass boost on these, so much so that I double checked the manual to make sure there was no such bass boost functionality that I didn't turn on accidentally (there isn't). The bass boost is actually very nice which gives music some gorgeous texturing when played through the EVO. The ergonomics of the cable is OK, the center portion could be a little longer while the "memory" wire could be either shorter or well not there. The memory wire pops out of the channel between my ear and head if I turn my head. This could be fixed by either making the memory wire shorter or adding a little more cabling in the middle to make it longer. Outside of that, the adapter seems fine. Giving the memory wire a little strip of metal to shape it better could also help this, but those also come with their own issues.
I'll have to go out for a walk whenever the weather clears up (rain and thunderstorms every day for at least the next 9 days) to do my microphonics and connectivity tests.
Null Audio cable got to me. The connectors don't look nearly as nice, but it does work. The cable is supposedly handmade which is a nice touch. The output volume gets loud pretty quickly, I'm 1-2 clicks lower on my volume controls on my iPhone than I normally am with my 3.5mm to Lightning adapter and TC35i (the UE BT adapter requires about 1-2 clicks higher volume to reach the same output). To the sound... There is an obvious bass boost on these, so much so that I double checked the manual to make sure there was no such bass boost functionality that I didn't turn on accidentally (there isn't). The bass boost is actually very nice which gives music some gorgeous texturing when played through the EVO. The ergonomics of the cable is OK, the center portion could be a little longer while the "memory" wire could be either shorter or well not there. The memory wire pops out of the channel between my ear and head if I turn my head. This could be fixed by either making the memory wire shorter or adding a little more cabling in the middle to make it longer. Outside of that, the adapter seems fine. Giving the memory wire a little strip of metal to shape it better could also help this, but those also come with their own issues.
I'll have to go out for a walk whenever the weather clears up (rain and thunderstorms every day for at least the next 9 days) to do my microphonics and connectivity tests.
Depends on where the bass is added and how much. The Nyx BT cable ends up creating quite a bit of texturing which is actually really awesome in some aspects. Though most of my sources I played with didn't change the sound too much: Oppo HA2-SE, V-Moda Vamp Verza, DD HiFi TC35i, and Apple adapter... Even the UE BT cable wasn't a huge departure from the IEM. The Null Audio Nyx really is a far departure from what the IEM normally is though. The Nyx really doesn't bloat the bass, but it definitely creates a bit of a rumble.
Edit: I guess that's what I get. I complained that the EVO could use a tad bit more texturing and this cable gives gobs of it
Depends on where the bass is added and how much. The Nyx BT cable ends up creating quite a bit of texturing which is actually really awesome in some aspects. Though most of my sources I played with didn't change the sound too much: Oppo HA2-SE, V-Moda Vamp Verza, DD HiFi TC35i, and Apple adapter... Even the UE BT cable wasn't a huge departure from the IEM. The Null Audio Nyx really is a far departure from what the IEM normally is though. The Nyx really doesn't bloat the bass, but it definitely creates a bit of a rumble.
Edit: I guess that's what I get. I complained that the EVO could use a tad bit more texturing and this cable gives gobs of it
Hahahaha there's a reason I chose some of the tracks I did for that Evo playlist. I think this pair teaches you to listen to bass differently. That probably sounds cliche, but doesn't seem so implausible when you think about the driver config. Texturing is a great way to explain it.
It's also reeeeally seal-dependent for me (more so than it being source-dependent). ER owners should be familiar with the idea, but having the tips resting at that one sweet spot in the ear brings out some delicious rumble. How you get to that point in your ear is totally up to individual anatomy, so I can't prescribe any one method, unfortunately.
Hahahaha there's a reason I chose some of the tracks I did for that Evo playlist. I think this pair teaches you to listen to bass differently. That probably sounds cliche, but doesn't seem so implausible when you think about the driver config. Texturing is a great way to explain it.
It's also reeeeally seal-dependent for me (more so than it being source-dependent). ER owners should be familiar with the idea, but having the tips resting at that one sweet spot in the ear brings out some delicious rumble. How you get to that point in your ear is totally up to individual anatomy, so I can't prescribe any one method, unfortunately.
Well my ER4SR (not XR) actually textures better than the Evo which was very surprising to me. The Evo has better presence overall and a larger bass body/thickness, but the bass texturing/detailing is better on the ER4SR IMO. I'm unsure how the ER4XR would compare though since I don't have that one hand.
Well my ER4SR (not XR) actually textures better than the Evo which was very surprising to me. The Evo has better presence overall and a larger bass body/thickness, but the bass texturing/detailing is better on the ER4SR IMO. I'm unsure how the ER4XR would compare though since I don't have that one hand.
Can't say I agree; my ears hear more detail in the ER4XR's midrange, but bass texturing is on a completely different level with the Evo where it's comparatively absent in the ER4XR. Again, that's what my ears hear and I'm sure those who buy may end up 50/50 on the same.
What I can say is that the source really matters here. I'm not saying you need a HPA-2 or RME device to run these. Heck, they sound great out of a smartphone headphone jack. They sound fantastic on certain things and I'd absolutely call these a scalable IEM.
Knew there was a good reason to keep this around. This is huge sound for a tiny setup.
Can't say I agree; my ears hear more detail in the ER4XR's midrange, but bass texturing is on a completely different level with the Evo where it's comparatively absent in the ER4XR. Again, that's what my ears hear and I'm sure those who buy may end up 50/50 on the same.
What I can say is that the source really matters here. I'm not saying you need a HPA-2 or RME device to run these. Heck, they sound great out of a smartphone headphone jack. They sound fantastic on certain things and I'd absolutely call these a scalable IEM.
Knew there was a good reason to keep this around. This is huge sound for a tiny setup.
That's why I specified my SR and not XR. I've found that I can improve bass texturing by focusing up in the low/mid bass regions vs the sub-bass (which is where the Evo tends to focus on). So by lowering the sub-bass, the low/mid bass is a little more prominent and audible. Hence how I can get better texturing with my SR over the Evo. From the graphs I've seen, the XR and Evo should have very similar bass response with the Evo being slightly more mellowed out. But I haven't heard the XR first hand, only the SR.
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