[mochill]

Still waiting to get my prize evo

 

[FlavioWolff]

Did Etymotic already release the microphone cable they promised about 5 years ago?

 

[Sebastien Chiu]

My Etymotic Evo arrived this morning. So far very impressed with the sound. My favorite item (until today?) the Er-4XR.

Congratulations!

Still waiting to get my prize evo

It'll be worth the wait!

 

[vsg28]

So I won the cable of my choice for the EVO, and went with the Linum T2 Estron UltraBax since I wasn't really going to use the EVO with the Bluetooth adapter anyway. They asked if I could share some quick photos so I figured why not?

In contrast to the super thin dual-twist Linum Bax cable that ships with the EVO, the Estron UltraBax is a quad-twist unit with 224 individual strands inside. Each twist/braid is the same 0.9 mm thick as with the standard Bax cable (now replaced by a Gen 2 Bax cable in Estron's lineup) and gets a clear sheath of top. Estron rates the pull strength at 180 N/40 lbs vs. the 60 N/13 lbs on the Bax, and the total cable impedance is also reduced from 1.5 Ω to 0.6 Ω here.

There is no Etymotic branding on the plug housing on the UltraBax cable, but everything else is a quality of life improvement, including with a cable that feels sturdier, is easier to re-shape as needed, and had pre-formed ear hooks which are also malleable as needed. It does cost an extra $200 though, and personally I would not buy this as an upgrade cable since the T2 connectors are woefully rare, and I would rather see modular plugs on my preferred upgrade cable too. That said, Westone did just announce a whole new IEMs lineup with the same Estron T2 connectors, so maybe there will be a market for someone like Effect Audio to come up with a T2 connector for its ConX system.

 

[Zachik]

So I won the cable of my choice for the EVO, and went with the Linum T2 Estron UltraBax since I wasn't really going to use the EVO with the Bluetooth adapter anyway. They asked if I could share some quick photos so I figured why not?

Beautiful photos! Wow - this cable is really pretty... I should get myself one of these

Westone did just announce a whole new IEMs lineup with the same Estron T2 connectors

I can confirm that the plan is to migrate all new / upcoming Etymotic and Westone IEMs from MMCX to T2 connectors!
The Etymotic EVO has been the T2 pioneer, and now the entire MACH family features T2 connectors as well.

 

[OtlyWays]

What I did is I went through Etymotics filter tuning kit and landed on the white low ohm filter as the best sounding one. It extended the highs to a sufficient degree. I also bought the SuperBax upgrade cable sold separately by Etymotic as the stock cable actually is really annoying to handle. But not only is it annoying, it also seems to degrade performance quite a bit. It is a solid multi BA version of the ER series. But they should have sold it with a better cable and all their filters to fine tune. With that package they would have an customizable masterpiece. With the EVOs my headphone EQ is the flattest it ever was with for IEMs. Also I like to push their triple flanges a bit deeper in by just sticking them a bit more further out the stem to "guide" the sound nearer to the ear drum. The way you can experiment with all these factors to make them sound just perfect to your individual hearing is... so nice.

 

[Bret Halford]

So I won the cable of my choice for the EVO, and went with the Linum T2 Estron UltraBax since I wasn't really going to use the EVO with the Bluetooth adapter anyway. They asked if I could share some quick photos so I figured why not?





In contrast to the super thin dual-twist Linum Bax cable that ships with the EVO, the Estron UltraBax is a quad-twist unit with 224 individual strands inside. Each twist/braid is the same 0.9 mm thick as with the standard Bax cable (now replaced by a Gen 2 Bax cable in Estron's lineup) and gets a clear sheath of top. Estron rates the pull strength at 180 N/40 lbs vs. the 60 N/13 lbs on the Bax, and the total cable impedance is also reduced from 1.5 Ω to 0.6 Ω here.




There is no Etymotic branding on the plug housing on the UltraBax cable, but everything else is a quality of life improvement, including with a cable that feels sturdier, is easier to re-shape as needed, and had pre-formed ear hooks which are also malleable as needed. It does cost an extra $200 though, and personally I would not buy this as an upgrade cable since the T2 connectors are woefully rare, and I would rather see modular plugs on my preferred upgrade cable too. That said, Westone did just announce a whole new IEMs lineup with the same Estron T2 connectors, so maybe there will be a market for someone like Effect Audio to come up with a T2 connector for its ConX system.

Wow, great pics!

I picked up the UltraBax last week and I find it to be a very nice option for convenience, getting it on and off. Super sturdy feeling too. Really wish they had included some branding on the connector housing. The logo on the stock cable connector is super cozy.

 

[Zachik]

Westone Audio MACH IEMs are going on a launch tour. For anyone interested - see:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/westone-audio-mach-launch-tour.963440/

 

[Luis Mad]

Just received a Linum (edited) SuperBax T2 cable. Really nice and not tangle prone like the Bax.
It has ear hooks that I find comfortable. This should be the standard cable imo!
I use comply TX100 eartips.

 

[Zachik]

Just received a Linux SuperBax T2 cable. Really nice and not tangle prone like the Bax.
It has ear hooks that I find comfortable. This should be the standard cable imo!

Linum. Not Linux... (auto-correct, I assume)

I totally agree that the SuperBaX is nicer feel and not prone to tangle as much. I strongly suspect the reason for it not being the stock cable is cost. EVO won't be $500 with the SuperBaX cable.
When purchasing, Etymotic gives you the option to pay extra $75 for the bundle with SuperBaX cable, which I think is an great price.

 

[Luis Mad]

Here I continue digging the Evos immensely! Now even more with the Superbax cable. Question: Could anybody recommend a hard case for the Evo for portable use? The provided hard case is really too big. With the soft bag or pouch the comply tips get deformed. I am looking for a hard case as small as possible. Any ideas? Thanks in advance

 

[DCofficehack]

Er4xr lover here. What's the consensus? Will I notice the upgrade or is this merely a little different? The reviews are positive but not enthusiastic, though i perceive that might reflect MSRP. Basically, they are a tough sell at $500. But now they are closer to $300 on Amazon. Still, that's a lot more than what I paid for the Er4xr.

 

[InvisibleInk]

Er4xr lover here. What's the consensus? Will I notice the upgrade or is this merely a little different? The reviews are positive but not enthusiastic, though i perceive that might reflect MSRP. Basically, they are a tough sell at $500. But now they are closer to $300 on Amazon. Still, that's a lot more than what I paid for the Er4xr.

I think a lot of us simplified the consensus to be that the EVO has better bass quantity and quality, but lacks the ER4's treble extension. Unsurprisingly, audiophiles that can still hear the missing treble in the ER4 likely voted to stand pat with what they have, while those bass-lovers looking for the superior fit and reduced cable microphonics went for the EVO. The recently reduced pricing is very tempting.

 

[DCofficehack]

I think a lot of us simplified the consensus to be that the EVO has better bass quantity and quality, but lacks the ER4's treble extension. Unsurprisingly, audiophiles that can still hear the missing treble in the ER4 likely voted to stand pat with what they have, while those bass-lovers looking for the superior fit and reduced cable microphonics went for the EVO. The recently reduced pricing is very tempting.

Thanks. I keep reading negative things about the treble. What about mids?

Listening now to Bjorn's Vespertine on my ER4XR. Honestly the bass is fine. I think what i want is the Er4XR but with better soundstage and imagine. The FR I'd leave alone.

PS. These work super well with a BTR5.

 

[Bret Halford]

Er4xr lover here. What's the consensus? Will I notice the upgrade or is this merely a little different? The reviews are positive but not enthusiastic, though i perceive that might reflect MSRP. Basically, they are a tough sell at $500. But now they are closer to $300 on Amazon. Still, that's a lot more than what I paid for the Er4xr.

I've got all current ER line and an ER4S that still works, and also the Evo. The Evo's bass is low boosted, and the weight of the steel molding adds a real sense of kick that isn't there on the XR. Ety's decision to have 2/3 of the drivers dedicated to bass is spot on, they kick viscerally more than the frequency responses suggest.

I think a lot of the treble complaints are due to the updated fit... the concha bend is a hard limit to insertion depth, so it can be harder to get as far in as the ER bullets, that can cause some occlusion and treble resonance, it'll depend on your ear canals a bit more. Over time, I've found that opting for larger tips on the Evo than the ER addresses much of this for me. Comfort over time is much better with the Evo, I love the classic build but if I leave an ER in for an 8 hour flight, I'll feel it in my ears the next day. Evo is very comfy, good for long listens, but it's heavy enough that I end up needing to reseat it every now and then... kind of a trade off.

For me, especially at the reduced typical price, these are a steal. It's a tough value argument against the ER line, because the ER line is an absolutely CRAZY value (Ety have such crazy value, even THEY can't compete lol). I prefer the 4XR to the 2XR, but if someone would really ask me if they are worth the extra money... the same is true of the Evo vs. XR. I love Ety, and even their new TOTL is an absolute bargain, why worry too much about it