Etymotic EVO – impressions:
Etymotic EVO. The new and highly anticipated IEM from Etymotic. Today, I am going to share
my subjective impressions.
First, let me add an important note about myself.
I am now working with Etymotic, and the EVO were provided to me by Etymotic. That said, my personal integrity and reputation are very important to me, and I am sharing my
honest opinions! However, if you do not believe that, and think that my impressions are biased and only serve as “infomercial” for Etymotic – you can stop reading. I will not be offended
OK… let’s get started.
The EVO that I received did not come with the final retail package, so I cannot comment on the packaging and accessories that come standard with the EVO. Instead, they came in a cute puck shaped case. Since I have been using a Funko Pop hockey player as a prop (for those who are curious: Brent Burns, San Jose Sharks #88) in all my previous impressions – I found it very fitting and amusing…
The EVO represents a departure from Etymotic “classic” design. I am referring to current production ER2/3/4 series IEMs as the Etymotic classic design.
- First multi-driver IEM: up until now, all Etymotic IEMs have been a single driver design. Single BA for ER3/4, and single DD for ER2.
- First Stainless Steel body: ER2/3/4 have a very nice aluminum body.
- First concha-locked fit: previous IEMs from Etymotic all had the “bullet” shape.
Build Quality, Fit and Comfort:
Let me start with build quality. I always thought the ER2/3/4 IEMs are of very high build quality with their very nice machined aluminum body. They feel substantial and durable compared to plastic IEMs. Well, the stainless steel EVO feel like a step up! They feel great when you handle them, and look gorgeous in person (my photos are not doing them justice). Personally, I love the blue color, which is a totally different shade of blue compared to the ER2s. When you hold the EVOs in your hand, the first thing you’ll notice is how much heavier they are compared to all previous Etymotic IEMs. Reason is obviously due to stainless steel being a much heavier metal than aluminum, and also the shell itself is bigger. Mind you, once they’re inside your ears – the weight difference plays no role.
The EVO cable is yet another departure from Etymotic ER2/3/4. The connectors are no longer MMCX but rather Estron T2 connectors. EVO will ship with an Estron BaX cable, which is
significantly thinner and lighter compared to the current stock cables. Honestly, I have never dealt with IEMs cable so thin, which made me a little bit anxious at first. I am always very careful and gentle with my gear, and had the EVOs for a short amount of time - so far I see no issues with the cable. Etymotic have been testing this cable for a while, therefore I have full confidence that despite its thinness this cable is durable. Here is a side-by-side photo of the ER2SE cable (same cable for all ER2/3 IEMs) and the EVO new cable:
A big advantage of the extra thin cable: if you’re wearing glasses, you are going to love the new cable that is designed to loop behind the ears. You can barely feel it, even with glasses. A very noticeable advantage for me!
Compared to the ER2/3 cable and even to the better ER4 cable, the new thin cable is more resistant to getting tangled. In fact, it is probably the most tangle-free IEM cable that I ever had from any brand. Also, it handles microphonics much better than the previous cables, even when not looping around my ears. I rubbed the cable against my shirt on purpose, to test for microphonics, and happy to report I could not generate any
Fit and comfort for IEMs is a very individual and subjective matter. I will try to describe it compared to the bullet shaped ER2/3/4 which I understand will not be helpful for people that never tried any of the Etymotic IEMs, but to be honest I do not know what else I could compare it to… Let’s start with the famous (or is it infamous?
) Etymotic deep insertion topic. The EVO are designed for deep insertion. Period. You can see the nozzle is identical to the ER2/3/4 nozzles: (here next to the ER2SE)
That means the EVO uses the same exact tips, whether you use Etymotic’s or 3rd party tips. Personally, I have only tried Etymotic’s tips (both on the EVO as well as ER2/3/4 IEMs that I have).
So, is the fit the same as ER2/3/4 then? Not exactly… Let me explain: with the bullet shaped IEMs, you could go with deep insertion (as intended) but if that did not “feel right” – you could opt for a more shallow insertion, and let the ER2/3/4 “stick out” more. I read that some people had to go with shallow insertion due to the internal shape of their ear canals which would not physically allow deep insertion. Here is where the EVO differs from ER2/3/4 – due to the concha-lock fit, once you fit the EVO correctly to the shape of your concha – a deep insertion is becoming a fact and not a user’s choice… The EVO cannot be used with shallow insertion. Since I got my EVOs only with the double-flange tips, I tried them first, and my left ear did not like any of the 4 sizes while my right ear was perfectly happy with the M and L sizes. So, I borrowed the triple-flange tips from my ER3XR IEMs, and the fit and comfort improved significantly in both ears. I have not tried the foam tips since they’re not my favorites anyhow. I am a triple-flange fan on ALL of my Etymotic IEMs, but again this is a personal preference.
Here is one more photo, this time with the double-flange tips on, that shows the
only R and L marking on the EVO.
Now, let's proceed to the sound...
Source used:
For the EVO impressions, and comparison with ER4SR and ER3XR, I used my FiiO M11 DAP. Since I do not have a balanced cable for the EVO, I used the 3.5mm SE output for all my listening (including the comparison to the ER4SR and ER3XR). I have only played local music (no streaming), all CD quality (44.1 KHz / 16-bit) FLACs or better.
I used various tracks by the following artists: (listed alphabetically)
- Adele
- Coldplay
- Dire Straits
- Lorde
- Nightwish
Sound impressions:
The first thing that hit me was how musical and dynamic the EVOs are! Coming from ER4SR and ER3XR it is immediately obvious the EVO low end (bass / sub-bass) is much closer to the ER3XR than ER4SR. Bass is boosted (compared to the flat ER4SR), and since I love bass - that made me smile right away. But bass is not the whole story here. That is just the beginning. To my ears, the bass goes deeper into the sub-bass. Tracks like Lorde’s Royals, which is one of my reference tracks for sub-bass, never sounded as good with any previous Etymotic IEM. Nothing was wrong with it, but it is just better now! Going into lower sub-bass frequency is half the story. Actually a third of it… The other 2 thirds are: bass resolution / detail, and bass “bleed”. Let me elaborate…
When I talk about bass resolution or detail, I am referring to the fact that you can hear more details in those low frequencies. A good analogy would be comparing SDR to HDR photos. In HDR (High Dynamic Range), when done right, you will be able to see details in the shaded or dark areas of the photo. More shades of gray, if you will. Not just a black area. Same goes for the bass and sub-bass of the EVO, compared to the ER3XR – the bass and especially sub-bass have more nuance to them! Now, I do realize that a comparison to the ER4XR would have been more appropriate, but unfortunately I do not have this model
(something I will have to fix, moving forward). I am sure some of the EVO World Tour reviewers do own and will be able to compare to the ER4XR. I will be looking forward to read those comparisons!
The last piece of the bass was the bass “bleed” that I mentioned before. To clarify, the only XR that I own (ER3XR) does not bleed bass into the mids, to my ears, but rather makes the mids a little bit smooth or fuzzy. Lose some sharpness (comparing to photography again). Maybe that IS the definition of bass bleed, but in any case the ER3XR
has been my favorite Etymotic (spoiler alert:
used to be my favorite... Until now...) so this bass bleed or added fuzziness / softness was never enough to make me dislike the ER3XR. Moving to the EVO, though, is like moving from 1080p to 4k. You notice more micro details, and the whole picture feel sharper. The better micro details and less fuzziness is also something I felt moving from the ER3XR to the ER4SR, but then I was missing out on the bass elevation!
Now comparing to the ER4SR, the details level feel a little improved across all frequencies. Not a huge increase, but an increase for sure. I am not sure if it’s only the bass boost or not, but to my ears the biggest improvement compared to the ER4SR is the musicality and dynamic range. The ER4SR felt a little sterile and analytical in comparison. ER4SR is not flat or boring, but in comparison to the EVO – I think I smiled a lot more when auditioning the EVO. I felt it had more emotion and soul.
Concluding the sound comparisons to the ER3XR and ER4SR:
- The ER3XR is warmer and softer than EVO.
- The ER4SR is less musical and more analytical than EVO.
- EVO has more details than both ER3 and ER4 models.
The way I perceive the recipe Etymotic used to cook (or bake
) the EVO:
1. Take the mids and highs from ER4SR and improved them a little.
2. Take the bass and sub-bass from the ER3XR and improve them a lot.
3. Mix everything together.
4. Add some dynamic range (going to “HDR”).
5. Put the ingredients in a very attractive package (the gorgeous new shells).
Serve and enjoy!
Final words:
So, who is the EVO for and how is it positioned in Etymotic’s lineup?
The EVO is most definitely the new flagship in Etymotic’s lineup. Should Etymotic decided to stick with old naming convention, I guess it would be called ER5XR being the bass boost model with improved technicalities compared to the ER4 models. If you love the ER3XR and/or ER4XR – the EVO is most definitely for you!
As mentioned above, I do not have the ER2XR and ER4XR, but have every other current Etymotic model. My favorite used to be the ER3XR since I just love the extra bass.
The EVO took its place as my favorite! To my ears, there was no real competition. It is better in every way. Well, other than price…
I look forward to hear and read impressions by others, once the world tour units and pre-order units ship out very soon.
).
