[AnyDave]

Hey, are the ER3-XRs still made in China?
My pair came with a 1-2 dB channel imbalance and a faulty cable.
Pretty poor impression for my first pair of Etys. It even put me off IEMs for a couple of years.
My ER2-XR though, made in Vietnam, seem to be perfect and even renewed my interest. I'm now eyeing the ER4 because that Ety sound is... *chef kiss*

If the cable is faulty, I would absolutely reach out to customer service and get it replaced. Please shoot me a DM if you don't get it resolved.

As far as a channel imbalance, 1dB isn't significant. 2dB is a bit more than normal. One thing to keep in mind is that the ER3 is not as tightly matched like the ER4. That's part of what makes the 4 different.

 

[Killcomic]

If the cable is faulty, I would absolutely reach out to customer service and get it replaced. Please shoot me a DM if you don't get it resolved.

As far as a channel imbalance, 1dB isn't significant. 2dB is a bit more than normal. One thing to keep in mind is that the ER3 is not as tightly matched like the ER4. That's part of what makes the 4 different.

All good! I sorted the cable out with my soldering iron
As for channel matching, I thought that might be the case. Thankfully it's easily fixed with a slight tweak of the balance knob.
Now I'm getting the itch for the ER4.
My poor wallet!

 

[PatrickB]

Compared to Moondrop Blessing 2, Audeze Euclid, LCD-i4, Shure KSE1500, and even my HD600 the ER4SR seems very bass lean to me. I've been trying to determine if this is the intended FR and perhaps those other references simply are more bass heavy because they are shooting for something closer to the Harman target. I've heard them described as having lean bass with good extension, but I think I was surprised just how lean Etymotic's neutral tuning is.

I also considered it might be not getting a proper seal. After trying all the included tips I landed on the large double flange seeming to offer the best seal. The triple flanges all seemed much too narrow to make a seal even if I tried to go very deep.

Just curious if my perception of the low end sounds correct or if I have a fit issue. I'd be using these for audio mixing and mastering so the Etymotic pedigree of neutrality does appeal to me.

 

[Zachik]

@PatrickB - of the list of headphones (and IEMs) you listed, I own the HD600. I definitely agree that in comparison to the HD600, the ER4SR bass is lean. I would suggest the ER4XR as the bassier alternative to the ER4SR.

 

[PatrickB]

@PatrickB - of the list of headphones (and IEMs) you listed, I own the HD600. I definitely agree that in comparison to the HD600, the ER4SR bass is lean. I would suggest the ER4XR as the bassier alternative to the ER4SR.

Thanks for confirming! Wanted to make sure it wasn’t a seal issue. I debated on the XR and might try that then. Thanks.

 

[H20Fidelity]

Thanks for confirming! Wanted to make sure it wasn’t a seal issue. I debated on the XR and might try that then. Thanks.

Yeh, they're pretty bass light to a point it may affect some genres of music.

At first listen they sound thin and overly analytical but with a slight adjustment period from your end (10-minutes) you don't notice.

 

[PatrickB]

Yeh, they're pretty bass light to a point it may affect some genres of music.

At first listen they sound thin and overly analytical but with a slight adjustment period from your end (10-minutes) you don't notice.

That makes sense. I’m sure it doesn’t help that I’m jumping back and forth between different ones trying to evaluate.

 

[AryaTwirl]

That makes sense. I’m sure it doesn’t help that I’m jumping back and forth between different ones trying to evaluate.

Yap, it won't help as you don't give your ears enough time to adjust. But you're also right that it is bass lean. It's more like enough, like here it is, the flattest unenhanced version of the song. But yeah, compared to those headphones and iems that are also considered neutral, the bass feels lacking here. Weirdly enough though, after daily driving these for a year, I can't go back to any other pairs I've become sensitive to bass. And don't forget the isolation. Nothing can beat Ety, not even my pair of Sonys and Boses with ANC.

 

[PatrickB]

Yap, it won't help as you don't give your ears enough time to adjust. But you're also right that it is bass lean. It's more like enough, like here it is, the flattest unenhanced version of the song. But yeah, compared to those headphones and iems that are also considered neutral, the bass feels lacking here. Weirdly enough though, after daily driving these for a year, I can't go back to any other pairs I've become sensitive to bass. And don't forget the isolation. Nothing can beat Ety, not even my pair of Sonys and Boses with ANC.

Doing mixing my goal was to get something very neutral. It’s funny how many different curves are called neutral . Some I guess are like Harman neutral and I think Ety is DF maybe. So yeah I guess that might skew my perspective then.

And honestly I’ve never been a fan of bass heavy speakers or headphones.

I have heard these do have some of the best isolation!

 

[Toesnip13]

That makes sense. I’m sure it doesn’t help that I’m jumping back and forth between different ones trying to evaluate.

If you’re into etys now then by next week I’ll have a good idea of how the newly arrived ER2XR compare to my (endgame) ER4SR
I’m mainly comparing them for bass. I remember falling so deeply in love with Shure SE846 bass but unfortunately they lacked everything else.

 

[dr cornelius]

Compared to Moondrop Blessing 2, Audeze Euclid, LCD-i4, Shure KSE1500, and even my HD600 the ER4SR seems very bass lean to me. I've been trying to determine if this is the intended FR and perhaps those other references simply are more bass heavy because they are shooting for something closer to the Harman target. I've heard them described as having lean bass with good extension, but I think I was surprised just how lean Etymotic's neutral tuning is.

I also considered it might be not getting a proper seal. After trying all the included tips I landed on the large double flange seeming to offer the best seal. The triple flanges all seemed much too narrow to make a seal even if I tried to go very deep.

Just curious if my perception of the low end sounds correct or if I have a fit issue. I'd be using these for audio mixing and mastering so the Etymotic pedigree of neutrality does appeal to me.

My experiences mixing, the SR's are too lean. I mix a lot of dialogue and I found that I was adding too much to fatten up voices because they sounded so thin. As a result mixes weren't translating well to other headphones/monitors. I'm not a bass head BTW...

 

[WilcoRoger]

And don't forget the isolation. Nothing can beat Ety, not even my pair of Sonys and Boses with ANC.

The Klipsch X12i is just as good as the ety series. I use both of them (Klipsch and er3sr, earlier the 5hf) on planes a lot and both just gives you this own personal silent bubble. No engine drone, no shrieking babies, just bliss.

 

[PatrickB]

If you’re into etys now then by next week I’ll have a good idea of how the newly arrived ER2XR compare to my (endgame) ER4SR
I’m mainly comparing them for bass. I remember falling so deeply in love with Shure SE846 bass but unfortunately they lacked everything else.

Cool. I am curious about those. I heard it’s a subtle boost. Haven’t heard the SE846. I had the very lowest model for stage monitoring and wasn’t thrilled with their sound but I guess they were okay.

 

[PatrickB]

The Klipsch X12i is just as good as the ety series. I use both of them (Klipsch and er3sr, earlier the 5hf) on planes a lot and both just gives you this own personal silent bubble. No engine drone, no shrieking babies, just bliss.

I haven’t looked into Klipsch but heard the brand mentioned. I’ll check them out. Sounds like both will be perfect for the plane. Thanks for the tip!

 

[FlowLikeWater]

The Klipsch X12i is just as good as the ety series. I use both of them (Klipsch and er3sr, earlier the 5hf) on planes a lot and both just gives you this own personal silent bubble. No engine drone, no shrieking babies, just bliss.

I find the Klipsch far more comfortable too, they really nailed the ergonomics