[IDrinkLava]

In the case of in-ears, the ear canal resonance depends on ear canal length and insertion depth. I measured the resonance on my Lypertek PurePlay Z3 2.0s and it turned out to be around 6660Hz. I had to reduce the 7kHz slider in the app by 5dB to get it to sound "flat" when using a tone generator.

 

[PatrickB]

In the case of in-ears, the ear canal resonance depends on ear canal length and insertion depth. I measured the resonance on my Lypertek PurePlay Z3 2.0s and it turned out to be around 6660Hz. I had to reduce the 7kHz slider in the app by 5dB to get it to sound "flat" when using a tone generator.

Interesting and so many variables with all of this it seems. Although I still would rather have these factors to compensate for over dealing with room acoustics which are a pain.

 

[tinyman392]

IIRC Etymotic target is based on Diffuse-Field, which is quite a bit more bass light than the Harman target. I believe Sean Olive said something along the lines of in-ears needing about 6dB to match the perceived impact of over-ears, and that's about the level of bass shelf I need to EQ onto my ER4SR to match my "flat" sounding headphones.

I read that same thing recently as I was researching FR targets used for IEM's and headphones. I had mistakenly understood the Harman targets as simply an average listener preference curve with a big bass boost. But I finally realized it was trying to replicate the sound of speakers in a room and the bass lift is actually perceived as neutral-ish for an IEM.

I thought I wanted a ruler flat curve which the ER4SR has, but didn't understand how bass-light that would sound to me. After auditioning other IEM's such as the Moondrop Blessing 2, Audeze Euclid, LCD-i4, and Shure KSE1500 I think my perception or taste of what I'd hear as "neutral" or "balanced" is probably close to the Harman curve. I suppose as others have stated here I could simply acclimate to the diffuse-field curve and still be able to accurately judge balance for mixing. I know our ears and brain adjust and compensate, but I've decided I prefer something closer to the Harman target.

Interesting educational journey this has been.

So one thing to note is that the Harman curve has been updated over the years. The original Harman curve applied to both IEMs, over-ear, and on-ear headphones and had about a 5-ish dB bump in the bass as stated. I actually do feel this is a good bass bump. It’s since been bumped up every update with IEM target now boasting about a 10 dB bass bump which is a tad bit much for my tastes. I haven’t heard the Blessing, I4, or KSE1500, but do own the Euclid, it would be A bit bass light on Harman’s current IEM target but has just enough bass presence for what I like.

Etymotic’s XR target (and EVO) actually lines up similarly with Harman’s original target. I think someone had asked them about it and they said that the SR target was being designed before the Harman target was released/announced.

 

[PatrickB]

So one thing to note is that the Harman curve has been updated over the years. The original Harman curve applied to both IEMs, over-ear, and on-ear headphones and had about a 5-ish dB bump in the bass as stated. I actually do feel this is a good bass bump. It’s since been bumped up every update with IEM target now boasting about a 10 dB bass bump which is a tad bit much for my tastes. I haven’t heard the Blessing, I4, or KSE1500, but do own the Euclid, it would be A bit bass light on Harman’s current IEM target but has just enough bass presence for what I like.

Etymotic’s XR target (and EVO) actually lines up similarly with Harman’s original target. I think someone had asked them about it and they said that the SR target was being designed before the Harman target was released/announced.

That's interesting that the target was originally used for both over and in-ears. I did remember hearing about some revisions over the years with an increase in bass. And 10db does sound high haha.

I can see what you mean about the Euclid. I was comparing the LCD-i4 and LCD-MX4 last night and it does seem a bit bass light compared to those models. I wouldn't consider either to be overly heavy in the low end, but definitely more weight there. Hearing the Euclid alone without those others for context though I think I'd probably be happy with that amount of low end.

My reference point has been the HD600 which, although fairly flat and neutral, I do find a bit bass shy in lowest octaves where it rolls off as I guess most DD open-backs tend to be. That deficiency is what sent me on this new headphone/IEM quest so I may be more biased towards wanting a bit more low end to evaluate sub bass in mixes. I had a bit of trouble with that even using Sonarworks and the HD600 and had tried a SubPac which was pretty useful, but the workflow of using it was a pain so I sold it.

I think it's cool how Etymotic pioneered the IEM and basically set the stage for what we have today.

 

[tinyman392]

That's interesting that the target was originally used for both over and in-ears. I did remember hearing about some revisions over the years with an increase in bass. And 10db does sound high haha.

I can see what you mean about the Euclid. I was comparing the LCD-i4 and LCD-MX4 last night and it does seem a bit bass light compared to those models. I wouldn't consider either to be overly heavy in the low end, but definitely more weight there. Hearing the Euclid alone without those others for context though I think I'd probably be happy with that amount of low end.

My reference point has been the HD600 which, although fairly flat and neutral, I do find a bit bass shy in lowest octaves where it rolls off as I guess most DD open-backs tend to be. That deficiency is what sent me on this new headphone/IEM quest so I may be more biased towards wanting a bit more low end to evaluate sub bass in mixes. I had a bit of trouble with that even using Sonarworks and the HD600 and had tried a SubPac which was pretty useful, but the workflow of using it was a pain so I sold it.

I think it's cool how Etymotic pioneered the IEM and basically set the stage for what we have today.

I actually like the bass quantity the Euclid gives, that 5-ish dB bump is just about perfect IMO.

 

[Zachik]

Interesting educational journey this has been.

Good way to describe this entire hobby

 

[gurepa]

is it safe to use Knowles damper on ER4? Or should I use Ety's genuine plastic filter?

 

[Toesnip13]

is it safe to use Knowles damper on ER4? Or should I use Ety's genuine plastic filter?

Yup. It's what I use. exact same measurements. Just make sure it's definitely a genuine Knowles damper. Many fakes out there.

 

[AryaTwirl]

Hi, so I got to that point again where I'm having Ety tips issues. No, not about comfort, but about availability

I just saw a friend of mine selling his Shure 215, and guess what, four years, used almost everyday, and that original grey tips are still there! Feel like brand new! Meanwhile, a pair of my tri flange ety only last 2 months, 3 months if I'm lucky. And then, if I want to buy it, I have to resort to overseas shops and shippings.

Someone here once mentioned about buying the tips from him for cheap, and even though it's hard to swallow, I'm even more than willing to waste 60 usd for shipping from etymotic if it arrives in less than a week, and I can just buy 4 packs at once so that it will feel much cheaper. But the thing is, assuming my ety survive for years, I will have to keep buying the tips, unlike my friend with his Shure.

So, my question is, is there any... any tips out there that is: 1. As durable as Shure... 3 years, four years, without even any meaningful damage, so I don't even have to think about buying one again down the line, 2. That sound and isolate exactly the same or very very very close to ety tri flange.

Maybe.... Shure tri flange is more durable? anyone having experience using that? or maybe... I'm just so stupid that perhaps due to how deep ety is inside our ears, any tips won't last that long and I have to adjust my expectations.

About to buy Aonic 3 just because of this but I know very much I'm going to miss Ety sound so much, even though, at least from the graph, they look to sound quite similar to etys. So, yeah, any help will be really appreciated.

Thank you,.

EDIT: I've tried Shure Olives (bloated bass, and treble seems to be really weird), Shure flex grey (sounds metalic in a way? Like neutral but... weird), a cheapo dual flange from ebay (this one sounds quite good, but bass is certainly more prominent here, just a bit, but then the isolation and the insertion suffers a lot compared to ety tri flange).

 

[Knee Deep In Epoxy]

Long time Ety fan - started with the HF5 around 15 years ago... My how time flies. Little did I know that they were my training ground for good sound. My serious obsession with audio only really started during lockdown.

The HF5 lasted almost a decade. When they eventually gave up I hadn't quite wrapped my head around spending the big bucks on audio yet. So I took what was for me a big leap at the time and got the ER3XR. I've been using that for 4-5 years now and even added the impedance adapter to adjust the frequency to make it more ER4-like....

This year I got curious about the dynamic sound so I figured ER2XR... Why not?

Now Ive been jumping between the 2 and 3 (with ohm adapter). But a couple of weeks ago the housing of my 3s came apart. Theyre still usable but very fragile. It feels like an matter of time before something internal breaks...

So I faced the ETY question of the moment... ER4XR or Evo? I went back and forth between reviews and ruminations... Last night I settled on the ER4XR... I feel like it's an essential part of this journey and the Evo's reviews have not left me feeling convinced. Can't want to give the little legends a listen and compare them to the 3xr with adapter.

Hopefully the 4xr will have me sorted for the next 5 to 10 years!

 

[kmhaynes]

Hi, so I got to that point again where I'm having Ety tips issues. No, not about comfort, but about availability

I just saw a friend of mine selling his Shure 215, and guess what, four years, used almost everyday, and that original grey tips are still there! Feel like brand new! Meanwhile, a pair of my tri flange ety only last 2 months, 3 months if I'm lucky. And then, if I want to buy it, I have to resort to overseas shops and shippings.

Someone here once mentioned about buying the tips from him for cheap, and even though it's hard to swallow, I'm even more than willing to waste 60 usd for shipping from etymotic if it arrives in less than a week, and I can just buy 4 packs at once so that it will feel much cheaper. But the thing is, assuming my ety survive for years, I will have to keep buying the tips, unlike my friend with his Shure.

So, my question is, is there any... any tips out there that is: 1. As durable as Shure... 3 years, four years, without even any meaningful damage, so I don't even have to think about buying one again down the line, 2. That sound and isolate exactly the same or very very very close to ety tri flange.

Maybe.... Shure tri flange is more durable? anyone having experience using that? or maybe... I'm just so stupid that perhaps due to how deep ety is inside our ears, any tips won't last that long and I have to adjust my expectations.

About to buy Aonic 3 just because of this but I know very much I'm going to miss Ety sound so much, even though, at least from the graph, they look to sound quite similar to etys. So, yeah, any help will be really appreciated.

Thank you,.

EDIT: I've tried Shure Olives (bloated bass, and treble seems to be really weird), Shure flex grey (sounds metalic in a way? Like neutral but... weird), a cheapo dual flange from ebay (this one sounds quite good, but bass is certainly more prominent here, just a bit, but then the isolation and the insertion suffers a lot compared to ety tri flange).

The answer might not be as easy as you think. Maybe your friend's ear canals don't generate as much ear wax as yours do?? Could be other reasons why his Shure tips last a long time.

Why do your Ety tri-flange tips last you only 2-3 months? What is happening to them that makes them unusable?

I wouldn't buy a whole new earphone (Shure Aonic 3) just to get different ear tips, unless you know for sure you will like the Shures.

You can buy the Shure EATFL tips and put them on the Ety nozzle -- they are the same size nozzle just about.

 

[Zachik]

Etymotic Black Friday deals are live right now:

• ER4XR for $199.99
• Evo for $399.99
• All passive hearing plugs are 30% off

Cross-posting on the Evo thread...

 

[AryaTwirl]

The answer might not be as easy as you think. Maybe your friend's ear canals don't generate as much ear wax as yours do?? Could be other reasons why his Shure tips last a long time.

Why do your Ety tri-flange tips last you only 2-3 months? What is happening to them that makes them unusable?

I wouldn't buy a whole new earphone (Shure Aonic 3) just to get different ear tips, unless you know for sure you will like the Shures.

You can buy the Shure EATFL tips and put them on the Ety nozzle -- they are the same size nozzle just about.

Yeah, maybe also the wax and I'm just being silly. But from what I asked him, he said his wax is not that little either. hmm... but perhaps my wax is more chemically abrasive

Maybe i should try the shure EATFL or just... yeah... adjust my expectations and maybe buying 3 or 4 50 tips bulk packs with 60 usd delivery from Ety online store won't feel that bad. It will last me years and I'll forget that 60 usd in no time!

Thank you for the answer.

 

[mark88888]

Etymotic Black Friday deals are live right now:

• ER4XR for $199.99
• Evo for $399.99
• All passive hearing plugs are 30% off

Cross-posting on the Evo thread...

Was hoping to see the much much better Adorama ER4 sales return but so far, no... out of stock.

 

[alterndog]

I love the items, but have an issue with tips. The double and tri-flange both hurt my ears. The included foam tips disintegrated fairly quickly. Any suggestions on other tips to try? For other Iems I’ve used M comply tips.