[luisdent]

So my pair of ER4XR came in the mail today. So far they are fantastic. I've been hearing detail not even my LCD-2Fs have shown me, which to me is pretty impressive.
I really underestimated how deep they go. I thought the penetration jokes were exaggerated, but nope.

One thing I realized though, is that I can not get the earphones very deep when my ears are dry. It's actually very painful once they are in too. However, if I wet the opening of my ear canal a little, it goes in without an issue and doesn't hurt what so ever. It still feels weird, but it's not that uncomfortable.

What would you guys do in this case? I was told by someone that I could just use saliva, but that kind of grosses me out. I was thinking of having a tiny plastic dropper with a screw cap to hold a little water, and I could carry it with the headphones. But there is always a risk when putting liquid and electronics together.

What would you guys/gals do, what do you do about this?

i lick one finger and then rub it around the silicone eartip so there is a thin layer. I don't find it gross. I don't do it if I've recently eaten or drank anything without washing my hands first.

it works perfectly. it's free. and being on the eartips, I don't have to mess with anything in my ears. water isn't good. that isn't a lubricant really as it will dry out quickly.

 

[AnyDave]

^
Doesn't Etymotic recommend using a lubricant on the tips for initial insertion? Conversely you could try "bubblejuice".


I've ordered the ER4XR and hopefully will have them in a few days.

There are a number of products to help lubricate if one is uncomfortable with saliva (which many people are). I haven't tried them all, but I tried Oto-ease years ago and it seemed to work well.

 

[AnyDave]

To avoid confusion, I thought I might help outline the differences between the ER3 and ER4. Some will find these differences significant, others less so, so I'll leave the qualitative assessments to everybody else here.

- As with the previous generation ER4 and HF series earphones, the drivers are not strictly identical, but definitely share a lot of similarities.

- The ER4s are indeed built and matched in the United States. The ER3s are built in China.

- Both the ER4 and the ER3 have to pass within certain acoustic acceptance limits. The ER4 channel matching is the primary difference, however. The ER4s are matched within 2dB from 100hZ to 10kHz. The ER3s are only matched at 1kHz. Some units, like csglinux's will run very tight (not uncommon for balanced armature drivers). I won't go as far as to say most would pass the ER4 matching spec (which we don't promise). Generally, they run pretty tight at the low end if the 1kHz sensitivity is matched. If there are differences, it's more likely to appear in the higher frequencies, but there can be exceptions.

That said, I don't know of any earphone outside of the ER4 that matches the channels to such a stringent degree. The ER3 is tested as the HF series has been for years and I can't recall any complaints of people having issues with the channels being too far apart. Somewhat interestingly, we've gotten more complaints about that with the ER4 series once we started putting in the channel compliance graph.

The goal of the ER3 series isn't to make it exactly an ER4 at a lower price point, but it definitely fits within what folks here often call "the Etymotic sound" - I would tend to call that an accurate sound, but I'm biased. Some folks will find the extras in the ER4 are worth it and that's great. Others will find they are completely satisfied by the ER3 at a lower price point, and that's great too. I'm just thrilled that people like what we do and I'm happy when folks choose any of our products over the myriad of options out there today.


FWIW, when we have more accessory cables in the future (sorry it's taking us so long) the ones released for the ER3 series and the ER4 series will all be interchangeable, so folks will be able to mix and match should they want to. The goal was to create a family of products sharing a common connection style.

 

[Tommy C]

@EtyDave any chance we will see an in-line mic with remote cable for the ER3/ ER4?
My apologies if this was asked and answered before.

 

[AnyDave]

@EtyDave any chance we will see an in-line mic with remote cable for the ER3/ ER4?
My apologies if this was asked and answered before.

Yes, there is a very good chance of that happening.

 

[Dobrescu George]

To avoid confusion, I thought I might help outline the differences between the ER3 and ER4. Some will find these differences significant, others less so, so I'll leave the qualitative assessments to everybody else here.

- As with the previous generation ER4 and HF series earphones, the drivers are not strictly identical, but definitely share a lot of similarities.

- The ER4s are indeed built and matched in the United States. The ER3s are built in China.

- Both the ER4 and the ER3 have to pass within certain acoustic acceptance limits. The ER4 channel matching is the primary difference, however. The ER4s are matched within 2dB from 100hZ to 10kHz. The ER3s are only matched at 1kHz. Some units, like csglinux's will run very tight (not uncommon for balanced armature drivers). I won't go as far as to say most would pass the ER4 matching spec (which we don't promise). Generally, they run pretty tight at the low end if the 1kHz sensitivity is matched. If there are differences, it's more likely to appear in the higher frequencies, but there can be exceptions.

That said, I don't know of any earphone outside of the ER4 that matches the channels to such a stringent degree. The ER3 is tested as the HF series has been for years and I can't recall any complaints of people having issues with the channels being too far apart. Somewhat interestingly, we've gotten more complaints about that with the ER4 series once we started putting in the channel compliance graph.

The goal of the ER3 series isn't to make it exactly an ER4 at a lower price point, but it definitely fits within what folks here often call "the Etymotic sound" - I would tend to call that an accurate sound, but I'm biased. Some folks will find the extras in the ER4 are worth it and that's great. Others will find they are completely satisfied by the ER3 at a lower price point, and that's great too. I'm just thrilled that people like what we do and I'm happy when folks choose any of our products over the myriad of options out there today.


FWIW, when we have more accessory cables in the future (sorry it's taking us so long) the ones released for the ER3 series and the ER4 series will all be interchangeable, so folks will be able to mix and match should they want to. The goal was to create a family of products sharing a common connection style.

Nicely stated!

There won't be a separate thread for ER3 series, no?

Also, it sounds like ER3XR will be quite the awesome IEM for Etymotic sound lovers!

 

[luisdent]

i just want transport controls

as for the er series. they are all superb. you guys have done an awesome job with them all etydave!

i personally find the differences small but noticeable. it's like each model is just a slightly different tuning with variations on how relaxed they sound. but i hear nothing jump out as obviously worse about the er3. i would not have known if you called them er4c and er4d and said they were just more variations of that series. the sound is definitely in the etymotic line of accuracy. and the price can't be beat!

 

[motorbit]

What would you guys/gals do, what do you do about this?

for me the stock tips didnt work at all. westone star green fit perfect and i have no issues whatsoever. maybe these would be a solution for you toom a single flange irritates the skin way less when removing the headphones.

I thought the penetration jokes were exaggerated, but nope.

proably the most accurate uvulas ever made.

 

[mechever64]

@EtyDave... Are you planning to release a cable with lightning connector for ER4-SR/XR? The ones who love the wonderful sound your earphones get from a device like an iPhone (and those who enjoy their sound both on the commute to work and on air travel) are very concerned with the fact that the 3,5 mm jack is no longer available. I would buy your accessory without hesitation.

 

[AnyDave]

@EtyDave... Are you planning to release a cable with lightning connector for ER4-SR/XR? The ones who love the wonderful sound your earphones get from a device like an iPhone (and those who enjoy their sound both on the commute to work and on air travel) are very concerned with the fact that the 3,5 mm jack is no longer available. I would buy your accessory without hesitation.

There's a good possibility but nothing is set in stone at this point.

 

[csglinux]

@EtyDave... Are you planning to release a cable with lightning connector for ER4-SR/XR? The ones who love the wonderful sound your earphones get from a device like an iPhone (and those who enjoy their sound both on the commute to work and on air travel) are very concerned with the fact that the 3,5 mm jack is no longer available. I would buy your accessory without hesitation.

I feel your pain. I used to own iPhones. Apple's claim that removing the headphone jack is going to improve audio quality (while a candid admission that their own internal DACs/amps sucked) is rather tenuous. Once you're stuck with that Lightning cable you can never plug those headphones into anything but an iPhone and you can never upgrade to a better DAC/amp/DAP while using that cable. Trust me, you'd be sooooo much better off with the existing 3.5 mm TRS Ety cables and an LG V30. The sound quality of the V30 is really something amazing and its amp has plenty of power to drive even the original ER4S with tons of headroom.

I do understand the concern of extricating yourself from Apple's ecosystem. I wrote a little post with the precise aim of helping people like you:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/apple-ditching-3-5mm-jack.795656/page-2#post-12708687

 

[luisdent]

I feel your pain. I used to own iPhones. Apple's claim that removing the headphone jack is going to improve audio quality (while a candid admission that their own internal DACs/amps sucked) is rather tenuous. Once you're stuck with that Lightning cable you can never plug those headphones into anything but an iPhone and you can never upgrade to a better DAC/amp/DAP while using that cable. Trust me, you'd be sooooo much better off with the existing 3.5 mm TRS Ety cables and an LG V30. The sound quality of the V30 is really something amazing and its amp has plenty of power to drive even the original ER4S with tons of headroom.

I do understand the concern of extricating yourself from Apple's ecosystem. I wrote a little post with the precise aim of helping people like you:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/apple-ditching-3-5mm-jack.795656/page-2#post-12708687

i have to politely disagree completely. i am not an apple fanboy and removing the headphone jack was the dumbest thing they've ever done. and their reasons and "quality" arguments were complete crap. and i essentially agree about their ecosystem and ethics as well.

from a sound wuality perspective, however, anyone who is honest about the sound and science behind it cannot refute that the last few iphones including the lightning adapter have audio performance outperforming most stand alone portable dacs/amp. frankly some of the best audio quality from any phone available.

i own the iPhone 7 plus with adapter, and have done double blind testing more than once with much "better" gear, and there is rarely if ever and audible difference with earphones.

the issues comes in with more power hungry headphones, but most phones and portable devices are not designed with those in mind.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/apple/lightning-adapter-audio-quality.htm

http://www.kenrockwell.com/apple/iphone-6-plus.htm#measurements

i use my er4 series with my iPhone regularly, and they sound fantastic. the original er4 isn't very sensitive and requires more volume, but I've still never "needed" an amp with them. the rest are all more than loud enough.

 

[csglinux]

i am not an apple fanboy and removing the headphone jack was the dumbest thing they've ever done.

Then why continue to support them? If your double-blind tests show no differences to other phones/DAPs, why continue to purchase from a company you know has sketchy ethics?

 

[Dobrescu George]

Then why continue to support them? If your double-blind tests show no differences to other phones/DAPs, why continue to purchase from a company you know has sketchy ethics?

I am sticking with Xiaomi for now. I don't necessarily like their tactics, ethics or such, but they are the only who make a large enough smartphgone for me (6.44), and mind you, I can barely use a tablet (Tab A 2016 10.1"), so I need big things. My advice: Get what every company makes best. Xiaomi doesn't make a tablet big enough for me, I don't get one, Samsung doesn't make a phone that is priced decently and that is big enough for me (also which needs to NOT be AMOLED), so I don't get a note... what the number is latest

 

[Tommy C]

Then why continue to support them? If your double-blind tests show no differences to other phones/DAPs, why continue to purchase from a company you know has sketchy ethics?

Not sure if that’s the case but for those of us who use the phone also for work and especially corporates anything other than iPhone is not an option.
Android phones don’t get updates regularly unless it’s the Pixel and for good and bad, they are not as secure as Apple.
Just to add to this, I use iPhone 6s and had Galaxy S6 and Nexus as well at one point.
Sound quality was superior on my iPhone 5 and 6s compared to the Anroid counterparts.