If you still love Etymotic ER4, this is the thread for you...

[drMuse]

Great, I just ordered them a few minutes ago, I hope the package includes the new tips...

How can I tell if my recently bought ER2SE's have the new tips? This is what I got, according to Amazon (Your Orders, saying I bought on Dec. 30, 2019):

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NSQBK1X/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[chinmie]

hey guys just wondering.. is anyone experienced with using etymotic er4s to do music production or even use it for stage monitoring? The reason i ask is that i know alot of musicians use CIEMS for perfomance.. but i hardly ever see anyone using er4s considering it's famous as a reference earphones.. i'm thinking of buying an er4sr but im not sure if it's adequate to use for reference and stage perfomance compared to CIEMS? and if so why aren't they widely used? i see alot of shures but not many sennheiser ie800s, akg k3003 and ety er4s

for stage use, i don't think i would ever use the Etys. the isolation and sound are not the problem, but moee because it's not over ear, which is much more secure from tugging. also because the way the Ety inserted, i would hate to imagine what a small bump to the side of my head would feel like... f
orm fitting and wider surface contact (and over ear) IEMs would be safer.

for studio use, the Ety would work great, but the problem is in studio setting there's a lot of communicating, short breaks, setting up, etc, that it's more comfortable to use headphones instead, because it's easier to take on/off. not to mention headphones have a more robust build and thicker cables.. because accidental cable snagging and tripping is real in studios.
if someone doing a private recording, alone, and in a controlled environment, then maybe the Etys would work great.

 

[elNan]

Great, I just ordered them a few minutes ago, I hope the package includes the new tips...

perra!

 

[luisdent]

hey guys just wondering.. is anyone experienced with using etymotic er4s to do music production or even use it for stage monitoring? The reason i ask is that i know alot of musicians use CIEMS for perfomance.. but i hardly ever see anyone using er4s considering it's famous as a reference earphones.. i'm thinking of buying an er4sr but im not sure if it's adequate to use for reference and stage perfomance compared to CIEMS? and if so why aren't they widely used? i see alot of shures but not many sennheiser ie800s, akg k3003 and ety er4s

I use them for aiding in mixing and mastering. Frankly the ie800, k3003, and many others probably wouldn't be seriously considered by engineers. They just aren't neutral enough. The er4 might be, however most engineers prefer over ear headphones. Ety has the unfortunate disadvantage of being deep in ear as well. Which turns off many people due to comfort.

Nonetheless, any earphone or headphone can be used with a few caveats. I think the er4 is the absolute best though personally.

As for the dual flange tips, I was told they will be sold separately in a few months.

 

[Blackwoof]

I use them for aiding in mixing and mastering. Frankly the ie800, k3003, and many others probably wouldn't be seriously considered by engineers. They just aren't neutral enough. The er4 might be, however most engineers prefer over ear headphones. Ety has the unfortunate disadvantage of being deep in ear as well. Which turns off many people due to comfort.

Also detail retrieval on those 3 IEM's would take a hit from masking, On the ER4 even in casual listening I can tell there a very good tool for mix & mastering. At £1500 the Shure KSE1200 would be a better choice for a neutral TOTL in ear.

 

[dr cornelius]

hey guys just wondering.. is anyone experienced with using etymotic er4s to do music production or even use it for stage monitoring? The reason i ask is that i know alot of musicians use CIEMS for perfomance.. but i hardly ever see anyone using er4s considering it's famous as a reference earphones.. i'm thinking of buying an er4sr but im not sure if it's adequate to use for reference and stage perfomance compared to CIEMS? and if so why aren't they widely used? i see alot of shures but not many sennheiser ie800s, akg k3003 and ety er4s

I use a pair for recording/performing. The trick is to loop them behind your ears - more secure, less microphonic. I would suggest the 4XR over the SR - the extra bass is helpful on stage, and I've found the extra low end a better mix reference in the studio. I used the 4XR's recently tracking drums, and they worked great.

 

[drMuse]

So, what's all this talk about the "new tips?" All I'm seeing in the Amazon links here are triple flange tips. The new tips are "dual flange?" I saw that mentioned. I ordered Dec. 30, do these have the "new tips?" Why are they preferred?

What I ordered/received: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NSQBK1X/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[435279]

So, what's all this talk about the "new tips?" All I'm seeing in the Amazon links here are triple flange tips. The new tips are "dual flange?" I saw that mentioned. I ordered Dec. 30, do these have the "new tips?" Why are they preferred?

What I ordered/received: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NSQBK1X/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Yes double flange silicone tips, the large ones can be purchased from the link below, but out of stock at the moment.

https://www.amazon.com/Double-eartips-Etymotic-Research-Earbuds/dp/B07FB6D62P

 

[luisdent]

Yes double flange silicone tips, the large ones can be purchased from the link below, but out of stock at the moment.

https://www.amazon.com/Double-eartips-Etymotic-Research-Earbuds/dp/B07FB6D62P

Yes. They aren't available sold separately just yet. But they will be.

And regarding professional use. Keep in mind, I'm not saying you couldn't use those other earphones as an aid either. It's just that most engineers and studio musicians that record and mix will have a preference for less masking as blackwood said. The er4 allow you to hear things in a balanced way even if they aren't speaker like in the bass department, as earphones aren't, generally speaking. Obviously there is always personal preference, but it's the same reason most studio engineer's swear by the hd600 or certain studio monitor speakers. Other headphones are used as well commonly, but usually for tracking or other purposes. (Sony over ears for instance.)

 

[Merkurio]

How can I tell if my recently bought ER2SE's have the new tips? This is what I got, according to Amazon (Your Orders, saying I bought on Dec. 30, 2019):

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NSQBK1X/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It seems that the latest batches include the new set of tips, but it's a bit difficult to determine, I guess it will be a matter of luck...

perra!

 

[guicnovaes]

Also detail retrieval on those 3 IEM's would take a hit from masking, On the ER4 even in casual listening I can tell there a very good tool for mix & mastering. At £1500 the Shure KSE1200 would be a better choice for a neutral TOTL in ear.

The KSE1200 doesn't even come close to the Er4, in terms of neutrality.

 

[drMuse]

It seems that the latest batches include the new set of tips, but it's a bit difficult to determine, I guess it will be a matter of luck...

So... the new tips are dual flange, not triple flange? I don't think I've ever seen the dual flange from Etymotics. The ER2SE's I ordered off Amazon on Dec. 30 came with two sets of triple flange tips and a foam pair, also 2 extra filters and a filter removal tool and a user manual that's for the SE and the XR (combined) that's it. I ordered a set of ER2XR's a few days later (off Walmart.com) and it came with the exact same stuff.

So, why do people here want the new tips, i.e. dual flange? Comfort? For me, at least for the gym, I want great isolation. Comfort is crucial, of course, but I find just exactly how (and how deeply) I insert the drivers+tips into my ears has a whole lot to do with that. Too deep will hurt, somewhat less I find tolerable. I've never been OK with any of the foam tips supplied by Etymotics.

 

[Merkurio]

So... the new tips are dual flange, not triple flange? I don't think I've ever seen the dual flange from Etymotics. The ER2SE's I ordered off Amazon on Dec. 30 came with two sets of triple flange tips and a foam pair, also 2 extra filters and a filter removal tool and a user manual that's for the SE and the XR (combined) that's it. I ordered a set of ER2XR's a few days later (off Walmart.com) and it came with the exact same stuff.

So, why do people here want the new tips, i.e. dual flange? Comfort? For me, at least for the gym, I want great isolation. Comfort is crucial, of course, but I find just exactly how (and how deeply) I insert the drivers+tips into my ears has a whole lot to do with that. Too deep will hurt, somewhat less I find tolerable. I've never been OK with any of the foam tips supplied by Etymotics.

Yes, bi-fangle tips.

I'm interested because I've never had an Etymotic before and I'm looking for as many options as possible that fit my comfort threshold. Besides, I've had good experience with bi-flange tips in the past (they're the ones I used when I had the Massdrop Plus).

 

[Blackwoof]

The KSE1200 doesn't even come close to the Er4, in terms of neutrality.

Oops I agree. Bassier by 1.5db than 2XR, The massive valley from 2.2k to 9k and more. The ER4XR looks way more fit for studio use, The SE425 more odd with that sharp roll off past 9k?!. What the are treble drivers on the 425 to 846 being used for?, The ER4 is 1 BA has way more past 9k than most multi BA stuff I've noticed.

 

[csglinux]

The KSE1200 doesn't even come close to the Er4, in terms of neutrality.

This depends on whether we're talking about neutral at our brains, or neutral at the mic of some Harman-compensated 711 coupler. The problem with the latter is that coupler mics (for almost all headphones*) will report an FR that is essentially independent of SPL. Our ears don't work that way. We're much less sensitive to the extremes (very low and very high frequencies) at low SPL. And surely low(er) SPL is the whole point of isolating in-ear monitors? Neutral is simply in the ear of the beholder's SPL:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal-loudness_contour

I own Etys (ER4XR, ER4P, ER3XR and ER2XR) and also the KSE1500, and I love all my little children. But there are pros and cons with each. Etys are great for the fact that they're ultra-portable and don't need an electrostatic amp. On the other hand, the KSE is the clearest, most transparent IEM I've ever heard - by a fairly wide margin. I know everybody hears things differently, but I tend to think that anybody who hears an Ety sounding clearer than the KSE is doing something wrong with their eartips, connectors, DAC, etc. Really. If you think an Ety sounds better than the KSE, you need to try again.

The KSE certainly measures slightly v-shaped on a standard 711 (non hi-res) coupler. Which is exactly what I'm looking for with all my IEMs, given the volume levels I listen at. Bass won't vary too much as long as you get a seal. As with all IEMs, treble is a complicated function of insertion depth and eartip shape and material type. The KSE can display a bit of a ~10 kHz resonance peak with certain types of silicone eartip. If you prefer, you can pretty much squash that peak completely with tips like comply foam.

*P.S. I said almost all. The KSE is the one headphones I've found whose FR can vary quite significantly with amplitude. Its treble peak starts to roll-off as you push the volume to higher (unsafe?) levels. I've never found out whether this is by accident or by design.