[Aero Dynamik]

 

   
Thanks.  Obviously, we weren't going for a monster bass boost.  Over the years, we've heard a lot of people say that they loved their ER4 earphones (either P or S) but wished it had a little bit more low end.  We tried to dial it in so that it added a bit of low end weight but didn't impede too much on the midrange.  We wanted to make sure it wasn't tubby sounding.

 
It's indeed a step in the right direction for those who listen to music outdoors including mass transit. I only wish it had been a smaller step, because the lower end now sounds a bit too "loose", somewhat to the detriment of detail in the mids and highs. Now, since I haven't seen the impedance curve for the new drivers, could anyone please elaborate (or speculate) on what is most likely to happen if I added, say, 40 Ohms to the XR? I'm aiming at tightening the bass and making the upper end more pronounced.

For me personally I'd say it's a "step in the the right direction" period. I want no more and no less.

 

[anton79ru]

  maybe you should first try to find out what you exactly mean by tightening the bass. is it that you want less overall? that you want less at a given frequency? if so where? is it around 150hz, or do you in fact feel that bass is good when it's strongly rolled off below 80hz(what people usually call "fast" or tight" bass)? 
the way you explain it makes me wonder why you went for the XR. if anything you seem to like even brighter than the er4s or did I get the wrong idea?
and with the same idea, why a hifiman if you enjoy trebles so much? all the DAPs I've tried from them had obvious treble roll off, is the HM-603 different?
 
don't get me wrong, it's not a critic, you do what you like with your ears of course. I'm just suggesting that maybe you're fighting against your own taste in this case.

 
More like negotiating with it. And I also suck at terminology - I didn't know tight bass had something to do with rolloff below 80, I thought it was about decay time. Anyway, what I think I want is a bit less presence in the region between 50 and 150 to make it... drier? I like my ER-4S except for lack of punch at times and weak articulation in the low end when there's actually melody going on there. Trebles are fine with the ER-4S, I just want them to stay that way, but in the XR case they are overly oppressed by the accent in the lower end and this is what I want to counterbalance partially.
 
Quite apart from that, I own a HM-603 just for the fun of it - to get a feeling of a multibit DAC and because it handles classical music just perfect. On a daily basis, it's the Hidizs AP100 that I wand the XR to sound good with.

And thanks for trying to figure out what the heck I mean.

 

[mdiogofs]

Hum...Like I said, I'm a virgin to Ety. But not to Knowles filters and Etymotic tool. I use filters from 330, 680, 1000, 1500 in Earsonics SM64. Can I use those filters on this? Sorry, haven't read much about filters on ER4S.
 
@anton79ru From my experience with SM64, if you use a lower filter (for instance change 1000 to 680), you will get a less loose bass, a bit tighter and with less quantity. But will get a bit more presence in the upper frequencies.

 

[Aero Dynamik]

   

Spoiler: Warinng: Spoiler!

Got my SR yesterday. 

Tried some 3rd party mmcx connector cables like Forza Hybrid and Silver Dragon (both balanced 2.5mm). They work but not very stable - I do lose connection sometimes in one of the ears with Forza. And straight connectors do not really fit into the whole idea/design I guess, they should be angled (L-shaped) like the original ones.

 
 
 

That picture reminds me of medical equipment. 

 

[mdiogofs]

What is the impedance in ER38-50 green filters? 1500 Ohm? Knowles green are 1500 Ohm...
If the Knowles filters fit, I could try the 1000 Ohm (brown filter) on the XR soon.
Does Ety sell other filter impedances for this?
 
Just wondering about this...The green filter is there for a reason, of course.

 

[qsk78]

  That picture reminds me of medical equipment. 

Yes, exactly..it looks horrible when they are inserted 

 
We need new proper connectors asap!

 

[castleofargh]

 

  maybe you should first try to find out what you exactly mean by tightening the bass. is it that you want less overall? that you want less at a given frequency? if so where? is it around 150hz, or do you in fact feel that bass is good when it's strongly rolled off below 80hz(what people usually call "fast" or tight" bass)? 
the way you explain it makes me wonder why you went for the XR. if anything you seem to like even brighter than the er4s or did I get the wrong idea?
and with the same idea, why a hifiman if you enjoy trebles so much? all the DAPs I've tried from them had obvious treble roll off, is the HM-603 different?
 
don't get me wrong, it's not a critic, you do what you like with your ears of course. I'm just suggesting that maybe you're fighting against your own taste in this case.

 
More like negotiating with it. And I also suck at terminology - I didn't know tight bass had something to do with rolloff below 80, I thought it was about decay time. Anyway, what I think I want is a bit less presence in the region between 50 and 150 to make it... drier? I like my ER-4S except for lack of punch at times and weak articulation in the low end when there's actually melody going on there. Trebles are fine with the ER-4S, I just want them to stay that way, but in the XR case they are overly oppressed by the accent in the lower end and this is what I want to counterbalance partially.
 
Quite apart from that, I own a HM-603 just for the fun of it - to get a feeling of a multibit DAC and because it handles classical music just perfect. On a daily basis, it's the Hidizs AP100 that I wand the XR to sound good with.

And thanks for trying to figure out what the heck I mean.

decay or any kind of distortions could also very well be a reason for feeling like the bass are "slow" or bloated. I'm just going for the most probable cause to explain the subjective feeling, as I wouldn't expect such a small driver to have the kind of never ending decay you could get on heavy speakers with a bad damping(electrical or mechanical). but I'm just guessing at this point.
 
for "research" purpose, I suggest you use the IEM on your computer and find yourself a nice EQ where you can select the exact frequency you want(even better would be parametric EQ). and test all kinds of things yourself in the 30 to 300hz area, to find out what your ideal bass signature is on average for the music you listen to. myself, I'm a sucker for low rumble, but I kind of dislike bass impacts, like some strong 30-40hz, but no boost or even a little recess for anything above 100hz. so I guess my favorite low end is the exact opposite of what you like ^_^.  taste is such a weird thing.

 

[robm321]

   
More like negotiating with it. And I also suck at terminology - I didn't know tight bass had something to do with rolloff below 80, I thought it was about decay time. Anyway, what I think I want is a bit less presence in the region between 50 and 150 to make it... drier? I like my ER-4S except for lack of punch at times and weak articulation in the low end when there's actually melody going on there. Trebles are fine with the ER-4S, I just want them to stay that way, but in the XR case they are overly oppressed by the accent in the lower end and this is what I want to counterbalance partially.
 
Quite apart from that, I own a HM-603 just for the fun of it - to get a feeling of a multibit DAC and because it handles classical music just perfect. On a daily basis, it's the Hidizs AP100 that I wand the XR to sound good with.

And thanks for trying to figure out what the heck I mean.

 
I do understand that you are doing your best to explain everything, and I get where you are coming from for the most part. However, I am having trouble understand how the treble is over attenuated because the bass has been slightly increased? My guess is that you mean there's too much bass compared to the treble. If that's the case, then the treble is not actually "supressed" or attenuated, there's just more bass which makes the treble seem less? 
 
Also, as discussed recently. It seems to be a case where you can't have one without the other. added warm comes with other issues. Its the same thing with the HD800 and HD800S. The S introduces distortion but also adds some warmth which is clearly missing in the HD800. I guess you have to choose, and maybe its just a case where you would be happier with the ER4SR and a companion IEM with plenty of bass. 
 
My strategy is to probably get the SR and keep my Roxanne which covers heavy bass. But a cheaper route would be to buy the XR and SR.  

 

[vapman]

Wrong thread. Please delete

 

[-19db]

So there is no free lunch.  If have a flat FR like the ER4 and add even a little low end, the highs will seem less, even when the graphs show the same HF for SR and XR.
Perhaps it's like when your eyes are drawn to brighter light where the stuff in the shadows become harder to discern?
Alternatively, you can compensate by eq'ing the highs so they match the boosted bass but that strategy will eventually lead to a TH900.

 

[Aero Dynamik]

 

  That picture reminds me of medical equipment. 

Yes, exactly..it looks horrible when they are inserted 

 
We need new proper connectors asap!

Absolutely! Let's put the United Nations on the case! 

 

[Hutnicks]

  Posted my review of the QY-30 by Qingyin. Please enjoy it even though it's lacking pictures right now...
 
http://www.head-fi.org/products/qingyin-qy-30/reviews/16474

And,,,, of course the Etymotic thread would be the perfect place to post this

 

[Aero Dynamik]

  So there is no free lunch.  If have a flat FR like the ER4 and add even a little low end, the highs will seem less, even when the graphs show the same HF for SR and XR.
Perhaps it's like when your eyes are drawn to brighter light where the stuff in the shadows become harder to discern?
Alternatively, you can compensate by eq'ing the highs so they match the boosted bass but that strategy will eventually lead to a TH900.

Have the ER4XR. Haven't heard the ER4SR. From memory, the ER4XR is even more transparent than the ER4PT. The way I hear it the XR treble is just perfect. Crystal clear but not detailed to a point to where it would become fatiguing. I've such a hard time imagining how the delicate bass elevation could mask the treble. I really just believe it's a matter of getting used to the overall signature. The way I hear it the treble - all of it - is there for sure.

 

[vapman]

 
And,,,, of course the Etymotic thread would be the perfect place to post this

Crap, my apologies, i need to stop having 500 head fi tabs open
 
To stay on topic:
 
 

  Have the ER4XR. Haven't heard the ER4SR. From memory, the ER4XR is even more transparent than the ER4PT. The way I hear it the XR treble is just perfect. Crystal clear but not detailed to a point to where it would become fatiguing. I've such a hard time imagining how the delicate bass elevation could mask the treble. I really just believe it's a matter of getting used to the overall signature. The way I hear it the treble - all of it - is there for sure.

 
XR treble is a little hot compared to SR. If you think the XR is non fatiguing, the SR would be even gentler!

 

[mark88888]

XR treble is a little hot compared to SR. If you think the XR is non fatiguing, the SR would be even gentler!

 
 
I'm surprised to read this... I'm curious if others hear it the same way?