[vapman]

Doesn't the frequence reponse graphs suggest the same thing between the xr and SR? Treble had a little boost compared to Sr

 

[luisdent]

I find most people tend to percieve bass is fast and tight because there is no mid bass bloat. There are other factors, but it's difficult to have tight bass with extra mid bass.

This is why the xr is not as quick as the sr. Even though the bass isn't drastically different, it is boosted fairly evenly up to the mid bass also. This slightly takes away the perception of a quick bass attack because the treble is so slightly masked from the bass boost. And dynamic treble energy adds to the sense of quick bass attack.

There are other technical reasons, but i would guess none is as prominent in this case, as the er4xr is almost identical to the er4sr in every other way.

 

[moseboy]

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

 
My ears do not agree. To me, the treble on the XR and the SR were pretty much the same, even when I used to A/B them one after the other. They may have different drivers in them, but Etymotic tuned them both to be so similar in that region. I think it's really phenomenal.

 

[McCol]

Torn on which to order. Doing my head in!!

 

[AnyDave]

If you go back to page 529, you can see the SR and XR graph comparisons.  The high frequency performance of both is basically the same.  On that particular sample, the XR is a little bit less than 1dB higher at 10kHz, but I'd be more than a little surprised if anybody could detect that difference.  On a different sample, the SR could be a bit higher.  We're really splitting hairs if we are discussing 1dB difference.
 
Now, perception of the overall frequency response can certainly change because of the addition of the bass boost in the XR. 

 

[AnyDave]

Just for fun, I decided to play around with color marking for the channels.  I call this the "advanced sharpie process" (it's not advanced).  Takes about 30 seconds and can be carefully removed with isopropanol.  I probably need to find a lighter blue for the left channel.
 
 

 

[-19db]

  Just for fun, I decided to play around with color marking for the channels.  I call this the "advanced sharpie process" (it's not advanced).  Takes about 30 seconds and can be carefully removed with isopropanol.  I probably need to find a lighter blue for the left channel.
 
 

That looks awesome Dave!  NIce and subtle.
I usually get my Ety's into my ears before turning down the lights but is there a tactile indicator for the right?
 
Used my ER4P w/ the 75 ohm adapter last night with the 3 db bass boost on my Leben amp.  Perfect on Donald Fagen's album "Kamakiriad".  Does that mean I should get the XR?
 
Thanks,
Steve C

 

[Traveller]

  If you go back to page 529,

...or post 7934

 

 

[Traveller]

Speaking of which...
going back to the older ER4-PT, did the impedance rise to 100 ohms with the adapter, or did it just affect the FR characteristics?

 

[luisdent]

Just for fun, I decided to play around with color marking for the channels.  I call this the "advanced sharpie process" (it's not advanced).  Takes about 30 seconds and can be carefully removed with isopropanol.  I probably need to find a lighter blue for the left channel.

That's pretty sexy. You just used a sharpie? Will that void our warranty?

And similarly, do you think one could put a dab of super glue on one side? Will that come off later by simply picking it off or using isopropanol?

 

[AnyDave]

  Speaking of which...
going back to the older ER4-PT, did the impedance rise to 100 ohms with the adapter, or did it just affect the FR characteristics?

 
The adapter has resistors in it, so it increases the impedance to 100 ohms.

 

[AnyDave]

That's pretty sexy. You just used a sharpie? Will that void our warranty?

And similarly, do you think one could put a dab of super glue on one side? Will that come off later by simply picking it off or using isopropanol?

 
Yep, just a sharpie.  Good question on the warranty.  I don't think we generally void warranties over something superficial like that that obviously wouldn't cause a failure.  Just to be safe, I'd try not to get a bunch of isopropanol on the *inside* of the unit.  Nevertheless, I think this should be considered a "at your own risk" mod and not anything Etymotic sanctioned.  I just felt like sharing it with the fine folks in this thread because it's sort of fun.
 
I would avoid the superglue.  If you didn't mind possibly sacrificing your cable (since they are replaceable) you could put a drop on the strain relief, but I wouldn't expect it to remove it.  Picking it off might work, but I wouldn't bet money on it.

 

[uchihaitachi]

   
Yep, just a sharpie.  Good question on the warranty.  I don't think we generally void warranties over something superficial like that that obviously wouldn't cause a failure.  Just to be safe, I'd try not to get a bunch of isopropanol on the *inside* of the unit.  Nevertheless, I think this should be considered a "at your own risk" mod and not anything Etymotic sanctioned.  I just felt like sharing it with the fine folks in this thread because it's sort of fun.
 
I would avoid the superglue.  If you didn't mind possibly sacrificing your cable (since they are replaceable) you could put a drop on the strain relief, but I wouldn't expect it to remove it.  Picking it off might work, but I wouldn't bet money on it.

Sort of an unrelated question, but I was wondering if you knew of any speaker makes that are similarly tuned with accuracy in mind like the etymotics.
 
I always hoped to find one that was so well tuned, but often they always have boosts in the upper registers for that sparkly feel.... 
 
Wouldn't mind snapping up a pair of good speakers to complement the new etys

 

[AnyDave]

  That looks awesome Dave!  NIce and subtle.
I usually get my Ety's into my ears before turning down the lights but is there a tactile indicator for the right?
 
Used my ER4P w/ the 75 ohm adapter last night with the 3 db bass boost on my Leben amp.  Perfect on Donald Fagen's album "Kamakiriad".  Does that mean I should get the XR?
 
Thanks,
Steve C

 
Thanks!  There are not-quite-tactile-enough indicators for the left and right channels.  There is a raised section of the cable on the inside of each channel , but I'll admit that it's difficult to find in the dark.  We'll probably adjust the tooling in some way in the future.
 
I'll let others comment on whether or not you should get the XR.  I'd probably recommend you get a pair, a back-up pair, pairs for everybody in your immediate family as well as distant relatives and family pets.  Clearly, I can't be relied upon for sensible recommendations.

 

[AnyDave]

  Sort of an unrelated question, but I was wondering if you knew of any speaker makes that are similarly tuned with accuracy in mind like the etymotics.
 
I always hoped to find one that was so well tuned, but often they always have boosts in the upper registers for that sparkly feel.... 
 
Wouldn't mind snapping up a pair of good speakers to complement the new etys

 
Off the top of my head, I can't think of any.  I've listened to many speakers over the years, but there are so many variables between systems (room acoustics, placement, associated equipment) that it's difficult to make a precise recommendation unless I've heard them under the same controlled conditions.  I also don't spend as much time with hi-end audio systems as I used to, so there are probably newer offerings that I'm not as familiar with.