[ETYHeadRick]

   
Extremely similar & hard for me to tell the difference (ER4S vs ER4SR.) I was surprised to see how high I had to take my volume on my unamped Note 4 to get the SRs to a volume I liked. I was nearly the same as with the ER4S unamped. Given, the ER4S unamped didnt sound nearly as good unamped as the ER4SR at the same volume. Amped though, it's hard to tell the difference. 
 
Unfortunately, I have already noticed some problems with the key on the mmcx connector, as well as a couple dents/dings in the aluminum housings on one of the earpieces. The key on the cable is already crooked & worn causing it to have some swivel, and i can only imagine this will get worse with repeated earphone insertions/removals since I tend to use a twisting motion w/ my etys. I had posted a previous post on this thread showing photos of the worn connector key as well as the dents in the housing, but since I'm under a new username on head-fi, I guess the mods took that post down since I'm not allowed to post photos yet.
 
I think I'm just going to stick w/ the ER4S for now because of its proven durability. I love the feel of the new ER4SRs, but I think Ety still has some kinks to work out, and that whole mmcx plastic key connector thing just seems like it's a recipe for failure down the road. Just my humble opinion.

Hi Jleewachter:
 
Have you reached out to our Customer Service Dept. yet regarding this issue? You can always reach me at r_carlson@etymotic.com for assistance.

 

[jleewachter]

 
Hi Jleewachter:
 
Have you reached out to our Customer Service Dept. yet regarding this issue? You can always reach me at r_carlson@etymotic.com for assistance.

 
I sent an email yesterday, and I'm sure you guys would take care of it. The problem is, the dealer I purchased them from is out of stock, so I cannot do an exchange, and I needed the headphones for a trip I have coming up, so I don't really have the time to wait for Etymotic to receive the headphones from me before I get a replacement pair. Unfortunately, I think my best bet is to just return them & stick w/ my ER4s for now.
 
No hate for Etymotic here; these things happen, especially w/ a new product.

 

[ETYHeadRick]

   
I sent an email yesterday, and I'm sure you guys would take care of it. The problem is, the dealer I purchased them from is out of stock, so I cannot do an exchange, and I needed the headphones for a trip I have coming up, so I don't really have the time to wait for Etymotic to receive the headphones from me before I get a replacement pair. Unfortunately, I think my best bet is to just return them & stick w/ my ER4s for now.
 
No hate for Etymotic here; these things happen, especially w/ a new product.

Thanks for that. I saw the email and will respond to you from there.

 

[thefitz]

The plastic tab on that keeps the MMCX connector from rotating is quite fragile - if you tip roll using tips that are hard to remove (Shure, Westone), you wear out that tab quite easily and it becomes quite difficult to remove tips without removing the whole earpiece.

 

[jleewachter]

  The plastic tab on that keeps the MMCX connector from rotating is quite fragile - if you tip roll using tips that are hard to remove (Shure, Westone), you wear out that tab quite easily and it becomes quite difficult to remove tips without removing the whole earpiece.

Yeah, that's really the only fault I can find w/ the SR/XR. I absolutely love everything else about it. The aluminum barrels look/feel so much nicer than the older plastic ones & the cable & carrying case are both much better than before. I just kinda hate MMCX in general. I've had too many iems fail because of a broken MMCX socket.
 
Maybe if that plastic key went a bit longer into the earpiece, it wouldn't be so prone to wear; or if it were made of something more durable than plastic.
 
If not for that, they would be perfect.

 

[Happytalk]

Maybe a cheaper line of each model without a removal cable. Hopefully the same sound. I always had a problem with mmcx cutting out in one ear eventually. Much sooner than fixed cables, in my experience.

 

[FastAndClean]

Maybe a cheaper line of each model without a removal cable. Hopefully the same sound. I always had a problem with mmcx cutting out in one ear eventually. Much sooner than fixed cables, in my experience.

you are absolutely right, i prefer fixed cable instead of mmxc one

 

[HiFiChris]

The "old" models' cables aren't fixed/permanently attached but feature a Sennheiser HD 6x0-like connector.

 

[jleewachter]

  The "old" models' cables aren't fixed/permanently attached but feature a Sennheiser HD 6x0-like connector.

True, but they're still easily one of the most durable, longest lasting iems ever made. I've had tons of removable-cable iems over the past several years, and the only ones that have ever had cable/socket failures have been the MMCX ones (my latest being a pair of UM Pro 30s that bit the dust after a year.)

 

[thefitz]

Has anyone been able to remove Shure Olives from their ER-4XR/SR?

 

[jleewachter]

  Has anyone been able to remove Shure Olives from their ER-4XR/SR?

 
I've had a hard enough time getting the new larger stock triple flange tips on & off the nozzles. I cant imagine trying to do so w/ Olives.

 

[VladTheImpala]

Just wanted to give an update about my ongoing problems with the ER4S. After a long back and forth with one of Etymotic's technicians, we have concluded that the earpieces were overdriven (played way too loud) and this has caused damage to the drivers. When the earpieces were cut into, the drivers looked in pretty bad shape, according to the tech. My personal opinion is that playing them at very loud levels combined with the aftermarket silver cables I was using was driving the drivers beyond their physical limit. The reason I suspect the silver cables added to it is because I have always listened to my Etys very loud, but the problems only ever occurred when I used the silver cables. Using the stock cable has been okay.

Etymotic was very nice and replaced my broken pair free of charge. I have been playing it safe and sticking to the stock gable and not turning it up quite as high (which is good for my ears as well as for the earphones), and everything has been fine. I've had the new pair for almost 3 months now and all is well.

 

[Voyageur]

Has anyone been able to remove Shure Olives from their ER-4XR/SR?

They were my favorite tips with my PT and still are with the new SR and XR. They seem to give a touch more body to the sound without sacrificing detail or transparency, not to mention that they're really comfortable durable and isolating. Only downside (as mentioned before) is that they're hard to install/remove. It takes a few minutes to get them in place and it has to be done very carefully (fits tight). Strong lateral movements could break the nozzle. Never had any issue though.

 

[luisdent]

How do you like the SR compared to the older ER4? Any difference in sound quality?

Extremely similar & hard for me to tell the difference (ER4S vs ER4SR.) I was surprised to see how high I had to take my volume on my unamped Note 4 to get the SRs to a volume I liked. I was nearly the same as with the ER4S unamped. Given, the ER4S unamped didnt sound nearly as good unamped as the ER4SR at the same volume. Amped though, it's hard to tell the difference. 

Unfortunately, I have already noticed some problems with the key on the mmcx connector, as well as a couple dents/dings in the aluminum housings on one of the earpieces. The key on the cable is already crooked & worn causing it to have some swivel, and i can only imagine this will get worse with repeated earphone insertions/removals since I tend to use a twisting motion w/ my etys. I had posted a previous post on this thread showing photos of the worn connector key as well as the dents in the housing, but since I'm under a new username on head-fi, I guess the mods took that post down since I'm not allowed to post photos yet.

I think I'm just going to stick w/ the ER4S for now because of its proven durability. I love the feel of the new ER4SRs, but I think Ety still has some kinks to work out, and that whole mmcx plastic key connector thing just seems like it's a recipe for failure down the road. Just my humble opinion.

The sr should at least be "noticeably" louder than the er4s on any device. Amp'd or unamp'd.

Both my sr and xr go a good percentage louder than my er4s when i compare volumes.

 

[jleewachter]

The sr should at least be "noticeably" louder than the er4s on any device. Amp'd or unamp'd.

Both my sr and xr go a good percentage louder than my er4s when i compare volumes.

 
Don't get me wrong, the SR is definitely louder than the 4S; I guess just not as much louder as I expected it to be. Of course, I don't exactly have the pinnacle of audio sources. The Note 4 is definitely one of the more quiet sources I've used.
 
Doing a bit more A/B testing right now, and it is starting to seem like the ER4SR is a bit more transparent/open sounding than the ER4S. It sounds a bit more 'musical' if that is the right adjective. 
 
Of course, that could just be my sleep deprivation talking