[james6333]

So I just got my pair of ER4SRs today in the mail and I would like to share some first impressions with everyone.

The packaging is beautiful and the 'phones themselves come with plenty of accessories. The documentation is a nice touch as well.

Before I get into the initial impressions of sound quality I just want to comment that these are the most uncomfortable tips I have ever worn. I am still trying to figure out a way to make them more comfy, right now I'm using the foams but they don't seem to insert as deeply (maybe they aren't supposed to?).

As far as sound, I want to use a hypothetical situation to try and describe these. Imagine you have a bunch of windows in front of you; some warped, some have a different hue, and some are dirty. These windows represent different sound signatures and different quality 'phones. Some people may find it nice to have a window that's slightly tinted or hued.
Now when I listened to the ER4SR I got the sense that I was hearing the music as it was meant to be heard. So in the comparison above I would say the ER4SR give you a clean and undistorted (almost windowless) view at the audio that you are listening to. With other headphones certain frequencies are accentuated, but the ER4SR doesn't accentuate anything. It allows the full sound to come through equally. Each sound is recognizable and compliments each other without masking any detail.

So far I am beyond impressed with the SQ.

If anyone has any suggestions for better tips I'm all ears (pun intended). So far the foams seem the most comfortable but they don't make it that deep. the smaller plastic tips feel better than the larger clear tips but still feel like I'm about to tear my skin when I pull them out.

Turn you try flange tips into bi flange tips by cutting off the smallest flange. I could not wear the triple flange tips for more than five minutes but can wear the 2 flange tips all day. I can't hear a difference is sound quality or isolation but fit is 100% better for me.

 

[james6333]

I listen to a lot of different genres but my favorites are grunge, electronic, jazz, classical, and a little bit of rap (love aesop rock)

Nils Lofgren "Kieth don't' go"; audiophile quality, guitar reference track for me.

Kurt Elling "undun" ; audiophile quality. Sound stage reference track for me.

Gregory Porter "god bless the child"; vocal reference

Deadmau5 "Seeya"; crazy mid bass punch. Nice but fake sound stage.

Daft Punk, Random Access memories album is recorded well, for electric music it sounds very natural.

Toots and the Mysticals fearing Ben Harper " still is still moving to me"; something different that is recorded well. Natural sounding steel drum/mixed well.

 

[james6333]

I would like one more clarification concerning the new models:


I've compared the frequency response curves of my ER-4PTs to the curves of the new ER4-XR and ER4-SR, and I've noticed that, in fact, the frequency reponse curve of the ER4-SR is basically the same curve as the one of my PTs, except for being shifted down for a few dBs, whereas the curve of the ER4-XRs increases way more for the lower frequencies than the one of the PTs (while also being, mainly, a shifted-down version of the original PT-curve).Does this mean that soundwise, the SR is more similar to the ER4-PTs than the XR, except for being a little quieter (i.e. less loud) over-all? Or how can I interpret this?

If your used to the Etymotic sound I would go with the SR. The XR has a lot more bass boost than I was expecting. It is good in its own way but loses that accurate tonal balance that makes Etymotic special. There are tons of IEM that are house tuned for this or that and it gets old imo.

 

[Happytalk]

I am a fan of Comply tips. Their P100's are fantastic on my Ety's. As far as the stock tips go I like the gliders the most, then the foams, and then the tri-flange. The tri-flange do break in and get softer over time.


The SR are closest to the S models. The P's would have slightly reduced treble compared to either of them. That's what gives them a "warmer" sound. The XR should have treble closer to the SR/S models but with extra bass. At least from what I've read. In other words the S/SR/P are closer together signature wise. The XR has a bass boost switched on from the factory compared to the others. I have a set of P's with the P to S adapter and haven't decided which one of the new ones I want to try first. haha.

I have noticed that the quality of the bass in old P version seems to suffer some compared to the old S version. It just doesn't do it for me compared to the S. I think both are super detailed and clear. The p may have a mildly "thicker" treble, but barely any different. Maybe that's the roll off. To my ears, the bass is so much better quality on the S, that it's no contest. Just using my ears to gauge frequency response and quality of the frequencies. I prefer my etymotics to have a little more bass and while I know the P is supposed to have more, it just doesn't cut it compared to the S based on my experience listening and comparing them on and off for a few years now. In responding to a post I the previous page where the guy measured frequency responses and was wondering why the old model was so similar to the new. In just saying that there are other factors at play. I don't know what, but I'm assuming it may have to do with resistance or something.

 

[Youngblood]

Turn you try flange tips into bi flange tips by cutting off the smallest flange. I could not wear the triple flange tips for more than five minutes but can wear the 2 flange tips all day. I can't hear a difference is sound quality or isolation but fit is 100% better for me.

Thanks for the suggestion! I'm gonna try this tomorrow and I'll report back. I'm starting to become more accustomed to the triflanged tips but they still feel awful compared to most in-ears

Nils Lofgren "Kieth don't' go"; audiophile quality, guitar reference track for me.

Kurt Elling "undun" ; audiophile quality. Sound stage reference track for me.

Gregory Porter "god bless the child"; vocal reference

Deadmau5 "Seeya"; crazy mid bass punch. Nice but fake sound stage.

Daft Punk, Random Access memories album is recorded well, for electric music it sounds very natural.

Toots and the Mysticals fearing Ben Harper " still is still moving to me"; something different that is recorded well. Natural sounding steel drum/mixed well.

Trying these out right now, liking the deadmau5 song a lot!

 

[cmat]

Alright, thanks for all your replies, i think I've finally settled on buying an ER4-SR  
 
Only one question left: Does anyone here live in Europe and know how I can use the Etymotic-upgrade program without spending all the money I could save with that option on shipping? Because If there is no way to do that, I might just as well buy it for the full price in a local store. Any suggestions or hints are much appreciated!

 

[james6333]

Thanks for the suggestion! I'm gonna try this tomorrow and I'll report back. I'm starting to become more accustomed to the triflanged tips but they still feel awful compared to most in-ears
Trying these out right now, liking the deadmau5 song a lot!

That is good. If you like that try Infected Mushroom "Kafkaf".

 

[Youngblood]

So I've been doing some in-depth listening on these SRs. I was curious how these would sound with a little more bass (somewhat akin to what one would find on the XR) So I equalized about 4 to 5 dB at 30 hz slowly fading to flat at 500 hz. It sounds good to have the additional bass response in EDM genres. When I switch the EQ off I find that I don't miss it that much and I gain a small amount of clarity. 
 
 

That is good. If you like that try Infected Mushroom "Kafkaf".

 
I like the higher frequency details on this song. One great thing about the SR is that the treble never feels like it over extends itself. It allows such a huge amount of detail to be retrieved without becoming fatiguing. 

 

[Matte82]

I listen to a lot of different genres but my favorites are grunge, electronic, jazz, classical, and a little bit of rap (love aesop rock)

Sorry I didn't get back sooner. I see there's been some other recommendations.

Daft Punk RAM is an album I'm blown away by every time I listen to it. So organic and "analog" sounding.

Norah Jones day breaks is what I'm listening to right now. Albeit on my HF3's. Sounds like you're sitting in the middle of the room during the recording.

Adele "when we were young" fascinates me. The way the reverb is automated is so well done. Also the way they completely change the piano sound around 1:10 is intriguing. Not really sure why they did it.

John Mayer with Katy Perry "who you love". Love the old school drum sound. Plus the simplicity of the arrangement. I'm a pretty big JM fan, and this song made me pay more attention to Katy. They way the doubled her an octave up for her verse is really cool.

Foo fighters has two newer albums I really like. Sonic highways is a cool experiment. I really like congregation w/Zac Brown's influence and cool breakdown in the middle.

Then the sound city real to reel. Not exactly a Foo album, but a who's who of great artist all collaborating, with the foos at the center of it all. And if you're interested in the recording process, the documentary about making the album is worth the watch.

 

[astromaddie]

I'm curious about something. I've heard it mentioned that you can EQ the XRs down to sound like the SR, because the only difference in the drivers is the bass tilt. Has anyone successfully done this? I have a pair of ER4PT / ER4S (with the adapter), and from what I remember, the SR and S had similar bass levels. So if I were to listen to the S, and then EQ the XR until it had a similar-sounding bass response, would I effectively have tuned the XR to sound like an SR? I'd assume I'd just do a linear-sloping reduction in the bass from the lowest band up to the ~500Hz band.

 

[james6333]

I'm curious about something. I've heard it mentioned that you can EQ the XRs down to sound like the SR, because the only difference in the drivers is the bass tilt. Has anyone successfully done this? I have a pair of ER4PT / ER4S (with the adapter), and from what I remember, the SR and S had similar bass levels. So if I were to listen to the S, and then EQ the XR until it had a similar-sounding bass response, would I effectively have tuned the XR to sound like an SR? I'd assume I'd just do a linear-sloping reduction in the bass from the lowest band up to the ~500Hz band.

Probably. I have both and can try this for you tonight if you want to know. I think the SR sounds better (as in accurate) on well recorded stuff and old 80s digital or EDM I like the XR better.

 

[HiFiChris]

I'm curious about something. I've heard it mentioned that you can EQ the XRs down to sound like the SR, because the only difference in the drivers is the bass tilt. Has anyone successfully done this? I have a pair of ER4PT / ER4S (with the adapter), and from what I remember, the SR and S had similar bass levels. So if I were to listen to the S, and then EQ the XR until it had a similar-sounding bass response, would I effectively have tuned the XR to sound like an SR? I'd assume I'd just do a linear-sloping reduction in the bass from the lowest band up to the ~500Hz band.

For the most part, yes. There's still a slight difference in the treble but it's rather minor (very slightly less level in the lower highs on the XR's side, along with very slightly more level in the upper highs, at least when referring to the two units I have here) and could also be related to slight manufacturing tolerances.

 

[astromaddie]

Probably. I have both and can try this for you tonight if you want to know. I think the SR sounds better (as in accurate) on well recorded stuff and old 80s digital or EDM I like the XR better.

That would be awesome, thanks! I've never messed with equalizers before, so I guess if you could give me some tips to how you EQ it down, that would be helpful.
 
Your preferences sound about how I felt between the two (I originally bought both XR and SR, and returned the SR... While I liked the accuracy of the SR, I felt it was very similar to the S, while the XR was fun and full-bodied sounding while filling its own niche). If I could EQ the XR to sound like the SR, like a more full-sounding S, that would be really nifty.

 

[squyzz]

It will be great if Etymotic could add à switch on the iem to choose between the SR and XR signature sound

 

[ClieOS]

It will be great if Etymotic could add à switch on the iem to choose between the SR and XR signature sound

SR and XR use different transducer. So no switch in the world would be able to give you both SR and XR sound in one ER4.