Just received today the Etymotic ER-4XR ordered from Amazon US to be delivered in Spain. They’re still on offer for 199 dollars and got them for 230 euros with transport and taxes which is 100 euros less than the best price I have ever seen in my country.
I am a rather beginner audiophile although I have since recently a really good pair of cans which are the Denon AH-D7200, amazing but those are clearly limited to home use. I have limited experience with iems and earphones. I have had several cheap Sennheisers that always ended up with a broken cable. Some months ago I bought the Final Audio E4000 which I really like but have very poor isolation since they are semiopen. I was looking for my definitive iems (upgraditis allowing!) mainly for on the go, I sometimes go near the sea where outside noise is really strong, also big city noise, and also for some occasions at home. The Etys looked good, have a really good name, but I could not try them on. I was advised by some in this thread for the XR for the bass. I listen mainly to classical orchestral music, Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart, Dvorak and the like.
My first impression of the Etymotic was bittersweet. Sweet since I did not find any discomfort with the deep insert. I was really worried since it seems to be very personal and many hate it. In the Spanish speaking YouTube world, there are these two Argentinian audiophile reviewers, one loved the Etys while the other said he could not bear them on. First, I tried the triple flanges and then the dual flanges. So far I seem to prefer the dual flanges, comfort and otherwise. As I was explaining, the experience was initially bitter since the music sounded dull and lifeless. That was with the triple flanges. It seems these iems are really very sensitive to the correct positioning. The correct position and you feel out of the world by the isolation. In the wrong position and the sound is rather bad. Thankfully I read about this problem in this thread and I persevered until I found the correct fit. I must say that I always seem to have a problem with my right ear and iems but thankfully here it worked well in the end. When I tried the dual flanges that seem to work better for my ears, then bass suddenly arrived and while the sound is not colored, it has bass and life. With the dual flanges and the correct positioning, I stopped for an hour and listened, really listened to the Beethoven 7th Symphony in a recording by LSO live that I know well. Then also a bit of Mozarts Requiem, and Bach’s Brandenburg concertos, always in known recordings in DSD and 24/96 flac. I used my two daps: A&K SR25 and Sony Nwa-55L with MrWalksmann latest firmware. I must admit I am really impressed. I prefer my Denon headphones I must confess, but those are completely different beasts. These iems are truly fantastic and without any doubt they have exceeded my expectations. It is true that they sound a bit like a speaker monitor, the precision and quality is remarkable. Their fame is truly justified in my opinion. It will be interesting to go back to the Final E4000 after a few days of Etys. I guess they will sound too bassy and certainly not as precise.
Now I have been using the Etys for three hours no problem of comfort and really liking the sound more and more. I have to readjust my right ear sometimes but no problem.
Other things for other interested buyers I found it was unclear in reviews. The box nowadays comes with the two cases, the small pocket one that is more practical in my opinion (was not there before it seems) and the bigger that can easily house any of my daps which are both on the smaller side.
Also the box includes the triple flanges, the foams and a whole set of twin flanges inside the small pouch that for me are the best. These apparently were not included before.
The only thing I dislike so far is the cable, I find the microphonics of the cable uncomfortable. It improves it is true with the shirt clip and neckband but it is still there! Is is unavoidable or are there other cables that solve this problem?
I would like to thank all in this community since their comments helped me with this excellent purchase.
I include some pics that would be interesting for some I hope!
