[mark88888]

Well, I received this cable from eBay that was mentioned earlier in the thread and the seller was really good to deal with. That said..

Neither of the connectors are very tight and the left one is loose enough that it comes off pretty much if you look at it funny. I nearly lost one earphone in the street the other night, it was pure fluke that it got caught on a bit of clothing when it fell. The cable is also incredibly microphonic unless you go over ear and since it's fairly stiff you need to absolutely clamp them in place with the chin.. strap.. thing. Whatever that's called.

So yeah, not ideal really but maybe I just got unlucky with the connector thing and as mentioned, the seller has been very good and immediately offered a full refund or replacement.

It's looking like I'm going to have to bite the bullet and buy an official one despite being loathe to give a company more money for overpriced accessories when I'm replacing something which was faulty from the start..

Same, I ordered it, way too loose. Both sides. I tried a bit to find a lock position and couldn't find one.

 

[ClieOS]

Same, I ordered it, way too loose. Both sides. I tried a bit to find a lock position and couldn't find one.

Take a look at the MMCX itself - do you see a notch that is supposed to lock into the earpiece?

 

[mark88888]

Take a look at the MMCX itself - do you see a notch that is supposed to lock into the earpiece?

I just took a look at it, and no, I don't see any kind of notch. I could be wrong, there could be a tiny one, the MMCX is small!! But anyway the regular Etymotic connector easily locks into place, this one I twirled around and around, pushing, no lock. It stays in with no pressure, but with any pull at all it easily detaches... on both sides.

 

[ClieOS]

I just took a look at it, and no, I don't see any kind of notch. I could be wrong, there could be a tiny one, the MMCX is small!! But anyway the regular Etymotic connector easily locks into place, this one I twirled around and around, pushing, no lock. It stays in with no pressure, but with any pull at all it easily detaches... on both sides.

This is what an actual Ety specific mmcx connector should looks like, and the notch should be right there. If your doesn't have it, then it is not an Ety connector. That might explain why it doesn't fit particularly tight.

If yours does look like mine and it is an Ety connector, then another possible explanation is that you didn't push the connector in enough. You should feel a 'click' when it goes all the way in. I used to build Ety cable and have people told me that their Ety connector is way too loose, only to find out that they didn't actually push in it as they fear that might break it. However, sometime you do need to push it with a bit more force to have it 'click' into the socket.

 

[Deadleg]

It's just that the connectors used for that cable don't seem to be very good, I'm afraid. Maybe there's a bad batch of them or something?

Mine definitely has the notch but it doesn't click into the gap no matter how hard you push it (trust me, I really pushed it). It just doesn't get that far.

 

[ClieOS]

If you didn't feel the click, then the connector isn't go in far enough, which means it is not going to be tight. As for whether it is a bad batch or just you not pushing it hard enough - that isn't something I can judge over the internet.

 

[mark88888]

It's just that the connectors used for that cable don't seem to be very good, I'm afraid. Maybe there's a bad batch of them or something?

Mine definitely has the notch but it doesn't click into the gap no matter how hard you push it (trust me, I really pushed it). It just doesn't get that far.

By the way, like you, I also found the seller easy to work with and was able to get a refund.

 

[lesale08]

Is etymotic selling the new dual flange separately? Those worked for me very well and I'd like to buy 2 more sets of M size.

 

[trellus]

Is etymotic selling the new dual flange separately? Those worked for me very well and I'd like to buy 2 more sets of M size.

Yes, I bought a set of the dual flange, Etymotic branded, from Amazon, although I bought L size, but since you want medium, here's a link to the medium:

https://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-Flange-Eartips-Earphones/dp/B08D29N4W7/

 

[Deadleg]

If you didn't feel the click, then the connector isn't go in far enough, which means it is not going to be tight. As for whether it is a bad batch or just you not pushing it hard enough - that isn't something I can judge over the internet.

When I tried before I pushed so hard that I could hear the plastic connector casing creaking and see it starting to come apart so obviously I backed off, thinking that obviously that must be way too hard. I just had another try and what do you know - it popped in! There seems to be a little bit of a knack to it, getting the pressure in just the right place without damaging the connector and it definitely requires a LOT more force than the stock cable.

I'm going to message the seller to apologise and see how I can get the funds back to him.

By the way, like you, I also found the seller easy to work with and was able to get a refund.

Just quoting you so you can see the above and maybe give it another shot

 

[lesale08]

Yes, I bought a set of the dual flange, Etymotic branded, from Amazon, although I bought L size, but since you want medium, here's a link to the medium:

https://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-Flange-Eartips-Earphones/dp/B08D29N4W7/

Thanks for the link. I have ordered them now.

 

[mark88888]

When I tried before I pushed so hard that I could hear the plastic connector casing creaking and see it starting to come apart so obviously I backed off, thinking that obviously that must be way too hard. I just had another try and what do you know - it popped in! There seems to be a little bit of a knack to it, getting the pressure in just the right place without damaging the connector and it definitely requires a LOT more force than the stock cable.

I'm going to message the seller to apologise and see how I can get the funds back to him.


Just quoting you so you can see the above and maybe give it another shot

Yep. There is a tiny notch, and it works. Ill do the same and see how I can send the seller funds.

That said I think I like the feel of Etymotic cable enough that I may get one and use this ebay one as a spare. How about you, will you stick with this? What do you think about the sound etc?

Thanks. The seller definitely deserves his/her funds.

 

[Deadleg]

Nice! Glad it's working for you too.

Yeah, I'll be sticking with it for the time being. It's pretty microphonic for sure but that's less of an issue now I can set it up over-ear without worrying about the connector coming loose. Sound seems good to me but personally I'm not one to expect much difference between cables on that score.. Unless there's really something wrong with one of them or it's unbalanced vs balanced or something, anyway.

The official cables are £70 in the UK ($95) and having had one that was faulty from the start and seeing other comments about them not lasting very well, buying another one would've been an absolute last resort really. I'm just glad I didn't order one yesterday after putting it in my cart!

 

[Leywes]

The clear tri-flange tips that came with my updated package ER3 & ER4 are slimmer and shorter than the ones that came with my MK5. I'm having a hard time to get a good seal with the smaller clear tips, I have to use the same old pair every time I switch my Etys.

Are those smaller clear tips direct replacement of the larger ones? Or the smaller ones are actually sized between standard size (frost grey) and large size? Also, I don't see any clear tips are being sold anywhere online (Etymotic site, Amazon etc). This is very frustrating.

 

[rlw6534]

The clear tri-flange tips that came with my updated package ER3 & ER4 are slimmer and shorter than the ones that came with my MK5. I'm having a hard time to get a good seal with the smaller clear tips, I have to use the same old pair every time I switch my Etys.

Are those smaller clear tips direct replacement of the larger ones? Or the smaller ones are actually sized between standard size (frost grey) and large size? Also, I don't see any clear tips are being sold anywhere online (Etymotic site, Amazon etc). This is very frustrating.

Maybe looking for these (long stem). I think they are what came with the MK5:

https://www.etymotic.com/consumer/accessories/qsa/er38-18cll.html