[Opalius]

Well, comfortwise the IE600 runs laps around the Etys... But soundwise? They are different but not better. Oh, and two times the price

 

[miT]

... Well... What makes Etymotics special is that they are neutral IEMs. There ain't really many truely neutral IEMs out there.

My best guess would be the Blessings 2...

I have still not had the chance to the Blessing 2 or Dusk, but I completely agree with your comments.

My escapades at the London CanJam are well documented on here () but I have not yet (personally) found a similarly priced IEM that can compare. I spent the whole weekend comparing everything I could get my hands on until I found my "summit-fi" replacement, but even then most of the seriously more expensive sets are just not that good; they are mostly coloured or "tuned" to certain types of music.

I have always used a few well known classical songs in my list of test tracks as it is a great way to hear if something does not sound natural. The ER4 are so competent!

One of the best things with Ety is that they can give you the chance to learn true audiophile sound quality and behaviours for a relatively low cost. Everyone should try them if they take this hobby seriously.

 

[jasonb]

I don’t find them to be uncomfortable at all, and it’s only been a week. I’ve used them for probably 2-3 hours at a time a time or two as well. Im trying to remember why I returned the HF5 I tried many many years ago, but it must not have been because of the fit.

 

[jasonb]

I have the 5K and only ever use in wired mode, but am not an Apple user so cannot comment on that comparison. But you could always improve it by using the EQ settings on the 5K...

So the thought when I bought these was that I was going to just keep it simple and just use the Apple lightning dongle with them (ER4SR). Then I tried them on the 5K(without EQ) the other day and I could swear they sound better vs the Apple dongle. More detail, cleaner bass, etc. I’m hesitant to try EQ because then if I prefer them with a little EQ I’ll be “stuck” using the 5K and that wasn’t the “plan” with these. I already “think” the 5K sounds better than the Apple dongle, and I do think I’d prefer these with just a mild low bass shelf under like 80hz, but idk. I kind of just want to keep it simple and enjoy these the way Ety made them.

 

[takeitblue]

Unfortunately I cannot get used to and feel pain. But of course the sound is fantastic, everything on them sounds so natural and realistic, so joyfull
I will try Blessings and God bless me that I do right

 

[miT]

Many thanks, to me ER4XR are very musical and sweet sounding, I wouldn't call them neutral, but rather warm and super clear. But if Blessings sounds similar we can call it whatever

Not sure I would call them warm...

The terms we use to describe the audiophile buzzwords can only be defined by your personal reference / listening experience, so let's say they are on the leaner side of warm.

I find warm sets generally sound "muddy" with bloated LF, unable to cleanly tackle quick and complex bass notes in one of my most challenging test tracks. My trusty old ER4P has always behaved impeccably, as did the XR and SR when I demo'd them.

By contrast, go see the top of camp Shure for mud...

 

[takeitblue]

Warm in this case means also natural, not sharp or harsh, smooth but detailed...
Yes, I agree that warm can be misleading cause it usually can also describe dark or bassy signature

 

[jasonb]

Warm in this case means also natural, not sharp or harsh, smooth but detailed...
Yes, I agree that warm can be misleading cause it usually can also describe dark or bassy signature

I’m not usually a fan of warmth in a IEM. Usually I associate warmth with congestion in IEM’s. This is why I chose the SR. I was afraid of the XR having too much warmth for me. I’m not opposed to a decent bass boost under like 80hz with a nice steady sub-bass, but I do not like how warm the Harman IE tuning or at least what most Harman tuned IEM’s end up sounding.

I’m ok with some warmth in an open back headphone though because open backed headphones don’t usually end up sounding congested.

 

[highway11]

I think I know what takeitblue means by warm. I find there is less "shrill" highs on the ER4XR than some other more V-shaped heaphones. But there is no mud on the bottom. The more rounded highs can make for a warm but still clear sound.

 

[jasonb]

I think I know what takeitblue means by warm. I find there is less "shrill" highs on the ER4XR than some other more V-shaped heaphones. But there is no mud on the bottom. The more rounded highs can make for a warm but still clear sound.

I always refer to this:

Warmth is that 150-300ish hz area. This is an area that I don’t like there to be too much of and was afraid the XR vs the SR would have too much of. Looking at the graphs comparing the two my assumption seems right. So I can understand the XR being a bit warm, but there are definitely worse offenders out there.

 

[miT]

So the thought when I bought these was that I was going to just keep it simple and just use the Apple lightning dongle with them (ER4SR). Then I tried them on the 5K(without EQ) the other day and I could swear they sound better vs the Apple dongle. More detail, cleaner bass, etc. I’m hesitant to try EQ because then if I prefer them with a little EQ I’ll be “stuck” using the 5K and that wasn’t the “plan” with these. I already “think” the 5K sounds better than the Apple dongle, and I do think I’d prefer these with just a mild low bass shelf under like 80hz, but idk. I kind of just want to keep it simple and enjoy these the way Ety made them.

I understand not wanting to spoil yourself with the EQ. But if you did...

I have been in this hobby for a while and moved between headphones / IEMs and speakers, but my recent foray into high-end IEMs has encouraged me to experiment with dongles / DACs and sources as they are more revealing with these.

I had a basic Apple-style dongle but got my Qudelix 5K ahead of CanJam, and have since purchased a Cayin RU6 following a recommendation at the show. All of them sound different to each other, and that is before I throw my desktop DAC and Dethonray dtr1 on the mix.

I am not surprised by your findings.

 

[miT]

I’m not usually a fan of warmth in a IEM. Usually I associate warmth with congestion in IEM’s. This is why I chose the SR. I was afraid of the XR having too much warmth for me. I’m not opposed to a decent bass boost under like 80hz with a nice steady sub-bass, but I do not like how warm the Harman IE tuning or at least what most Harman tuned IEM’s end up sounding.

I’m ok with some warmth in an open back headphone though because open backed headphones don’t usually end up sounding congested.

100% with you there, albeit my time with the XR and SR is limited as my older model is still working, for now.

The congestion / mud distracts me far too much from the music, whereas a solid, controlled, true sub-bass rounds off the presentation perfectly, as long as they do not make it overpowering (which seems to be the current trend).

 

[miT]

Warm in this case means also natural, not sharp or harsh, smooth but detailed...
Yes, I agree that warm can be misleading cause it usually can also describe dark or bassy signature

I think I understand now, helped by the explanation of others below.

The problem with any subjective hobby is that the descriptive terms are also open to interpretation. As you have the XR model, you have had a different experience than my P model so the sound you are experiencing is likely more "coloured" as a result of the tuning.

I will say that the 16kHz cut-off has always been noticeable on mine, which is why I eventually upgraded. The sound is much cleaner on my new set as I can hear all of the missing HF that I wanted.

 

[miT]

I think I know what takeitblue means by warm. I find there is less "shrill" highs on the ER4XR than some other more V-shaped heaphones. But there is no mud on the bottom. The more rounded highs can make for a warm but still clear sound.

Understood. But the question should then be, does that colouration still equate to "natural"?

I like to think of it this way: there is no EQ in real life so natural sound is not subjective, it is simply correct. Even though I literally listen to all genres, I use a lot of classical music when demo'ing because my ears and expectations are reasonably well tuned to what it should sound like as opposed to my preferences. It does not make all genres as thrilling to listen to, but it at least tells you about the equipment itself.

I have spent a lot of time in the speaker side of this hobby and it is considerably less subjective, especially at the high end...

 

[Merkurio]

Well, comfortwise the IE600 runs laps around the Etys... But soundwise? They are different but not better. Oh, and two times the price

My EQ'd IE300 are equally enjoyable as my EQ'd ER4SR, both share tradeoffs (albeit both being equalized to Harman with some personal accomodations), but the comfort of the Senns reigns supreme and cost me 150€ at Amazon France, almost the same as the $130 I paid for the ER4SR at Adorama.