If you still love Etymotic ER4, this is the thread for you...

[jasonb]

I hadn’t used my ER4SR’s in a few days, but I’m using them right now. I used my Timeless AE’s a little bit the last few days instead. Every time I come back to the ER4SR I am once again impressed. With a tiny bit of EQ they really sound so natural to me.

The Timeless AE sounds good too, but just doesn’t sound as natural to me. It has equal technical performance in terms of detail, separation, speed, and all that, but I just like the ER4SR more. The extra sparkle up top is nice, and the extra sub-bass too, but overall I tend to prefer the Ety’s. The isolation on the Timeless is also nowhere near as good either which is something I’ve really grown to value.

I also have the Hexa and my biggest issue with them is actually in the bass. With the +3 bass shelf at 125hz that I do on my ER4SR I actually prefer the bass on the ER4SR over the Hexa. The bass on the ER4SR is much tighter and snappier than the Hexa. I don’t want to say that the bass on the ER4SR has “slam” but it’s definitely super snappy and very satisfying to me.

 

[pboser]

I don't think there is any tws with small nozzle available out there (considering ety's triple flange is small nozzle) cmiiw unless you will use some 3rd party triple flange
another way is to use bluetooth cable module

Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of - all the IEMs I've tried have the big nozzle, and I can't seem to get either a fit, or (usually) it's uncomfortably large. The Ety bluetooth module would be a possibility, though it's pretty large and awkward. And my ER4s have the old-style two-pin connectors, so the bluetooth doesn't seem to be available in that format either. Thanks for the reply,
Pete

 

[Starbound]

I think that a lot of the reports about failing drivers (one side suddenly going kaput, or becoming much less loud than the other side) have to do with filter issues. I am surprised Etymotic isn't clearer about this, to let the average Joe know the symptoms that a filter going bad can have on the sound.

BTW, I have been using my ER2SE with their original filters (though not every day) for about 1 year now. I don't produce a lot of ear wax (almost any at all), and I clean my ears with some q-tips after every shower. Also, I don't put my ER2SE until I have completely dried my ear canal with an extra dry q-tip and let any excess moisture evaporate. I think these filters don't react well at all to moisture.

 

[Ashimaru]

+1
I also use ER2SE, have been using it for more than 1 year, almost every day, accompanying me for hours at work in the office. Never had a problem with the filter. I always dry my ears with a tissue if my ears are wet, and I also always use original eartips from Etymotic. I think Etymotic has measured that there is a small distance between the filter and the eartip openings to prevent moisture.

 

[finallyanOldFart]

Anyone using custom earpieces with their etys?

 

[episiarch]

Anyone using custom earpieces with their etys?

Yes. I have a few sets, from a couple different makers, in about three different material/finish combinations.

TLDR, they're nice but I don't use them as much as I thought I would. The drivers and cable stick out awkwardly. And while the fit is comfortable, it's pretty effortful to get them in and back out.

All of them have a channel of a few mm - let's say three to five, though it's difficult to measure - between the opening of the earpiece and the driver. And the driver isn't really going in at the angle that would be natural in your ear. So the drivers and cables stick out kind of a lot. This, plus the extra buffering of the silicone earpiece itself, really cuts down on cable noise when I move my head. Yay! But it's super dorky looking, and the extra length of cable swinging free from a little distance to the side of each ear can be awkward to manage. On the whole, for me it's rarely a win.

Material and finish matter. I tried a soft silicone, and found that little channel of soft silicone between the driver and my ear soaked up some highs. I switched to a stiff, hard silicone and that sounded much better – close enough to original Ety sound. I had one of these made with a sort of rough external finish, which was much easier to insert and remove, and nope, that lost me just enough of the seal that they didn't sound properly Ety-like any more. So stiff silicone and smooth (and effortful to insert and remove) finish were the way to go.

Sound isolation's good. But not really better than the tri-flanges that fit me best (in my case the transparent-smoke long-stem variation). Full-concha or half-concha didn't seem to make a difference. Length of comfortable wear before I need to take them out to let my ears breathe seems about the same.

On the whole, not the big win I'd hoped for. But if they solve a problem for you and you don't mind some sticking-out, then they're pretty okay.

 

[Ashimaru]

I've heard a lot of good things about the Comply P (Professional) Series. The thing I want to ask is, what size is the Comply P Series equivalent to the size of the Etymotic stock foam? I'm afraid of losing bass if the size is too small from the Etymotic stock foam.

 

[riodgarp]

Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of - all the IEMs I've tried have the big nozzle, and I can't seem to get either a fit, or (usually) it's uncomfortably large. The Ety bluetooth module would be a possibility, though it's pretty large and awkward. And my ER4s have the old-style two-pin connectors, so the bluetooth doesn't seem to be available in that format either. Thanks for the reply,
Pete

ah forgot to tell that you can use ety triple flange if you willing to sacrifice a pair of yours (dunno if they're flexible enough back into its shape) but in my case right eartips snapped out quickly, probably because my other iem nozzle not long enough to support inside the flange (and my strange ear canal shape)

oh there are nozzle adaptor on marketplace available

Spoiler: nozzle adaptor

 

[Sinocelt]

@EtyDave The same scenario played out yesterday. I had recordings to do, though, so I changed the filter. I have only two left.

And now it's the right side. Fine this morning, near inaudible this afternoon, when I put the ER4SR in my ears again. I'm down to my second-to-last filter. At $12 for 4 filters ($22, shipped to Taiwan), I'm looking at $36 per year (shipping not included) to keep using my Etys.

 

[james444]

And why would it be OK again the next day, as happened repeatedly? That really makes no sense; I can't even come up with a theory. I thought about humidity (I leave in a very humid country, though my room has AC/dehumidifier and humidity is currently only 62%, compared to the 100% it can reach without the AC/dehumidifier), but leaving the Ety in a dry box (<10% humidity) with my mics when not in used didn't seem to improve the filters' life.

And now it's the right side. Fine this morning, near inaudible this afternoon, when I put the ER4SR in my ears again. I'm down to my second-to-last filter. At $12 for 4 filters ($22, shipped to Taiwan), I'm looking at $36 per year (shipping not included) to keep using my Etys.

Just my 2c, that could be due to moisture condensation. Might happen when you return from a hot / humid outdoor environment to an air conditioned room.

Many years ago, people encountered "volume drop issues" on several IEMs (Tenore, M1H, EPH100) and I found out it was due to moisture condensation:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/zer...nium-iem-thread.665111/page-260#post-10747186

For test purposes, I'd place a thin layer of cotton wool inside the tips (as a moisture barrier), directly in front of the nozzle and see if that changes things.

 

[Sinocelt]

Just my 2c, that could be due to moisture condensation. Might happen when you return from a hot / humid outdoor environment to an air conditioned room.

It was in an air-conditionned room the whole day.

In the past, I tried leaving the ER4SR overnight in a box with a tube of dessicant (the humidity in the box is <10%). The filter was still muffled the next day. Earlier today I put two muffled filters alone (not in the ER4SR) in the same box. We'll see if that changes anything, but considering past data, I doubt it.

 

[james444]

It was in an air-conditionned room the whole day.

In the past, I tried leaving the ER4SR overnight in a box with a tube of dessicant (the humidity in the box is <10%). The filter was still muffled the next day. Earlier today I put two muffled filters alone (not in the ER4SR) in the same box. We'll see if that changes anything, but considering past data, I doubt it.

Hmm, but you mentioned that some filters have been ok again the next day. And filters clogging up and coming back to life again sounds a lot like my own experience with moisture condensation. Maybe those filters which remain muffled have been permanently ruined by too much humidity though.

Anyway, I'd still try the cotton test with new filters and see what happens.

 

[Sinocelt]

Hmm, but you mentioned that some filters have been ok again the next day.

Yeah, which is why I thought of moisture and tried the dessicant box. I'll still try a "moisture barrier" in front of the tips, though; thank you for the suggestion. I also bought Shure "olive" tips with wax guard, but I like my Future Sonics tips.

 

[james444]

but I like my Future Sonics tips.

Hey, these have been my favorite tips too, for my trusty old ER4S!

 

[AnyDave]

And now it's the right side. Fine this morning, near inaudible this afternoon, when I put the ER4SR in my ears again. I'm down to my second-to-last filter. At $12 for 4 filters ($22, shipped to Taiwan), I'm looking at $36 per year (shipping not included) to keep using my Etys.

Just curious, where are you ordering your filters from? Are you ordering all the way from the US? If so, there should be a supplier closer to you that carries replacement filters.

As far as the frequency of change, that does vary significantly from user to user. Some folks change them once a month (although that seems to be rare), while others can go a year or two (or more) before changes are required.

I am still perplexed why it's different for you now than it was before. I'm looking into any changes in the mesh itself, but my contact person doesn't believe that there have been any material changes. I'll confirm once I've got the final answer.