[jasonb]

I don’t use EQ on my headphones, not because I have some kind of axe to grind against it or because I’m a “purist,” but rather, because I find it annoying to have to change EQ presets on my 5K every time I swap my gear around. One preset for one pair can be very wonky on another pair.

And there are times when I swap more than once a day

I consider myself lucky that I generally like the fairly different sounds each pair I own makes.

I usually prefer not to use EQ either. It is just simpler.

 

[Rackhour]

I usually prefer not to use EQ either. It is just simpler.

Agreed.

I might see myself using EQ more if there were some sort of a digital system that can automatically register what headphones or earphones you connect, and apply a preset right away. Then when I tweak the settings, the new settings are saved and then applied again in the future. Basically a path of lesser resistance.

 

[Blackwoof]

Anyone else feel that the ER4SR (especially with a small sub-bass boost) may be the ultimate IEM for rock and metal music? I feel that they do distorted guitar particularly well, and are a very "fast" sounding IEM. They are obviously not forgiving of poorly recorded or mastered music though.

I've had my ER4SR for just over a year now and still love them as much as the day I got them. I got them September 6th of last year. I've tried other new IEM's since, some I've kept, and some I've sold, but I don't think I'll ever get rid of these.

The ER4SR pretty much like Planar/E-stat in that It like looking through a 100% clean window while dynamic's are dirty in comparison. On the ER3/ER4 guitars & drums sound separate but on DD IEM/Over ears they can blur into each other from a long bass decay.

 

[skippy]

I've been off the forum for over a decade. I've been using primarily etymotics for the last 22 years, including the original er4s. I recently went out and bought a bunch of budget IEMs. They were all insanely bassy, even the ones that were criticized for not having enough bass. I'm convinced that most kids today have never heard a properly flat audio system. I came back to head-fi to see if there were any recommendations for a flat response IEM. It seems like etymotic is still the only company making them. These days I mostly use the ety er2se, but I occasionally pull out the old er4s with it's bulky cable. With all the advancements in IEMs over the last couple of decades it's amazing that they still hold up.

 

[Rackhour]

I'm convinced that most kids today have never heard a properly flat audio system.

Kids today? I dare say that bass-heavy has been a thing since at least the 90s, when I had my first exposure to portable audio. Remember Sony Mega Bass?

I came back to head-fi to see if there were any recommendations for a flat response IEM. It seems like etymotic is still the only company making them. These days I mostly use the ety er2se, but I occasionally pull out the old er4s with it's bulky cable. With all the advancements in IEMs over the last couple of decades it's amazing that they still hold up.

I recently went on a trialing run this past weekend, and I've learned that Final Audio's A-series IEMs are on the flatter side of things as responses come. Coming from a preference for Ety's sounds (ER4SR vs XR or EVO), the Final Audio A4000 is very close to becoming my commuting IEMs, but its holdup is that the A-series uses recessed 2-pin plugs, which makes it tricky to convert them for Bluetooth use. I already own a FiiO UTWS5 pair, and I'd rather use those, but going by the adapters I need, it might not be a good fit.

At least with the Ety ER4 series, things line up on a TWS adapter in such a manner that with the right converters, I get an optimal fit, but I don't dare wear Etys on the streets because they isolate so damn well.

 

[skippy]

Kids today? I dare say that bass-heavy has been a thing since at least the 90s, when I had my first exposure to portable audio. Remember Sony Mega Bass?

Hah. I do remember the Sony Mega Bass. I had an Aiwa walkman and minisystem and they both had a "super bass" button. While I agree there has always been an obsession with overstated bass, it wasn't really seen as desirable or recommended in audiophile circles. In the old days of headwize and the early days of head-fi, I don't really remember too many bassy headphones getting recommended. The bass heavy headphones that were recommended were no where near as boomy as the IEM's that are often recommended now.

Thanks for the heads up on Final Audio. I'll see if I can give them a listen.

 

[Rackhour]

Thanks for the heads up on Final Audio. I'll see if I can give them a listen.

You're welcome. Keep in mind that they have two lines, the A-series and the E-series. The E-series has a stronger low end compared to the A-series; I'd argue that the auditory difference is far larger than when you compare ER4SR with 4XR.

They're very easy to tell apart visually; the A-series is concha-shaped like the EVO, Shure SE, and whatnot, and the E-series is bullet-shaped.

 

[Rackhour]

Got a question. Would you say that Etymotic’s stated impedance and sensitivity for its various IEMs are mostly accurate?

I want to set an upper volume limit on my 5K to around 70dB; to those who don’t know, the companion app for Qudelix DACs allows you to input a headphone’s or earphone’s sensitivity and impedance values to determine the voltage required to achieve a desired level of volume. I’m catching myself jacking up the volume frequently during my Zoom meetings and I find myself needing to set a calculable safety margin.

 

[JAnonymous5150]

Which model Ety are you using?

 

[Rackhour]

Which model Ety are you using?

I own the ER4SR, 4XR and EVO. But for voice chats, I now use the 4SR exclusively.

For general entertainment, I’m perfectly fine with keeping the volume as low as feasible. When I connect any of my Ety buds into my Windows laptop, the system volume is always in the single digits. But with meetings, I mess with the volume way too often for my own comfort.

 

[castleofargh]

Got a question. Would you say that Etymotic’s stated impedance and sensitivity for its various IEMs are mostly accurate?

I want to set an upper volume limit on my 5K to around 70dB; to those who don’t know, the companion app for Qudelix DACs allows you to input a headphone’s or earphone’s sensitivity and impedance values to determine the voltage required to achieve a desired level of volume. I’m catching myself jacking up the volume frequently during my Zoom meetings and I find myself needing to set a calculable safety margin.

As far as I’m able to tell with my cheap play pretend calibrated measurements, the impedance is usually spot on, and sensi at 1kHz almost always falls within a dB or 3 for me. Considering that just about any change in insertion or lousy calibration can affect as much, I’d say you can rely on their specs for a general notion of loudness(keeping in mind that 1kHz is usually not the loudest freq).

Just a general warning for curious folks, cheap multimeters probably suck at accurately measuring voltage at 1kHz. Try to rely on references closer to house current freqs(what they were usually made to handle). Mine is still fine near 200Hz so I tend to test that and add xdB based on the FR curve of the IEM to find 1kHz or the loudest frequency. I didn’t get any prize for excelence in methods and standards when doing that.

 

[dr cornelius]

Does anyone get the tri flanges stuck in their ears? I’ve been using etymotics for over 20 years and I’ve had it happen twice in the last couple months. Has anything changed with them?

 

[Rackhour]

Does anyone get the tri flanges stuck in their ears? I’ve been using etymotics for over 20 years and I’ve had it happen twice in the last couple months. Has anything changed with them?

When did you start using those particular flanges?

I’ve had flanges get stuck in the ears, but that has always happened after about roughly 1-2 months of daily usage. The elasticity seems to worsen due to the regular bodily and wax contact and eventually the tips get stuck.

Oh, for what it’s worth, I am a newbie compared to you. I got my first Ety in 2017.

 

[Max Choiral]

I can't give a definitive answer for your particular case, but it is possible it could look clean and be contaminated.

Yep, it really was an old filter that messed up balance and projection of sounds.

 

[riodgarp]

my friend said that er4sr has different driver even er3sr with impedance adapter won't match it's technicality. too sad I'm only has er3sr