[episiarch]

Hi do you also notice better clarity and detail over your K550s ?

I have ER-4S and ER4-SR, and I find them both considerably beyond K550 in clarity, detail, and overall presentation. I haven't heard an ER3 but I would fully expect the same from it.

I don't think anybody else can hear what I'm playing on my Etys. I think they would have to be at a very intimate distance even to make the attempt. But sure, I'll try the experiment and report back.

 

[491838]

Hi thanks for the suggestion, I was looking for IEMs since I still like the idea of cranking up the volume a bit more to enjoy music in late hours which you can't fully do with the K550s as much.
Do you find others in the room or family members are still able to hear your music at higher volumes on your ER3s ?

I don't know if you can ask someone else in the house if they can hear you while you are listening to some music perhaps, thanks !

Absolutely not. The Etymotics are famous for supreme passive isolation. I can hear pretty much the entirety of the FR spectrum on a noisy bus ride and since the insertion required is deeper there will be zero leakage since the driver plays at significantly lower volumes so near to the eardrum.

I owned the K550 for half a year or so and then sold them to my best friend. They were good but still had some treble harshness and they were a bit grainy but overall sounded pretty balanced. The ER3XR is only a bit more relaxed in the treble region but the sound is very coherent, like an amazing set of speakers with very good sub bass extension and woofer driver speed. Mids\vocals sound really good, almost perfect (there's always better), and bass and treble are very detailed for the price too. Like I said, better than full size cans that are more expensive. More transparency, more separation, etc. I wrote two short reviews on my Facebook page here:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2088853394523719&set=a.285004391575304
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2095071277235264&set=a.285004391575304

 

[itchyears]

I have ER-4S and ER4-SR, and I find them both considerably beyond K550 in clarity, detail, and overall presentation. I haven't heard an ER3 but I would fully expect the same from it.

I don't think anybody else can hear what I'm playing on my Etys. I think they would have to be at a very intimate distance even to make the attempt. But sure, I'll try the experiment and report back.

Cheers appreciate it

 

[itchyears]

Absolutely not. The Etymotics are famous for supreme passive isolation. I can hear pretty much the entirety of the FR spectrum on a noisy bus ride and since the insertion required is deeper there will be zero leakage since the driver plays at significantly lower volumes so near to the eardrum.

I owned the K550 for half a year or so and then sold them to my best friend. They were good but still had some treble harshness and they were a bit grainy but overall sounded pretty balanced. The ER3XR is only a bit more relaxed in the treble region but the sound is very coherent, like an amazing set of speakers with very good sub bass extension and woofer driver speed. Mids\vocals sound really good, almost perfect (there's always better), and bass and treble are very detailed for the price too. Like I said, better than full size cans that are more expensive. More transparency, more separation, etc. I wrote two short reviews on my Facebook page here:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2088853394523719&set=a.285004391575304
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2095071277235264&set=a.285004391575304

Cheers and great review, its peaked my interest for sure time to save up !

 

[491838]

One thing I would warn you about is the comfort. I have some ear issues sometimes (the bones in my ear can hurt due to sinus issues or something for me, but that's not an issue for most people) but even then I still find them to be quite comfortable after I insert them. They kinda disappear. They did take like 2 hours of wearing to get used to them though. Don't hate them immediately if they are a bit uncomfortable. Give them a chance to settle in.

 

[bishop_rather]

Did anyone ever figure out a way to clean the sticky plastic parts on the sides of the headband and cans? I've been searching around but haven't found anyone mention a solution to this. Mine are a real mess; I might try some adhesive remover later.

 

[Mad Max]

Plain ol' tape? Sure, never a bad idea unless you trying to clean up paper, lol
Disinfecting/cleaning wipes do it for me, generally.

 

[Mad Max]

I have ER-4S and ER4-SR, and I find them both considerably beyond K550 in clarity, detail, and overall presentation. I haven't heard an ER3 but I would fully expect the same from it.

I don't think anybody else can hear what I'm playing on my Etys. I think they would have to be at a very intimate distance even to make the attempt. But sure, I'll try the experiment and report back.

I would think it odd if you didn't find the ER4s more resolving.

 

[itchyears]

I managed to get the ER3 XRs from here:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Etymotic...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

There from Hifiheadphones UK company(they offer free returns too if you don't like them), they say refurb but mine looked brand new out the box with all the bits and pieces. Bargain price of £109 with ebay 15% off coupon. Better then paying £200 of amazon.

4 days of pink noise burn in and using PC source with soundblaster AE5 with Direct HP mode + flac music collection.

Immediate impressions over the AKG K550 is the Presentation the ER3s bring is better then the K550s. Its a bit like listening to several audio tracks at once but being able to distinguish between each instrument and cord being struck.

The ER3s sound is clean, separated and presented overall so well that you can notice the details in music very well. Would I say its better then the K550s, yes and no really, the ER3s give me a different sound signature. I noted down several unique details in many music tracks and re-run them off the K550s and they were barely heard but then I cranked up the volume a bit more on the K550s and those details were revealed just like I heard on the ER3s however the volume was more higher then my usual comfortable listening choice.

So its not like K550 owners are missing out on details, you may just need a better headphone amp or drive them better with more volume. Comfort wise I find them fine for long hours use, I used the smaller triple tips. The K550's are better for comfort nothing beats soft pleather/leather around your ear, but for me the K550s with sheepleather still get sweaty after 20-40mins, with ER3s I don't fatigue or sweat.

I am keeping the ER3s and using them more now, the isolation is many levels above the K550 and I can finally crank up the music to better fun volume levels without disturbing anyone around me or rest of the family at 3am. My dad was unable to hear them standing 4-5 inches away from me but did say could hear a little but barely. Another big plus is since there earphones I find my flac collection more normalized so unlike with my K550s I do not have to adjust volume constantly, I can just enjoy.

So in a nutshell the ER3s are better for my situation, I can enjoy music and details more but K550 owners who maybe have better headphone amps/able to increase volume will still enjoy sound.

 

[itchyears]

Did anyone ever figure out a way to clean the sticky plastic parts on the sides of the headband and cans? I've been searching around but haven't found anyone mention a solution to this. Mine are a real mess; I might try some adhesive remover later.

I used baby wipes but even then it was a challenge I had to almost push into the cups to remove the layers of dirt. I was going to try vinegar or something stronger but I think the smell maybe bad, maybe a soda bicarbonate or washing powder rubbed on for a few minutes and remove it was gonna be my next try but I did not want to risk damaging it so perhaps try it on a small patch first !

I really do not know what that black mat almost sticky surface is but its a magnet for dirt just a shame AKG engineers did not fix it using a better surface.

 

[491838]

I managed to get the ER3 XRs from here:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Etymotic-ER3-XR-Extended-Response-Isolating-Earphones-Detachable-cable-Refurb/223010611475?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

There from Hifiheadphones UK company(they offer free returns too if you don't like them), they say refurb but mine looked brand new out the box with all the bits and pieces. Bargain price of £109 with ebay 15% off coupon. Better then paying £200 of amazon.

4 days of pink noise burn in and using PC source with soundblaster AE5 with Direct HP mode + flac music collection.

Immediate impressions over the AKG K550 is the Presentation the ER3s bring is better then the K550s. Its a bit like listening to several audio tracks at once but being able to distinguish between each instrument and cord being struck.

The ER3s sound is clean, separated and presented overall so well that you can notice the details in music very well. Would I say its better then the K550s, yes and no really, the ER3s give me a different sound signature. I noted down several unique details in many music tracks and re-run them off the K550s and they were barely heard but then I cranked up the volume a bit more on the K550s and those details were revealed just like I heard on the ER3s however the volume was more higher then my usual comfortable listening choice.

So its not like K550 owners are missing out on details, you may just need a better headphone amp or drive them better with more volume. Comfort wise I find them fine for long hours use, I used the smaller triple tips. The K550's are better for comfort nothing beats soft pleather/leather around your ear, but for me the K550s with sheepleather still get sweaty after 20-40mins, with ER3s I don't fatigue or sweat.

I am keeping the ER3s and using them more now, the isolation is many levels above the K550 and I can finally crank up the music to better fun volume levels without disturbing anyone around me or rest of the family at 3am. My dad was unable to hear them standing 4-5 inches away from me but did say could hear a little but barely. Another big plus is since there earphones I find my flac collection more normalized so unlike with my K550s I do not have to adjust volume constantly, I can just enjoy.

So in a nutshell the ER3s are better for my situation, I can enjoy music and details more but K550 owners who maybe have better headphone amps/able to increase volume will still enjoy sound.

I don't think the K550 respond differently to different amps. Neither do the K712s. They sounded more or less the same from a $300 amp vs my phone. The ER3XR are a different story. It seems output impedance can affect the sound signature. They sound a bit harsher out of my phone (2.5 ohm output).

To my ears the ER3XR is clearly better but because of the balanced signature they're not super in your face with detail. Instruments sound more natural due to better instrument separation and this gives way to better dynamics. I think both the K550 and the K712 had a somewhat compressed sound (maybe the K550 less so).

 

[itchyears]

I don't think the K550 respond differently to different amps. Neither do the K712s. They sounded more or less the same from a $300 amp vs my phone. The ER3XR are a different story. It seems output impedance can affect the sound signature. They sound a bit harsher out of my phone (2.5 ohm output).

To my ears the ER3XR is clearly better but because of the balanced signature they're not super in your face with detail. Instruments sound more natural due to better instrument separation and this gives way to better dynamics. I think both the K550 and the K712 had a somewhat compressed sound (maybe the K550 less so).

Am surprised the K550s can't improve with different headphone amps, not sure If the K550s sound compressed just yet but you could be right. When I cranked up the volume on my AE5 sound card with the K550s the details were pretty much similar to the details on my ER3, but its early days I would really need to do bit more A/B comparison's. Early days but The K550s are a great pair of cans still.

 

[Mad Max]

K55x family has a rubber thing on the backs of the drivers that literally compresses the bass.
Remove it to hear the full glory of the bass in these cans.
The downside is that you must mod your headphone with fiberfill or you will increase cup resonances already present. You can always reverse the mods to go back to stock sound.

If K702 and such are a microscope into the midrange and treble, K55x is a microscope into the bass. Way to go, AKG! Just wow, lads.

 

[SHAMuuu]

K55x family has a rubber thing on the backs of the drivers that literally compresses the bass.
Remove it to hear the full glory of the bass in these cans.
The downside is that you must mod your headphone with fiberfill or you will increase cup resonances already present. You can always reverse the mods to go back to stock sound.

If K702 and such are a microscope into the midrange and treble, K55x is a microscope into the bass. Way to go, AKG! Just wow, lads.

Wowwey had no idea! Wish I still had mine. It was really nice build, just had some seal issues, but i stuffed with cotton balls stretched out.
I always wished they had used a modified k7xx driver though. It seems like a very non AKG style driver IIRC

 

[491838]

Pretty sure the driver in the K550 is higher resolution than the K7XX series. I recall a smoother sound compared to the K712 but the K550 was handicapped by the closed design in many regards and the former faked detail by pushing more midrange and treble.