EtymoticER4XR Extended Response Earphone

The Etymotic ER4XR IEMs take some getting used to because they go fairly deep in your ear canal. But the sound is amazingly clear and detailed for the price. It's more detailed than the mid-range headphones that I own, and I keep discovering new things in my favorite recordings. I find that it's best to wear them no more than an hour or 90 minutes at a time. I still find headphones better for longer listening sessions. The Etymotics are GREAT at blocking out ambient noise. Use the attached shirt clip to cut down on noise from the cord rubbing against things. You should also experiment with the different style and size tips included with the IEMs to find what works best for you. I ended up using the small double-flange silicone tips.

Yes they fit deep inside the ears. As I will be using them on stage in live music situations, this means a couple of things:They won't need to be as loud as other buds I've used, The sound pressure deeper in the ear results in better fidelity. Especially in the low frequencies. Also, as I move around on stage they stay in and do not come out. Would give them more than 5 stars if I could.

I'll do my best to update this review as I wear these more. As of my last edit, I have owned these for a week. Bottom line: These earbuds sound fantastic, but because of a comfort hurdle and not-great accessories, I don't think they're worth $350. Go for them if they're on sale.First, the positive: these are easily the clearest earbuds I've tried. Every sound is incredibly crisp and clean; I have no idea how Etymotic managed to get both good bass and no lingering rumble after, say, a drum hit, but they did it. As a result, these have an almost sterile, technical feel to them in a very good way: you'll hear every detail in any song you play or video you watch, provided you can get the fit right. This includes distortion or clipping if the recording was flawed.Speaking of fit, these will definitely take some getting used to. These feel more like earplugs than earbuds, and I had to spend several minutes switching between the provided ear tips (regular, large, and foam) before settling on one large triple-flanged tip and one foam. Even then, it's almost painful to feel the flanges digging into my ear canal. Hopefully, the earbuds will get easier to insert as I get used to them.As a final note, these things are so good at noise isolation that they can probably be used as professional hearing protection. That's no exaggeration; earplugs generally reduce noise by about 30 dB, and Etymotic claims that these earbuds reduce ambient noise by between 30 and 40 dB. They even include a warning to not use them while jogging outside, since you won't be able to hear anything around you.After a week of wearing, I've noticed a few minor problems in these earbuds. First, the slider that holds the earbuds under your chin is far too loose; it won't stay in place for more than a minute or two even if you're sitting still. The earbuds are also prone to falling off of the shirt clip quite easily. As Etymotic warns in the packaging, it's possible to insert the earbuds too far into your ear and lose the tip in your ear canal; the glue holding the foam ear tip to its rubber core is not especially strong, exacerbating the potential problem.On the plus side, these have gotten much more comfortable to wear as my ears get used to them. However, the problems I've noted are big enough together that I don't think these are really worth the $350 price tag. Maybe closer to $250 or even $225.Second edit: These are now my favorite IEMs. Etymotic is legendary for good reason. This would get a full five stars from me if the cable were a bit better; the MMCX connectors have a proprietary notch, so the only way you're recalling these is by sanding down the IEMs themselves. Not good, considering they're BAs. After a year or so of daily wear, the angled rubber on the MMCX connector wore through entirely; be careful taking these out or you could end up needing to spend $40 for a replacement.

I've been an audiophile for over 40 years. I am 64 and my first taste of music came when I was 7 in Omaha's Orpheum back when Leonard Bernstein conducted the Young People's concert and since then, I loved music (who knew classical could nock you off you seat!).If you've played a Steinway, you know the sound of the keys when you press and the sound of when the key hits the bottom with it's 'earthy fundamental sound, and the strike against the strings. This cannot be heard in most any system. I can hear it with the Lavricable update.I've had Sennheiser HD-600, HD-700, Stax 727 amp and Lambda headphones. I've also had the older ER4 Etymotic back before 2010 and after these I gave to my son in law, I've tried what are now Sennheiser IE-800s, and a host of others and they never gave me the fit, or sound of the original ER4.These new ER4 series are outstanding and unlike the bulky and filled with dips and peaks of other headphones and IEMs are engineered correctly with the Fletcher Munson curves and are actually tested for each ear piece just as the best cartridges (I have the Benz Ruby Z cartridge which has gone through voicing and also the B&K measurement tape). The ER4XR does an excellent job in producing bass with accuracy, the fundamental and the overtones rather than a thud as what the best REL subwoofers used to do with 6' or larger bass drums, large tympani drums and the accuracy of differentiating the metal vs wooden lowest registers of pipe organs and grand pianos. This was a big surprise for me as only my tri-amped Accuton/Focal & Rel have performed this well. I can hear the voices distinctly, the instruments individually can be followed and the nuances of analog playback are not lost. In the digital realm they are a bit bright in the mid to upper midrange but they are still new. Being IEMs one is not going to get the depth of the sound stage and give a good 3 dimensional characteristic of what is being reproduced (from the older 1 take recordings of Classical and Jazz are the best and the Direct to Disc are a very rare treat (Thank you Doug Sax). The dynamics and width / breadth of the music is as recorded. These go to the upper frequencies with no problem either.I have Lavricables on the way from the UK and by then I hope to have them broken in. I am not a fan of any digital hand units and almost all convert DSD to PCM with only one exception, that being AK4499EQ which has the ability to process DSD in it's correct form without conversion as all others claim it but always convert to multiple step higher frequency PCM. See diagrams of each and one finds the difference quite easily as DSD is very simple 1 bit processing at very high megahertz frequencies when DSD 256, 512 and 1024 are used.With no crossover, I can understand why Louther, Mark Audio, Phy-hp and others at the top of their ranges are so sought after.GET THE LAVRICABLE!!! Huge difference and puts the IEM into the higher end territory of open back overpriced headphones. The sound of individual instruments is excellent even in PCM Rock and the older recordings on vinyl are able to distinguish not only each instrument, but the fundamental from harmonics and the higher harmonic nuances. One can hear the background activity of the live recordings of Jazz, Classical, Blues along with conversations. The impact of the bass is very tight and stronger, string instruments sound like what they are supposed to and separation of instruments I thought only available from the better headphone that are made in-house and air between them is very good. Listen to the different filters too. I have never heard ANY IEM come close to this EVER and the fit and isolation are exceptional compared to bulky poorly engineered, over the ear and pathetic ear inserts of any other IEM maker. These people are experts in fit and IEMs as they have been around since 1984 and are also experts in audiology the science of how the ear hears.