Etymotic ER4SR Studio Reference Earphone,Black

Don't be afraid of picking in between 4SR because it's "Studio Reference". These have great bass and is definitely there on all songs. It's a very clean quick punch bass that has is well defined (unlike the lower end IEMs in which all bass sound the same, the bass here has octaves). Instrument separation is a given as the detailing is phenomenal. Better than even thousand dollar IEMs like Shure SE846 in terms of sound quality. This is Etymotic's flagship model. The ER4 SR. The most accurate diffused neutral tuned IEM (outside electrostatics). Prepare to hear music like water. Clean and detailed. The "ear drilling" might take some people some time to get used to (for me, it was fine right away but I recall when I was younger, the "ear drilling" on the ER4P was definitely too uncomfortable for my taste). It's obvious the pros are as follows: 1. Sound quality. Sound quality. Sound quality. If you want to step up from here, you will have to spend thousands+ on IEMs and even then it's debatable. This is probably the best sound quality you can get out of an IEM under a $1000 in today's market. I hear good things about U12t, Andromeda, etc. but those are so far up the price point that it shows how great this IEM is sound quality wise. 2. Noise isolating. Cause it drills to your ears. 3. You will hear all the details in the piece because it is balanced in a diffused field manner (all frequencies should be able to be heard). The cons though to be aware of: 1. Cable is too long (1 ft longer than others). And the braided part (top) has quite a lot of microphonics which can be pain in the neck if you wear winter jackets. You will need to use the clipper that comes with the IEM in between your jackets when wearing winter jackets or otherwise, your earphone on your ears will feel heavy. 2. If you find drilling to your ears uncomfortable, well.. you should look elsewhere cause comfort matters. 3. If you have a girlfriend or a significant other, it's probably better going for another IEM as this IEM is really hard to share with others. No one wants to touch products that were already drilled into someone else's nasty ears and it's just difficult in general to share 1 plug to another with this type of drilling. 4. Sound stage and imaging can be 2-dimensional. This is what really separates the $thousands+ IEM from here. Not detailing. More of imaging and sound stage. This IEM has a soundstage of in between your two ears (aka head). Don't expect more. 5. If you want the best bass quality, opt for bassy IEM like Shure SE846. The "rumbles" don't exist with this IEM. Other than that, I wholeheartedly recommend Etymotic ER4SR at any price range under $1,000. And if you can't afford it, Etymotic ER2SE.

Etymotic makes some of the best earbuds in the market. The great thing about them is they fit tight in your ear and, to me, work far better than any noise cancelling earphones I've seen. At the same time, no one can hear what you're listening to, and since the sound is so good, you can keep the volume lower so as not to damage your ears. I've owned Etymotic's for a good 10 years. The company has been fantastic to me, always replacing the cords free of charge when they break (and after owning a pair for nearly two years and brining back and forth to work in a bag, eventually they get a short). I bought the ER4SR, just released, because for the first time you can buy replacement cords for these. What an awesome idea! Even better, I haven't seen confirmation of this, but I'm fairly confident they'll offer an iPhone lightening connector version as an accessory (they'll have to with Apple's recent stupid move to get rid of the earphone hole). These earbuds are quite pricy to be sure, but they're worth it, whether you're an "audiophile" or just an average music listener, you'll feel like you're hearing your music for the first time. I cannot recommend Etymotic's enough. Highest quality, best sound, best noise reducing (pretty much passive cancelling, like ear plugs), and brand you can buy.

Absolutely love the sound quality of these earphones, but can't afford to keep replacing when they fail. This our families 4th pair! (my son received a pair which failed, then replaced which also failed, I am now on my second pair and they have fortunately failed inside the two year warranty window so at least etymotic has to replace this pair for free). Same issue, over time one or both of the speaker drivers become distorted, slowly reduce output, and then blow. Very frustrating as the sound quality is outstanding. Four pairs that have failed over multiple years, however, do not lie.

I've had ER4Ps for over a decade and I finally decided to upgrade to the new ER4SR. I accidentally bought the XR but being a bit of a purist I quickly exchanged them for the SR. The 4P got me loyal to Ety. They replaced my cable and a broken armature on a couple of occasions for free which I thought was just brilliant from a customer point of view. I've also owned the headset HCxxx for Android and while I like the remote and mic on a headset there was a difference in sound quality. between them and the ER4P. These headphones the 4SR are simply better in every way. The sound quality is precise, on par w/ the 4P and w/ my new phone (Pixel) I find listening on them is very nice. I still need to dig my headphone amp out for more critical listening. If you have the 4P these are equivalent. I could have sent mine back for repair but decided it was time to buy a new pair after nearly 12 years of using them. The cord is much nicer than the original cord on the 4P but I recently got a newer cord when I sent them in for repair which is nearly the same. These also seem to get less tangled which is nice too. I wouldn't have upgraded if I didn't have a problem but it's a no brainer about which Ety to buy if you like music. As always the seal in your ear is critical with the Etymotics and with these in I can listen to classical music on the subway with very little of the outside world creeping in. Yesterday I was standing next to a guy playing the Xylophone on the platform and couldn't hear his racket thanks to the isolation these offer. There are different earpiece opitons. Personally, I like the silicone flanges (especially the new ones) for really good isolation but the foam tips can be far more comfortable on a flight. During decent the silicone plugs migrate further into my ears. Some people get tired of the feeling of in-ear buds but if you take time to get the right solution for you they can be far far more convenient and comfortable than over the ear or on ear headphones. I've listened to a number of other newer in ear solutions some costing nearly three times the price and others costing 1/10th. I honestly can't say I have found another pair on in ear buds that compare favorably to the Etymotic drivers. They're clean, unobtrusive in sound and in terms of convenience they're the best for people like me who commute and travel a lot.

If you’re getting on the audiophile step ladder (like me), this is is a fantastic IEM for a neutral sound, with great precision, clarity and detail. Just make sure that’s what you really want. You may think you do but might then complain about the lack of bass. Well, the bass is there but requires a perfect seal and even then the bass might be less than you were expecting. Remember, these are Studio Reference earphones. Achieving a perfect seal is a story in itself. To achieve it requires deep insertion in the ear canal, which in my case meant a lot of trial and error with the supplied tips, not to mention discomfort, before finally settling on the tips that were both sealing and comfortable. The supplied foam tips proved to be both sealing and comfortable but in most cases impractical as they are so isolating that conversation is impossible. With the silicone tips you can at least make out that someone is trying to talk to you, with the foam tips, no chance. Although, come to think of it, depending the relationship, this might be a plus.

I have been a longtime (20 years +/-) ER IEM user; this is my third set. I use them primarily for mobile use (while walking) with my Astel and Kern personal audio player. I'll review some of the features of the product, which echo observations made by other reviewers: -- this IEM (SR version) is very accurate; I also have Sennheiser HD-600s (open air), HifiMan 400i (also open air) and Meze Audio 99 Classics (sealed); the ERs are at least comparable with those headphones in terms of accuracy. I selected the SR version instead of the XR (which bumps up the bass response) because the former is more accurate. -- achieving a sealed fit in the ear canal is essential... ER includes several tips of varying shapes and sizes; most users should be able to find a set that works well for them. The good news is that once a proper fit is achieved, they stay in place. I also find them to be very comfortable. -- having a sealed fit also results in the IEM being clogged with ear wax on occasion. When that happens, ER IEMs are equipped with filters that have to be replaced. ER provides a filter removal tool and a small set of filters. Replacing the filters is not an onerous task but prospective buyers should be aware of this need. Final thoughts-- I bought my ER4SR to replace an ER set (the ERHF5, no longer available) I purchased four years ago. The difference between the two in terms of sound quality is small (to my ears, which admittedly ain't what they used to be); in fact, when using outside I may not be able to tell a difference. My point is that some prospective buyers may be just as happy buying a lower-level ER IEM set and save $60 or so. This is NOT a criticism of the ER4SR but rather a compliment regarding the accuracy of ER IEMs in general.

Over the years I've been a self professed audiophile, I've owned a variety of mid to high end audiophile products and over time they have been outdated. I also noticed that as opposed to when I was younger I like my audio experience to be in more private environment without a dedicated audio room. I ventured into high end headphones and I bought the senheisers which were an absolute delight. The sound quality was just amazing. The issue was they were over ear and bulky. Though the audio quality was spot on the bulkiness of the headphone made it inconvinient for long term usage. I knew I liked in ear headphones, so I was leaning towards the grados since everyone knows grados are so good. In my research I came across the etymotic brand and I had no idea who they were. After researching for about 2 weeks and reading a lot of reviews I realized that I absolutely needed to try these out. I like clean sound unmodified sound so I went for the "studio reference" ear buds. My set up is as following : Google pixel XL phone (music is on this) Audio format :flac Media player : poweramp. I gotta say these headphones knocked me off my boots, the sound isalation is awesome, the er4sr gave it perfect bass and if needed more bass I'd just increase the bass on my virtual equalizer. The sound was rich and immersive and the clear mids and trebles and bass was almost like I was redicovering music. These are hands down the best headphones for me. They shine on where the emphasis is, which is music . Only recommendation I'd have is to listen to flac files or better. Mp3s and aac file formats do show their lack lustre with these earbuds. Not that they sound bad but you just get so much more from higher bit rate file formats. I will buy these again if I ever have to.

I wish these things didn't keep disappearing on airplanes but I'll keep buying them as necessary. This order was my 4th pair. They've gotten a bit better over the years in fit & convenience. Sound, maybe, but they were already up there. . Especially for flying: you can enjoy high-quality music at normal levels despite being right near the engines. I'm an opera & jazz fan, so I really like hearing details in the voice & instruments. I find I can hear a person speaking right to me if I don't have the music loud, but otherwise I have no interruptions. I used to fly a few hours each week, and these made it sane, comfortable even. . I jog with these, too. They stay in very well, never feel loose. I would *NOT* wear them in traffic, either driving or cycling, tho, because they isolate sound too much to be safe. . It took me a while to get used to the feeling, but back in ~2001(?) when I bought my first pair, there were NO good alternatives so I persisted. Now I can sleep with them in. . Thanks to the isolation, these are plenty loud enough on ordinary iPods or phones without an amplifier.