ER3SE / ER3XR

I normally had decent to medium headphones but for reasons I wanted to switch to IEM and my first IEM that I got a few days ago are an etymotic er-3se My experience has been mixed, I like the sound and the feel but I haven't adjusted to how deep they go in my ear and Haven't managed to get that right fit for better passive noise cancellation lol

I love Etymotic! Made me fall in love with IEMs. My first was the ER3XR, and I had tears and giddiness hearing it.

I know, I just personally disagree with "If IEMs are expensive, then they're not worth buying." But that's just my opinion amongst yours and many others. To each their own. My first pair of Etymotics was an extraordinary experience. Teary eyed, laughing my head off at what I heard in music I thought I knew inside and out. It took me a foolishly long time to realize this subreddit isn't mostly audiophiles. And I'm still adjusting. I assume everyone into IEMs is looking for the same things. And it's for a much larger range of reasons than I thought. Happy listening!!!🙂

If any "audiophile" here says that a 100 dollar iem doesn't sound better than a 20 dollar Iem, they are completely deaf. It is true that higher price points have diminishing returns, but they still give you returns. Sweet spot is somewhere between 100-400 dollars for sound quality per dollar. Especially around the 100 dollar price point. But, for anyone saying you don't get more quality when you spend more is likely trying to convince themselves that what they can afford is good enough. And fair enough. My first pair of Etymotics blew away anything I had heard before. People need to try good values at higher price points to really go "ohhhh so this is different"

I got the ER3SE for cheaper than the ER2 were listed on Amazon. If you wanna try a clean reference sound, an interesting soundstage that’s very in your head, and the best passive noise isolation (ER stands for Ear R*pers), get em. I also like using the graph of them to compare to other IEMs I’m interested in (kinda like a neutral reference).

Totally right about a lack of true neutral these days, everything has boosted subbass. People don’t even know what neutral actually sounds like unless they’ve heard old sets or… …Etymotic ER4SR are the most neutral around your price range, $225 on Drop. Or could get the ER3SE/XR or ER2 for even less. edit: my faves that would be considered neutral are the HiFiMan RE600. Only ~$70. https://i.imgur.com/PBeCdF3.png

Any of the the Etymotics (in order of cost): ER2SE, ER2XR, ER3SE, ER3XR, ER4SR, ER4XR. SE/SR models have less bass, XR models have a small bass lift (the ER2XR has a larger bass lift, but is close to Hexa for bass amount). These are extremely neutral, and all very detailed with fast (albeit not heavy) bass attack. Soundstage is tiny though. 

Any of the the Etymotics (in order of cost): ER2SE, ER2XR, ER3SE, ER3XR, ER4SR, ER4XR. SE/SR models have less bass, XR models have a small bass lift (the ER2XR has a larger bass lift, but is close to Hexa for bass amount). These are extremely neutral, and all very detailed with fast (albeit not heavy) bass attack. Soundstage is tiny though. 

I love the Etymotic ER3SE!

One of my favorite IEMs is a single DD as well: Sennheiser IE600. I also really like the Etymotic ER3SE, which is single BA. I am not oblivious to the fact that each Driver is different from one another. It was more about the physical properties and comparing two drivers, one DD one Planar both similarly priced and used in a single driver setup. It was largely theoretical and about the general driver differences in an optimal world, but I get what you mean.

Sennheiser HD 280 Pro is basically the only thing I've ever liked. I had the vic firth ones, but they just don't sound high quality. For buds, I use Etymotic ER3SE. Both have a lot of attenuation. Both are transparent enough that I can set up mics while playing and have a decent idea of what I'm accomplishing with my mic/mix adjustments.

Indeed, the Etymotic ones are legendary too! ER3XR and ER4XRs are indeed some of the best. But! They're quite dated in design and I don't like that you need to basically jam them in so far that it touches your brain. I'm afraid that the flanges will get lodged in my ear when I try to remove them! Look at the Final Audio F7200, those things are magnificent looking! I wish Etymotic would take inspiration in making more modern designs.