Drop + Etymotic - ER4XR

The ERXs have the same BA as the ER4XRs for 200-300 depending on how Massdrop feels that week, and they're the right form factor. I played with normal etys (ER4XR) for about 3 years, and they do stay in, because they're so deep, but there's no comparison, the ERXs are leagues more usable - when you can wear that same sound in a traditional around-ear IEM format.

An IEM that leaves you fatigued means you’ve fly the wrong IEM, probably with high treble as a cause. As this will be blind buy (I’m assuming you don’t have a place to go go to listen before purchase) buy from Amazon. As long as it shops from Amazon (it should tell you under the price) you have 30 days to demo it and return it if you don’t like it, or it misbehaves, so you’re not dealing with a crazy warranty claim with China. You may pay $10-20 over Aliexpress, but for a $250 buy id rather have that protection. Noise isolation on IEMs is passive, and up to the ear tip and how well it seals. That will also determine thr quality of sound. The best passive noise isolation comes with the triple flange tip Etymotics offer. It’s almost as good as ANC. Something like an ER3 or 4 XR could be in your list. The single BA really performs well, but the cable is a nightmare with cable noise if it brushes against anything it’s been that way for 20 years. There are some trucks like running over and behind your ears like classic IEMs, or just buying a new, third party cable on Aliexpress. Another IEM to consider is the Performer 5. There is a new 5+2 version coming out, so you might want to wait a bit for that to be released. Given your need for travel, and improvements in sound quality and ANC for flight noise, is there a reason you don’t want wireless with ANC and other handy features for you. It’s something you should consider.

Second this for the Etymotics, maybe the ER4XR or ER3XR if you want a little extra kick but a decent amount less than the reds. You can try the ER2XR for some more bass. I have the ER4XRs and love them, love the detail and it is never smothered by background.

I only own three pairs now (one full size headphone, one IEM and one TWS). I’ll rank them and other headphones/IEMs I’ve had but some of this is coming from memory: 1. Focal Utopia* 2. U12t* 3. Focal Clear 4. Sundara 5. Blessing 2 Dusk 6. HD6XX 7. EMU Ebony 8. AirPods Pro* 9. AKG K371 10. Etymotic ER4XR 11. B&O H6 Gen 2 12. Tin T2 13. Beyerdynamic DT177x GO 14. Meze 99 Noir 15. Beyerdynamic DT770 16. ATH M50x * is what I currently own. Everything else has been sold off.

Ugh, I know. I got the ER4XR and ER2 XR. I've flirted with the Hexa, Zero Red, S12 Pro and Letshouer S08, but I always keep coming back to Etymotic. It's insane.

1. HEK Stealth: I expected them to be too bright for me but they appeared to be perfect. Bass is well detailed and in good amount for my liking -not a basshead- mids are not as forward as I would like, but still intimate enough, and highs are of course detailed but not to a fatigue threshold. Soundstage here is narrower than the HD800S but more "holographic", the imaging is perfect, you can pinpoint everything. 2. HD800S: I am probably biased but I really love the mids on these, trebbles can be a bit too hot for me though. Of course soundstage is very wide and the imaging is excellent only second to the HEK. Bass are the real weakpoint barring them to be an all rounder imo. 3. Arya Stealth: Very detailed but a bit sloppy in its execution. It can get a bit overwhelming on some kind of musics where your mind is just attracted to every bit of information. Feels like the headphone is trying to shove the details in your throat. Too bright to my likings but mids were nice and bass really good. Soundstage is on the narrow side but in a holographic sense "taller", imaging is very good but detrimental to the overall pleasure. 4. HD560S: was not expecting them to be that good honestly. Got them during christmas as a gift, and I must say that I am very pleased: very detailed, they are tuned in a way that makes me rediscover some aspects of my music which I find quite enjoyable. Trebbles are not harsh at all -we're talking about Sennheiser so that's normal- mids are really good, although not as good as the HD6XX series imo. The bass are in the average when compared to other HD5XX series, although they feel tighter: maybe because these are newer than my previous HD5XX headphones. Only exception would be the HD58X which have more bass in quantity. Soundstage here is not the focus of these headphones but wide enough, imaging on the other hands is excellent and on par with the above IMO. 4. ER4XR: these IEMs are really good, really good clarity, bass are tight and trebbles not aggressive at all, the mids feel a bit too recessed to my likings but still okay overally. Soundstage wise they are on the wider side, as for imaging they are excellent. 5. HD598: I may be biased as they are my third "audiophile pair of headphones" after I sold the HD599 and the HD598CS. I love them to bits, and I always get impressed by their sound signature everytime I put them on. Trebbles are not harsh at all, mids are forward and bass can be considered as a lackluster but when you become accustomed to its sound signature you can often find yourself wondering why there is too much bass on some tracks. The imaging in these in is not as precise as the above -of course we are hundreds of dollars below the previous sets- but still quite good if you want to really focus on details. Of course the soundstage is quite wide for its price tag. However these are very old and I suspect that most users here would consider these as a relic of the past: understandably so. 6. ER3XR: really similar to the ER4XR, I would say 90% similar, they just lack a bit of clarity: that bit makes the ER4XR shine in comparison. However the ER3XR still keep the same sound signature as their big brother. So overally really good pair of IEM. 7. HD6XX/HD58X: The two of them are quite similar in their presentation, rolled of trebbles, forward mids -even more as they age- a good amount of bass but a clear lack of sub bass. The difference I hear is that the bass region in the HD58X is more bloated than the HD6XX. Other than that on a quick blind test I would often fail to distinguish one and another. However if I had to keep only one I'd go with the HD6XX as I feel like the bass area in the HD58X can often be detrimental to some genres. These two are "fun" headphones and by no means neutral. On the soundstage side, they are on the narrow side, I have often seen people calling them claustrophobic, the imaging can be a mess sometimes but if you concentrate yourself you can still pick a good amount of the details, which are believe are more present in the HD6XX. However I must say that they are on the same league as the ESP95/X although very different in their presentation.

Noise isolation, not cancelation. I got the Etymotic ER4XR. The isolation is good but they don’t sound as good as the Audio Technicas, plus IEMs will always be less comfortable to wear than over ears. I should add that noise isolation requirements also depend on your gear. The ATH MX-50 is sufficient for all the pads and cymbals on my Roland TD-27 except when playing the VH-14D high hat in closed position. That thing is loud.

I tried the er4xr and it is hurting by ear due to their deep insert. I currently have shure 215, but they feel heavy in ear and very dull sound. Going to try ie200 and see. 

Etymotic ER4XR with the triple flange default eartips vs Shure SE535 with special triple flange silicon eartips here. special=the triple flange for the shure is a little bit too long, I cut of the 3th flange and the root a little bit. Sound isolation, both have a good sound isolation. If I wear them on the street and an ambulance is very near, it's only a low background sound with both. Maybe only a little bit lower with the Shure. The ER4XR have a little bit better sound, in my opinion. On the other side, the shure fit a little bit better in my ears and/or the problem with the ER4XR is, that the cable goes straight down, not over ear, like the shure. I think this is the reason for the little bit better isolation. I will try the larger eartips for the ER4XR again, but they felt a little bit too large the first time. On the other side, comparing with a DUNU SA6 MKII and S&M Eartips... someone stand 2 metres away with a smartphone and you can hear any single word, forget sound isolation. I can't say anything about filter.

Etymotic ER4XR

i love my er2se... but really tempted to try the best (er4xr) 4xr because i concluded that with BA, extra bass won't hurt.. but im afraid I'll regret getting the er4xr because i have the 2se and the BA timbre stuff! arghh.. can you help shred some more light on this? i did have a sundara before the 2se.... now i just listen to the 2se more than my sundara... having a good dac amp really makes the 2se shine..

I had both the ER4 SR and XR.... still have SR. For neutrality a natural sound of instruments, they are really unbeatable. But the longer I have them, the more I realize their limitations, too: 1) Necessary to insert really deep into your ear canal to get proper isolation and desired sound quality. Some people just find it unsurmountable problem, the others (incl. myself) can do it but it always gets uncomfortable/painful after some time... 2) SR sound more natural to me than XR... but the bass is simply never enough for me and I´m really not a bass head at all. Always use EQ with them, i.e. cca 31Hz/+8,5 64Hz/+3,2.... of course do not know the Q value but now the bass response is +/- OK for me. 3) Very narrow, flat soundstage, no imaging to talk about... they sound more like studio monitor. 4) With complex, loud passages (e.g., full orchestra), the sound kind of leaks together a bit, the instrument separation and transparency is limited Now why do I still have them? Because I want flat response and natural sound in a portable package.... And as there is practically no possibility to try earbuds without obligation, I have no option to try and find something better. Relying on reviews of the others is very, very tricky and believe me I know what I´m talking about, I have been in the review business for some time. So if you somebody find etymotic sound without the limitations mentioned above, please let me know :-)

THIS SO MUCH, etymotics are the goats in their budget tier, i had er4xr and er2xr tonality is unmatchable for me

As someone who mostly uses BA IEMs the multi-flange tips aren't even exactly a matter of isolation, they always provide the best possible bass response and it's very noticeable. I guess that's part of the reason why Etymotic keeps shipping them since the beginning (ER4). Not as noticeable with DDs though