Etymotic ER4-SR Studio Reference In-Ear Isolating Earphone with Replaceable Cable - Black

Etymotic ER-4SR Studio Reference Earphone Quick Review by mark2410Brief: The king is dead, long live the king!!!Price: £330 or in the US US$350Specifications: Frequency Response 20 Hz-16 kHz, Accuracy Score 4SR (92%), Transducers High performance balanced armature micro-drivers, Noise Isolation 35-42 dB, Impedance (@1 kHz) 4XR (45 Ohms), Sensitivity (@1 kHz), SPL at 0.1V 4XR (98 dB), Maximum Output (SPL) 122 dB, Cable 5 ft. Detachable, Warranty 2 yearsAccessories: A bunch of tips and huge that case are mostly useless. Order a usable case and either some small olives or Comply’s when you buy them.Build Quality: Ety’s had a stellar build quality reputation when they were plastic, these are now metal and will likely out live you.Isolation: Ety’s are the kings of isolation, they are rated at up-to 42dB reduction. No other earphone or headphone can match them nor can any earplugs. The things you hear are because the sounds have travelled through your jaw rather than in your ears.Microphonics: If you wear them up nothing but they are angled so you probably will want to wear down and the chin slider and shirt clip will help there.Comfort/Fit: A contentious issue. The included tips all suck, pick up some small olives or Comply’s and then with a little lick for lubrication you can insert them. You will feel violated the first time you do this. However once you get used to the strangeness of it they are actually comfortable. I can wear them for hours and hours with no issues so long as I don’t have to repeatedly take them out. That is very wearing on the ear.Aesthetics: They look not bad, though they sit entirely internally in use so who cares, no one can see them.Sound: Well the old ER4 was the reference king. A paragon of neutrality and these are the same. They are slightly more easy to make sound their best as with the lower impedance over the ER-4S you can get a sound quality improvement if you insist on using an inadequate source. Yet I really wonder how many people did that? Were there many ER-4P users out there clamouring for the refinement of the S but weren’t willing to add in the impedance? Still if we ignore that then this is the same sound, in a slightly nicer housing. The old ER4 did look a bit naff and these look much more sleek. Of course since they are brain implants no one can actually see them in use sooooo, yeah who cares? Their audio is as it always has been, largely perfect. They are massively detailed, insanely detailed compared to the likes of most earphones. These are less devices to listen to music than they are an acoustic microscope made to analyse it. If you want all of the details, yey, you have found pretty much the perfect IEM with which to do so.Note that they will expose all flaws so feed them crap at your own peril, they can ruin formerly loved tracks by exposing its flaws you hadn’t noticed before.Value: Wallet ouchy but they are paragons. They are as reference grade as the old ER4 has been for decades and these will be for decades going forward. You want that, and something with a build that means you could do it with one pair, your wallets taking a short term pounding.Pro’s: They are the ultimate in reference quality perfection. Ultimate isolation.Con’s: The XR can do all these can but with a smidge more bass.

5 stars with a simple caveat - you need to experiment with all the different eartips to get the best fit. The "triple flange" eartip was uncomfortable for me, the double much better and an aftermarket foam tip my favourite. I use the tips I bought for my existing Shure SE535LTD, which is what I'm comparing against. Using those tips I can get a slightly better/more isolating fit than with the Shure's as the shape of the ES4R lets you push them further into your ear. Takes a bit of practice to make it comfortable though - I find gently rotating them while inserting until you feel the tiniest bit of resistance provides a comfortable fit. It is possible to push too hard though!Sound quality is great, the test certificate showing the performance of the exact pieces you've bought is a nice touch that provides reassurance about the quality of the product. The sound is very neutral by design, so it might not sound very exciting to some. I enjoy it though, and it has more prominent bass than my SE535s which are known for being mid-heavy. I don't think you can get comparable performance at this price anywhere else.

I agonised for a while about whether to buy the Studio version or the XR version. I went for the SR and am very glad that I did. The SR version is not light on bass, it is accurate. These are definitely the best in-ears I have heard and beat all over-ear models with a sane price tag as far as I can tell. I am used to good sound from my home hi-fi and using these headphones from my iPhone through a Dragonfly Red DAC to play good quality recordings Is an absolute pleasure. I can only really say that these are very accurate and detailed, giving in my perception a close to perfect rendition of what was recorded. They are not cheap but if you value getting very good sound in any setting (isolation is superb when inserted properly) then it is money well spent.

Right earbud didnt work. Sound is like 14 pound earbuds. Everything felt cheap and low quality.

Needed it , bought it ,Performed as expectedAccurate , reflective ,Large in density , natural sound effectPhenomenal Crystal clearPricy but worth the quality ,Above,

No fuss, no hype, no pretence; just thoroughly accurate and thoroughly professional. That's what I needed and that's what I got. A huge aesthetic upgrade over the original. Replaceable cables. I'm very happy. Highly recommended.

I like the sound isolation you can achieve. They are comfortable and give a realistic rendition form my DAP.

For accurate reproduction and dynamics these are the best IEMs I've owned at any price. The only caveat, which others have pointed out, is that you need to experiment with tips to achieve a good seal.The reproduction of orchestral timbre is spot on.