Etymotic ER3XR Extended Response Earphone,Black

I have only had these about 30 minutes so far and will be amending my review as I break these in. But since no other reviews seem to be out there, I thought I'd put a bit of my first impressions out there. Though it is still early and these thoughts may shift some as I become more familiar with these. I'll also preface by saying I have not heard the ER4 range of headphones by Etymotic. But have owned the HF5 along with a collection of Sennhesier open back headphones and PSB closed back headphones. I upgraded to the ER3XR from the HF5. The HF5 has been my daily go to headphone to throw in my pocket and take on the go and to the office. I started looking into etymotic for passive noise isolation after listing to the "best" active noise canceling headphones out there and realizing ANC is garbage at best. If you are familiar with the HF5, the ER3 is a step up in the detail and separation in the sound. Maybe not a huge improvement for some, but it is very noticable to me on first listening. This is especially true in the treble detail. The biggest improvement however is in the bass region. The ER3XR clearly have a much needed bass boost in the low bass/sub bass frequency response compared to the HF5. It is very clean, separated and detailed bass and not overly bass heavy. Just gives a nice bit of increased support in the low end which was the main limiting factor with the HF5. The build quality is also significantly improved. The HF models have a plastic body and durable but thin cable. These are aluminum bodies with detachable cables which can be replaced. The cables are still quite thin but feel a bit more premium overall. This is nice as the cable seems to usually be the place where the HF models fail. In short, the HF5 are a durable but ultimately a "disposable" ....albeit costly, consumer product by build quality standards. These are approaching more of the professional build quality with replaceable parts so they should last longer. That should be enough of a reason to buy them over slightly cheaper monitors. If you are on a tight budget, go with the HF5 while they are on sale. If you can justify the additional $50-80 it is definitely worth it to go with the ER3. Based on the general impression so far, it recommend strongly that most people will really enjoy the ER3xr for listening to music. The flatter response of the ER3sr may be better suited for studio monitors or musicians monitoring live performances. Again, the slightly emphasized bass boost on the XR is far from what I'd call bass heavy. Definitely still very balanced sounding in my opinion but definitely not a flat response. One general comment/observation I've had on etymotic earphones is that they seem a little treble heavy at first and bass light with a very "digital" sound in general. They really open/warm up significantly after several hours of playback. I usually run them overnight with white, pink or brown noise playing through them to break the drivers in a bit. UPDATE #1: I've been using these for a few days now and absolutely love them. Based on the feedback I'm seeing online, these really are deserving of the SR series iem name. They are much more similar to the ER4 iems than they are different. It seems the biggest difference in these compared to the ER4 is that they are assembled in China instead of the US and the drivers are not matched to the same tight standards between balancing the left and right channels. However some of the Frequency Response graphs still show very good/great match between the drivers. The ER3 also appears to maybe have a bit more roll off in the high frequency response. this likely translates into slightly less upper high details. Comparing the bass of the ER4 and ER3 seem to rank from least bass to most bass ER4SR, ER3SE, ER4XR and ER3XR. In general the etymotic sound has historically been called cold as it emphasises treble detail and bass detail is light. The XR headphones have a raised bass response which caters towards a more mainstream audience response. The sound of the ER3XR may be a little too bass heavy for the purest/most balanced listeners. But I think most people will really enjoy the warmer sound signature of the clean and accurate bass. However, the ER3SE supposedly still has very good bass and should meet the needs of listeners really focusing on acoustic, jazz, classical or lightly scored vocals. The ER3XR is better suited for pop, rock, R&B and techno which would benefit from the stronger bass. Update: I did end up having a minor issue with these. Not long after receiving these I noticed a crackling/ popping sound coming through each driver when I was moving around.... with pretty much any source. So, it definitely seemed to be something related to the unit. I received a replacement pair and noticed the same exact thing. So, I contacted ETYMOTIC who was beyond accommodating in working to diagnose this. It was baffling to them also. In the end they could not diagnose what the issue was as both the original unit and replacement unit seemed to be within spec. At the end of this, they offered to send back my original unit with an upgraded cable (the ER4 cable) since the issue may have been associated with the cable. But this was never able to confirm since they couldn't reproduce the issue I was having. When I got the unit back, it seems the issue has been resolved. now I just have great sounding music and absolutely love these earphones. I'll clarify that I've used the unit in the same way as I did when noticing the crackling with both the original ER3 cable and the upgraded ER4 cable, but have not heard the crackling since. Long story short, Etymotics went above and beyond to try to help me out on this which speaks highly of their customer service and support. Sure you can buy cheaper brands, but you will not get this quality or support when you begin to have issues. Further these come with a 2 year warranty when industry standard is 6 months to 1 year for most earbuds if they have a warranty at all.

Very detailed listening experience. You can hear every instrument. Soundstage is not very wide but is present. Not for bass heads. These are not designed to rattle your head but rather provide an enjoyable listening experience. Etymotic has definitely made a valiant effort at creating an affordable entry level audiophile grade IEM. Do not expect $500 or $1000+ quality though. It's just not possible at this price point. If you are used to run-of-the-mill headphones by makes like Sony, JBL, Phillips, or any of the Chinese brands, you may not like these. I would say these are more of a fit for someone with a very discerning ear. Someone who is looking for a more "detailed" listening experience. Those who pair these IEM's with high definition audio files and a decent DAC will be rewarded with much enjoyment out of their listening sessions. These go DEEP into your ear canal, nothing like standard earbuds or most other IEM's. It will take some getting used to if you are new to the way these are inserted into your ears. Once you find the right tips and become acquainted to the feel of them though you will see the benefits to this design. The biggest plus being excellent noise isolation. Once the music starts to play every other sound just disappears. A blessing if quality music was your goal, a curse if you need to hear what's going on around you. I can't stress enough how important a proper fit is for these. Incorrect fit will result in mediocre sound reproduction. If you listen to these for a while and they sound terrible still you most likely do not have them fit properly. For me, the memory foam provided the best seal in my ear. I actually purchased the Comply tips that are made for deep insertion buds like these. These are wired earbuds, so keep that in mind before you buy them. If you are used to wireless buds and prefer the convenience of them these are probably not for you. If you are going to be moving around a lot or working out these are probably not for you. The wires simply rubbing against your shirt will be heard through the earbuds. Also, these will need some burn-in time. After about 5 hours they started to sound better. The longer you burn them in the better they get. After about 15 to 20 hours they were excellent. I have put well over 100 hours on my set and the sound is phenomenal now.

Primarily, I was looking for some headphones that would filter out noise in my work place. I've tried active noise cancellation headsets that costs several hundreds of dollars with the likes of Bose and Sennheisers, while they are good at canceling steady hums and environmental sounds and are quite comfortable, they have a hard time blocking people talking. I've tried many earbuds of various kinds, and the thing that really drew me to these were the reviews on how much noise isolation they offer, and I have to say, it's very good. They don't cancel the noise, they block them out. I hear almost no noise while sitting on the bus / train. I still can hear my office mates talking next to me, but at a much much manageable volume. If I put on a safety ear protection over that, there's no sound coming in through my ears. (My face and skull would still pass some noise through, but there's probably nothing I can be done about that except maybe wearing a full motorcycle helmet.) In order for these to form the best seal, you'd have to find the right sized tip and wiggle them into your ear canals pretty deep and tightly. Maybe some people would find them uncomfortable, but I find them tolerable. I've wore it for 4-5 hrs straight and they seemed fine. As for the sound quality, well, maybe that's where I'd take a star off if I wanted to. Initially, I thought they were pretty weak in the sound quality, but the more I listen to them, I'm beginning to think they're actually not bad. Definitely starting to win me over. What it is, is that these earphones sound like they are reproducing sound quite accurately. They have a very flat and uniform frequency response from well below 80Hz to 10kHz. It's just that everything's pretty even across the frequency ranges. Whether that's good or not, might be a personal choice, really. Depends on what you like to hear when you listen to stuff. I would say this though, if the XR version is supposed to extend the sound to lower frequencies, then I'd say I definitely made the right choice over the SE version because I think if the low end go missing, then these earphones would just be missing too much on the low end. After 10kHz, they really drop off of a cliff and you can't hear anything there, maybe even some static or noise if you crank up the volume. I can't tell if it's my amp or the ear phones, but either way, this setup I was using wasn't able to do it very cleanly. So that would be my one complaint. Other than the upper high end tones are just not there, I wouldn't say that these will be making thumping bass or ringing highs or reverberating mids, it might sound flat to you. If there's flaws in the source material or if you're more used to artificially equalized headsets (ehem, Beats *cough cough*) then you might not like them. If you use them outdoors when it's windy, rustling noise across the cables and things are amplified and carried straight into your ears, which can be quite loud. Cable are fairly easily tangled up, but they are the worst in this aspect.

These headphones a very sensitive which means that you will hear any little bit static that goes near them. Knock the cable a little, CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE! If you plug it in to a laptop or cell phone then you will have to turn the volume all the way down to the minimum volume setting to not have your eardrums blown out. Turn the volume down to the minimum and you will hear constant static noises. I have one mp3 player with a low enough noise floor that these are usable with and they sound good, but then the cable brushes against my shirt and CRACKLE!

I like the quality and the sound isolation this provides. This is my second set in over 10 years. This doesn't give heavy bass, but not something that I am need. They just need to create a wireless version as the cord sometimes gets in the way depending on what I am doing - primarily when working at my desk.

The ER3XR is a great IEM. It's essentially 90% of the ER4XR but for way cheaper, especially if you wait for discounts. The sound is balanced with no major emphasis on any particular frequency. As it is the XR version, the bass is present enough for the mix of music I listen to from EDM to orchestral, jazz and the whole gamut. It will not move air like dynamic driver earphones, especially bassy ones, but the quantity, quality and extension are fairly good to me. If you want physical bass you have to look elsewhere. The mids and trebles don't have any particular points to note, other than it may a be a bit forward than other IEMs. I'm alright as it doesn't get to the point of shoutiness or sibilance. Cymbals and other stuff up the range sizzle fairly close to the real thing. You can tell it isn't the real thing, but I have heard more expensive multi BA iems that can't sizzle better anyway. The 3 main drawbacks in terms of sound is that it lacks that little edge in overall clarity compared to the ER4XR (only apparent if you listen to both), like its expensive brother Etys generally do are not very strong in soundstage size or imaging, and the single BA can sound congested on busy tracks with a lot of detail e.g. complex orchestral passages or rock/metal pieces. That said, the ER3XR became congested less easily than I thought it would be so I don't see this as a big problem. People get etys only for the sound but there are some things to note when getting these. Most importantly is the fit. These need deeper insertion than any other iem on the market so some may not like the sensation/find it uncomfortable. A way that lets you try out the fit other than a shop demo would be to buy Ety's Ety Plugs or ER20XS earplugs as the triple flanges are identical, since earplugs are a great option for noisy work environments or at loud music venues. Also note the MMCX connector has a notch so you need to search specifically for Ety-compatible replacements (not any regular MMCX cable). Lastly, not all sellers are covered by Ety's 2 year warranty, so check out Ety's website for official resellers. No comments on accessories, exactly as pictured on Ety's ER3XR product website. What the site does not mention is the channel matching standard. An Ety rep has clarified on HeadFi that these are matched similarly as the HF5, which is matched at 100hz within a specified tolerance. The ER4 series has much tighter matching across a frequency range rather than just one frequency, but the ER3 matching is plenty good for most users and is probably on par or better than most other IEM manufacturers. Couldn't pick up any issues when listening to mine. Those audiophiles who want more reading can search on HeadFi/Reddit on adding resistors to bring the FR closer to an ER4XR, matching (mentioned above) and other discussions.

Audio quality is excellent. Very clear and crisp sound with enough bass. I bought these for decent sounding earphones when travelling, particularly flying. Passive noise isolation is by far the best I have found on any earbuds. This may vary from person to person and you have to be able to live with fairly deep insertion of the buds which some might find uncomfortable. I have used on several flights as a more portable alternative to bulky anc over ears phones. So far I am happy with them and have used for at least 3 or 4 hours at a time. My one major complaint is that the right channel has been failing intermittently. I can usually wiggle the wires around to find a position that works but it is immensely annoying. These are just over one year old. I would return if still in warranty. A pity because they are great in most respects.

Great earphones for airline travel! While there are better earphones - including the ER4XR, these hit the sweet spot between sound quality, noise reduction and cost. Highly recommended!

Okay, so maybe not my life, but at least my hearing (what's left of it) and my reputation. TL;DR - incredible combination of precise sound reproduction and unbeatable sound isolation, with pro-level build quality at a very fair price. If you need in-ear monitors (IEMs) for mixing or performing you need to check these out. May not be what casual users are looking for, though. I'm a drummer and though I've played for ages I'm just starting to play live with a click track. I was using Audio Technica ATHIM-70 IEMs that had been fine in the past, but just weren't cutting it when I was in a 5-sided enclosure (plexi on all sides except the back)... no matter which tips I used I got too much bleed from the kit coming through, and I either had to really strain to hear the click track or have the volume so high that I felt like it was a sonic ice-pick into my brain. Neither option was a good one. I swapped over the the Etymotics and immediately felt more comfortable and in control and it had in instant impact on my playing. I could hear the click without straining mentally and without having excessive volume due to the combination of hugely better noise isolation and much more precise reproduction. I also tweaked the panning in my in-ear mix to get more things off-center, including putting the click a little to one side which makes it a bit easier to discern, but by far the biggest factor was the change in earphones. Don't let the single drivers scare you off: these provide far more resolution than my dual-driver Audio Technicas. I've used (and loved) Etymotic earphones in the past (the HF2 model) but they seemed to have a design flaw, and I had several pairs where the main body broke in two right where the cable joined the earphone. It was party unavoidable because the canalphone design means that they need to be inserted very deeply into the ear canal to work and sound as intended. When inserted, they create a vacuum and it takes a fair bit of pressure to get them out again, and since they're so small there are only so many places to hold on while you're pulling them out. The HF2 is made of plastic that, unfortunately, just isn't up to the task, so I abandoned Etymotic and bought the Audio Technicas so I wouldn't have to keep replacing them. These ones, though, have two important design changes: an aluminum body that won't crack in half, and removable cables so even when the next logical point of failure comes into play you can just replace the cables and not the full earphone. So they won't break as readily, but if they do they'll still be less expensive to get up and running again. What's great - Superb isolation - Very precise sound reproduction - Durable design and build quality What's not - Fit can be finicky... if you're not using the right tips for your ears (triple-flange silicon provide the best mix of isolation and durability, if they fit for you), or they're not inserted correctly, the sound can be highly compromised or even seemingly blocked. It takes some practice to find the sweet spot. - The flip side of the "very precise sound reproduction" means that even the XR (extended range) variant isn't going to give you a huge, inflated bottom end. I love them for casual listening, but they may not be everyone's cup of tea. - Deep insertion may take some getting used to, and some people may never get used to it. I find it very comfortable now, but not everyone does. - They can go in fairly quickly, but because of the deep insertion, they're not quick to get out. It's important to give them a bit of a wiggle & twist to break the vacuum as you remove them so that your eardrums don't decide to try to follow. So if you're in a situation where you need to be taking them off frequently to talk to people they'll likely be frustrating. If you're in any situation where you need a high level of noise isolation you should check these out. For me, the build quality (aluminum body and detachable cables) of the 3-series makes them a necessary step up from the 2-series, even though the cost is higher. I haven't tried the 4-series, but from what I've read they aren't necessarily a huge step up in sound quality, so these are in the sweet spot in terms of features and price. Plan to take some time to get used to them if you haven't used canal-phones before, and try different tips if you have trouble getting the right seal. I'm absolutely satisfied with my purchase, even if they didn't save my life. They're still great.

Ich benutze den FiiO X5 3 als Abspielgerät und habe dort fast nur FLAC- und qualitativ hohe MP 3-Dateien drauf. Will sagen, da kommt schon ordentlich was auf die Trommelfelle zu. Jedoch nach dem Erwerb der Etymotics hat sich beim Hören der gewohnten Musik bestehend aus Rock, Metal, Klassik (Oper und Sinfos (kein Mozart)), sowie Jazz und Pop unterschiedlichster Coleur einiges verändert. Ich habe Bill Wymans Bassläufe noch nie so genau gehört wie mit diesen Teilen. Auch die Saxofone eines Coleman oder Parker kommen unglaublich präzise in den Gehörgang. Norma mit der Callas (uralte Aufnahme) ist das Nonplusultra. Pink Floyd in einer nie gehörten Räumlichkeit, fantastisch! Und meine Ohren sind immerhin 75 Jahre alt und haben schon etliches durchgemacht und -litten. Nach einem halben Jahr habe ich mir dann beim hiesigen Gehörakustiker meinen Ohren und den Etymotics angepasste Gehörschützer fertigen lassen, die sämtliche Umgebungsgeräusche abblocken und nur die Töne aus den Kopfhörern in die Gehörgänge lassen. Das geht auch mit den Hörern alleine, doch mir ging da der Sitz etwas auf den Keks. Nach 2 Std. Hören war der Druck im Ohr unangenehm. So habe ich dann fast 200 Euronen investiert und kann jetzt 2 und mehr Stunden ohne Beschwerden und störende Fremdgeräusche Musik hören Der Sitz ist, da die Stöpsel wie auch die Kopfhörer allein direkt auf dem Trommelfell sitzen, wirklich gewöhnungsbedürftig und ich kann mir vorstellen, dass das einige Menschen von der Benutzung dieser Hörer abhalten könnte. Doch da entgeht ihnen dann einiges an Tonqualität. "Durchhalten und sich an den Sitz gewöhnen!", lautet meine Empfehlung, denn es lohnt sich wirklich. Zusammenfassend kann ich diese Im-Ohr-Kopfhörer wirklich jedem Musikfreund empfehlen. Ist zwar etwas teuer aber dafür sehr gut!

Got these recently to use primarily for monitoring camera audio without using over ear headphones (usually need both hands free to put them on gracefully and that involves putting the camera down, gets annoying). Quickly tested them at home with some familiar music and was horrified at how they sounded, tinny, thin, awful. Of course, I've got big ol' ear holes so I switched out the stock tips for the with the biggest that are provided in the package and I'm genuinely surprised how good such small headphones can sound. Would recommend.

Une sacrée paire d'intras. Tout d'abord au niveau qualité d'écoute, la réponse fréquence très plate permet une fidélité remarquable, difficile de trouver mieux ailleurs de côté-là. Les aigus sont à leur place, les médiums ne débordent pas, et de même pour la basse qui se trouve être très naturelle pour la version XR. La précision reste du jamais vu de mon côté, le niveau de détail est le gros point fort de cette paire. Seule la largeur de scène reste à désirer, avec un rendu assez intimiste : mais le placement reste hautement précis, il est très facile de se concentrer sur un instrument. La réactivité des armatures équilibrées est un sacré atout face à ses concurrents équipés de drivers dynamiques, ce qui contribue aussi au niveau de détail ressenti. L'ergonomie par contre reste très particulière, la "première fois" avec ces écouteurs reste un souvenir assez désagréable. Pour bénéficier de la meilleure isolation du marché intras (on est ici à -37dB avec les triples flanges inclus), ils doivent être enfoncés assez profondément dans le conduit auditif. C'est donc assez déplaisant au début, il faut s'y habituer afin de profiter pleinement de ces Etymotics. Vous serez avertis. La possibilité de changer le câble est rassurant quant à leur durée de vie, et il reste possible de placer le câble au-dessus des oreilles afin de ne pas entendre les vibrations de celui-ci lorsque vous marchez/bougez. En conclusion nous avons ici une paire exemplaire venant d'une marque mythique, vous ne retrouverez nulle part ce degré de précision en terme d'écouteurs. A vous de voir si vous êtes prêt à surmonter leur ergonomie fâcheuse, et leur manque de largeur de scène. Pour ma part ils ne me quittent plus !

Cuffie molto bilanciate, non esaltano esageratamente i bassi come molte cuffie nello stesso range di prezzo. La qualità costruttiva è buona, il cavo non trasmette eccessivamente lo sfregamento. L’ergonomia non è per tutti. Vanno inserite davvero a fondo nel canale uditivo. L’isolamento è super, tanto da rendere pericoloso indossarle per strada. In generale un ottimo prodotto.