Good price, but these are probably Etymotic's worst ER earbud. They were originally introduced as a cheaper alternative to the ER4, as they use balanced armatures like that set; however, they aren't as good as the ER4. And when the ER2 came along and became many people's favorites, the ER3 was just left kinda … being there.
They still aren't bad, mind you, but they aren't as good of a choice as the ER2 for most people.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank shigshag
06-01-2022 at 06:17 AM.
Good price, but these are probably Etymotic's worst ER earbud. They were originally introduced as a cheaper alternative to the ER4, as they use balanced armatures like that set; however, they aren't as good as the ER4. And when the ER2 came along and became many people's favorites, the ER3 was just left kinda … being there.
They still aren't bad, mind you, but they aren't as good of a choice as the ER2 for most people.
Good price, but these are probably Etymotic's worst ER earbud. They were originally introduced as a cheaper alternative to the ER4, as they use balanced armatures like that set; however, they aren't as good as the ER4. And when the ER2 came along and became many people's favorites, the ER3 was just left kinda … being there.
They still aren't bad, mind you, but they aren't as good of a choice as the ER2 for most people.
Plus the SR (studio) is the less popular tuning compared to the XR (more bass)
These are absolute crap. I bought a pair and one side started to go out within weeks. Bought another pair on amazon brand new, and broken out of the box with the same problem. DO NOT BUY.
I purchased these in March, particularly for a road trip I was about to take. I enjoy them. They sit deep in the ear and don't wiggle around or fall out at all.
I think I paid $69 for them, and I'm happy with the purchase.
I like the XR better since i prefer the tonal balance. These are pretty good for blocking out ambient sound but not as good as my shure 215. I DO like the sound quality but these are perhaps the MOST uncomfortable IEMs ever developed. It is sort of like shoving 3 qtips in your ear and leaving it in....
the XR appear to also be on sale btw..
These and the ER2SE/XR are probably the best bargain out there at $60. If you don't like the deep insertion, Moondrop has some options. They've got a popular budget model, Chu, but apparently the wire sucks. The Aria 2 is $80 but very good.
Beyond that, there's a bunch of chi-fi options. KZ is popular despite their recent scandal. Most at the $60 or less price point tend to be built like crap though. Not sure about the poster above, but my ER2SEs have been absolute tanks. The cable material is very meh but it's robust and removable. The body of the IEM is solid machined aluminum.
Early variants of the ER series, and the older models from the 2000s and early to mid 2010s were much crappier, esp in terms of the cable, which was flimsy and non-removable.
If you like more bass but got the SE model vs the XR, you can add that with EQ. Wavelet and other apps offer it, or use the Qudelix 5K with its built-in PEQ. None of these are going to be bass cannons and they have both the disadvantages and advantages of single drivers, but they have a very balanced sound and sound amazing for the price. It's amazing what Etymotic has gotten out of those single drivers.
These are also good for people with small ear canals, though not if you have crooked ones. The nozzle and body are very small.
ER2 and ER3 aren't lower vs higher end product. They're alternatives for one another. ER2 uses a single dynamic driver. ER3 and ER4 use a single BA driver. Evo is multi-BA.
Those earbuds are great sounding and stage as far as I can tell, but they are naughty. They won't stay in your ear after you finally find a sweet point to put them in. They move. And when they move it's a feeling from live orchestra performance to lowest quality of mp3
13 Comments
Your comment cannot be blank.
Featured Comments
They still aren't bad, mind you, but they aren't as good of a choice as the ER2 for most people.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank stonethumb
Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank shigshag
They still aren't bad, mind you, but they aren't as good of a choice as the ER2 for most people.
They still aren't bad, mind you, but they aren't as good of a choice as the ER2 for most people.
I think I paid $69 for them, and I'm happy with the purchase.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
the XR appear to also be on sale btw..
best bargains in the IEM world
Beyond that, there's a bunch of chi-fi options. KZ is popular despite their recent scandal. Most at the $60 or less price point tend to be built like crap though. Not sure about the poster above, but my ER2SEs have been absolute tanks. The cable material is very meh but it's robust and removable. The body of the IEM is solid machined aluminum.
Early variants of the ER series, and the older models from the 2000s and early to mid 2010s were much crappier, esp in terms of the cable, which was flimsy and non-removable.
If you like more bass but got the SE model vs the XR, you can add that with EQ. Wavelet and other apps offer it, or use the Qudelix 5K with its built-in PEQ. None of these are going to be bass cannons and they have both the disadvantages and advantages of single drivers, but they have a very balanced sound and sound amazing for the price. It's amazing what Etymotic has gotten out of those single drivers.
These are also good for people with small ear canals, though not if you have crooked ones. The nozzle and body are very small.
ER2 and ER3 aren't lower vs higher end product. They're alternatives for one another. ER2 uses a single dynamic driver. ER3 and ER4 use a single BA driver. Evo is multi-BA.