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toniidesu
317
Mar 20, 2019
checkVerified Buyer
If you value accuracy and transparency, these are probably the best bargain in personal audio. I have both the 3XR and the 3SE. If I could own only one, it would be the SE, but only because I'm a bit of a bassophobe—if your tastes tend toward bass, you'll be better served with the XR. I find that the sound of the SE hooked up to an amp is just about perfect, so I leave it at work in that configuration (connected to the ludicrously overkill Gustard H10 amp), and I keep the XR in my travel bag for trips—its passive noise isolation really shines with a set of SpinFit or Comply tips. I can't abide the infamous Etymotic triple flange, and I would encourage you not to judge these headphones on the basis of those... invasive eartips. Whichever model you get, I think you'll be happy with the sound if you can achieve a proper seal. This is obviously the critical factor with all in-ear models, but none more so than Etymotic, whose long skinny tubes and tiny balanced armature drivers cannot compete against any ambient sound—the design of these depends on achieving a tight seal and firing sound straight into your eardrum, not just in the general direction. So why only four stars? As with all Etymotic designs, they aren't very practical for use while in motion. They have serious problems with microphonics (because of the deep-sealing design), and looping them over the tops of my ears prevents me from getting a seal. Although it's possible to make them work with an MMCX Bluetooth cable like the one MEE Audio makes, it looks ridiculous. Worst of all, even if you're using them sitting down, the needlessly heavy metal cable splitter tends to pull them down and out of your ears unless you use the included shirt clip, which also looks ridiculous and only works well with button-up shirts. That's right, I'm docking a full star for ergonomics, and the cable splitter is the worst culprit. On a lightweight, small pair of earphones like these, whose bright idea was it to create a metal cable splitter that weighs as much as the driver units? If Etymotic would design a new cable with a sensible cable splitter and a mic for calls (as seen on the legendary HF5), these would be just about perfect. As it is, they're great-sounding earphones that are only at their best when you're stationary.
(Edited)
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