Etymotic ER3XR lack bass

arunlouie

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Hello All,

Just got Etymotic ER3XR after reading many reviews and suggestions. For me its sounds very neutral and completely lacks bass. I have done burn in for close to 50 hours but still the same. Will it take more time than this or is this how the earphones sounds?

I have One more triple driver and Sennheiser HD6xx which I am very happy with.

I also have Mee audio P2 which is very similar to that of Etymotic and to my taste.

My source is LG v30.
 
Just my 2 cents having used a few of the ER earphones. Yes the general consensus is that ERs do lack bass, however One thing that really helps tighten the bass and make it a bit more impactful is getting the right, tight seal. The triple flange silicon tips that comes with the set is a great way to achieve this. I realised that the tip has to go way deeper than you would be comfortable doing initially. The first 2-3 days or roughly 12-15 hours are slightly painful and very uncomfortable too. However once you get used to that - the Isolation and the bass impact is very rewarding. The ER4S was one of the most revealing IEM I have ever used and right now I have the ER4XR for that little more bass.
 
Yes I do use the triple flange silicone tips and I dont even feel painful to use. With XR I was expecting more bass.

Any idea on the burn in part?? Does this require a burn in to sound better?
 
Any idea on the burn in part?? Does this require a burn in to sound better?
I might be the wrong person for this query in particular, however I do not believe the bass will open up a lot more from here in any case, you might get used to it but it won't be a lot more. In all my experience with the ERs in particular the sound doesn't change much except becoming cleaner, but there will be no "incredible" change in the bass region or any for that matter, you may just start appreciating the sound a lot more as the time passes.

PS @arunlouie - do try to follow the video that is on ER's website. Opening the jaw and inserting the tips in to the point you can pretty much feel it is going to come thru the other end :D, helps a lot in making the whole sound beautiful, the isolation helps "a lot" with the bass.
 
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I use a ER4XR daily for almost everything including gaming, office calls and music. I never find it to lack bass even out of my LG v30+. Cant say the same for ER3XR but I can only suggest you to make sure that thet seal is right. I use the triple flange as they are the most comfortable. I have them inserted into my ears all the way until the end loop wire connect touches the gap of my ear as can be seen in the pic.
20210731_160233~2.jpg
 
On the burn-in part, I personally dont think that it impacts the sound of BA based iem all that much. And for any other driver, may it be dynamic or planar, the burn-in only matters to the ones with high sensitivity in my experience. My ZMF Eikon still has the same sound after being run on different amps and changes multiple hands.
 
Eventually I figured out the deep everyone says is actually deeeeeep. I have almost decided to sell and then tried one last time after deep insertion I realized the bass chamber that this earphone uses is your ear canal :eek: , now the bass is fine. Still I have to pump the low freq in the equalizer, but thats fine.
 
I figured out the deep everyone says is actually deeeeeep
YUP it is really deep and yes they aren't the most bass gifted earphones :) Work for me fantastic, but not everyone's cup of tea for sure. ERs are some of the most polarising earphones I have come across :).

I have one last suggestion - if you do not mind (and trust me I do not doubt your level of hygiene) - please get your ears cleaned once by a professional ENT and you will "really" enjoy the sound after. As I am IEM crazy, I go once a year to an ENT to get my ears cleaned and every time I am very pleased with the difference in sound the IEMs make :)
 
Purchase the Audiolab 6000A Integrated Amplifier at a special offer price.
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