Review on 🎧 Etymotic Research ER3SE Studio Edition High Performance In-Ear Earphones (Detachable Balanced Armature Drivers, Noise Isolating, High Accuracy, Studio Quality), Black by Dan Dickey

Edit: This is a review of both the Etymotic ER3 SE and XR. I had two separate verified purchase reviews when they were different listings but they have now been merged into one list so I removed the additional review. The TL; DR is that the SE is great and the XR is a "nice try" but I wouldn't recommend it. - Typical Etymotic Flat Sound - and XR with improved bass response. They both sit between the HF3 and ER4 in terms of build quality. The cable isn't as strong as a threaded ER4 cable, but it's much stronger than an HF3 (which WEARS out within two years, which is a big problem with these great IEMs). Oddly enough, the XR's cord was a full foot longer than the SE's, although the two products are otherwise identical. As with the ER4, the earbuds themselves easily detach from the cable should you need to replace a damaged cable. It doesn't have mic or audio controls, but there is a clip where those controls should be, and you'll want to clip this to something high on your body to reduce the extremely noticeable cable rubbing noise. Part of the reason the wired mic system is so bad is that the passive noise isolation is second to none (this is true of almost all Etymotic IEMs) and it doesn't need suspicious active noise canceling technologies to produce tinnitus, cause tinnitus pressure and drive up the price. . With a good seal, the outside world shuts off just as effectively as with professional music plugs. I don't use Comply foam eartips (I don't like the plastic phalanxes that come with them, YMMV) and can wear them regularly for hours at a time (obvious given the overall impact on hearing; one of the benefits of the excellent noise isolation + amazing sound reproduction is that you get something can hear more quietly). Awesome for commuting, air travel, public works, you name it. The earbuds stick out straight, so they're useless for anything when your head is pressed against a surface (like lying on your side, relaxing, doing yoga, or whatever). Mobile devices so you can easily paste them into anything. But like other Etymotics, they don't show bad audio sources/low quality recordings well. And if you're looking for really punchy sound or playing from poor quality sources, you've come to the wrong place. Etymotics reproduce undistorted, unvarnished, accurate sound from good sources/recordings. You probably already know if you want this, and if so, then ER3SE will help you. Get this and have some fun and save some bills by messing around with ER4 Plus amps. Find the right earbuds for you, and there's nothing like muting everything else for pure sound. Without the ER3/ER4, getting rid of the headphone jack wouldn't be so difficult. However, the XR confuses me and I wouldn't recommend it. It's all about Etymotic's flat, precise sound. The XR's clean reproduction is for people who want precision but with more musical, punchy bass. And there's so much EDM or hip-hop music out there that it makes sense to tune into that. But instead of sounding like "Etymotics but punchy" to me, it sounds dirtier (rather than purely punchy) and dulls the overall feel of Etymotic. I know I shot, I just think he missed. If you want a punchier, springier sound, almost everyone else will do, including the (slightly cheaper, lower quality, but with built-in mic and audio controls) HF3. If you're here because you already like the Etymotic or you're looking for very good, precise and affordable headphones, buy the SE. I listen to everything from classical to rock and rap; I've played a lot of quality hip hop on both the XR and SE (Run the Jewels, Cannibal Ox, Aesop Rock, DJ Shadow) and I just don't think the XR does what it says it does. In any case, I'd rather just listen to well-produced hip-hop on SE, appreciate the other aspects of the music, and agree that Etymotic isn't the place to get an autobumble experience or listen to someone like Emika. . A lot of people like the XR, maybe it's just subjective taste, or maybe it's like a cheaper plasma TV that looks worse than others in the store but is great in the home, but I wrote this for anyone who cares about one is interested in direct comparison between SE and XR. Why not HF3? It's also very good. But with regular use, wear and tear is also guaranteed. The cable is noticeably inferior and not modular. To their credit, Etymotic's service is excellent and they have a cheaper replacement program for damaged headphones. But it's probably worth upgrading to a much higher quality product that won't wear out and can be repaired if it doesn't if you don't need the on-cord mic/controls. (Of course, it's nice to be able to easily answer a call when it comes while listening to something on your phone, which is why I had a couple of HF3 pairs too, so I know they'll definitely wear out soon.)