You should get the custom made, to your ear via impressions at an audiologist, silicone tips.  Much more comfortable and much better isolation because of the fit.

I tried that ER4-SR. I don't see why people like Etymotic. You have to cram them in your ear so deeply to make them decent which is insane. Even after that they are not full sounding and do not sound realistic at all out of a Cowon P1. I tried and want to like them according what everyone says they are but I didn't hear it.

I spent months researching them and looking at people's profiles what they owned and liked. It's not highly regarded. I see why now. People can afford $1,000.00 IEM can easily afford these if they were really all that but don't and there is a reason.

It explains why if you search Head-Fi there is not a huge following for Etymotic and I should of took that as a red flag but tried them anyways, I have to agree why they are not the mainstream that everyone has in their gear as a "must have" and it cost me a re-stocking fee but lesson learned.

If you can get past feeling like two pencils are drilled into your ear at least to almost 1/2 an inch then you will never get past that feeling to be able to even try to enjoy them.

My 2 cents.

Great review!  The etymotic er4p has been my workhorse portable phones for years, even after owning several other high-end IEM's I still prefer the sound and small footprint of the ety's over all else.  Jumped on the chance to buy the XR's and boy am I happy with them! 

Yep, you do have to insert them deeply in the ear canal which some people don't like.   But you get used to it fairly quickly.   However, if you want detail and a ruler flat response these are the ticket.  The added bonus is that with the ER4's crammed in you ear you have incredible isolation.  These are my go to IEMs for travel over the past 15 years.  

Nice review. I own the ER4P-Ts and the new XR and prefer the P-Ts. I too have owned and heard many of the 4 figure IEMs and I just find the P-Ts to be the most accurate sounding in ears I have ever heard. Plus I like that if I want to hear a dead flat response, the S converter cable is a nice feature of the P-Ts. Something you can't do with the XR. Etys are one of the only IEMs I know of that don't have the boosted lower mid range boom box bass and it's what makes them so enjoyable to me. You get accurate, deep and full bass and actually get to hear the mid range unlike some much higher end offerings from others. I think the XRs have just a little too much bass response for my taste. I also prefer the sparkle and air of the P-Ts as well. Their sound stage and imaging is on par with over ear headphones.

Nice short review, I auditioned these in comparison to my UERR customs and I found the bass to be tighter and fuller on the ER4XR, it has a very enjoyable fast and punchy BA type bass response which I love. They do however choke up on the treble ever so slightly probably due to to the inefficiency of a single BA but just a minor issue as the it's still very detailed and clear.

@germay0653 I have custom-fit ear molds for my ER-4P. While they are comfortable, I find the triflange tips offer much better isolation. It may have to do with the shape of your ears.