[twiceboss]

Have you tried Etymotic 3-flange tips? Worked better than 2-flange for my ears... I know the tour units shipped with 2-flange only, unfortunately. I "borrowed" the 3-flange from my other Etymotic IEMs

Yes, i actually struggled with any ety tips haha lol. That's just me. Ears built differently

 

[zhfwen]

Yes, i actually struggled with any ety tips haha lol. That's just me. Ears built differently

None of the tips fit me well either. I ordered small and medium grey Shure silicone tips and the small one (EASFX1-10S) fit me perfectly too. The treble seems a tad brighter with the Shure tips and nothing else really changed.

 

[zhfwen]

Hopefully a future revision will fix the treble roll off. Though I understand why Etymotic has focused on the most audible frequency range. They have done so expertly.

Of course I haven't listened to the EVOs yet. Just going off of what I've read so far about them.

Comparing between the EVO and my ADAM T8Vs (its a stupid comparison), which have a flat response all the way upto 25kHz thanks to their ribbon tweeter, I don't miss the treble much personally. I don't even notice much of a difference since I tend to focus on midrange detail anyway. I think you should give the EVO a shot.

 

[Max Choiral]

I was considering a diffuse field DD to compliment my ER4SR, if one so exists,

I believe, Victor HA-FW10000 is the closest to DF target among dynamic iems.

I shifted my attention away from the Hifiman RE800

Stay away from it, at least, until you can get personal audition. In my opinion, re800 gold is atrocious, even older generation like re400 or re600 are much better.

 

[Larethio]

I've been using the ER4XR, CA Comet, and Noble X to most closely compare the Evo's sound signature. Based on what my ears hear when cycling through those options, treble tuning would have to be done very carefully on a future iteration or one of two things tends to happen for me:

1. The sound field collapses entirely. The Evo has a pretty wide stage and can reach ear to ear on the right setup (doesn't even have to be an expensive one, just needs to be tuned slightly warm to achieve it). The moment I start to inject some treble energy back in, that shrinks significantly
2. Things get peaky quick. This could be corrected by a lot of trial and error, especially to figure out where your pinna gain lies, but I didn't really want to go through the work to set it up. Went through too many setups to get consistent results, but I suppose it's possible.

The Comet definitely has the treble energy you're discussing, but it doesn't have the same sense of staging or smooth presentation. It also tends to get congested on busy passages and God help you if you put a poor recording on (things get stabby fast). Noble X is a much closer match and, while it's far from a "neutrally-tuned" IEM, it reminded me most of an Evo with a little bit of a treble boost. Makes sense, given its somewhat similar architecture, but you get the same result: smaller stage width in comparison. Depth also takes a hit.

The Evo, while not as tonally "robust" as some of the more treble-present pairs out there, is very capable technically. I think that's what impressed me the most over a week's testing.

The Strength of the ER4 soundstage lies with its width. Plenty of people have stated the etys to have a narrow stage but it suits me, if lacking in depth. Neither has it seemed to shrill to me, even on Shoegaze and Metal tracks. This is with a proper fit.

The only other 3-driver iem I've listened to was the Earsonics SM64 and while warm it's presentation was noticeably grander than the ER-4. I'm sure the Evos are way more transparent/linear than those.

I'll probably nab them when Etymotic has a sale with them in the future. Roll-off is a minor gripe in my book if a marked improvement in the soundstage/layering is heard.

 

[miserybeforethemusic]

The Strength of the ER4 soundstage lies with its width. Plenty of people have stated the etys to have a narrow stage but it suits me, if lacking in depth. Neither has it seemed to shrill to me, even on Shoegaze and Metal tracks

The only other 3-driver iem I've listened to was the Earsonics SM64 and while warm it's presentation was noticeably grander than the ER-4. I'm sure the Evos are way more transparent to those.

I'll probably nab them when Etymotic has a sale with them. Roll-off is a minor gripe in my book if a marked improvement in the soundstage/layering is heard.

I love Ety's non-fatiguing signature and it's really great to see that some of that has managed to carry over to the Evo. It's not so much the transparency that gets me; I have the P1 if I really want to cut a razor's edge around everything in the mix. It's just so bloody coherent while staying detailed.

Have to give @EtyDave and his team oodles of praise for what they've done in tuning this IEM. It really does just sound like one wide-band balanced armature driver (in the best way possible). I can get more bass out of DD-equipped hybrid IEMs, but none of them touch the level of bass detail I've been hearing from the Evo. Are you able to share what the crossover points are for each BA? I'd like to include it as part of my review, if possible. If a PM works better, I understand completely.

 

[Larethio]

Even older generation like re400 or re600 are much better.

I have owned several RE600 songbirds and its one of the best bang-for-your buck iems out there. It's a perfect example of DD tuning done right. Ultra-smooth balanced response with a slight roll off on top.

Of course some would prefer Sennheiser or Dita iem

 

[tinyman392]

I have owned several RE600 songbirds and its one of the best bang-for-your buck items out there. It's a perfect example of DD tuning done right. Ultra-smooth balanced response with a slight roll off on top.

Of course some would prefer Sennheiser or Dita iem

The RE600 is one of my favorite IEMs. The price of them has dropped so much since release years ago (could you believe they started at 400 USD?). They’ve been trying to give them away with other purchases I think I have three pairs or something now.

 

[SilverEars]

Hopefully a future revision will fix the treble roll off. Though I understand why Etymotic has focused on the most audible frequency range. They have done so expertly.

Of course I haven't listened to the EVOs yet. Just going off of what I've read so far about them.

Wait, there's treble roll-off? Are you speaking of the measurements or other's impressions? I thought people were hearing the opposite and I was assuming this could be due to not as deep fit as classic Etys. The EVO had the bulk that looks to stop deeper insertion.

Is there an overlay measurement with ER4S?

Please, somebody post the impedance reaponse.

 

[tinyman392]

Wait, there's treble roll-off? Are you speaking of the measurements or other's impressions? I thought people were hearing the opposite and I was assuming this could be due to not as deep fit as classic Etys. The EVO had the bulk that looks to stop deeper insertion.

Is there an overlay measurement with ER4S?

Please, somebody post the impedance reaponse.

Someone had posted earlier their measurements along with a link to their small database. I don’t remember if the ER4S is in there or not but I think an SE or SR model was in there.

That said, the EVO is tamed down in the treble compared to the ER4SR I have (subjectively speaking). The EVO has a bass boost and more controlled treble in contrast to the ER4SR. Note the treble changes are mostly due to the lower pinna gain (spike around the 2-3 kHz range that is part of most target curves). If memory serves measurements end up reflecting these subjective finds as well (you’d need to dig back and find them though).

 

[Larethio]

I love Ety's non-fatiguing signature and it's really great to see that some of that has managed to carry over to the Evo. It's not so much the transparency that gets me; I have the P1 if I really want to cut a razor's edge around everything in the mix. It's just so bloody coherent while staying detailed.

Have to give @EtyDave and his team oodles of praise for what they've done in tuning this IEM. It really does just sound like one wide-band balanced armature driver (in the best way possible). I can get more bass out of DD-equipped hybrid IEMs, but none of them touch the level of bass detail I've been hearing from the Evo. Are you able to share what the crossover points are for each BA? I'd like to include it as part of my review, if possible. If a PM works better, I understand completely is the micro-detail in comparison to the ER4 series?

The RE600 is one of my favorite IEMs. The price of them has dropped so much since release years ago (could you believe they started at 400 USD?). They’ve been trying to give them away with other purchases I think I have three pairs or something now.

Wait, there's treble roll-off? Are you speaking of the measurements or other's impressions? I thought people were hearing the opposite and I was assuming this could be due to not as deep fit as classic Etys. The EVO had the bulk that looks to stop deeper insertion.

Is there an overlay measurement with ER4S?

Please, somebody post the impedance reaponse.

Oh I was just going off Etymotic's official spec (20hz-16khz). Someone who has auditioned these earphones can provide a better answer.

 

[Larethio]

Future impressions of this sets value from people who have paid FULL retail for the EVOs will be greatly appreciated!

It's on backorder right now. Perhaps a couple more weeks? My wallet is gonna hate me for this....

...but my FLACs will shine!

 

[Zachik]

Oh I was just going off Etymotic's official spec (20hz-16khz). Someone who has auditioned these earphones can provide a better answer.

I believe @EtyDave mentioned previously that the couplers used for measurements are the limiting factor, and not necessarily the IEMs themselves.
In other words: the fact that the official spec is 20Hz - 16kHz does NOT mean all audible info after 16kHz is lost... Usually, it means 1 of 2 things:
1. We did not measure outside of this range.
or
2. Outside this range, there is some drop (say 3dB) which gradually grows

 

[Zachik]

It's on backorder right now. Perhaps a couple more weeks?

According to my sources @ Etymotic:
1st batch is totally sold out.
2nd batch is merely days away... Possibly, later this week.

 

[tinyman392]

Future impressions of this sets value from people who have paid FULL retail for the EVOs will be greatly appreciated!

It's on backorder right now. Perhaps a couple more weeks? My wallet is gonna hate me for this....

...but my FLACs will shine!

I actually paid full retail for mine