Etymotic ER4SR Review — Audiophile ON

If you like musical and lush sounding earphones, these are not for you. The SR in the name stands for studio reference, and you can probably guess that they will be very flat and neutral-sounding earphone.

It’s outstanding to listen to if you are an audiophile looking for a pure and transparent sound. The earphones do not embellish on the sound or present it in an altered state. However, at the same time, they are ruthlessly revealing imperfections and flaws in the source material.

To get the best sound quality, you must insert them deep because the engineers have considered the positioning and how that affects the sound. When you hear of people having issues, they usually have them set too shallow in their canals.

Bass is light and more about the detail and texture than it is about impact and sub-bass. They give an accurate representation of what was there but maybe not what is intended by the artist.

The treble has a massive extension and is crisp and clear. If you are coming from a headphone with rolled-off highs, you will want to give yourself a week before you pass the final judgment on the sound as suddenly it can be jarring to have this much information.

Who should buy the Etymotic ER4SR?

The ER4SR will not be the right earphone for everyone, but Etymotic knows that, and that is why they also have a more friendly-sounding Etymotic ER4XR (extended response) we have reviewed in the past.

It has more bass, a smoother treble, and a slightly warmer tone that accompanies most of the music. On the other hand, these earphones are for people who want ruthlessly revealing detail with zero coloration added to the sound.

Professional musicians and people who work in sound will love these, and I use them for critical listening, and they are the standard I measure amps and DAC’s with for neutrality. I always suggest there are two ways to listen critically and for pleasure.

Therefore I often advise people to get this and another warmer-sounding earphone to have a versatile collection.

Etymotic ER4SR Review: Final Thoughts and Conclusion

They may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but they achieve exactly what they set out to do. The earphones are one of the gold-standard products I use for reviews; for professionals, they are one of the best on the market.

As solo earphones for pure listening pleasure where you sit back, relax and enjoy the music, these won’t be the ones, but for critical analysis, these are as good as it gets for the money.

As of 2023 the Etymotic ER4XR and ER4SR are featured on our list of the best earphones.

Links:

Etymotic Website