EtymoticER3SE Studio Edition Earphone,Black

My son wanted some headphones for his computer, so after much research into sound quality I found the Etymotic ER3SE Studio Edition Earphones. While more designed for musicians and audiophiles, these headphones met exactly what he was looking for - long cable, great sound quality, blocked out outside sound. Just a few weeks into using them, though, my son complained about the sound going out on one side of the headphones. I reached out to customer service for a Warranty Replacement, and within a day had a new set shipped out to me. He is still using the same set, so no complaints.Given the cost and how quickly the headphones died, it is nice to know the warranty lasts two years. I also appreciated how quickly Customer Service responded to my request. While some people might hesitate and opt out for a cheaper set, I liked that we chose a good product from an even better company. In this day and age that level of service can be hard to find.

After a while using these IEMs, I have to say, they are truly god tier for the price they go for. I got these at a steep discount ($69, nice), but at anything under $100 (Which they're still about under as of me writing this), you will not get remotely close to something as uncolored and pure as this.Getting it out of the way, and the Ety diehards may not like this, I threw away the triple flanges, and also disliked the double flanges. I've had good experiences with those style tips on my other IEMs, but they are horribly painful here, and not as isolating as the tips I eventually settled on, the Shure Yellow Foam tips.Let's not beat around the bush, these things NEED to go deep, or else they'll sound kinda weird and quiet, which I figured out real fast as I went through many tips. While audiophiles say they're not the best option for sound quality, I feel that the two best tips for these are the official Etymotic foam tips (Beige), and the Shure Yellows. The beiges are long, and currently don't play nice with my ears, but the Shures cut off just enough length to allow the IEMs to go in all the way, and also stay comfortable for hours, without any readjustment needed. Both are borderline the same foam, just with different stems and adhesives (Shures are better here), so it's just down to length preference.There's a huge problem with the IEMs besides the aural violation pack-in tips, and that's the cable. "Cable down and deal with it" seems to be the the way they're meant to be used, but the microphonics are horrible when they're like that, to the point they'll drown out your own voice, and not just the ones in your head. People online say "Cable up and deal with the strange looks", and that helps, but then the issue is fitting the IEMs in when there's nothing for the cable elbow to rest against. I had a solution for this, "Cable down, UNDER, AND AROUND". Doing this (Also using the chin cinch) allows me to insert the IEMs as intended, and also kill the microphonics, as well as giving the IEMs more protection from tugging. You can even lay on your side with the IEMs like this, which you can't do cable up.With all the hat tricks out of the way, the sound. I love them. Neutral, no shrill highs, no obnoxious ear murdering bass boost, not tin-can quality, not muffled, just plain and simple clarity. The isolation, somehow, is better than any earplug I've ever used. Everything is just gone, it's almost scary, to the point where I now use an app on my phone to pass through mic audio so I'm not completely deaf when using these. It's freaky when I turn off the passthrough, and everything from people walking and talking, down to the person in front of me, just completely go away.The look... they're there, then you put them in, and then they're gone, like earplugs. I like the really understated appearance of them, nothing extravagant, not filled with weights to make it feel substantial, just two light tubes that produce sound, and vanish in your ears, leaving just thin cables going into your ears as the only hint that you're not listening to what's around you.I love these, I can wear them for the whole day, and feel like I'm in a world of my own. I've had the Ety experience, and I cannot go back. I'm no audiophile, but I feel like I've cheated my way to becoming one of the elites. If you are sick of getting burned by IEMs sounding too bassy or thin, or being too colored, then buy these. You'll understand why people say they're almost too affordable for how good they sound. For me, I'm happy enough to say this is my IEM endgame.Also, buy some more filters, or clean your ears, the sound tube is thinner than the stem of a Q-tip. If the IEMs go quiet, it's likely not a defective IEM, it's the filter having fulfilled it's purpose.

After trying a few other isolating earphones I am sticking with my Etys, which are the closest to the sadly discontinued ER6i, which first drew me to this brand. Unfortunately, nothing on the market now performs as well, as ER6i in the sound isolation department. However the newer ER models come close with carefully cut third-party tips.90db road wind noise (at speeds over 90mph - on the race track of course, as a law-abiding citizen like myself would never exceed a posted highway speed limit) puts somewhat extreme requirements for isolating earphones.Why the isolation in our age of advanced electronic ANC? Because the latter doesn't come close to silencing the main enemy of biker ears: the wind noise. I've tried the best ones like Sony LInkbuds S (forget your typical mediocre Airpods Pro). They do very little even with long foam tips. It was tempting to look for triple-flange ones (see below on foam tips in general), but why try to fix the weak ANC at all? Instead of proven passive sound isolation.No miracles about foam. One reviewer here praised yellow Shure tips, which I also tried. I don't think it's the shape of my ear canal. All mentioned by him "Ety diehards" (yours truly) do have a point about the triple-flange tips. In all my experience: trying the supplied foam tips with the ER6i years ago, and similarly with this ER3SE: both the ones that came with it, and the old ER6i ones, the isolation was dismal. There was no revelation with the suggested yellow Shure tip either. Foam doesn't block the noise, period. I wonder where 30db NRR ratings come from. Plugging a perfect hole in the wall instead of a real human ear? The longest I found: Comply P-Series tips do block some wind noise in a full-face helmet, however like all foam ones, not enough to my liking.Now to the triple-flange tips. BTW forget about double- and single-flanged ones. The included ones are only good for making spacers to use with old gray triple-flange ones from ER6is. What about the better looking translucent tips, that came with ER3SE? Here's the huge design flaw of the newer ER series vs. the tiny ER6i from 15 years ago. The earphone body stem is too long and wide, causing severe pain, when inserted deep in the ear - necessary to block the outside noise. Shure SE series have the same diameter pipe with one crucial difference: the tip itself has a longer stem, so only the soft silicone goes into your ear canal. Not the hard plastic wrapped with silicone.You may have high pain tolerance and try to insert those things deep, especially wet. Which brings another word of caution: don't lick the tips in a classic Etymotic manner. It's a recipe for middle ear infection. Don't ask me how I know. I use water now. And that (a week of crackling sound in your inflamed ear canal) is the best case scenario. If you keep ignoring the pain, hoping that your ears would widen inside (also suggested by some), you are going towards Positional Vertigo (aka BPPV): spinning head when changing body position - due to the damaged vestibular sensors located right there, by your ear drums. Again, don't ask me how I know. Luckily BPPV can be cured with a simple at-home physical therapy (Epley maneuver) all by yourself. I know, the determination to make ER3SE work like my old ER6i did.It wasn't until I tried Shures, that I figured out an acceptable solution: the longer triple-flange tips. I also tried Shure's own white ones, and for whatever reason they isolate well only on one model (SE425). Not almost identical size-wise SE215 (which sounds better than a more expensive 425 IMO), and not Ety ER. But longer-stem "Almond" tips did the trick. FWIIW get them (see ASIN in the pic) instead of (also long enough to cut) Shure tips. Or get both, cut the right length, and compare.Other than the isolation issue, ER3SE sound way better (enough bass and crystal clear highs) than the old ER6i, and also better than Shure SE215, let alone more "professional" SE425 - at least to my non-musician ears listening mostly to EDM. I just wish Etymotic brought back their unique ER6i, that could block ANY noise. It'd be nice to offer short "helmet-only" cord.One more tip on inserting the tips. Unlike the ER6i, when the deep (and painful) insertion rewarded you with more isolation, these ones just cause pain. Unfortunately the outside sound can only be muted to a certain degree in my ears (consistent with slightly less isolating Shure 425s).