Intro:
Etymotic ER3SE review with a great focus on the difference between the ER3SE and ER4SR.
Delivery Content:
In comparison to the new ER4 series, the delivery content of the two in-ears from the new ER3 series is far simpler - apart from the in-ear itself and the usual paperwork, there are only a few cylindrical foam tips, a pair of large triple-flange silicone tips, a pair of small triple-flange silicone tips, a small storage bag that is already known from my ER-4S, a shirt clip as well as one pair of spare acoustic filters along with a tool to replace them.
Compared to the models of the new ER4 line, the individual performance certificate which includes the frequency response on both sides has therefore been removed from the included accessories, just like the 6.3 to 3.5 mm adapter, half of all ear tips and replacement filters including the small plastic tube for storing them, and lastly the larger transport and storage case.
Looks, Feels, Build Quality:
The housings of the ER3SE are made of metal, but unlike the ER4SR, they are satin black instead of stainless-steel blue. However, they both appear to be of high quality and, in addition to the serial number, also feature a model engraving.
The in-ears of the ER3 series also have removable cables with MMCX connectors that are protected against rotation and therefore have a similar durability and reliability to the old 2-pin connector system of the ER-4S, which was adopted from the Sennheiser HD 6x0 series.
As a result, the ER3 and ER4 series cables are also compatible with each other.
The cable itself is also different from that of the new ER4 models, as it is not only thinner in the ER3SE in direct comparison, but also shorter and has regular wires above the Y-split instead of twisted strands, which is why it transmits a little more cable noise. Fortunately, a chin slide has been implemented.
Even though I think the cable of the new ER4 series is ultimately a bit better, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the ER3 cable in terms of flexibility and softness.
The only flaw of the in-ears, as with the two models of the new ER4 series, is that the side markings, which consist of small letters on the sleeves of the cable's connectors, are very small and difficult to see in moderately lit environments.
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Considering that the in-ears of the new ER4 series and the ER3 in-ears use almost identically implemented drivers and are quite similar in tone and technology (yes, I'm anticipating), one has to ask oneself why there is a noticeable price difference between the two product lines.
Apart from the reduced standard accessories of the ER3 series, the ER3 series in-ears feature other cables, but the different production location (ER3: production in China; ER4: production in the USA) is mainly responsible for this, along with a less stringent quality control and larger permitted manufacturing tolerances for the ER3 series compared to the ER4 models.
It is interesting to note that both sides of the ER3SE unit I received however measure with such minor deviations that they would also manage to pass the stricter ER4 quality control standards with bravery (according to Etymotic's public and generally trustworthy statement, this would likely apply to most ER3 series copies, but unlike the ER4 models, it cannot be guaranteed).
Due
to its lower impedance and higher sensitivity, the ER3SE is also
louder than the ER4SR at the same volume setting and can be therefore driven to higher volume with low-power source devices.
Comfort, Isolation:
The in-ears of the ER3 series must be inserted very deeply and the second bend of the ear canal must be passed for the sound to be correct. In the beginning, this may feel irritating or even cause slight pain if you are not used to in-ears that are inserted that deeply; at least I have however no problems with deep insertion anymore and feel no pain.
It is best to insert the in-ears first with the cable down, whereupon you automatically know when the correct insertion depth has been reached. After that you can wrap the cable around your ears, which I also do. This lowers the microphonics (cable noise) to a tolerable level (less microphonics are hardly possible due to the deep insertion, but in combination with an over-ear cable fit and using the chin slider, it can be reduced well).
I have got quite large ear canals, which is why I already had to modify the tips of my ER-4S and the new ER4 series in-ears to achieve a proper and long-lasting seal.
The in-ears of the new ER3 series come with silicone tips already known from the new ER4 series, which have the same dimensions but are made of a different material compared to the old ER4 series tips. To my surprise, the large tips seal well in my large rear canals as the new material is a bit more stable and stickier. Nonetheless, I still have to correct the fit from time to time, which is why I also modified the new tips (by cutting off the smallest flange of the triple-flange tips, then pulling it onto the nozzle and then having the other two lamellas follow – that way I get a very good and constant seal in my ears and the length of the ear tips remains practically unchanged).
Provided the in-ears are correctly inserted and sealed, the sound insulation is very high.
Neutral = Neutral?
There are different studies on what "neutral" should actually look like in the headphone and in-ear realm. To my ears, I've got to say that Etymotic's more diffuse-field oriented approach (ER-4S, ER4SR) sounds the most linear, flat and neutral to me, listening to sine sweeps and music. Your mileage may vary.
Sound:
The correct length of the sound outlet and the correct insertion depth are important for the right sound. The fact that the end of the sound outlet must be very deep in the ear canal, after the second bend of the ear canal, should be clear after the section “comfort, isolation”.
However, the correct length of the ear tips is at least as important. As described above, I'm using the ER3SE with the standard large triple-flange silicone tips, which I've modified to provide a good seal in my large ear canals while retaining their length. With other ear tips (e.g. single flange and thus shorter length of the sound tube) the sound in my ears was audibly changed and not the way it should be (only the long, cylindrical foam tips included by Etymotic sound almost identical to the triple-flange tips in my ears, but I generally don’t like to use foam tips with in-ears.
Tonality:
The tonality of the ER3SE is noticeably similar to that of the ER4SR and you can definitely tell that the ER3SE is related to the ER4SR and has the typical Etymotic genes that focus on tonal accuracy. Nevertheless, there are tonal differences - the ER3SE has a pinch, a hint more bass than the ER4SR which is strictly diffuse-field neutral in the bass, and sounds a little more relaxed, a little darker in the treble.
The ER3SE is definitely neutral and rather flat - all of the differences in the high frequencies are less than three decibels (there's a good two dB difference), and in the low frequencies the ER3SE is just a little more than one decibel more present than its more expensive relative.
The ER3SE is also one of the most neutral and even-sounding in-ears in my ears when it comes to sine sweep, noise signals and of course music, and is thus just behind the ER4SR and ER-4S in terms of perceived flatness.
From the true sub-bass to the high frequencies there is no unevenness; there are no larger sinks and no narrow (let alone wider) peaks emphasis, apart from a very moderately raised presence range, which seems a little less "forward" compared to the ER4SR, and a mild recession around 7 kHz, which gives the ER3SE a somewhat more relaxed interpretation of "neutral and flat" than the ER4SR/S and a slightly darker interpretation of "neutral and flat" in the high frequencies. As a result, the timbre is still extremely natural and all instruments and voices sound accurate to the point and lack any colouration to my ears.
When it comes to tuning, the ER3SE is definitely a dream of linearity and lack of colouration for me.
Because of this comparatively slightly darker tuning, the ER3SE has a slightly different tonal character than the ER4SR that sounds brutally flat, lifeless and linear, which makes it a grandiosely honest monitoring tool (and this is exactly what I personally really love about the more expensive relative of the Etymotic family).
Yes, tonally, the ER3SE passes as the mildly "gentler", minimally "more emotional" version of the ER4SR (and sounds nevertheless still nicely flat and is still quite merciless with bad recordings immediately, albeit a pinch more forgiving).
Resolution:
Typical for good single BA models, the ER3SE has a very coherent sound.
The bass of the in-ear is fast and tight, followed by a detailed, highly resolving midrange with very good speech intelligibility and reproduction of small details. This also applies to the treble, which also reproduces individual notes cleanly and well separated from each other.
The Ety doesn't achieve the resolution and headroom level of some expensive multi-BA flagships and in-ears, but nobody fully expects that from it. Both types, wideband and multi-driver constructions, have their own advantages and disadvantages. And for a single-BA in-ear, the ER3SE, which is quite typical for Etymotic, is one of the best models. Apart from the slightly different, less direct tuning that is somewhat darker in the treble, it is basically on the same level of resolution as the ER4SR, which nevertheless clearly has its own justification and is designed as the even more uncompromising, linear studio in-ear.
Soundstage:
Not really surprisingly, the ER3SE's stage is neither particularly small nor particularly large, but quite average in terms of pure size. However, it appears round, actually even a tiny bit wider than deep, with a very credible and coherent presentation with good and especially precise placement, separation and layering of individual instruments and tonal elements.
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Compared to other SIngle-BA In-Ears:
Etymotic ER4SR:
Tonally, both in-ears are very similar, but the ER3SE has a slightly darker, more relaxed interpretation of tonal flatness and neutrality than the ER4SR.
So the ER3SE is raised a bit more than 1 dB in the bass, but interestingly enough has a bit more real sub-bass (no/less roll-off) than the ER4SR I have here.
Otherwise, the ER3SE is slightly darker in terms of midrange timbre, and also has slightly less presence in the presence range, with the slightly less direct midrange in the mix.
After all, the ER3SE is a bit darker than the ER4SR in the mid and upper treble, apart from the virtually identical super treble extension.
Due to the mildly (and only in comparison to its more expensive relative) darker tuning, accompanied by a small pinch of more bass, the ER3SE sounds subjectively a bit stronger in the bass. However, if the ER-4S/SR already has a bit too little bass for one's tastes, the ER3SE is unlikely to be the right choice either, and those who feel so should rather go for the ER4XR or ER3XR, which aim for a comparatively bassier tuning, but still represents what most manufacturers see as a neutral target curve in terms of boost.
Anyway, with only slightly more than one dB extra, the ER3SE really only sounds a pinch "bassier" than the ER4SR and still passes as very flat sounding.
The ER4SR sounds more direct and cleaner than the lower priced ER3SE due to its flatter, less relaxed tuning, with practically the same resolution between the two in-ears. Mainly the more expensive in-ear differs from the less expensive in-ear in that it handles bad recordings even a bit more mercilessly, more "critically", and in this sense the ER3 seems slightly more "forgiving" in comparison.
In terms of soundstage, the ER4SR's appears somewhat wider than the ER3SE's due to its moderately brighter sound, with otherwise the same spatial precision and coherence.
Westone UM Pro 10:
The UM Pro 10 can also be considered as neutral, but its treble is on the darker, more relaxed side than that of the Ety.
The Westone is tuned with a pinch of more bass quantity than the ER3SE, but still clearly passes as quite flat and neutral in the lows.
In the presence range, lower treble and central treble, the Westone is a bit more relaxed, while both in-ears have about equal upper treble quantity. However, the Westone rolls off earlier in the upper highs and therefore shows less subtle extension and super-treble airiness.
Both in-ears are not far apart in terms of detail resolution.
In a direct comparison, the bass of the UM Pro 10 seems a bit softer and the ER3SE a bit better differentiated in the mid and high frequencies, but the latter characteristic can mainly be traced back to the somewhat less relaxed sound signature compared to that of the Westone.
The Westone's soundstage seems a bit wider, while the Etymotic projects a bit more spatial depth. The Ety layers a bit more precisely and separates instruments a bit cleaner, but it's not a big difference.
Conclusion:
The Etymotic ER3SE is a cheaper alternative to the technically basically similar ER4SR and comes with a reduced amount of included accessories, is made in China instead of America with theoretically higher allowed manufacturing tolerances, and is tuned slightly darker and more relaxed than its higher priced relative.
Comfort, Isolation:
The in-ears of the ER3 series must be inserted very deeply and the second bend of the ear canal must be passed for the sound to be correct. In the beginning, this may feel irritating or even cause slight pain if you are not used to in-ears that are inserted that deeply; at least I have however no problems with deep insertion anymore and feel no pain.
It is best to insert the in-ears first with the cable down, whereupon you automatically know when the correct insertion depth has been reached. After that you can wrap the cable around your ears, which I also do. This lowers the microphonics (cable noise) to a tolerable level (less microphonics are hardly possible due to the deep insertion, but in combination with an over-ear cable fit and using the chin slider, it can be reduced well).
I have got quite large ear canals, which is why I already had to modify the tips of my ER-4S and the new ER4 series in-ears to achieve a proper and long-lasting seal.
The in-ears of the new ER3 series come with silicone tips already known from the new ER4 series, which have the same dimensions but are made of a different material compared to the old ER4 series tips. To my surprise, the large tips seal well in my large rear canals as the new material is a bit more stable and stickier. Nonetheless, I still have to correct the fit from time to time, which is why I also modified the new tips (by cutting off the smallest flange of the triple-flange tips, then pulling it onto the nozzle and then having the other two lamellas follow – that way I get a very good and constant seal in my ears and the length of the ear tips remains practically unchanged).
Provided the in-ears are correctly inserted and sealed, the sound insulation is very high.
Neutral = Neutral?
There are different studies on what "neutral" should actually look like in the headphone and in-ear realm. To my ears, I've got to say that Etymotic's more diffuse-field oriented approach (ER-4S, ER4SR) sounds the most linear, flat and neutral to me, listening to sine sweeps and music. Your mileage may vary.
Sound:
The correct length of the sound outlet and the correct insertion depth are important for the right sound. The fact that the end of the sound outlet must be very deep in the ear canal, after the second bend of the ear canal, should be clear after the section “comfort, isolation”.
However, the correct length of the ear tips is at least as important. As described above, I'm using the ER3SE with the standard large triple-flange silicone tips, which I've modified to provide a good seal in my large ear canals while retaining their length. With other ear tips (e.g. single flange and thus shorter length of the sound tube) the sound in my ears was audibly changed and not the way it should be (only the long, cylindrical foam tips included by Etymotic sound almost identical to the triple-flange tips in my ears, but I generally don’t like to use foam tips with in-ears.
Tonality:
The tonality of the ER3SE is noticeably similar to that of the ER4SR and you can definitely tell that the ER3SE is related to the ER4SR and has the typical Etymotic genes that focus on tonal accuracy. Nevertheless, there are tonal differences - the ER3SE has a pinch, a hint more bass than the ER4SR which is strictly diffuse-field neutral in the bass, and sounds a little more relaxed, a little darker in the treble.
The ER3SE is definitely neutral and rather flat - all of the differences in the high frequencies are less than three decibels (there's a good two dB difference), and in the low frequencies the ER3SE is just a little more than one decibel more present than its more expensive relative.
The ER3SE is also one of the most neutral and even-sounding in-ears in my ears when it comes to sine sweep, noise signals and of course music, and is thus just behind the ER4SR and ER-4S in terms of perceived flatness.
From the true sub-bass to the high frequencies there is no unevenness; there are no larger sinks and no narrow (let alone wider) peaks emphasis, apart from a very moderately raised presence range, which seems a little less "forward" compared to the ER4SR, and a mild recession around 7 kHz, which gives the ER3SE a somewhat more relaxed interpretation of "neutral and flat" than the ER4SR/S and a slightly darker interpretation of "neutral and flat" in the high frequencies. As a result, the timbre is still extremely natural and all instruments and voices sound accurate to the point and lack any colouration to my ears.
When it comes to tuning, the ER3SE is definitely a dream of linearity and lack of colouration for me.
Because of this comparatively slightly darker tuning, the ER3SE has a slightly different tonal character than the ER4SR that sounds brutally flat, lifeless and linear, which makes it a grandiosely honest monitoring tool (and this is exactly what I personally really love about the more expensive relative of the Etymotic family).
Yes, tonally, the ER3SE passes as the mildly "gentler", minimally "more emotional" version of the ER4SR (and sounds nevertheless still nicely flat and is still quite merciless with bad recordings immediately, albeit a pinch more forgiving).
Resolution:
Typical for good single BA models, the ER3SE has a very coherent sound.
The bass of the in-ear is fast and tight, followed by a detailed, highly resolving midrange with very good speech intelligibility and reproduction of small details. This also applies to the treble, which also reproduces individual notes cleanly and well separated from each other.
The Ety doesn't achieve the resolution and headroom level of some expensive multi-BA flagships and in-ears, but nobody fully expects that from it. Both types, wideband and multi-driver constructions, have their own advantages and disadvantages. And for a single-BA in-ear, the ER3SE, which is quite typical for Etymotic, is one of the best models. Apart from the slightly different, less direct tuning that is somewhat darker in the treble, it is basically on the same level of resolution as the ER4SR, which nevertheless clearly has its own justification and is designed as the even more uncompromising, linear studio in-ear.
Soundstage:
Not really surprisingly, the ER3SE's stage is neither particularly small nor particularly large, but quite average in terms of pure size. However, it appears round, actually even a tiny bit wider than deep, with a very credible and coherent presentation with good and especially precise placement, separation and layering of individual instruments and tonal elements.
---------
Compared to other SIngle-BA In-Ears:
Etymotic ER4SR:
Tonally, both in-ears are very similar, but the ER3SE has a slightly darker, more relaxed interpretation of tonal flatness and neutrality than the ER4SR.
So the ER3SE is raised a bit more than 1 dB in the bass, but interestingly enough has a bit more real sub-bass (no/less roll-off) than the ER4SR I have here.
Otherwise, the ER3SE is slightly darker in terms of midrange timbre, and also has slightly less presence in the presence range, with the slightly less direct midrange in the mix.
After all, the ER3SE is a bit darker than the ER4SR in the mid and upper treble, apart from the virtually identical super treble extension.
Due to the mildly (and only in comparison to its more expensive relative) darker tuning, accompanied by a small pinch of more bass, the ER3SE sounds subjectively a bit stronger in the bass. However, if the ER-4S/SR already has a bit too little bass for one's tastes, the ER3SE is unlikely to be the right choice either, and those who feel so should rather go for the ER4XR or ER3XR, which aim for a comparatively bassier tuning, but still represents what most manufacturers see as a neutral target curve in terms of boost.
Anyway, with only slightly more than one dB extra, the ER3SE really only sounds a pinch "bassier" than the ER4SR and still passes as very flat sounding.
The ER4SR sounds more direct and cleaner than the lower priced ER3SE due to its flatter, less relaxed tuning, with practically the same resolution between the two in-ears. Mainly the more expensive in-ear differs from the less expensive in-ear in that it handles bad recordings even a bit more mercilessly, more "critically", and in this sense the ER3 seems slightly more "forgiving" in comparison.
In terms of soundstage, the ER4SR's appears somewhat wider than the ER3SE's due to its moderately brighter sound, with otherwise the same spatial precision and coherence.
Westone UM Pro 10:
The UM Pro 10 can also be considered as neutral, but its treble is on the darker, more relaxed side than that of the Ety.
The Westone is tuned with a pinch of more bass quantity than the ER3SE, but still clearly passes as quite flat and neutral in the lows.
In the presence range, lower treble and central treble, the Westone is a bit more relaxed, while both in-ears have about equal upper treble quantity. However, the Westone rolls off earlier in the upper highs and therefore shows less subtle extension and super-treble airiness.
Both in-ears are not far apart in terms of detail resolution.
In a direct comparison, the bass of the UM Pro 10 seems a bit softer and the ER3SE a bit better differentiated in the mid and high frequencies, but the latter characteristic can mainly be traced back to the somewhat less relaxed sound signature compared to that of the Westone.
The Westone's soundstage seems a bit wider, while the Etymotic projects a bit more spatial depth. The Ety layers a bit more precisely and separates instruments a bit cleaner, but it's not a big difference.
Conclusion:
The Etymotic ER3SE is a cheaper alternative to the technically basically similar ER4SR and comes with a reduced amount of included accessories, is made in China instead of America with theoretically higher allowed manufacturing tolerances, and is tuned slightly darker and more relaxed than its higher priced relative.