ER4SR Headphone Cable

My first etymotic cable died in a week, and you know what they cost. This has already lasted 3 weeks of giggling and I feel like it is beefy and durable. Works great also. It is a little heavy, but I just use a clip to support it.

Works well and quality is there. For me however, the cable is too stiff. This causes the earphones to wiggle out of my ears compared to a more supple cable. If I’m sitting still this isn’t an issue. Only when I’m active and turning my head a lot.

The keyed MMCX connector on the cable I received was much too tight for my ER2XRs. The connector barrel actually snapped off inside one of the IEMs when I attempted to insert it. I was unable to extricate the broken metal barrel which meant the IEM was completely ruined. Luckily I had an old backup pair of drivers, but an aftermarket cable doing this kind of irreparable damage to $150 IEMs is just awful, and a sign of poor quality control. okcsc may want to investigate the connector tolerances across the Ety lineup before advertising compatibility with the ER2XR. Oddly, the cheaper braided okcsc HBC13 Earphone Cable doesn't have this issue and mated nicely with my ER2XRs. I strongly recommend getting that one, instead of this clear 4-core cable.

Works great with my Etymotic ER4XR. After going through two OEM cables from Etymotic, I wanted something more durable, so I'm glad this cable exists. This cable feels heavier than the OEM cable, which can be uncomfortable if the full weight of the cable is tugging at my ear canal. However, this is easily remedied by wearing the cable over my ear, instead of wearing it straight down. Over-ear wear also has the benefit of reducing microphonics. The cable length is shorter than OEM, but I actually prefer this length.

UPDATE: The cable only lasted about 6 months. It became stiff and then the connection began dropping out. The insulation started coming off near the metal bits because of bending. I ordered a new one because there isn't any other choices really. Worked ok for a while. With heavy use, the cable became stiff and impractical to wear. I'm trying dipping it in boiling water to make it like new. Seems to help a little bit. The connectors are more reliable than the factory cable, and hold the earphones very well, but sometimes they need to be taken out and blown into + reinserted.

It transmits too much rubbing sounds when moving. It was the only game in town. The original cords are worse. One has to remake the classics again in this market.

This replacement chord for Etymotic IEM's is a much better built product than the OEM chord and it is felt in the weight and sturdiness of the product. I believe that as a result of the more robust copper wires there is a signal and clarity boost. I will eventually do a side by side comparison to confirm this and was so impressed that I plan to buy a second pair as a backup. Overall, this is a great product and comes in at about $40 dollars cheaper than Etymotics offering of less quality.

I don't know how anyone uses Etymotic without wrapping the cable around your ear to remove the cable noise. It's very uncomfortable and annoying to try and wrap this cable around my ear because it's so thick and doesn't like to bend into a shape. Also keeps twisting the earbuds out of place due to the weight and stiffness. The stock cable has no stiffness so it just flops around your ear however you wanted. Also can't tell which is right/left unless the light hits just right as the L/R letter is embossed in clear, the same as the housing.