Etymotic ER4XR Extended Response Earphone

The Etymotic ER4 has long been known as the top Etymotic model, producing accurate sound. It is pricey however, so for years I used less expensive models like the Etymotic ER6i. I finally ordered the ER4XR on Amazon in July 2024. The ER4XR is still light on bass, despite the claim that it has "extended range." Nevertheless, overall I was satisfied with the performance. Since I generally use the IEM only when flying, usage was very light, so I was dismayed that less than five(5) full months into my very light use, one side stopped working! Since it was past Amazon's 30-day policy, I reached out directly to the manufacturer, Etymotic, who informed me that their policy is to work only with purchases made from authorized sellers. Etymotic further informed me that only Amazon itself is authorized to sell their products on the Amazon platform. Apparently Amazon allows third party sellers to sell the same products, and in this instance, the seller MARMALADE, is NOT authorized to sell Etymotic products. I reached out to the seller, MARMALADE and initially heard...crickets I then contacted Amazon Customer Service, and while they sounded empathetic and helpful, it took weeks of chat sessions with many different Amazon reps who basically did the same thing over and over and over and over again, to no avail. It appeared that Amazon was escalating the matter and might be able to help me, but ultimately it seems that from the beginning, they could NOT actually resolve this issue. Amazon should have said so, on day one, instead of prolonging the issue. Just found that the seller recently responded via email, directing me to contact Etymotic directly...surely they must be aware of Etymotic's policy, and that they (Marmalade) are NOT authorized to sell their products...go figure. Before you buy, VERIFY that the seller is AUTHORIZED by the MANUFACTURER.