Etymotic Research ER2SE Studio Edition High Performance In-Ear Earphones (Detachable Dynamic Drivers, Noise Isolating, High Accuracy, Studio Grade Accuracy)

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UPDATE 2: It's couple months later now and the foams "snap" back too quickly for my liking so I've gone back to using the large tri-flanges.

If you’re in a more fun mood, you would pick the IE 40 Pro, which will also deliver great treble details with a wider soundstage. From the lower midrange on up, the two models sound more or less identical, so that bass output is the real differentiator between the two. It would be embarrassing but I felt I wanted some middle ground, of semi clean ears to have enough lubrication to prevent the itchy inner feeling that can be very distracting. But IEMs are much more finicky and user dependent so YMMV, but I think it is still important to reference.I really hope they put out another iteration with dynamic drivers trying to further increase the speed, etc. Few earphones will perform as well as the ER2SE for the money, but for those of you who are willing to stretch your budgets a bit, the Sennheiser IE 100 PRO Wireless is a solid value. But I should be clear: when I say that the ER2SE “faces off” against these headphones, I’m talking about raw technical ability. Probably the single biggest problem I had with the ER2SE was a lack in the variety of included eartips.

ER2SE is a great choice for audio creators and musicians on a budget, who require a precise and neutral sound reproduction.Etymotic uses the same type of MMCX cable as audio powerhouse Shure, making it easy and affordable to replace the cable when needed.

Then, on ‘Cecile I’ observe the deft way that both ER2 earphones define and delineate differences in textures and timbres between the bowed cello and pizzicato acoustic bass heard on the track (there is enough overlap between the ranges of these instruments that their voices can become muddled through some earphones, but this was not a problem at all for the Etymotic ER2’s). The treble crashes, strings, etc, have slightly more body, but seem to be missing some micro definition. As I have started to use more gear over the years I found that the more bass, especially in IEMs leads to headaches for me, so the Legacy 3 was something that I tried to avoid for more modern genres.It’s that way with the ER4SR as well, but the greater resolution allows for more instrument separation and a better sense of space. On one hand, that says something pretty significant about the ER2SE’s sound quality; on the other, it means that some people will be stuck looking for replacement eartips. We're having some off-line discussions about what extra data might be worth pushing to the database.

The ER2XR provides impactful bass response while maintaining the clarity in the midrange and highs that Etymotic is known for.

I always feel an edge or angle somewhere in my canal with deep insertion, and it gets itchy and makes me want to cough. That said, midrange resolution takes a slight hit when compared to the ER2SE’s balanced-armature cousins, the ER3s, but nothing too major. The result is the need for higher SPL in the 2-5k region (lower treble) for compensating said resonance. This will never be the basshead’s dream and maybe the ER3XR/2XR fits the title better if we’re talking about a “bassy” Etymotic IEM.