Etymotic ER2SE Studio Edition Earphone

I got my ER2SE about a month ago. Here I will compare it to my HD600 over-ear open-back headphone since both are tuned towards the diffuse field target. Also because HD600 has a very large user base.Both sound very natural to me. ER2 is more realistic for some of the instruments I play. The hd600 is slightly bassy/darker, and the vocal is just slightly recessed. So if you feel HD600 is intimate, this IEM may surprise you. The ER2 is a bit sibilant compared to hd600, though itself is definitely not. I prefer male vocal on the hd600 because it sounds fuller, and I prefer female vocal on the Ety because it sounds sweeter. Here is how I would describe it. If the brightest headphone is like the noon, and the darkest headphone is the midnight. Then ER2 is like the dawn, a little energetic, while hd600 is like the dusk, very relaxing. Although the lighting is similar, the feeling is different.HD600 has a larger soundstage and is inoffensive. There is a tendency to forget it is on my head after a while. Transient seems to be better on ER2. Everything feels faster. I seriously doubt I heard much detail difference. HD600 is a little more detailed? But ER2 has at least 90% of details I heard on the hd600 at normal listening volume. However, ER2 is only one-third of that price (Let's exclude amp and dac here...) Good job Etymotic. The soundstage is not very wide but there is no feeling of congestion. Instrument separation is still better on HD600.The form factor is of course very different. When I switched to my ER2 while hd600 still playing, the sound leakage from hd600 and every other noise from outside world is suddenly blocked. And when I put on my hd600 while ER2 playing. I can even hear the sound leakage from ER2 on my desk clearly.The new package comes with four double-flange tips. These are my favorites, miles ahead of triple-flange ones comfort wise. It is easy to insert and feels more secure than single-flange. Insert depth affects sound very little because of the new dynamic driver. One side note is that a good seal is necessary for this IEM to shine. Otherwise there can be weird peaks in the FR that isn't supposed to be there as well as detail loss.

I gave it 4 stars for sound, but that is just for the mids and trebles which were reproduced realistically and with detail. There was just too little bass for me to be acceptable, but for the money I doubt people will find much that is better from the mids on up. I like to use voice in my comparisons because I feel I can tell when a voice is more or less realistically produced. Of course, not all voices have equal bass in them. Two voices I know pretty well (though I heard neither live) are those of Eva Cassidy and Gretchen Peters. Cassidy has a higher voice, and I confess I did not miss the bass much when listening to her. But Peters voice is deeper (though still very much a female voice), and there I missed the bass. Even more so with classical music. As others have reported, sound isolation was quite good. But, I found them uncomfortable to wear for any length of time, especially on the move. Others did not have this issue, and they are very unlikely to ever fall out of your ears, something that cannot be said of many others earbuds. So, it depends a bit on your budget and listening preferences. If bass is not a big deal to you, you will have a tough time doing better for the money, and I would recommend you check them out. Just make sure you can return them in case you end up agreeing with me on bass or comfort.

I got this to cut down on the AC noise near one of my rooms. I expected decent sound and decent noise isolation. My expectations have been greatly exceeded.First the isolation: when no music is playing I can still hear the AC if I get close enough. Once something starts playing, nothing. The downside is that you won't hear it if someone's trying to talk to you, so one should be careful using it outdoors or anywhere situational awareness is required.The sound: absolutely outstanding. I really can't find any weaknesses. Everything is natural and balanced. The timbre of instruments and voices is natural and there's enough bass, as much as can be expected from IEMs which can't produce the visceral bass of speakers, anyway. The spatial qualities of the sound are as good as can be expected from IEMs but again don't compare to speakers of course. Other things such as detail, balance between treble and mids etc are outstanding.Comfort: for the first couple of days my ear canals got itchy after about an hour or so but now they've accommodated and I can wear them without any discomfort. They are pretty light and the included case is pretty small.Value: Amazon had them for 125 before the holidays and they are outstanding value for money. They seem to be well built and should last quite a while unless mistreated.

These have the same sound quality as any average 20$ ear buds.There are several different ear buds rubbers to choose from. The only ones that would stay in my ears are the 3 level type (shown on the product picture) and then the ear bud peice and the connection to the wires would sometimes cut out. I wear a headband, baklava for work and if it puts any amount of pressure on the ear bud the sound will go in and out depending on my movements.When I first started wearing them. And I found which ones would stay in, my ears would hurt after about 30 min. Causing a sharp pain when going in and when coming out. This pain still happens but after about 2 hours+.The wire itself seems like good quality. The clip that came with, (used for securing the wire to your clothes) broke instantly when used.