Our research indicates that at the time of this post, the Etymotic Research ER2SE Dynamic Studio Edition Earphones is $36 lower (42% savings) than the next best available price from a reputable merchant with prices starting from $85.
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Questions & Answers
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AaronK5014
asked this question on 04-10-2021 at 02:58 PM
04-10-2021 at 04:33 PM
The best ways to use these with an iPhone or any other iOS device is to purchase the Apple Lightning to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter for $9. It is very well regarded for it's sound reproduction and price. The adapter should also be more than adequate for powering these ER2SE.
Sound is incredibly subjective, so theses may be better than AirPod Pros for some and worse for others. Things like hearing damage, file quality, fit and environment are different for everyone which makes sound quality difficult to judge objectively. The best way to see if you like these is to purchase them. If you are used to a bass heavy sound signature the ER2SE may sound poor because of its flat sound profile. If you like more BOOM, look out for the ER2XR which have more BASS.
04-15-2021 at 07:35 PM
I have an ER2XR paired to a DragonFly Red. Source is either the iPhone X or MacBook Pro. To be honest, to my ears, there is very minimal difference with the Dragonfly Red (even with lossless audio). However, between the MacBook Pro and the iPhone X, the iPhone X seems to provide better fidelity. As the previous poster mentioned, its very subjective. Some listeners would be able to discern the difference, or it may just be a placebo effect. Best to try it out yourself and gauge how the sound "feels".
AaronK5014
asked this question on 04-10-2021 at 02:59 PM
Sorry. Audiophile terms. They are unfortunately the best way to describe the frequency response without looking at a graph. Crinacle.com has these graphs.
Sibilance is when a singer's S sounds are over pronounced. These iems do not over exaggerate S's. Also, sparkle is upper treble. Too much sounds unnatural, but it also helps with how airy music will sound. The whole iem game is about manufacturers tuning and all of them vary just a little bit in their own way. It's a strange hobby from the outside perspective for sure.
The ER2SE and XR are probably the best sub $100 IEMs. Period.
Nothing really comes close to their quality and tonality within this price range.
Only problem is that these aren't exactly comfortable, and if you don't get a perfect seal, the things I say about quality and tonality can be thrown out the window.
But yes, these will blow any Tin (even the higher end planars) or KZ, or most sub $150 chi-fi around, out of the water.
Pretty incredible. They hit the neutral target near perfectly with no odd peaks and dips. They rank really high on crinacle's ranking list. The only downsides are: the deep fit that isn't comfortable after long periods. these se's are pretty light on bass. They do have mild microphonics with the cable. Maybe the soundstage is a bit between your ears, but the tonality is among the best out there. It may also lack upper sparkle, but I prefer that to avoid sibilance. I use the er2se regularly at work and use the er2xr, er3xr, and er4xr at home.
I've got a ton of chifi sets. Kz dq6/zsn pro/zs10 pro, legacy 3 and 4, tin t2 and t4, blon 03 and 01's, super tape&pro, urbanfun's and a few more. Maybe I have a problem. Lol.
My favorites are the etymotics and my legacy's.
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04-09-2021
at
08:00 PM#5
The ER2SE and XR are probably the best sub $100 IEMs. Period.
Nothing really comes close to their quality and tonality within this price range.
Only problem is that these aren't exactly comfortable, and if you don't get a perfect seal, the things I say about quality and tonality can be thrown out the window.
But yes, these will blow any Tin (even the higher end planars) or KZ, or most sub $150 chi-fi around, out of the water.
Our community has rated this post as helpful.
If you agree, why not thank ?
04-09-2021
at
08:02 PM#6
Quote
from stingtime
:
How are these vs typical chi-fi headphones (e.g. Tin Audio T2 or KZ headphones)?
Pretty incredible. They hit the neutral target near perfectly with no odd peaks and dips. They rank really high on crinacle's ranking list. The only downsides are: the deep fit that isn't comfortable after long periods. these se's are pretty light on bass. They do have mild microphonics with the cable. Maybe the soundstage is a bit between your ears, but the tonality is among the best out there. It may also lack upper sparkle, but I prefer that to avoid sibilance. I use the er2se regularly at work and use the er2xr, er3xr, and er4xr at home.
I've got a ton of chifi sets. Kz dq6/zsn pro/zs10 pro, legacy 3 and 4, tin t2 and t4, blon 03 and 01's, super tape&pro, urbanfun's and a few more. Maybe I have a problem. Lol.
My favorites are the etymotics and my legacy's.
Pretty incredible. They hit the neutral target near perfectly with no odd peaks and dips. They rank really high on crinacle's ranking list. The only downsides are: the deep fit that isn't comfortable after long periods. these se's are pretty light on bass. They do have mild microphonics with the cable. Maybe the soundstage is a bit between your ears, but the tonality is among the best out there. It may also lack upper sparkle, but I prefer that to avoid sibilance. I use the er2se regularly at work and use the er2xr, er3xr, and er4xr at home.
Sorry. Audiophile terms. They are unfortunately the best way to describe the frequency response without looking at a graph. Crinacle.com has these graphs.
Sibilance is when a singer's S sounds are over pronounced. These iems do not over exaggerate S's. Also, sparkle is upper treble. Too much sounds unnatural, but it also helps with how airy music will sound. The whole iem game is about manufacturers tuning and all of them vary just a little bit in their own way. It's a strange hobby from the outside perspective for sure.
Sorry. Audiophile terms. They are unfortunately the best way to describe the frequency response without looking at a graph. Crinacle.com has these graphs.
Sibilance is when a singer's S sounds are over pronounced. These iems do not over exaggerate S's. Also, sparkle is upper treble. Too much sounds unnatural, but it also helps with how airy music will sound. The whole iem game is about manufacturers tuning and all of them vary just a little bit in their own way. It's a strange hobby from the outside perspective for sure.
This is awesome. I always wondered if there was a name for that "s" sound issue. Thank you!
Non audiophile guy here with a dumb question: how would these be for gaming? I run my sound through a receiver that has a fat plug that I could covert to this (I think?).
My hearing isn't great and I have trouble making out words sometimes that are important. Was thinking this might help.
Non audiophile guy here with a dumb question: how would these be for gaming? I run my sound through a receiver that has a fat plug that I could covert to this (I think?).
My hearing isn't great and I have trouble making out words sometimes that are important. Was thinking this might help.
They would be great if you need to seal out the outside world. The soundstage is somewhat inside your head, but excellent for picking out details. I prefer to hear my voice and have a wide and open soundstage (sounds outside of your head) when gaming, so I usually use my open back philips fidelio x2's, but you could get a solid 85% of the way there with a koss kph30i for 30 bucks. Heck. At these prices, get both. You won't regret it.
Man, they keep driving the price down, are they going out of business? I compared the 2XR and 3XR, 3XR sounded way better to me. I got it at around $79? I think. If you can grab 3XR, I would go with that.
I like these a lot. Not great for some genres of music, but for classical and guitar/vocals very nice. And the sound isolation make them a great utility set just to have on hand.
I want these so bad but I go for the straight audio jack cause of my phone case. I know there's adapters but they're so bulky. Other than that really enticing deal.
Just watched the video and it shows a straight audio jack, can anyone reassure me that it is straight?
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Sibilance is when a singer's S sounds are over pronounced. These iems do not over exaggerate S's. Also, sparkle is upper treble. Too much sounds unnatural, but it also helps with how airy music will sound. The whole iem game is about manufacturers tuning and all of them vary just a little bit in their own way. It's a strange hobby from the outside perspective for sure.
Nothing really comes close to their quality and tonality within this price range.
Only problem is that these aren't exactly comfortable, and if you don't get a perfect seal, the things I say about quality and tonality can be thrown out the window.
But yes, these will blow any Tin (even the higher end planars) or KZ, or most sub $150 chi-fi around, out of the water.
I've got a ton of chifi sets. Kz dq6/zsn pro/zs10 pro, legacy 3 and 4, tin t2 and t4, blon 03 and 01's, super tape&pro, urbanfun's and a few more. Maybe I have a problem. Lol.
My favorites are the etymotics and my legacy's.
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Nothing really comes close to their quality and tonality within this price range.
Only problem is that these aren't exactly comfortable, and if you don't get a perfect seal, the things I say about quality and tonality can be thrown out the window.
But yes, these will blow any Tin (even the higher end planars) or KZ, or most sub $150 chi-fi around, out of the water.
I've got a ton of chifi sets. Kz dq6/zsn pro/zs10 pro, legacy 3 and 4, tin t2 and t4, blon 03 and 01's, super tape&pro, urbanfun's and a few more. Maybe I have a problem. Lol.
My favorites are the etymotics and my legacy's.
Sibilance is when a singer's S sounds are over pronounced. These iems do not over exaggerate S's. Also, sparkle is upper treble. Too much sounds unnatural, but it also helps with how airy music will sound. The whole iem game is about manufacturers tuning and all of them vary just a little bit in their own way. It's a strange hobby from the outside perspective for sure.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
Sibilance is when a singer's S sounds are over pronounced. These iems do not over exaggerate S's. Also, sparkle is upper treble. Too much sounds unnatural, but it also helps with how airy music will sound. The whole iem game is about manufacturers tuning and all of them vary just a little bit in their own way. It's a strange hobby from the outside perspective for sure.
My hearing isn't great and I have trouble making out words sometimes that are important. Was thinking this might help.
My hearing isn't great and I have trouble making out words sometimes that are important. Was thinking this might help.
SE generally has more neutral sound.
Just watched the video and it shows a straight audio jack, can anyone reassure me that it is straight?