Of course, as mentioned, the fit would probably be the most common deciding factor here, but if you can try these out and get used to them, then I’m pretty sure that you too will come to the same conclusion as I have with regards to just how great these sound.

Etymotics Research is a well-established company researching and developing products and tools for safer hearing and their ER4 series of in-ear canal phones have been around for a very long time with great popularity and success. Very easy to drive. Bassiest Etymotic IEM I've tried to date - this includes the ER4-XR, ER3-XR and MK5. It is warmer and has considerably more sub-bass than its higher-priced BA counterparts (worthy of the Etymo thicc label). That said, as the old saying goes, don't expect a bass-heavy Etymotic and this added bass is all tastefully executed -- well controlled and there's little or no bleed. Close to ruler flat impedance (15 ohms) ensures consistent tonality with various audio equipment regardless of the headphone output impedance. If you’re familiar with any of Etymotic’s in-ear monitors, then the ER2XR will look no different to you. It’s a very similar design to the original ER-4 which was released nearly 30 years ago. So, clearly, this is a tried and tested design which has worked for Etymotic ever since then. For recreational music music listening and recreational in-ear use, however, Etymotic’s bass-elevated ER2 model is simply fantastic; yep this is exactly the right word for these in-ears. They deliver that high midrange and treble neutrality and realism but at the same time, of course only when the audio signal reaches that low, provide a pleasant, fun sub-bass boost that doesn’t interfere with the midrange.

How does the Etymotic ER2SE sound?

This rating is based entirely on sound. I'm trying to make It as objective as possible (transducers that are higher up are better than ones below it), but in a hobby as subjective as this, it of course ultimately comes down to my own preference and how much I like something. There's also two further components to the rating - the tuning tier and the technicalities tier (inspired, of course, by Crinacle). I plan to overhaul this system soon, but for today, it will do. My tier list goes from F to A, with the particular tiers meaning: Both ER2 models, the ER2SE and ER2XR, use the same low-impedance dynamic drivers. That means they are easy to drive, and no amplifier is required. The only difference between the 2 models is the tuning of the lower (bass) frequencies. The “Studio Edition” ER2SE is tuned to have a flat frequency response. The “eXtended Response” ER2XR is tuned to have an emphasized bass, adding 1-2dB to the mid-bass and 3-4dB to the sub-bass. The rest of the frequencies are practically identical to the ER2SE. In terms of overall sound quality, I was stunned by the detail retrieval, tonality and the slightly warm but natural sound with little heft at the bottom end. Sub-bass elevation with diffuse-field-oriented midrange and treble neutrality. In other words, neutral midrange as well as treble combined with a really nicely integrated elevation of the lower midbass and especially sub-bass that the lows’ main focus lies on. Harman-like, if you will.

In the end, the ER2XR actually sounds incredibly natural, coherent, and well-balanced. That slight elevation in the bass and sub-bass is just enough to give it a slightly warmer than neutral presentation which I absolutely fell in love with.For my listening tests I ran the ER2SE and ER2XR earphones in side-by-side comparisons, while driving them with Astell&Kern’s excellent SP1000M digital audio player. The player was loaded with standard and high-res PCM and DSD music files and also provided access, via Tidal, to a wealth of MQA material. Here are my findings. Yeah. They go DEEP into your ear canal. So deep, in fact, that I've always found them extremely uncomfortable to wear for longer than 30 minutes. And you want to know the best part? Thanks for reading my long-winded introduction, I hope it gave you a lot of perspective on how I evaluate stuff. So, why did I wait so long with reviewing the ER2, and with starting to review stuff in general? While the upper bass presence at 100 Hz is almost identical on both in-ears, the ER2XR have got slightly more quantity in the root above it up to around 450 Hz, and have got a sub-bass boost that is a bit stronger and peaks a bit deeper, giving them an even somewhat stronger “subwoofer effect” than the SE846. Very high passive noise isolation (35-42dB) from the deep insertion design. Essential as hearing protection for an on-stage performer.