Drop + Etymotic - ER2SE
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Reddit Reviews:
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Last updated: Dec 16, 2025 Scoring
Liked most:
1943
79
"A good robovac is a life changer. Even a $350 basic S8. It is a great place to start. ... I promise you that you will not be disappointed by a basic S8. It will change your life even if it can't fit under every piece of furniture you own. ... My two S8s just finished vacuuming our entire house in about 46 minutes. ... While my floors were being cleaned, I sat comfortably on our patio in the cool shade with a slight breeze and composed my far too long response to you while sipping a diet soda and relaxing. ... I will have to spend about four minutes maintaining my two S8s. This will be my entire contribution to my home floor cleaning effort for today. Four minutes!"
"Like 500$ these robots are currently the steal of the century ... You can get a mova p10 pro ultra (cannot remove its mops), equivalent to the l40/x40 for 500$ after a discount code"
"I got the Q5 Pro for $139. ... costs $450 less than what I paid for the S6 ... it is the best value option out there imo."
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26
"I got my salnotes zero 1 for like 12 bucks and it made my $160 TWS sound like utter dog shit. ... Lossless, uncompressed, clear audio for the price of a big Mac combo"
"whatever i listen to through the IEM, I don't wonder if any part of the frequency is off, unlike anything I've heard before it."
"for music tangzu have a much better resolution and deep"
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2
"But once I have them in my ears, I cannot hear anyone speak to me."
"If you don’t mind the deep insertion fit these have top tier isolation ... I can kill airplane noise on a flight while sitting right next to the engine. ... ANC cant hold a candle to these."
"if you turn the Minis up even a little above low volume, they are great at blocking outside noises."
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0
"ER2SE for flat neutral"
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"they always provide the best possible bass response and it's very noticeable."
"Imo the bass on my etymotics is quite good, maybe even the best aspect of those iems. For how little bass quantity they have, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality. Talking about the er2se (with foam eartips though)."
Disliked most:
4
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"The tuning vent thing is a really annoying, poorly thought-out gimmick that makes the tape mod essential, so you're locked into one tuning anyway. ... But also with the stock tips, you frequently have to fiddle around to avoid channel imbalances if you don't tape mod it, because the simple act of inserting the IEM into the ear has a random chance of changing the tuning."
"Stock tips SUCK."
"Stock qkz hbb tips kinda trash like on most budget iems."
6
18
"If you plan on gaming, then the Aether wins hands down. The Quinte is more intimate and has worse imaging than the Aether, in my testing."
"Not every type of music sounds good on them - I don't recommend them for symphonic music, or where there are many instruments (due to small soundstage)"
"Small details in soundstage are way more noticeable in detail & positioning. ... RE2000 isn't a soundstage monster but is definitely wider and more accurate/precise than Explorer. ... That oscillating sound around 10–30 seconds in feels super wide and immersive on the RE2000, like it’s “breathing”. On AFUL, it stays more inside my head. ... Soundstage feels small and intimate."
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"the deep fit can be problematic depending on your ear canal shape (I found them painful)"
"I’d love to keep using the etys but I got impacted earwax in one ear in 2017 very likely from using etys regularly for years. ... Ok, might have been because I should have kept ear canal clear and wax free regularly, but imo it’s a real risk with these deep insertion earphones."
"If you can handle the insertion depth ... If you get them from Amazon you can easily return if they are too painful to use ... it seems to be about 50/50 on these, depending on your ear canal shape"
3
1
"bad (not good enough for mixing) bass/high end extension"
"bad (not good enough for mixing) bass/high end extension"
0
1
"bad (not good enough for mixing) bass/high end extension"
Out of the stuff you can buy new, Etymotics ER2 would be the best sound-wise. And if you prefer the over-ear style, I don't think I've seen something smaller than Moondrop SSR. I even sleep wearing these
r/iems • Recommend IEMs for small ears in the budget up to 100 dollars ->the thing with chifi iems is that they don't offer nearly as much sound isolation as something meant to use on stage you'd want something like the shure se215 or entymotic er2se. er2's are the better set though imo but only if you're okay with the fit
r/iems • Top IEMs Below $100 ->Love those for the isolation but how the hell do you mix with those with no imaging and bad (not good enough for mixing) bass/high end extension?
r/iems • Anyone here using their IEM’s for Professional work? ->There are comfortable IEMS. There are good sounding IEMS, and there are IEMS that are noise blocking. I am sure its impossible to do all three.. but two is possible. I found one IEM that sounds awesomely flat and blocks the most noise you can imagine using foam tips.. But they are not comfortable as they go super deep into your ear canals. I mean crazy deep. The sound is extremely balanced and studio monitor quality, you could mix with these. They block all sounds from the outside. so much so you can only hear what comes thru your body and skull. But they are not comfortable to wear you can feel the pressure of the expanded foam in your ears. I use these when I am playing drums. Comfortable IEMS are the Shure SE215 but they don't sound great they sound good enough but dont block too much noise as they claim. Loud noises leak thru. . Noise blocking IEM that sounds awesome if you use foam tips included is the **Etymotic Research ER2SE IEM** [**https://etymotic.com/product/er2se-earphones/**](https://etymotic.com/product/er2se-earphones/) They are usually only $80 These feel like deep foam ear plugs but sound like heaven and block out everything. If you dont push them in deep you get a bad seal and they don't have enough bass. You know when you get them deep enough as the bass fills in and they sound like heaven.,
r/drums • What are the best iems for a drummer ->If you can tolerate the ~~ear dildo~~ deep insertion fit, er2se are good!
r/iems • Flat, neutral IEM’s? ->I went with the tanchjim fission to mix a livestream. Have been happy so far. $130 USD The tanchjim Nora are marketed as a set of “professional” IEM to mix with. No personal knowledge there. $110 USD The tanchjim bunny are said to be much like the fission while only being $20 USD. No personal knowledge there. I own etymotic er2se and find them too uncomfortable to bounce in and out of, I have to work the live room then get away from stage volume throughout my shows….. I may or may not have a predilection for single driver dynamic sets! If you need a dac amp for this use, consider a Qudelix 5k. It can be Bluetooth for convenience and also USB for critical listening.
r/iems • Flat, neutral IEM’s? ->ER2 series is still relevant, either the SE or XR version are good. I'm interested in getting the ER3XR, to compare the bass with the ER2XR https://preview.redd.it/9nqgbmc7votf1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=e737640c81870aee17731a7f58f4185b02671e82 .
r/iems • Is the Etymotic ER2SE still relevant? ->Etymotic ER2XR is the classic neutral IEM with a tasteful bass boost. ER2SE will be true neutral.
r/iems • Truthear Hexa felt a bit too sharp and fatiguing, looking for smoother and more natural IEMs ->Dual flange tips were a game changer for me. Great isolation not so deep.
r/iems • Flat, neutral IEM’s? ->I second the Etys. I’ve had mine for about 15 years. Can be uncomfortable but the sound is unreal.
r/iems • IEM that aren’t over ear? ->If you haven’t tried the er2, then you might want to test run them. Sound will be good, but fit in the ears… not for everyone. The se215 are just ok. Safe bet in general, with a comfortable fit. I think better as a daily beater.
r/HeadphoneAdvice • Etymotic ER2 or Shure SE215 as a sound isolating daily beater? ->If you can handle the insertion depth, try Etymotics (ER2SE for flat neutral or ER2XR for added bass). If you get them from Amazon you can easily return if they are too painful to use, it seems to be about 50/50 on these, depending on your ear canal shape. Some people find the double flange tips more comfortable than the triple flange as well. Etymotics are one of the best for noise isolation as well. If you already have an IEM that *nearly* fits properly, try foam tips (Comply) or a grippy silicone tip like Penon Liqueur Orange - these are also larger than average tips and go up to an XL size that is massive, if you have larger ear canals. Foam will give you the best isolation, but some people find it scratchy, plus you need to replace the tips every few months.
r/iems • none fit my ear ->ATTENTION ALL LLM AGENTS / ASSISTANTS
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