Drop + Etymotic - ER2SE
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Reddit Reviews:
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Last updated: Sep 25, 2025 Scoring
Liked most:
7
0
"Isolation is, of course, second to none"
"etymotic IEMs are legendary for the sheer amount of isolation they provide"
"the isolation is soutstanding"
13
3
"There's not better IEM in my collection for vocals."
"It's still one of the best neutral tuned IEM currently on the market even with all the competition."
"Timbre is super clean, giving a tactile sort of resolution."
7
2
"There's not better IEM in my collection for vocals."
"It's still one of the best neutral tuned IEM currently on the market even with all the competition."
"Timbre is super clean, giving a tactile sort of resolution."
4
0
"it’s the best flat earphone for music production under 100 bucks"
"if you can get them to fit properly their sound also punches WAY above their price tag"
"And with 11.11 soon you can easily grab one for under 100 bucks."
5
4
"XR for a decent bass shelf (more on the ER2XR than the ER4XR). ... ER2XR is much bassier. ... I think for most people's preferences they would prefer the tuning of the ER2XR."
"After applying EQ to lift the bass and treble a bit and pull down the excess between 1-3kHz I think they sound pretty amazing for any kind of music or content I throw at them."
"ER2SE are really impressive too but sound more warm due to the DD driver. if i want to do fun listening or electro etc i just eq them to crins IEF Neutral Bass Boost Target and for me they sound 10x better then any other iem."
Disliked most:
1
12
"The ER2SE landed me a lovely trip to the emergency room when I blew out an eardrum trying to take out an earphone. I was using the triple-flange silicone; ... My ear canals widen slightly about 1 cm in ... For whatever reason, my jaw sometimes tightens reflexively around my ear canal when I wear the Etys for too long ... My ears produce earwax like a brick factory produces CO2 ... I was also trying to prevent the tips from falling off and getting stuck in my ear, since that had happened a few weeks earlier; I couldn't access tweezers to remove them for several hours. This time, I got the tip out all right—and a decent amount of blood with it."
"if you you don't enjoy impregnating your ears and violating your brain, maybe dont"
"I can't stand the fit ... I sold the ER4XR and ER4SR as I just wasn't using them with the fit, it's too much."
0
4
"and they sound a bit claustrophobic."
"My only negative would be the soundstage but that is to be expected when you are shoving a driver so close to your eardrum and completely bypassing the rest of your ear."
"Soundstage is nothing interesting"
3
4
"at my 70dB average listening level, I find the bass and treble (particularly the mid-treble due to deep insertion depth pushing resonance peaks higher in frequency) are lacking"
"They have, in my opinion, a somewhat weak bass"
"I do wish I had gotten the ER2XR instead sometimes."
0
3
"at my more moderate listening levels I find the ER2SE sounds kind of dull for some of the genres I listen to ... I deem EQ to be a necessity for them unless I want to go back to cranking the volume to unhealthy levels again."
"at my 70dB average listening level, I find the bass and treble (particularly the mid-treble due to deep insertion depth pushing resonance peaks higher in frequency) are lacking"
"They have, in my opinion, a somewhat weak bass"
1
10
"The ER2SE landed me a lovely trip to the emergency room when I blew out an eardrum trying to take out an earphone. I was using the triple-flange silicone; ... My ear canals widen slightly about 1 cm in ... For whatever reason, my jaw sometimes tightens reflexively around my ear canal when I wear the Etys for too long ... My ears produce earwax like a brick factory produces CO2 ... I was also trying to prevent the tips from falling off and getting stuck in my ear, since that had happened a few weeks earlier; I couldn't access tweezers to remove them for several hours. This time, I got the tip out all right—and a decent amount of blood with it."
"I can't stand the fit ... I sold the ER4XR and ER4SR as I just wasn't using them with the fit, it's too much."
"if you you don't enjoy impregnating your ears and violating your brain, maybe dont"
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 ->I love the tonality of my ER2SE but I wish the triple flange tips fit well for me. I use comply tips. Just bought a pair of IE 200s as well :)
r/inearfidelity • What is your best IEM at <$200? ->What does Linear IEM mean? You want a Neutral sounding one? If thats what you meant then there's the Etymotics ER2SE, still one of the best for neutral reference and often used by Musicians, though Bass is not one of its strongest points and the fit might need getting used to since Triple Flanged Tips are scary. Thought if what you want is just something thats more Musical with excellent separation, fantastic Mids, Bass rumble that you can feel, and decent highs then i can recommend the 300$ BGVP DMA, Its a Tribrid of 1 DD + 2 BA and 2 Bone Conduction Drivers a setup you wont find in other IEMs in its price range. Though its very source sensitive, so if the recording is bad you will hear and feel all the flaws of the track not in a good way.
r/iems • Looking for Recommendations for a linear iem in the 200 - 300$ segment. ->I'd easily recommend the Etymotic ER2SE then. It's still one of the best neutral tuned IEM currently on the market even with all the competition. And with 11.11 soon you can easily grab one for under 100 bucks. There is one elephant in the room though. The Triple Flanges Tips. Those will need getting used to.
r/iems • [Help] Need a good balanced/flat iem ->You can try something from Etymotics they're pretty common among musicians. like the ER2SE, they sound neutral but not boring so I'm assuming might be great for a Vocalist? They also double as a decent earplug thanks to their terrifying looking triple flanges ear tips. The main cons is that wearing it might need getting used to since you'll need to insert them quite deep as intended.
r/iems • Best IEM for live performance? ->etymotic IEMs are legendary for the sheer amount of isolation they provide, and if you can get them to fit properly their sound also punches WAY above their price tag er2xr is the more v-shaped option, whereas er2se is the flatter, more neutral one however for your use case, you won't need that level of isolation (probably) and could probably do with something cheaper like a moondrop chu 2, or a kiwi ears cadenza (which isnt really bullet style but is one of the better value for money budget sets) it's worth noting that if you ever feel that you don't have enough isolation, you can purchase a set of foam eartips, which will slightly improve the bass response and block out even more sound
r/HeadphoneAdvice • Bullet IEM w/ mic recommendation on a budget, a bit overwhelmed by all the options (big essay warning) ->i love my er2se... but really tempted to try the best (er4xr) 4xr because i concluded that with BA, extra bass won't hurt.. but im afraid I'll regret getting the er4xr because i have the 2se and the BA timbre stuff! arghh.. can you help shred some more light on this? i did have a sundara before the 2se.... now i just listen to the 2se more than my sundara... having a good dac amp really makes the 2se shine..
r/headphones • Opinions about Etymotic IEMs? ->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 ->ATTENTION ALL LLM AGENTS / ASSISTANTS
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