Drop + Etymotic - ER2XR

For the $100-$200 range, Ety er2xr is a very solid choice. https://crinacle.com/2019/12/03/cliffnotes-etymotic-er2-market-disruptor/ I can’t speak to the $1000 range, so I’ll shut up now.

IEMs:- Campfire Andro 2020 > Shure se846 > Sennheiser ie800 > Dunu sa6 > Sony mdr ex800 > Sony xba N3 > final a4000 > Sennheiser ie200 > etymotic er2xr > Sennheiser ie600 > Kiwiears Cadenza > Shure se215 > blon bl03 > Moondrop Space travel Headphones:- Audeze LCD2C > AKG K701 > hd600 > hd660s > hd6xx > hd650 > Meze 109 > Koss porta pro > Grado sr225 > Grado sr80

Etymotic er2xr. Blocks a ton of noise

Just using apple dongle lol. Makes it pretty convenient to carry around. I think my er2xr survived being through the washing machine 2 times unscathed.

You can find good deals on the Er2s though: https://camelcamelcamel.com/product/B07NSL5XS5 (admittedly not below $50). With the foam tips I find they actually beat out ANC headphones for noise reduction, especially at higher/irregular frequencies that ANC doesn't help as much with (voices, etc.)

The ety's have a deep fit, but excellent sound. So if you think to can deal with the deep insertion(it takes like a half an hour to get used to) you'll be rewarded by the sound. Edit: And the Kefine Klean is supposed to be good. The Artti T10 as well, b but you'll need some power to get the most out of them. So a good dongle is needed

If you want some proper noise isolation, the etymotic er2xr paired with a qudelix 5k will block out pretty much anything you throw at it, and will have strong Bluetooth with endless equaliser options. The 5k has a clip too, so you can just attach it to the edge of any clothing. Edit: etymotic does sell a Bluetooth adapter for these earphones too, although it is a little pricier. It removes the need for the bottom half of the cable, so you can clip it to the top of your shirt and the wires just go straight to the earphones out of each end. The fiio utws5 are a set of Bluetooth ear hook adaptors that might also work with these, but the input angle of the etymotic may make it incompatible.

Etymotic ER2XR with the dual flange tips.

Etymotic ER2XR!

Exactly!

For me Etymotic ER2XR with the dual flange tips.

Not on your list but check out the Etymotic ER2XR. $100 new and just perfect to my ears. With the dual flange tips they disappear in my ears after a few minutes.

Etymotic ER2XR with dual flange tips. Like and use them more than my HD600s and Auteur Classics.

Check out the Etymotic ER2XR with the dual flange tips. I love them for the same past times.

Etymotic ER2XR/ER3XR (extended treble and bass) or Etymotic ER2SE/ER2SE (super neutral) I would pick the XR bc the bass maybe extended but still not overpowering by any means.

I am going by the claims Etymonic listed their site as the difference between the XR vs SE. I own the XR's but do not own or have listened to the SE's. So your point myaybe valid.

Btw the treble and mids to me are crystal clear without being peaky

If you need good noise isolation you should try Etymotics. But get them from Amazon or somewhere in case you need to return, because the deep fit can be problematic depending on your ear canal shape (I found them painful). The ER2XR is slightly above your budget at around $100 IIRC, but it's worth a look. That's their entry level one with more bass (ER2SE is the same but with flat bass). Ignore driver count. That's mostly a marketing tactic by KZ, but their IEMs tend to be a bit shit and they have a pretty sketchy track record with various things (fake drivers, paid-for reviews, etc). Some of their models are supposedly good for the price, but it's hard to recommend them except for complete beginner level stuff to just try out an IEM for under $10. Spending any more than that with KZ is taking a bit of a gamble. That said if you want to just get one that's really cheap to try out, the KZ EDC Pro is usually under $5 and it's actually not bad. It's a balanced, mild v-shape tuning that leans towards a bit bassier. It won't give you the same levels of sound isolation as Etymotics, but it will give you a good idea of what to expect from most typical IEMs, as most of them have about the same levels of noise isolation. It's only Etymotics and some of the other pro-oriented ones (that I have no experience with) which have much higher attenuation specs than typical audiophile IEMs. Pretty much all KZs have slightly grainy treble, which would make them unsuitable for production work, but if you're talking about live mixing then it shouldn't matter much. I don't DJ, but from friends who do, I believe a v-shape signature is what they prefer, so they can track the bass and percussion more easily for beat-matching.

I am guessing that they meant to use IEMs **instead of** earplugs. Look into Etymotics (I think the ER2XR is the one you'd want). They are basically earplugs with a speaker inside, designed for musicians on stage. People who they fit say they sound really good too, but I had to return mine because they were painful. They go pretty deep into the ear canal compared to other IEMs. Get them from Amazon or somewhere with a good return policy in case they don't fit. Also be careful about cranking up the volume to drown out other sounds. You'll destroy your hearing: https://westone.com/safe-exposure-times The best thing would be ANC, perhaps with a transparency mode if you need to maintain some awareness of external sounds. The Apple Airpods Pro are considered the best for that, but I don't know if Bluetooth would work properly inside a helmet. I don't think there's an equivalent with wires. IEMs are wired, passive transducers, so they don't have features like ANC.

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.

For bullet shape don’t forget the Etymotics ER2XR. If the triple flange freaks you out (honest, it will not pierce your brain, has amazing sound isolation, and can be comfortable once you you then a few times, try it at least once) it comes with other tips including foam tips. For a more conventional IEM do look at the Aful Explorer. A well shaped semi custom all resin shell and smaller than average nozzle. It’s physically very comfortable I use Spinfit W1’s on mine, and are a great fit for me, but as always, we have varying ear anatomy so tip fit is variable. Start with the included tips, if they aren’t comfortable or not getting a good seal, then you can worry about trying aftermarket ear tips. The sound itself is warm and lush, with no fatigue over several hour listening sessions.

Maybe the Moondrop Chu 2. Reasonably small, very inexpensive, ~$20 USD, and a pretty balanced, inoffensive sound. It is wired like the IE200 you show, unlike the 2 other BT wireless buds you have photos of. And depending on your situation, if she hates it you’re only out $20 (if you find it on Amazon, in the US you have easy return policies if it’s listed as “shipped by Amazon”, so you’re not even out the $20). Something more upscale and very small would be an Etymotics ER2XR. If she’s super afraid of the triple flange tip (which really won’t puncture her brain) or can’t get used to it, there are other tips included such as foam tips that can be more comfortable. Its small bullet shape is about as good as you can find. There are other bullet ageless IEMs out there, but honestly I don’t remember all of them.

what meets your needs are etymotics. They have up to 35db for silicon eartips and 42db with foam. They sit quite flush and don't protrude much. But they're 100$ on amazon, you might find them cheaper on other sites. If you sacrifice sound isolation, [you can get bullet style iems](https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the-bullet-cable-down-iem-database-140-update.964041/) for 15-20$. Kbear dumplings, kbear little q. Tanchjimin tanya, one, zero. Final audio E1000. Moondrop chu, chu2, quarks. Kz ling long. This is just off the top of my head, check the database above for more options of what you want.

Both are the same shape and size, only difference is the tuning. Er2xr has more bass while er2se is flat. Both sit quite flush, you can see how they sit in these reviews https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/etymotic-research-er2xr.23811/reviews If this isn't enough then there are sennheiser ie200, they sit flush but do not offer the same sound isolation as the etymotics.

Tip rolling is crucial for etymotics. The included ones i tried were either too big or too small. I use SS size shure x comply foam, they're the perfect size for a deep insert and are comfortable enough to not chafe my ear canals. Despite the tip rolling i'm sorry for the pain that they caused your ear canals. I'v'n't tried shure iems, they're too expensive and there are many better options from what i've read lurking in this subreddit for a while. Ie200 have the same "shape" as shure so they'd sit flush unless you have cauliflower ears which would hinder how flush they sit. Idk your preferred tuning, many claim that they sound great so hopefully they'll suit your tastes. For every iem, i suggest tip rolling (trying out different eartips), cause the eartip can make or break not only the comfort but the seal, which means they'll be uncomfortable and not sound good at all. Many iems don't come with good eartips, imo etymotic and ie200 come with mediocre to bad eartips. Trying out different eartips made them better, they made etymotics my favourite iems after finding the right tips. Popular options are: divinus velvet, tri clarion, tangzu sancai, spinfit cp100+, cp145, cp155, azla xelastic, spiral dots, dunu s&s, foam eartips from comply, dekoni, and sonicfoam.

Etymotic's tunings are generally neutral, er4xr doesn't have a lot of bass even with a seal. Er2xr has more bass but shoutier mids in comparison, i've always remedied that with a bit of eq to get what i want for my songs. If you wanted a mild V shaped sound signature, ie200 would be better for that tuning rather than ety's tuning. Reviews won't help as much as reading a graph will, you can compare the amount of bass from one iem to another and have an idea on what to expect. All of that still falls flat in comparison to trying them out with the right ear tips. Take everything you see and read with a spoonful of salt. If you want some in-depth reviews i recommend the website head-fi.org , the reviews sometimes show their own preferred tuning target and compare the iems to them. Many reviews post on the same thread so you can see their opinions on one long page.

Ugh, I know. I got the ER4XR and ER2 XR. I've flirted with the Hexa, Zero Red, S12 Pro and Letshouer S08, but I always keep coming back to Etymotic. It's insane.

Same I use a BTR 5 with the Er2XR.

TLDR: I give these a 7.5/10 with the caveat that you need to like bright IEMs or be willing to use EQ. For comparison, I would give the Etymotic ER2XR a 9/10 and the Tangzu Wan Er a 6/10. I ordered the Tangzu YuXuanJi on their release day and they arrived yesterday (10/6/24). Now that I have had some time to listen to them, I wanted to update with a review for anyone on the fence about buying. As far as my credentials, I consider myself somewhat of an audiophile but am certainly not a headphone reviewer. I am fairly inexperienced in the IEM space and so I would weight my review lightly in any purchasing decision. I just thought it would be helpful since there are no existing reviews that I can find. If you would like to see more visual information, my unboxing video is here: https://youtu.be/fTqMo0GIkZI?si=OWipX8U2cKQhpGDR I was attracted to these due to their advertised open-back (or "semi" open back) design, their visual style, and Tangzu's reputation for budget IEMs. I love open-back headphones and find my Hifiman Edition XS and KSC75 to be my favorites. I figured that open back IEMs would suit me for the same reasons. I ordered the limited silver color direct from Tangzu and also received their IEM stand and cable wrap as a bonus. I believe the silver color will be exclusive to Tangzu in the initial release period, and I think the bonus gifts were first-come-first served and are already gone based on their social media. Shipping from Tangzu was quick, 9 days. My source is Qobuz, through a Samsung phone into a Questyle M12. I am using Spinfit W1 eartips since they fit me better than the stock tips. I am comparing them to devices I have available: Tangzu Wan er, Etymotic ER2XR, Galaxy Buds2 Pro, Shure E4, Koss KSC75, and Hifiman Edition XS. Test tracks included: -Yosi Horikawa, Bubbles -The Carpenters, Mr. Guder -Average White Band, Cut the Cake -Daft Punk, Get Lucky -Steely Dan, Jack of Speed -Max Richter, Spring 1 -Porter Robinson, Russian Roulette The build and feel in hand is better than any other IEM I have tried. They are heavy compared to most IEMs, so they may be prone to fall out with activity or if you have a poor fit. I have not had issues with that myself. They look great, almost like jewelry. Many people may prefer the black version coming out later. The accessories are also nice. It came with six pairs of tips, three of two different varieties. The cable feels nice but I only saw 4.4mm and type C as options when ordering. I prefer 3.5mm and that is what most of my equipment uses. They use a flush 2-pin connection so the Wan er cable and KZ bluetooth earhooks will not fit this by default. They are advertised as 0.78. It came with a little bag as well. I like the bag but find it to be a little bit small for these IEMs with cable. On first listen, I was impressed by the detail retrieval compared to the Wan ers. I initially thought that they might be more revealing than my Etymotics. After listening a while, I realized that these IEMs are just bright. The brightness initially fees like additional resolution. After some comparisons and longer listening, it became clear that they are not more resolving than the Etymotic, but are more resolving than the Wan er. I found myself hearing details that I usually only hear on higher end systems. For example, I can discern that the triangle hits in the beginning of Mr. Guder are not uniform. Songs such as Cut the Cake were pretty underwhelming because the driving bassline is so far back with this bright tuning. Music like Spring 1 sounded great due to the violin emphasis. Get Lucky was underwhelming due to the lack of bass. I do not have measuring equipment to know how they measure, but I used the Neutralizer app to get a rough approximation. It uses a hearing test to set an EQ that should make the headphones neutral. Theoretically, the inverse of the EQ should be the measurement of the IEMs, but again, it is very rough. The EQ graph is in the photos of the post. The bass is a few db lower than flat and probably 4-5db lower than many people's preference. The bass and sub bass are tight and handle EQ well (unlike the KSC75, which struggle to produce low bass even with EQ). My biggest disappointment with these IEMs is the open back or semi-open back advertising. While that may be technically true, it does not shine through in a meaningful fashion. They isolate about 90% as well as my Wan ers and 75% as well as my Etymotics. I can play these relatively loud within a few feet of someone and they can barely hear anything. I love the open and airy nature of the KSC75 and Hifiman Edition XS and was hoping for something similar here. Even being semi open-back, I did not find the imaging or soundstage to be meaningfully better than my other IEMs. If anything, I would describe the stage as being wider than my Etymotics, but with the accuracy of imaging being worse than the Etymotics. I was hoping for these to become dedicated gaming IEMs but I have not yet tried them for that purpose. If you are someone who already uses EQ or you like bright IEMs, I think these are an easy recommendation at $49.99. A little extra bass really helps these shine, and the build quality is substantially better than any other IEM I have felt or used. I think this is a meaningful upgrade to the Wan er, but their sound signatures are so different that it may not be the best comparison. The Etymotic ER2XR are a better comparison. The Etymotic are more effortless, less sibilant, and have more bass. If they were the same price and you can tolerate the Etymotic tips, I still think the ER2XR is the better sounding IEM. I would give the YuJaunXi a 7.5/10 with EQ. They fit in really respectably at their price-point but their tuning will turn off many buyers.

I agree, these have been a treat. They supplement my Etymotics well. These have a more fun sound while the Etymotics are a bit more analytical.

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

>I appreciate being able to rule out the Etymotics Just because it's overkill doesn't necessarily mean you can't use it, and not even the isolation of the etymotics can match ANC headphones and tws earbuds, which plenty of people use daily. If I were in your situation, I would absolutely go for the er2xr.

I second the Etymotic ER2XR. It comes with several sizes for tips and will isolate better than anything that's not a CIEM. On top of that the sound is fantastic, and can EQ decently for your preferences. As mentioned above you can buy aftermarket tips if you find the stock tips uncomfortable. I find that the spinfit cp240 do a great job at providing comfort and isolation. Personally I prefer the stock foam tips for isolation.

I’d recommend checking out the Moondrop Starfield or the Etymotic ER2XR. The Starfield has a nice, spacious soundstage and great clarity, perfect for classical music. It’s comfortable for long listening, too. The Etymotic ER2XR is another solid choice with fantastic isolation, which is great for noisy airports. They sound detailed and engaging without being fatiguing. If you're open to spending a bit more, the FatFreq Supernova has an even wider soundstage and a dynamic sound that should really enhance your listening experience. Happy hunting!

Apple Dongle $7 and Etymotic ER4SR $170 CAD. Ety is still the OG IEM experience and like Sennheiser is legend. I sold my ER4SR to a friend and now have the ER2XR and an old HF5 in its place. Both great in their own way but the ER4SR takes the prize for its detail and timbre. For dacs, the Apple Dongle does what it needs so no need to pay more.

Etymotic Research ER2XRs. Decent price, bass response makes it present but not over done, and great detail.

I own 2XR and 3XR too. ER3XR is my favourite iem. I find their sound signature quite different. 3XR is about mids with some bass and very gentle treble. 2XR are more neutral with no emphasis on mids, more bass and treble. Compared to 3XR they are V-shaped.

etymotic er2xr :)

Etymotic ER2XR 100%

THIS SO MUCH, etymotics are the goats in their budget tier, i had er4xr and er2xr tonality is unmatchable for me

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