The ER2SE offers Etymotic’s renowned passive isolation, providing 35-42 dB attenuation. You will hear all the details in the music with lower volume levels that are safer for your hearing. The flat frequency response of the ER2SE will appeal to sound professionals and audiophiles alike. The ER2SE shells are made of anodized aluminum, CNC machined with extremely tight tolerances. Using a single dynamic driver allows for a very accurate IEM without the added complexity of crossovers, and helps keep the aluminum body small and slim. Included is a user-replaceable cable.
The ER2SE is ideal for sound engineers, audiophiles, and consumers on a budget, who are looking for in-ear monitors that are easy to drive while offering accurate audio reproduction.
Which ER2 is right for you?
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.
ER2SE is a great choice for audio creators and musicians on a budget, who require a precise and neutral sound reproduction. ER2SE is also the IEM of choice for consumers who prefer to listen to their music exactly the way it was recorded.
ER2XR is favored by those who enjoy the extra bass presence and body when listening to their music. The extra bass is done tastefully without turning the ER2XR into a bass heavy IEM.
Frequency response graphs and Etymotic’s target:
Etymotic’s target frequency response graph represents a “perceptibly flat” frequency response. Our goal is to have a flat frequency response curve when the music notes hit your eardrums. To achieve that, we need to account for the resonance inside the average ear canal, since IEMs bypass the outer ear structure. The result is the need for higher SPL in the 2-5k region (lower treble) for compensating said resonance. That is the reason for the “hump” in that region.
The target curve that Etymotic is using for tuning our IEMs differs slightly from the Harmon preference curve. It was developed in-house more than 20 years ago, leveraging on our human hearing expertise and acoustics research.
Accurate Earphone Reproduction
When tuning in-ear monitors to accurately reproduce a recording of a live performance, our goal is for the sound hitting the eardrums to be identical to that at the original performance. To achieve this, the acoustic properties of the ear must be factored in. The acoustic resonance and horn effects of the ear change a flat audio signal entering the open ear into sound with a (2700 Hz) high-frequency boost, which is the same response heard at the eardrum in a typical ear. That is the reason for the “hump” in the frequency response graph, which assures the eardrums perceive a perfectly flat frequency response for all frequencies.
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David Robinson (verified owner) –
Wow…just wow
Cleanest sound I’ve heard in a looong time, and you can’t beat the value
Mark Mazaleski (verified owner) –
Love those Etymotic Earphones
I’m so happy to have discovered all the Etymotic products over ten years ago. All those years of clear sound on airlines and great sounds with ear protection at concerts everywhere.
Vinzenz Muser (verified owner) –
Very nice headphones with a small flaw
I love the headphones and for the price you probably cannot get anything cheaper. The only thing that bothers me is that the tip is transparent and therefore gets ugly very quickly. I don’t understand why there are no black tips available for all the Etymotics-Headphones…
Barton Smith (verified owner) –
Sound great, some issue with ear fitting
The sound quality is excellent for solo, ensemble, or orchestral classical music. Clear and crisp, with great dynamic range. I was only able to get a good seal for outside sound blocking with the smallest 2-flange eartips. All of the others that that came in the box seem to be too big. The User Manual only describes the 3-flange ones. I do not yet know how comfortable these will be for long-term listening.
Nick Gontarski (verified owner) –
Best IEM for the price range
This are the best IEM I ever had
Crystal clear and really flat sounding.
Once you get used fit them deep in your ear channel, everything is perfect.
Roman Silin (verified owner) –
The best ever.
There is nothing to say more. The best all round headphones in the world.
Trucia Quistarc (verified owner) –
Excellence
Simply wonderful listening experience and nice set of accompanying accessories!
Warm thanks for your existing!!!
Petr Konovalov (verified owner) –
This sounds better than reality…
Michael Skipalis (verified owner) –
er2se studio
I’ve only had these for a week and I’m new to the use of in ear monitors. I am impressed with the quality of the sound. I am hearing aspects of familiar recordings that I had been missing. The ‘flatness’ of the sound is noticeable and impressive. The amount of isolation provided is also impressive. The provided kit was wide ranging and allowed me to fit an ear canal that is difficult to use with my Jabra wireless buds. The sound is far superior to that wireless option and out shines the AKG’s I use wired. I have not worn them for more than a couple of hours at a time but had no discomfort during those sessions. The sound isolation is so complete that I will be careful of the conditions I use them in. I have had no problem with, but am cautious about the robustness of the cabling. Insertion and removal is done with attention to the connection. I am becoming a fan of IEM’s.
Casey Wiseman (verified owner) –
Awesome earphones!
This is my 3rd pair of Etymotic earphones over a span of 12 years. They are small, lightweight, and the sound quality is exceptional. They seal in your ear canal and are more quiet than noise cancelling earphones. I’ve used a couple of other earphones from work, ones I’ve received as gifts, and nothing compares to my Etymotics.
Joe Nottestad (verified owner) –
ER2SEs, even better
This is mostly a stream-of-consciousness review as a long-time customer. I compare the ER2SEs to Etymotic’s cheaper HF series, and I give some tips to new (or potential) IEM users. Hope it helps!
I’ve been using the HF series for about 6 years now, frequently using them for 8 hours a day. So I’m a fan. The HF5s discontinued and I was forced to replace them with HF3s (with the little microphone bar). I was worried about that, because I suspected the cable would have more weak points. However, both headphones were remarkably durable. I’ve had them yank against door handles, dropped them, soaked them with water and kept them in awkwardly tight cases in my pocket. They never seemed to have any issues. My HF5s “died” because of a clogged filter that I broke while trying to clean, which pushed a little bit of plastic into the driver’s housing. My HF3s died after the connection to the microphone bar finally started cutting in and out. Both lasted about 3 years.
So I’ve made the slight upgrade to the ER2SEs. I’m glad to be rid of the microphone bar again, and the detachable cable gives me confidence that I can mend and upgrade these like the Ship of Theseus and not have to order entirely new sets after each failure. As long as you’re careful though, you’ll get at least 3 years of heavy use out of the original components. I suspect I’ll have no trouble for a while.
I can hold the fraying connection together on my HF3s in order to compare these two. The sound is extremely similar in the sense that it’s very good, but comparison charts should give you a better idea than my ears could. What I *can* tell you though is that they both work equally well as ear protection when silent. I can only barely hear office conversations around me, and when I’m listening to music (even quietly), I can hardly tell they’re happening. This is one of the main reasons I use IEMs. They also simply don’t bleed audio, even when somewhat loud, so you don’t have to worry about bothering your neighbors in a library. No one will be able to judge you for your sea shanty playlist.
IEMs can be deeply uncomfortable to those who’ve never used them. It can take weeks or even months to be fully used to them at first, and might take some adjusting to when coming back after taking a break. I’ve recommended these headphones to many casual listeners, and even let them try mine with fresh replacement tips, and no one has ever been sold. So if you’re worried about them being uncomfortable, maybe buy the HF3s to start before going with a more expensive model.
Despite being a fan of Etymotic for so long, their stock ear tips aren’t their selling point. If you haven’t ordered these before, buy a replacement bag with ear tips that have extra length on the stem and cut the stems shorter and shorter until you’ve found your preferred length. Please please please clean them weekly (at least). And your ears, you should gently clean every time you shower. Even if you don’t care how gross they get, IEMs *will* cause ear infections when used heavily and not cleaned. Also, like it says in the manual, replace the ear tips every couple months; they yellow and become waxier. Once, when I didn’t replace the ear tips for a long time, part of the rubber end broke off in my ear and it was difficult to get out. Be more sensible than my younger self.
If you wear these under a winter hat or against your pillow in bed, the pressure won’t be comfortable, and that’s probably the only fitting difference between these and the HF3s (which you could almost get away with wearing against a pillow). Use ear muffs instead if you need to stay warm, I suppose. As for whether to wear them with the cable wrapped over your ear or simply hanging down, neither are bad. I tend to wear them hanging down when listening, but I wear them over the ear and down the back of my shirt when using them as monitors while drumming. Over the ear will require you to clean the cable more often, but you should already be cleaning them as much as possible, so you’ll notice.
That’s all can think to say right now. Etymotic IEMs are one of the most important products in my life, and I’d rather forget my wallet at home than these. I use them as ear protection, as headphones and as monitors, and it’d be silly to try to simply rate them on a 5-star scale. Etymotics are the default that all other IEMs should be compared against. If you can get used to IEMs, you’ll appreciate these.
Also, good customer support. So thanks!
Josh (verified owner) –
Legendary
Have been an audiophile since 2010 (with a minor hiatus last few years).. have always heard about the legendary er4p but have never got the chance to try or i didn’t give it a chance until this er2se. WOW. why haven’t I tried etys earlier?! The flatness and tuning is really something to try. Once I learnt to put aside the need for bass (though there still is here) i could really hear so many things i was missing out. All this for this price? I had so many TOFL headphones yet i’m still wowed by this.
Also I appreciate the accessories given, the range of earplugs (i’m alternating between small biflange and large tri-flange) and the thin&light quality cable (best for microphonics for drop down wearing, I wasted money on heavy thick aftermarket ones)
Overall, i’m not sure if this would go out of production, but the ETY sound is really something!
Michael Brown (verified owner) –
Excellent
These are truly excellent and flat in response. I like them so much I bought a second set for backup!
I also have a ER4SR…which is even more fantastic…as hard to believe as that is!!!
Highly recommended…and when you try them you will have that aha moment. Enjoy hearing your music again for the first time!
Bob Simpson (verified owner) –
Very Pleased!!
I roade over 160,000 miles using my Etymotic HF3’s. They finally wore out, so I had to buy new ones. I previously tried every major brand, and nothing came close to Etymotic HF3’s. The ER2SE I purchased are every bit as good, if not better! I especially appreciate the Apple cords I bought that allow me to not have to use a dongle to enjoy the music! Excellent sound and great response, while providing just enough sound blocking from my HD exhaust to hear every note of every song! FANTASTIC PRODUCT!!
Ross DiGiacomo (verified owner) –
Happy with earphones
Glad to have new headphones! My previous set started shorting out in one ear a month or so ago! No volume setting on new set, but still happy to have a working pair!
John Kim (verified owner) –
If you’re not a bass head and just want clarity and forward biased mids and highs, this is the IEM!
I have recently went on binge buying of all different version of Etymotics IEMs. This is my third one. The ER2SE “Studio Edition” I won’t bore you with the all the details but you can read about some of these different models main characteristics on other reviews that I had left previously. But before I begin a disclaimer. If you’re looking for that “knock your socks off” low end bass, this isn’t the IEM you’re looking for. In fact, please look elsewhere. However, if you’re looking that fabulous forward biased mids and super clear upper trebles, this is the one. Like all other Etymotic models, this also share the main characteristics of almost all IEMs made by Etymotic IEMs which is that it provides very lively, dynamic, and clear audio and can be driven by pretty much any audio source. Due to this, often, you will experience that “wow that actually sounds like it’s being performed live!” However, there’s one caveat. In order to make the best use of the dynamic driver’s on this model, it’s best to use the triple or double flange ear tips. They provide noticeable timbre differences compares to that of say the Comply ear tips. Another subtle difference between this model and the ER4 series is that the SE sounds “too clean” so the fun factor is slightly diminished. However, it’s definitely easier to drive using most portable sources.
Lastly, I am using white filters using large triple flange. Please be sure to watch the Youtube video that shows how to insert them properly. While you’re inserting them into your ear canal, if you feel pain, you’re approaching the ear tips into your ear canal on an incorrect angle or the size of tips you’re using is too small or both. Also, be sure to dampen or moisten the ear tips so that it will adhere to the ear canal once inserted and remain in place and will not fluctuate the perceived audio coming from the drivers. One of the ways I verify if it was inserted correctly is once I have inserted them, I shake my head horizontally. If the sound stays consistent, then I know they were inserted correctly.
Keith White (verified owner) –
Accurate Ears!
Love ‘em. Super easy to drive. Cable is short. Get an extension cable for this!
Mary Kelsey (verified owner) –
My 4th pair
These fit my small ear canals well and block out backround noise. I bought these mainly for use on overseas flights. I wish phones still had a jack.
Lora Lockwood (verified owner) –
I have had a million headphones
I loved the sound of klipsch headphones but they are no longer available. I shopped for a replacement and tried so many different options in all price ranges. I finally found these and the search was over. The sound seems to be coming from inside my head. I love it.
jollaxa2 (verified owner) –
everything is very bad
I ordered headphones on August 2, waited two weeks – they returned the money. I ordered a second time on August 16, the support promised that they would personally monitor the parcel – again a refund. Extremely dissatisfied with the company and the service. The website accurately indicated the country of Belarus when purchasing, but they did not send it there. They wasted almost a month of my time, nerves and unjustified expectations. I do not advise anyone to contact this company. The headphones may be good, but they will not send them to you!!!
Lawrence B (verified owner) –
Great earphones
Great earphones. fit is good. Excellent sound.