Etymotic ER2SE - Audiophile Endgame IEM under $100 (Part 2/2)

The Etymotic ER2SE is an shining example of what a truly pristine frequency response curve can do in terms of clarity and transparency. Paired with the Apple USB C DAC Dongle, this is possibly some of greatest sound quality you can get for less than 100 dollars.
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[@imwhatsnew]

Part 1 of this video here !kzbin.info/www/bejne/nH3CaYBvj92rj7M

[@lukemoloney8415]

Great video man, very well spoken and produced. I also appreciate the researched opinion. Subscribed!

[@VishnuPadmanabhan]

Brilliant review. We’ll balanced and to the point. I intend to purchase these at some point in the future. Also, thanks for the song feature. Riva Taylor’s album sounds absolutely fantastic!

[@Genkaku]

Love your review bro! Subbed

[@Joshwiththefries]

Awesome video. Love the energy and vibes👍🏻

[@imwhatsnew]

Thank you!

[@Deepakvermaflamenco]

As a musician looking for an iem for studio purpose and training my mixing ear, your video was very helpful! Thank you!

[@lmankj]

Great review, thanks.

[@pietmyvrou8149]

These should make for some stonking gaming earphones. Thank you for the review. Really helpful to beginner audiophiles

[@lth_lch]

I've had my ER2SE for about a month now. I managed to get it for about $20 after applying a gift card I got for the holidays, so it was kind of a steal. I'll sum up my own review of it in a short pros vs cons list below: CONS: - fit takes some getting used to, and may turn some people off entirely - cable is microphonic, not an issue when listening at mid-high volumes, but still annoying nonetheless - bass anemic - not the most sensitive, may need more than an apple dongle if listening off a phone PROS: + industry leading noise isolation + incredibly clean yet natural presentation of details + good dynamics, layering, and imaging despite a narrow stage + if the stock tuning is not to your preference, the ER2SE is basically a blank canvas for an EQ profile

[@imwhatsnew]

Couldn't agree more :-) although I did notice the apple dac dongle drove it better off an iPhone. And insertion depth seemed to make a difference especially with the silicone tips when it came to perceived soundstage among other things.

[@davidm5548]

Try different ear tips to improve the bass. Double flange small worked well for me

[@foxgaming76yt24]

The ER2XR is probably a better choice for you then

[@hireality]

Excellent review, bravo 👍 We have some upcoming exciting videos on Etymotic IEMs.

[@prashamgala2283]

I paired this with a cx31993(a dongle dac amp) and bass was beautiful . For those who think it lacks bass

[@chrisstroud60]

I got the er2se. Its as you said the amount of detail can be unreal at times. However it's not always a iem I want for music enjoyment. It definitely lacks the slam and bass I want for some music I really like. The apple dongle is not bad to pair with them for mobile use but it does seem to struggle and could use use a slightly stronger amp which is odd because my other etymotic iems work really well with the apple dongle. Its just nice to have options nowadays. Their is an iem for everyones tastes I believe and Also affordable as well. Great review 👍

[@imwhatsnew]

I agree :-)

[@davidm5548]

Did you try different ear tips? I bought the er3se and was disappointed in the bass until I changed the ear tips to the small double flange.

[@raymondwu6244]

other etymotics generally use BA drivers so they're slightly easier to drive

[@juliusbelmont350]

The foam tips give them bit more low end. However, in your case, i recommend the ER2XR. That one has boosted bass.

[@chrisstroud60]

@@juliusbelmont350 omg this was a long time ago. There is no reason to get etymotic anymore. There is the truth ear nova and hexa now

[@autoexec5367]

I love my ER2SE!

[@AdrianTheCrack]

Great review, i got one and i pretty surprise! Thanks man. Can you tell me the background sound that you are using in this video?

[@mkeroppi]

My ER-4B finally gave out after 15+ years. For those who don't know the ER-4B, Etymotic initially markets it for "binaural" recordings, but it's more like equalized for a neutral (flat) diffused-field response at the ear depth of insertion. Now, the problem with flat IEMs for listening to stereo music is that stereo music is meant to be played through a loudspeaker in a room, not directly into the ear. To correct this, IEMs sometimes use the Harmon target (or some other preference target) to equalize playback so that it sounds "good" for IEM playback; these targets heavily color the music. I actually use a HRTF (head related transfer function) and room simulator. The HRTF portion simulates the head and outer ear effect. The hard part is tuning the model to your own head and ear; for example, my HRTF have dips at ~2k and ~6.8k and peaks at ~3.9k (this is just a simplification, the frequency response is uglier than that - and you have differences in the L/R FR as well). The room simulator portion adds jaggedness to the HRTF FR, which makes the end FR even uglier. Well, the ER-4B was discontinued and there was no replacement (probably because there was not much demand for binaural playback - and I have come to realize that the new binaural recordings now are not true dummy head recordings and do have not a correct FR anymore). So the story comes to the ER2SE. I was scrambling for a replacement for the ER-4B with my setup. Like the video review, the ER2SE is able to reproduce the frequency range and has the depth of the high/low frequency extensions. However, I had problem with the frequency response (it's actually too much bass and "muddy" or not as "clear", compared with the ER-4B). So I used the 127-points AutoEQ data to eq the ER2SE to the ER-4B. This opened up the sound, so that it's comparable to the "clarity" of the ER-4B (I estimate about 95% there, but I can't do an A/B anymore). But the sub-bass is now confusing or gone. The solution ended up being changing the sampling rate from 48kHz to 96kHz (now I use 192kHz); I want to say this is the only time I was able to hear a difference among 48kHz vs 96kHz vs 192kHz (I guess the 127-points EQ and the sub-bass range do need that oversampling). At any rate, my point is that the post-eq ER2SE is pretty much a satisfactory replacement for the ER-4B; and the best part is I can keep using my custom ear molds, which is a must for comfort for Etymotic IEMs.

[@ivanivkovicmusic]

I vote ER2XR along with Apple Dongle since the dongle sounds very lean. The warmer ER2XR will better match for a cheap endgame setup.

[@gigihanmandarin]

Namaste. Nice review.

[@imwhatsnew]

Thank you!

[@Sharur1]

I used to be of the opinion that the foam tips are better, but once I discovered the exact reason for the triple flange being better, i haven't touched the foams. One day, I decided to try the large triple flange after months of using the foam tips. I was immediately taken aback by how much more transparent the treble was. This is because the quarter wave resonance from a tube open at one end is purely dependent on insertion depth. Shallower insertion means earlier peak. The foams can't go as deep as the triple flange, and as a result, have an earlier resonant peak (degraded treble quality). Yes, isolation is better with the foams, but Etymotic IEMs are first and foremost designed for the triple flange tips, and there is no way to get around this. I've made plenty of videos discussing the ER2SE in great detail.

[@matusjurcik6974]

Hello can the driver of the er2se hadle complex tracks/busy passages well or starts be confused (that feeling that music starts to be intense but lose resolution at the same time).

[@kkatey4160]

out of all the etymotic iems like this would you say this is the best for detail? I just ordered a er2xr but I was just wondering which one is the best balanced with the best detail

[@sagarmadhupada598]

Sir, you have spoken in detail about headphone or stereo speakers which are the devices that take an output , where as what if a condenser mic was attached to that 3.5 mm jack? , will this dongle aid as a connector, will it allow ipad to record sounds, via the external microphone work ? I have an ipad air 5 gen and a mirfak n2 mini shot gun condenser mic , i wish to do educational videos , using my ipad, so will this dongle let my mic and ipad connect and record video and audio through the mic , is the dongle tssr certified ?

[@ariathyf144]

Those like me who remember and enjoyed a lot the Q-jays for it's flat FR might be interested to try ER2SE. Sadly not enough audiophiles these days remembers it.

[@imwhatsnew]

Q-jays were quite v shaped weren't they ?

[@SlavJerry]

I've seen several reviews that it has terrible imaging and soundstage, what's your thought on that?

[@imwhatsnew]

I disagree.. But deep insertion is a must for for proper representation of the higher frequencies which are also associated with staging and imaging

[@cinnamonoa]

it's called the studio edition right? meaning it's a flat signature for making music and to be used as monitors I would've thought.

[@imwhatsnew]

Yup... There's an XR version for some elevated bass.

[@silvershanemusic5967]

how you compare them to er3se ,,, senhheiser ie40pro/100pro?

[@elypeachy3296]

Do these beat RHA T20i that u reviewed? And if so by how much percentage wise would you say.

[@imwhatsnew]

Not for bass impact per se because the T20i is a v shaped response..but for detail and quality overall this is in a different league altogether. The fit is relatively deep in the ears and might not be to everyone's liking.

[@carminedesanto6746]

Watched the video on my into work ..something to think about… I’ve decided that my IKKO OH10’s and the IFI Go Blue are incredible fun ! And in the end isn’t the enjoyment of music ( especially in the IEM’s and “personal “ music space) what’s it all about. Good reasoning on your review of these IEM’s . 🍻

[@imwhatsnew]

:-) i have yet to try the oh10 but it receives so much praise from you and others, I'd love to sit back and listen with it one day.

[@carminedesanto6746]

@@imwhatsnew My IEM’s stable is getting full with great gear of late. Aria, KATO and OH10’s…with Crins Midnight coming soon . Take care and enjoy the weekend with good food , pleasant company and great tunes.🍻

[@nomanhossain6597]

i was actually wondering, is there something similar to er2se like exactly the same thing, but in a much more traditional iem shape? deep insert iem's are not my cup of tea

[@imwhatsnew]

Not that I know of unfortunately..

[@minapenguin7107]

Tanchjim Ola, not the same tuning, but almost there

[@pedroferreira4323]

Great video. The er2se really is a interesting headphone, if you like the etymotic curve, it's an endgame at less than 100 bucks. Wanna tweak something? It's the best headphone when it comes to responding to EQ that I have ever had. But yes, the cable is very, VERY microphonic, and I wonder if some of that is because of the deep fit... I personally can't use the foam tips, they don't go as deep on my ear canal as the silicone tips do, they also don't last too long, but that's sadly a problem with all foam tips. Namaste, and greeting from Brazil!

[@imwhatsnew]

To be fair, foam tips have greater isolation with shallower insertion though ..but yes, they don't last. Much love !

[@joelstoppa]

Pedro Ferreira eai meu bom, tô em dúvida cara, eu tenho um zs 10pro tlg ? eu gosto de escutar música estilo grunge e rap, então vocais e bateria precisão ser bons né, vc parece ter muito conhecimento e o que você acha q eu deveria fazer: pegar o lypertek tevi ou o er2se ou até mesmo o er2xr ?

[@imwhatsnew]

@@joelstoppa Ei! eu não usei o lypertek tevi, então não posso dizer. quanto ao resto, o etymotic er2xr tem uma porta extra para graves e será melhor para seu uso. desculpe por qualquer erro de idioma. estou usando o google tradutor para te responder.

[@joelstoppa]

@@imwhatsnew thanks a lot man, didn't need to, very kind of you, I can't not sign up now hahaha

[@joelstoppa]

@@imwhatsnew now that you helped me choose the headset, which dac for a samsung j8 would you recommend? whatever is cheap. any ear Bud under 100 dollars that you recommend for my use?

[@diamondhellspawnscorpion]

Your thoughts about etymotic Er2xr? Thanks in advance

[@imwhatsnew]

Haven't tried it.. But looks like the er2se.. Just with a bass port

[@MannyScoot]

I tried them for every day and could not listen to them (they are more for studio use) I feel that they are too calm ...... I don't know, I have gotten used to the Mest Dynamics and The Oxygen single DD tone ........

[@imwhatsnew]

Everyone likes different things :-). The message in the video isn't specific to this iem :-)

[@AR10.]

What's the best iem for under $100?

[@imwhatsnew]

You'd have to define best...which no one van do really. Usual suspects are aria from moondrop or tin hifi for example. I think the etymotics are in a different league but the fit is not for everybody.

[@PocketUau]

Can’t get it under 190 bucks here in Italy RIP

[@imwhatsnew]

Oh..that's tough.

[@victormedrano2316]

Hi there, does it work for mixing?

[@imwhatsnew]

Well I don't mix so I can't tell you..but it's good for producing a relatively uncolored sound.

[@victormedrano2316]

@@imwhatsnew Great, I'll keep in mind, thanks

[@anatol1204]

What do you think compared with SSR ?

[@TheAshimaru]

2SE is smoother treble, and faster bass

[@anatol1204]

@@TheAshimaru i bought it finally..I like VERY much SSR eqed.. because the tremble is a little to much but now im curious to compare it with the er2 however im a little worry about the deep fit ..i also found a light used fdx1 for 200 that is in the similar neutral situation and don t know what to do.They say that 11mm DD has one of the best and most linear basses out there..I will become homeless i know..👀

[@sanchayanmaity5731]

I would love to get the Etymotics but scared of the fit.

[@imwhatsnew]

Don't bother anymore there's tons of great stuff at this price nowadays.

[@Wingedmagician]

Bought the er2se instead of the Er2xr because of the price and because Crinacle rates the Er2s at the same level but I’ve kinda regretted it ever since because everyone recommends the er2xr.

[@imwhatsnew]

You can EQ the Er2SE to sound exactly like the er2xr.

[@ericfernando4296]

I think er2se is better value for critical listening, you can always eq 2se to have more enjoyment, but you can't eq 2xr if you plug it on devices that doesn't have EQ for professional uses like monitoring and mixing

[@ilianto]

Everyone recommend the er2xr because they don't succeed in deep insertion so they need more bass to compensate. If you go deep enough 2xr will be boomy

[@hippopilot6750]

If you insert properly (deeply) with the triple flange tips, the noise isolation makes the bass fully realised. You also can play it at a lower volume due to the isolation and proximity to your eardrum. The XR will be too boomy at that level. Because of it's neutrality, you're basically hearing the music as it was intended by the audio engineers and artists to be heard. You can't EQ the bass to be perfectly like the XR's due to physical shell differences (XR has an extra vent), but you can still smoothly increase it to a slightly lesser extent for situations where a bass gain helps like travel (still to the detriment of overall clarity, I'd argue due to the isolation from either of the tips you can live without EQ quite fine). When you let yourself adjust to the tuning the bass no longer feels weak, it just feels there.

[@sumanthduggirala1887]

which is better salones zero or er2se

[@dontbuyanything4729]

lol

[@JumCuggler]

The only significant issue with the ER2 at it's discounted price point is the insertion depth and fit. While I love the sound of my pair, the tips often get stuck in my ears and the fit by itself is deeply uncomfortable. Unfortunately, due to the fit I just can't recommend them to the vast majority of listeners. Options like the Moondrop Aria or Dunu Titan S provide competitive quality around the same price.

[@imwhatsnew]

So with foam tips you don't need the deep insertion...a shallow insertion works great and is far more comfortable... This is from personal experience but also..there's a reference to this in an academic paper i believe...

[@ericfernando4296]

There's a fix if you hate the triple flange, but also don't prefer the foam The spinfit cp240, since you want to achieve deep insert, buy the smallest size cp240 and stick it as deep as you can, it's more comfortable than the triple flange, but provide almost the same isolation, and only tiny slightly bit harsher since the nozzle is slightly larger on spinfit cp240

[@ilianto]

A correct fit is challenging indeed, especially for the first few weeks or days, but that's not a reason not to recommend an Etymotic. It's like not recommending exercise cause it's hard at the beginning. There is really no competition for the er2se. No substitute for deep insertion. If you think Aria or Titan can hold a candle to any Etymotics you probably never had the patience to fit them deep enough. And other tips or shallow insertion won't help at all. The sound is just not the same. The resonances are there and they sound thin and boring.

[@ilianto]

@@imwhatsnew if you think foams isolate well you probably never managed to insert them deep enough with the triple flanges. Keep trying. You will want to make another video cause if you were astounded now wait until they go deep enough...

[@imwhatsnew]

@@ilianto i thought I had them quite deep enough tbh...but hmm. Maybe I'll give the triple flange another go. I will say though , from a product design standpoint there needs to be a way to have a shallower insertion work better for people(yes, I'm aware of some of the literature). I believe there was a literature reference to just a 3mm insertion with foam tips somewhere...gotta find it. Either that or just straight neural link the audio into my head haha.

[@paulosilva8200]

The xr2 I have it. And it's a no no for me. Bass too low. Volume too low. When I play with an extra amp to volume I like. The xr2 sounds like it's breaking

[@matusjurcik6974]

Hi fidelity doesnt mean that it need to be just ,,clean,, what about the soundstage, imaging, 3D, real/like tonality, dynamics, dynamic range and many others? Do you also care about that??? Graph measurements are not very good point of judgement, especially when it comes to the IEMs. Besides measuring inconsistency, there are other factors that will cause that many people will hear them differently (ear canal shape resonance for instance). I would have another point of view, when everything is on the same level, every freq. interfere with every freq. :D, there is no separation of frequencies. Just consider this as some small invite for discution :), I dont disrespect ur opinion. Also do you use only original etymotic foam tips or also some other brand foams?

[@imwhatsnew]

Hi, no offence taken :-) . Yes I do care a lot about all those things. Some of these things can be inferred from FR. As for the idea that everything interferes at the same FR level..I think maybe you haven't thought about what a frequency response is. No offense intended ..just in the spirit of discussion :-)

[@matusjurcik6974]

@@imwhatsnew why? :D , freq response is how loud every each requency of the sound are to each other (ratio). What is interfering less, dip in the mid/upperbass and than mids on a higher level or everything on the same level? Imagine 20000 poeple shouting on the same level, would u understand more than those poeple shouting not on the same level? U will hear those people that shout louder. Those shouts on the same level will melt together :). But er2se are far from being competely flat anyway, not speaking about ear canal shapes differences. But yes I agree that technicalities are also derived from the tuning, so flat response is not very good for portraiting depth height of the soundstage and so...

[@imwhatsnew]

@@matusjurcik6974 but if they shout the exact same thing perfectly in sync? :-) anyway, the analogy doesn't quite work I think. The point is simply to avoid masking..that's what a smooth FR helps with. Nothing is perfectly flat..and it wouldn't sound right to the human ear if that was the case anyway. The er2se has nice soundstage (obv not super wide or anything ) with really good imaging. It's actually really good for gaming !!

[@matusjurcik6974]

@@imwhatsnew but those freq wouldnt be in the perfect sync. cause they do their own things. Of course they often copy some idea of the melody. Anyway, u say that the 2se have good imaging and soundstage? Interesting I am curious about that because many reviews say opposite. But I will see when my set will arrive... curious about that... :)

[@imwhatsnew]

@@matusjurcik6974 yup..make sure the isolation and fit are right ..and the foam tips helped me get the most out of them. When I say they're good..again not the widest or anything but surprisingly not dead centre ..and imaging is indeed very good.

[@tor13128]

basically the lows and highs have room for improvement and the mids are really good? sounds like any other imperfect IEM. why does ER2SE get special treatment though and have a special status? Not to mention Sharur (biggest hyper) had actually been suffering from chronic ear infection/inflammation from the deep insertion required. i feel the tradeoff is not worth it, if it requires deep insertion, which Sharur says it must.

[@imwhatsnew]

No, I said people might feel like that ..thats more because of preference for colouration . personally I think the highs are great and the lows can be prettty good BUT ...the fit is definitely an issue. No product should disregard human ergonomics.

[@painpeace3619]

Are you an Indian?

[@imwhatsnew]

Yes.

[@Quantum-Chaos]

I've never understood the popularity of these "in-ear" earbuds. I have a small ear canal so I can't really use them but they are so bad for your ear health. They can potentially cause all kinds of ear problems. From pushing wax back into your ear to even causing tinnitus. I'm not advocating against them, I just don't understand the appeal. If anyone else has my problem and wants to try a good pair of budget "on ear" earbuds (dunno what else to call it, rests on your earlobe instead of inside your ear canal) then try the Edifier H185. Best I've been able to find so far. On another note, I'd love to know your take on the upcoming Snapdragon Gen 1. Maybe returning to your "WhatsNews" roots for a video or two :)

[@amartinez97]

the seal matters and on ear's will never achieve a good seal and without that you cant get a good bass response and the rest of the sound suffers as well. the Focus EDM are the best bass IEM's on the market (they are versatile enough to do Creedence Clearwater revival with great spacial imaging and detail without overblown bass response but can still slam like a subwoofer with a ocean of sub bass with the right music such as On my level by Wiz Khalifa) While no other sub $200 IEM comes close to them the runner ups are still far better than any on ear alternative even full sized headphones are loosing out in sound quality to these new IEM's coming out the Focus, the Olina's, the Shour S they are incredible value.

[@neandrewthal]

In terms of causing tinnitus what is the difference between the deep insertion ER2SE vs a more shallow insertion IEM vs over-ear headphones vs speakers adjusted for the same volume level at your ear drums?

[@newfnshow031]

$99 currently..... I'll stick with the Shure se 215 at that price

[@dontbuyanything4729]

lol

[@painpeace3619]

The whole video is wrong.

[@Sunset13118]

I want to know why