Etymotic Research ER2XR

https://www.etymotic.com/product/er2xr-earphones/

Etymotic ER2XR (Extended Response) is one of my favorite IEM from Etymotic that doesn't need any introduction. I bought this pair from a local shop around 2 years ago. It is a deep insertion micro dynamic driver design with almost ruler flat impedance across the audio band. And the most important feature is, it sounds pretty good.

Pros:​

ER2XR has 2 essential features for pro audio and on-stage applications:

• Very high passive noise isolation (35-42dB) from the deep insertion design. Essential as hearing protection for an on-stage performer.
• Close to ruler flat impedance (15 ohms) ensures consistent tonality with various audio equipment regardless of the headphone output impedance.

Cons:​

• Designed for deep insertion into the ear canal, may not be suitable for everyone.
• Very difficult to identify the Left and Right channels in a dimly lit environment. Very small black on black L/R sign on the Left and Right channels. There is no 'Left Dot' indicator on the Left channel connector.
• Total harmonic distortion is on the higher side of average THD from all the IEMs that I’ve measured.

Suggestions:​

• On tonality, to add a slight bump around the 4.5kHz treble area to improve perceived clarity, and to increase the overall upper treble response to improve perceived transparency and spaciousness.
• To add 'Left Dot' on the left channel connector for easy channel identification.

Sound Quality​

*EITC-2021 is my frequency response target curve. More info about it here.


*Note: When there is no obvious treble peak (T1p) around the 4-5kHz area, SPL at 4400Hz is used as T1p value.

Bass to mids tonality sounds good, clean, balanced, and pretty close to my perceived neutral. Treble is good but can be improved. Treble is a tad on the softer side of neutral and sounds very smooth. Sometimes with a certain recording, it may sound a tad dull for me. I prefer the treble area around 4-5 kHz to have a slight peak like the ER4XR, as it will improve the perceived clarity. And the upper Treble extension is also a bit too soft for my taste and slightly lack the perceived airiness and spaciousness.

Overall, it sounds quite natural and balanced but frequency extensions at both ends, sub-bass and upper-treble, sound a bit too soft. That’s the main reason I rate it 7/10. If ER2XR has a better-perceived frequency extension at both ends I will rate it higher on tonality.

Perceived detail and clarity are ok, but not great. It doesn't sound dull or muddy, just lacking a bit of transparency and airiness. Dynamic is quite decent with good and clean-sounding bass. Pretty good bass attack and impact but lack a bit of sub-bass rumble. Overall, I do like the sound quality of ER2XR.

Comparisons to Etymotic ER4XR and ER2SE:


The hump around the 5kHz could be the reason for the better-perceived clarity on ER4XR.

Equalization to Match EITC-2021​

One of the objective of my EITC-2021 target curve is that it is a realistically achievable target curve by my measurement equipment, based on the real measurement and not just as an estimated target curve. To really test and experience an IEM with matching frequency response to EITC-2021 sounds like, I created an equalizer profile for ER2XR to match EITC-2021.

EITC-2021 (Blue curve) and Etymotic ER2XR (Right channel) FR after equalization to match EITC-2021 target curve (Red curve):


To my ears, EITC-2021 equalization improves ER2XR perceived clarity and frequency extension at both ends. I use REW to create the equalizer profile based on the difference between ER2XR average response and EITC-2021. Then exported the equalizer profile as a text file to be loaded to Equalizer APO.



Below is the link for the equalizer profile for ER2XR to match the EITC-2021, so anyone who would like to try EITC-2021 on their ER2XR can load it to Equalizer APO to test it. Please apply a -3dB gain to avoid clipping.
Etymotic ER2XR - EITC-2021 - EQ APO Profile

Engineering Quality​

Disclaimer: The measurement results of the engineering quality measurement in this review represent only the pair of IEM that was measured for this review. It doesn’t represent the overall quality control of the factory.


Excellent left and right channel tracking. My unit has an overall 0.2-0.3dB matching from 20Hz-10kHz, with only 0.5 dB maximum at 5kHz.




The impedance curve is almost ruler flat, with only a shallow bump, around 0.5ohms increase at 2580Hz.




Overall THD level of the Etymotic ER2XR is a bit higher than most IEMs that I’ve measured. Please take note that distortion measurement is not part of sound quality evaluation. It is only used to observe the engineering quality of the IEM.
Distortion measurement at 94 dB SPL at 500Hz:




Distortion measurement at 104 dB SPL at 500Hz:





The following is my rating criteria:

Fit, Comfort, & Build Quality​

All test is done using the ER2XR default medium triple flange ear tip. To me the fit and comfort are ok. The deep insertion design is surprisingly quite comfortable. What I mean is, I definitely feel something is stuck in my ear canal, but it doesn’t cause any pain. Even for a long session like an hour or more, I only need to readjust the position of the IEM a little bit every half an hour or so, but it doesn’t cause any discomfort until I must unplug it from my ears. I would say the level of comfort is around 7/10.



Build quality is generally good. I haven’t had any problem with the build quality. The cable is soft and flexible with sufficient thickness. The connector is custom MMCX so most 3rd party cables with MMCX won’t fit. Etymotic provided two spare green tuning filters (1500 Ohms) and the tool to replace it. Etymotic also sells a tuning kit for users to experience different FR with different tuning filters.

My biggest complaint is the left and right channel marking. It is almost impossible to see the marking in a dimly lit environment. The left dot as shown in the picture below has been implemented on many IEMs for many years, and I’m quite surprised why not all companies use this useful feature on their IEM cable.

Metal Shell to Ground Pin Connection: No connection​

Recommendation:​

Suitable for applications where high level of noise isolation is important.


More information about my IEM Measurement Setup & Methodology:
Earfonia IEM Measurement Setup & Methodology

Advertised Technical Specifications:​

Frequency Response: 20 Hz – 16 kHz
Transducers: High performance moving coil dynamic driver
Noise Isolation: 35dB using silicone ear tips, 42dB using foam ear tips
Impedance: 15 Ohms @ 1kHz
Sensitivity: 96 dB @ 1kHz, 1mW
Maximum Output (SPL): 120 dB
Cable: Detachable 4 ft cable with MMCX connectors
User Replaceable ACCU-Filters: Yes
Warranty: 2 Years
Custom-Fit Option: Yes

Hello there!

This is my review of the Etymotic ER2XR. The ER2 series tends to be one of the default recommendations around its price range, considered by many simply the best IEM under $100. I myself bought it for this reason exactly - a year ago, when I was still very new to the audio hobby and had just got my first ever pair of IEMs - the KZ ZSN Pro X - I was looking to upgrade upon them, and the default recommendations in my price range seemed to be the ER2XR and the Moondrop Starfield. After a solid couple of months considering them and some other options, I stumbled upon @MRSallee 's livestream and asked him which one he would pick between the 2. He picked the ER2, and in turn so did I.

Well, it's been a long while since then, my collection grew to include over 20 IEMs, and I've managed to try some "legendary" pairs like the ThieAudio Monarch and the holy grail of the IEM world - the Sony IER-Z1R, as well as a few other pairs in the same price range as the Etymotic. So why did I wait so long to review these? I'll tell you in a while, but since it's my first review here, I'm going to introduce myself. (You can skip that part if you're only interested in the earphone, but I'd encourage you to read it if you want some perspective on how I rate things.

Who am I, how do I rate things, and why should you care?

So, as you might have guessed from my username, my name is Szymon (If you don't know Polish, just pronounce it "Simon"), and I hail from Poland. I got into the audio hobby about 2 years ago, as one of Dankpods' first subscribers. First I just watched him since I was an Apple fan and loved iPods, but then I thought about getting one for myself. And I needed headphones to go along with it. At the time, my audio "collection" consisted of:

- AirPods
- Razer Kraken Pro
- B&O H9i

The last one actually sounded fantastic. Back then I also loved the AirPods for not being super bassy and muffled like most other headphones I tried. But I wanted to try more. First came the Beats EP! - as I'm a huge Apple fan and a sucker for great design, and I heard these aren't nearly as bad as most Beats headphones. Then I wanted more, so I started searching more audiophile corners of the internet for cheap recommendations - and I bought the Koss Porta Pro. And then I loved it so much... That it spiralled out of control.

And here I am today, with a collection that consists of I don't even know how many things.

-Over 20 IEMs
-About 10 full-sized headphones
-8 or so open earbuds
-Some Bluetooth sets
-Whatever the KSC75 is

I've also been able to demo even more stuff, including some summit-fi gear and popular favourites. Since September, I have also been cataloguing all of it in a Google Sheets document, which has since grown into quite a sizeable database, if I might say so myself.

My Sound Tier List

I've also been very active in some Discord communities (that was the main place where I shared my reviews and impressions until now), as well as published a few videos on my YouTube channel.

This might be a good moment to explain how I rate things.

In my tier list, you will see two rating systems:

The Sound Tier

This rating is based entirely on sound. I'm trying to make It as objective as possible (transducers that are higher up are better than ones below it), but in a hobby as subjective as this, it of course ultimately comes down to my own preference and how much I like something. There's also two further components to the rating - the tuning tier and the technicalities tier (inspired, of course, by Crinacle). I plan to overhaul this system soon, but for today, it will do. My tier list goes from F to A, with the particular tiers meaning:

F - Absolutely unlistenable, borderline broken.
E - Simply put, bad.
D - Alright. Items in this tier do not stop me from enjoying music, but also don't really add anything to enhance the experience. This should be the baseline, below which you do not venture.
C - Good. This is where I'm going to start recommending some things. If something gets to C Tier, it means that it either has no glaring weaknesses, or does something so well that you're able to excuse those.
B - Really, bloody good. If something is in B Tier, congratulations! It means that I actively enjoyed listening to music on it.
A - Fantastic. To get here, a headphone must not only not have any critical flaws, but also do something that makes me actively go "wow".

There is also the elusive S Tier, where reside only the absolute best transducers I have ever tried. To belong in S Tier, the worst part of the item must still be good enough that it would land another item in B Tier, and the best parts of it must be downright enchanting.

Over time, as I try new stuff, the ratings of some items might change - mainly downwards. I don't expect to promote many items upwards, unless I find something about them that eluded me during the review process, which is very unlikely, and only ever happened with one thing - the ER2XR itself.

The Star Rating

Whereas my Sound Tier is based entirely on, well, sound, I wanted a way to indicate how much I like an earphone overall, taking into account things like price, competition, comfort, design, build quality and accessories. This rating is on one hand more subjective, but on the other, aimed towards you. Where the Tier tells you how much I enjoyed something, the Stars tell you if I recommend it to you. It's also quite simple.

* - Do not buy, under any condition.
* * - Not a good purchase, but I can see situations where you might like it.
* * * - Good purchase. If you buy it, you should be happy.
* * * * - Great purchase. One of the best in its price range, so outside of edge cases, you should love it.
* * * * * - Insane. If it fits within your budget, you should buy it, and I'm fully confident you'll be blown away.

You might have noticed that 2 Stars are quite negative, while 3 Stars are already quite positive, and there is no "meh" option. I did that on purpose, not to give myself a cop out. It's your money I'm having influence on, I don't want to be able to say "yeah, it's okay I guess, click my affiliate link and buy it to see if you like it".

Can you trust me with your money?

No. Not really.

I don't know your situation. I don't have your ears. I do not listen to your playlist. I may not have the same preferences as you. Hell, the language of the audio hobby is so subjective that you might have a totally different idea when reading my words than what I meant while writing them. I try to be clear, articulate and use intuitive language instead of overly technical terms, but even still, what I think when I say that something sounds bloated (a boosted and slow bass response, crowding out other sounds) is not the same that someone who calls all mid-bass "bloat" would interpret it as.

However, I can promise you that I will never take money from someone to say something positive or negative about a headphone, will always clearly state whether I have received a review unit from someone or bought it with my own money, and will always clearly label affiliate links (if I ever decide to use them).

I will also let you know what my preferences are. I noticed that so many reviewers in this hobby listen to the same kinds of music (k-pop, anime soundtracks and/or classical), people then buy headphones based on their recommendations, and wonder why the headphone doesn't work remotely well for, for example, Trap and EDM.

I personally listen mainly to classic rock, modern metal, emo, acoustic, british pop and rap. I sometimes delve into other genres such as alternative, EDM, jazz, classical, Kpop, etc., but spend 95% of my time listening to the first few. For this reason, I mostly prefer headphones and earphones with a neutral or warm tonality with a relaxed upper midrange, and I like having good treble extension, but not necessarily a boosted treble response. For the graph whisperers among you, my IEM target looks like this:


(Crackhead Target is based on my favourite IEMs: Sony IER-Z1R, Blon BL-03 and modded KZ DQ6. Cheers to @RikudouGoku for helping me create my target and hosting my graph!)

The things I mainly listen to when evaluating gear, are in rough order: male vocals, resolution (instrument separation), electric guitar tonality, acoustic guitar timbre, female vocals, string instruments, drums. For this reason, my favourite transducers are Sony IER-Z1R, Sennheiser HD600, Modded KZ DQ6 and Blon BL-03.

With all that being said...

Just review the ER2XR already mate!

Alright, alright.

Thanks for reading my long-winded introduction, I hope it gave you a lot of perspective on how I evaluate stuff. So, why did I wait so long with reviewing the ER2, and with starting to review stuff in general?

Well, because the ER2XR was the default recommendation around the $100 price point, and I... Hated it.

I argued with many people in many Discord communities, that the midrange tuning is awful (makes male vocalists sound like they're singing with a stuffed nose), there is too much bass, and there is 0 treble extension past 10k. I have later bought, EQed and demoed a lot of different transducers trying to figure out what it is that makes the ER2 sound so bad, but couldn't find an obvious answer. I did find a lot of people who were as disappointed with it as I was, but they didn't know either. Were my ears just weird? Was my unit broken?

Turns out, no, it was just...

The Fit

Alright, let's get the elephant out of the room. If you have never seen a pair of ER2XR, well, this is how they look like:


(Picture credit to @Precogvision)

Yeah. They go DEEP into your ear canal. So deep, in fact, that I've always found them extremely uncomfortable to wear for longer than 30 minutes. And you want to know the best part?

The weird sound issues were resulting from the fact that I wasn't fitting them deep enough. The proper way to fit them is to push them in until it starts feeling uncomfortable... And then push them in even deeper. Only the cable connector should protrude from your ear canal, the entire blue part should be in there.

The fit is atrocious and - spoilers! - will be one of the main reasons why I can't recommend them.

Build and Accessories

You have to hand it to Etymotic - these look and feel great in the hand. The earphone is made out of metal that feels really premium and is always cold to the touch. The included accessories are also exquisite - the ER2XR come with a well-behaved silicone cable, three kinds of tips (triple flange, double flange, and foam), a wonderful soft pouch and a Lightning to 3.5mm dongle - which, in my testing, sounds just as good as the Apple one! Props on that.

Tonality

The sound signature here is neutral with a bass boost. Once you fit it deep, vocals sound very realistic, though some bands' male vocals (for example, The Lumineers and Muse) come off a little thin and shouty due to an upper midrange tuning that's just a touch too forward around the 2.5k-3k region, where these vocalists' harmonic frequencies resonate. The bass boost is isolated to the sub-bass only, with a perfectly neutral mid-bass and lower midrange response. This causes the punch and slam of drums to be strong, but does not bring bass guitars forward or add warmth to electric guitars the way I'd like. I still consider the tonality very balanced, and a strong point for the Etymotic overall.

Bass

As mentioned, the bass here is mostly isolated to the lower frequencies. It's also VERY physical, sometimes too much so for my taste when combined with the deep fit (an example of a song where it distracted me too much would be Be My Mistake by The 1975). This is good news if you're a basshead, as these work great for rap and R&B - they played back E-Girls Are Ruining My Life by Corpse, No Name by NF and Drum Go Dum by K/DA splendidly, and I had a ton of fun listening to these tracks. The bass quality is also quite good - there is texture to it, it's not just rumble and slam like it is on some cheaper sets. However, if good bass texture and detail is what you're looking for, a much better alternative for a third of the price would be the KZ DQ6 with foam tips. As good as the bass on ER2XR is, the DQ6 is on another level. In Girl Like Me by Black Eyed Peas and Shakira there is a ton more detail in the bass, in Sleep On The Floor by The Lumineers the bass feels much more grandiose, like a blanket of sound enveloping you - something that does happen on the ER2, but to a much lesser extent.

Thankfully, the bass detail, texture and physicality is good enough to make up for the lack of warmth in some metal tracks - like Kingslayer by Bring Me The Horizon - as well.

Mids

The tonality and detail is very good in vocals, from the lowest ones, like Corpse's in E-Girls Are Ruining My Life to those higher-pitched, like Cyn's in Drinks. One issue I observed here, though, is a certain lack of crispness to transients - the attack seems too slow, and the decay seems too fast. As a result NF's bars in No Name didn't sound as crisp as they should, and neither did the cymbal's in Supremacy by Muse, which I found particularly blurred (the guitar solo on that track, though... nailed it).

Treble

The best thing you can say about ER2XR's treble is that it is there. It never draws attention to itself (which can be good in tracks like Letter by Yosi Horikawa, which can easily get sharp and unpleasant with a poorly executed treble response, but did not do so here), but the extension and level are just too low, and as a result cymbals in Cyn's Drinks don't shimmer like they should, and electric guitars (as well as Oli Sykes' vocals) in DiE4u or Kingslayer by Bring Me The Horizon sound kind of dead and lacking in energy.

Soundstage and Imaging

Easily the worst part of these, and, along with the fit, the second dealbreaker. Most of the time, I'm of the opinion that soundstage is a meme, and it only matters when it's either really impressive, or really bad - like here. Everything sounds very 2D, which is a pain in songs like Drinks by Cyn or Letter by Yosi Horikawa, both of which tend to benefit from soundstage. Especially Letter - the whole song is based on a great binaural effect, and the ER2 completely ruins it by displaying it as just a collection of random sounds.

The soundstage also hurts some metal tracks, like the aforementioned ones by Bring Me The Horizon or Starlight by Muse. These tracks have a lot of things going on at the same time, as metal songs tend to, and while the ER2XR resolves them really well, separating different instruments and not letting them turn into a soup of sounds, there is just not enough stage to let each sound have its own space, resulting in a really garbled, clamped experience.

Conclusion

I just can't really recommend the ER2XR to anyone who can't handle its two biggest flaws - the fit and the soundstage. If you can manage the fit, and the music you listen to is usually quite simple and does not require a huge soundstage, you'll get a really nice, well tuned IEM with strong, punchy bass.

However, I think a much better option for this kind of tuning in a similar price range are the Galaxy Buds+ from Samsung. Though wireless, these bad boys fit way better, have a similarly punchy, but clean bass and a typical IEM soundstage, rather than ER2's cramped one. The midrange is a toss-up, with Buds+ offering a less shouty experience, at the expense of thinner vocals. The only win for the ER2 is its treble response, which can be a little metalic on the Buds, but I do not think the treble outweighs how much better the Samsung product is at other parts of music.

And if you are one of the weirdos looking at the ER2XR with no preference for a neutral-ish tuning... Just get yourself a pair of KZ DQ6 and a nice set of foam tips to tame the KZ's infamous treble peaks. You will get an even better bass response, a lush, warm midrange, a very similar treble, and - key point here - a soundstage that is the complete opposite of what Etymotic offers. Going from ER2's soundstage which is terrible even for IEM standards, to DQ6's, which is some of the best you can get in any IEM period... Yeah mate, unless you REALLY don't like a warm tuning, just save your money.

Verdict

Tier: B
(Tuning: A, Technicalities: B-)

* * * * *

Video Review

At a Glance:


Overall Rating: S (S+ to C-)


Category: C (20-100 USD), MSRP: 100 USD, (Personal Unit)




Overview:


The ER2XR is one of the budget models in Etymotic’s famed deep-fit lineup, slotting in between the 60$ MK5 and below the ER3SE/XR. It features a single “High-Performance Moving Coil Dynamic Driver” housed in a CNC machined anodized aluminum housing. The ER2XR is tuned to Etymotic’s neutral signature in the midrange and treble but with a boost in the bass region for a more enjoyable listen.


Inclusions: S-


The ER2XR comes in a decently sized cardboard box. The white outer sleeve features quite a few graphics of the IEMs and information on the specifications as well as the inclusions. Sliding the sleeve out to open the box reveals the IEMs themselves presented in some cut foam with the cable hiding underneath. Further under are some paperwork about the IEMs like a guide for how to wear them. The bottom of the box reveals a rather nice faux leather and cloth carry pouch for the IEMs, and a very generous 8 sets of eartips to fit the special nozzles of this IEM, a S/M/L/XL set of dual flange eartips, a standard and large set of 3 flange tips and 2 sets of foam tips for maximum noise isolation. The package also includes spare nozzle filters and a removal tool for the filter, as well as a shirt clip.


The included cable for the ER2XR is a rather bad affair however. It is a 4 foot rubber cable terminating in a 3.5mm single ended plug, with a special notch locking angled MMCX connector for use with the IEMs themselves. The 3.5mm plug is made out of a hardened rubber material, the splitter is made out of the same blue anodized aluminum as the driver housings of the IEM. The chin slider is made of a similar hardened rubber to the 3.5mm plug, while the MMCX connectors are made of what seems to be a slightly harder plastic rubber material. The cable decently soft feeling, however a combination of the shell design and the design of the cable mean that it is quite microphonic when worn connector down, though wearing it over ear does help mitigate this issue. The cable also has quite a bit of shape memory, that does not seem to straighten out over time.


Overall inclusions for the ER2XR are still excellent, with plenty in the way of tips to get the correct, tricky fit for this IEM and some good accessories and packaging. If it weren’t for the sub par cable, this would have received my S+ rating for this price bracket.


Build: S-


The IEM shells are made of a rather precisely finished CNC anodized aluminum, which makes the shells light but durable feeling nonetheless. The shell features many oddities, like an incredibly small nozzle for mounting the eartips, making tip rolling with normal 3rd party tips practically impossible. Additionally, the MMCX connector at the back of the driver shells is rather recessed, making it impossible to plug in most aftermarket MMCX connectors, notch locking feature or not. Additionally, the included nozzle filters are tiny and seem to be proprietary, making it seem like finding replacements will be quite a headache. Sketchy design decisions aside, the actual build quality is great, with nice finishing and tolerances on the aluminum. Overall build could’ve been improved with an easier to cable roll MMCX connector, but the other issues are just unfortunate catch-22s.





Sound Review Conditions:

• Stock Etymotic locking MMCX Connector
• Stock Silicon Tips, 2-Flange and 3-Flange
• JCALLY JM20, CX-PRO dongles, Topping L30, KGUSS GH-3 Desktop
• Deezer HiFi, Foobar 2000, Signalyst HQ Player

Sound:





Bass: S


This IEM’s bass region features an elevated bass region with emphasis on the subbass, as well as slight midbass elevation in relation to the remainder of it’s rather flat frequency response. The bass tonal presentation leans towards a cleaner slam sound rather than a looser, more thumpy bass that most budget IEMs have. Additionally, thanks to excellent driver speed, especially for a Dynamic Driver, the ER2XR’s have a perceptively more present bass than one would consider. The transient impact and weight lends itself extremely well to bass heavy tracks but once again the focus on subbass and minimal midbass elevation ensures that it remains clean. However, despite a focus on the subbass, overall bass texture does not suffer, with thumps and booms sounding sufficiently thick to give texture and act as a foil to the clean slam of the rest of the bass region. Overall, excellent bass performance, somewhat neutral still, but still loads of fun nonetheless.


Mids: S


Etymotic has a reputation for having uncolored, near reference grade midrange and this IEM is no exception to that rule. It is not ruler flat, however the overall tonal balance melds together to give it an incredibly faithful and realistic sound presentation. The lower midrange, while not having any outright bass bleed despite the bass elevation when compared with the ER2SE is still marginally affected by the bass, taking on an ever so slightly thicker tonal quality to them, and giving extra body to male vocals in particular. On the same vein, the upper midrange seems to have the typical Diffuse Field target hump, which I personally do not enjoy as much on similar IEMs like the Moondrop SSR, which I found to be shouty on tracks that were not mastered amazingly well. However, what the extra bass tilt means is that this upper midrange energy is balanced by some extra energy on the opposite spectrum, but this IEM does so in a way that does not result in the typical severe midrange recession that occurs on other, typically V-shaped IEM. Overall, this IEM’s midrange performance is fantastic, and truly an appropriate reference. It was less amazing for actual music listening where vocal timbre and some body might have been missing, as well as a certain je nai se quoi to their character. Nonetheless, as a package, great performance.


Treble: A+


This IEM features a marginally recessed treble region with very little distinguishing characteristics. It is extremely neutral and fairly inoffensive in terms of having energy peaks. However, the extension is rather mediocre, likely thanks to the fact that the nozzles and driver chambers are so small (Treble naturally likes open, airy spaces). This is perhaps the area where the ER2XR lags behind it’s Balanced Armature-equipped older brothers. On the other hand, treble is quite good at it’s other main purpose aside from being tonally good, it helps render out the smaller micro details buried within the song, and gives this IEM a good sense of clarity to piercer through the rest of the frequency range, especially considering the elevation in the lower region. Overall, the treble is very much good, and I daresay great in the context of the tuning, it does a good job by not standing out and simply being there when called for. Nonethless, better extension and maybe a tiny amount more presence would have helped this score


Technicalities: S


A fellow HiFi enthusiast once told me “You must abandon all notions of soundstage when using Etys” and he definitely right. These IEMs have an extremely closed in your head sounstage. However, in terms of actual usable area, these IEMs beat out quite a lot of others by being able to stage elements and present them in more areas than the competitors thanks likely to the good resolving ability of it’s drivers. Speaking on separation, this IEM does a great job. Aided by a clean tonality and good driver resolution this IEM works on the most crowded of tracks. In terms of imaging, this IEM is rather unique in that it’s presentation occupies a space in the stage rather than a pinprick sound, which to some people is a more convincing way of presenting it rather than bullet like accuracy. As touched upon earlier, detail retrieval and clarity is excellent on this pair with resolution that beats out a lot of it’s more “Fun” sounding competitors. Overall technical performance of the ER2XR is excellent, and near class leading.


Conclusion:


Etymotic has their niche in the market. They know what they’ve been making, they know how to make their product, and people have come to expect both a certain tonal signature and standard from their brand. This is a rather old IEM in what is an incredibly crowded market. However, Etymotic has their style, and I think to this day, this IEM is a very capable musician’s device, and still even a relevant IEM to the public regardless. Highly Recommended