[Bacchinif]

Plenty skip out on the Etys because of the deep insertion fit. You are more likely to experience discomfort putting them in and wearing them. It took me a few days to get use to them. As long as you aren't yanking them out and break the seal (I pull down slightly on my ear), you shouldn't feel discomfort removing them. I'm saying it requires more thought (at least initially) than regular iems. Tbh it'd get annoying putting them in and taking them out constantly.

The XRs have more bass than the SE. By borderline I mean the XRs can be described as slightly warm.

Here's Super Review's frequency response graph of the ER2SE, ER2XR, and Moondrop Aria. FYI he has reviews of the XR and Aria on Youtube.
https://squig.link/?share=Moondrop_Aria,Etymotic_ER2XR,Etymotic_ER2SE

Thank you very much!
I will definitely check his channel and his reviews.

What about a pair of Fiio FH3 / 5? They're a lot more expensive than the Arias / Etymotics (USA market at least), but if I'm not wrong they should be having good overall ratings.

 

[zest]

Moondrop Aria [Owned]
Pro: good soundstage and clarity
Cons: portability, comfort, no microphone, sound extremely linear and cold

If you think the Aria are linear and cold, don't buy the Etymotic, they're colder and more "boring".

 

[Bacchinif]

If you think the Aria are linear and cold, don't buy the Etymotic, they're colder and more "boring".

Thanks for the feedback even though I've come to the conclusion that I have to try them in order to get a personal idea.

I've noticed that you also own a pair of Tin HiFi T3. What about them?

This is my "wish list" list at the moment

Fiio FH3 = C+
Fiio FH5 = B

Moondrop Aria = B (Owned)
Moondrop Starfield = B
Moondrop KXXS = B

Etymotic ER2XR = B+
Etymotic ER2SE = B+

Tin HiFi T2 Plus = B-
Tin HiFi T4 = B-

1More QuadDriver = C- (Owned)

KZ ZS10Pro = C (Owned)

Of the three pair that I tried I must admit that the Arias are the better sounding especially when it comes to soundstage and separation.

P.S. The ratings have been taken from Crinacle's IEMs list.

 

[zest]

Thanks for the feedback even though I've come to the conclusion that I have to try them in order to get a personal idea.

Apart being neutral with some sub-bass, ER2XR are great for detail retrieval and tonality, what's dragging the sound quality down is a flat soundstage depth.
Even with tracks produced to sound spacious, they will sound 2D because of this lack of depth.
They're not straight neutral, but will give you a good reference of what neutral means.

I've noticed that you also own a pair of Tin HiFi T3. What about them?

T3 are very good for their price range, they have a mild V shaped signature, a bit bright to me, good details and tonality, they're colder/brighter than the Starfield, so I guess colder than the Aria.

I think you should look for a warmer signature.

 

[Bacchinif]

I think you should look for a warmer signature.

Any specific suggestion in that price range?

EDIT. I'm seriously considering buying a pair of ER3-XR from Amazon.com as from what I'm reading the signature should be warmer neutral and the IEMs are overall better than the Arias / ER2-XR. The price is also a lot lower compared to the one shown on Amazon.it.

 

[zest]

Any specific suggestion in that price range?

EDIT. I'm seriously considering buying a pair of ER3-XR from Amazon.com as from what I'm reading the signature should be warmer neutral and the IEMs are overall better than the Arias / ER2-XR. The price is also a lot lower compared to the one shown on Amazon.it.

I'm not into warm signature, not sure how I can help. Aria have a Harman signature, I guess a V-shape, warm signature could answer your needs (less linear and warmer).

According to the graphs, the ER3XR compared to the ER2XR have less sub-bass, more mid-bass, less upper-mids and less treble, yes they are warmer, but they are still more linear than the Aria and, as for any Etymotic earphone, they still have that flat depth soundstage.

 

[Bacchinif]

I'm not into warm signature, not sure how I can help. Aria have a Harman signature, I guess a V-shape, warm signature could answer your needs (less linear and warmer).

According to the graphs, the ER3XR compared to the ER2XR have less sub-bass, more mid-bass, less upper-mids and less treble, yes they are warmer, but they are still more linear than the Aria and, as for any Etymotic earphone, they still have that flat depth soundstage.

Unfortunately Amazon.com doesn't ship to Italy used items from their Warehouse, so I'm scared that I'll have to skip on the ER3XR.

P.S. How / where can I read the graphs you're mentioning?

 

[boost3d]

P.S. How / where can I read the graphs you're mentioning?

Crinacle has them on his site. Look for graph tool. It allows you to compare the frequency response of two iems.

 

[zest]

Unfortunately Amazon.com doesn't ship to Italy used items from their Warehouse, so I'm scared that I'll have to skip on the ER3XR.

Looks like this is not a used one :
https://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-ER3...652HPH/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3GH4SNWL9TM0Q&dchild=1

P.S. How / where can I read the graphs you're mentioning?

Crinacle comparison tool, the ER3XR are warmer mostly because they have less upper-mids and highs.

https://crinacle.com/graphs/iems/graphtool/?share=IEF_Neutral_Target,ER3XR,ER2XR_S3

 

[Bacchinif]

Looks like this is not a used one :
https://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-ER3...652HPH/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3GH4SNWL9TM0Q&dchild=1


Crinacle comparison tool, the ER3XR are warmer mostly because they have less upper-mids and highs.

https://crinacle.com/graphs/iems/graphtool/?share=IEF_Neutral_Target,ER3XR,ER2XR_S3

So sorry for having missed your message.

Do you think that the slightly warmer tone is audible by normal ears?

Concerning the Amazon link you just sent me, I'm not that keen in buying that model because:

- It's lightly more expensive than the renewed ones (100 USD vs 75 USD)

- I initially thought that the prices were tax included, as I was forgetting most of the prices in the US market are with no taxes

- With the shipping costs the grand total is 142 USD = 125 EUR, which is not that convenient anymore (the same pair costs 160 EUR here and the 35 EUR difference is not worth the international shipping anymore).

 

[jmwant]

Hi everyone, it's been quite a while I haven't posted anything but I've continued to read many interesting threads in here. I'm opening a new thread because as many of us I'm still struggling to find an IEM that 100% satisfies me.

At the moment I'm using:

1 More Quad Driver [Owned]
Pro: build quality, portability, comfort, decent bass, sound generally warmer
Cons: poor soundstage and separation in my opinion, poor recording quality

Moondrop Aria [Owned]
Pro: good soundstage and clarity
Cons: portability, comfort, no microphone, sound extremely linear and cold

Etymotic ER2XR / SE
Want to try them as accordingly to Crinacle's IEM list it's the best of the three for my budget (max 150€).

I'm listening to all of my IEMs via notebook and smartphone with an USB-C / Jack DAC (Creative SoundBlaster G3) that has it's own interface with a graphic EQ. In the past I've also used Peace Audio Equalizer (interface for EqualizerAPO) which gives more control on the final output.

What I listen to?
Pretty much everything and I don't have a specific genre I'm sticking to. Most of the time I listen to rock / pop music from the 70s to 90s.

What sound I like?
Warm and clear! I'm not a fan of linear / chirurgical sound, but I really like a warmer tone without loosing too much of clarity and separation.

I had the Er2xr and Aria. The treble on the etys sound rolled off. The mids are quite good but occasionally sounded cold. I got rid of these both and got FiiO FH3. To me it sounds like an upgrade, I mostly listen to Rock, metal. From Pink Floyd to Septicflesh.

 

[zest]

Sorry for answering late.

Do you think that the slightly warmer tone is audible by normal ears?

The 1-5 kHz is the frequency range that is the most sensitive for the human ear and the big dips around 7 and 12 kHz could be noticeable too.