Here's my initial views on ER2XR from an other forum, enjoy!
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Etymotic ER2XR early views
My journey to find a fulfilling, isolating and easy to use IEM has led to
ER2XR - basically a dynamic Ety with some real bass and a competitive price (150€ new from Ebay). I've avoided many years delving into the sea of chi-fi, custom, BA, DD etc. IEM models around and concentrated on headbanded models for at-home and on-the-go. For reference, here's some of my previous IEM experiences:
- CA Andromeda - good fit, awesome SS, detail, mids etc. Pretty as hell. Way too thin and lacking body in noisy environments though. Cable was pretty noisy for the price. The OI causes real problems, does it really have to be that low? These were pretty good for home-use, but still lacked heft. And I don't use IEMs indoors. Might have worked ok'ish with Ety levels of isolation.
- UE TripleFi 10 - kind of thin too with terrible fit caused by very thick nozzle, ok detail-wise
- Sennheiser IE8 - easy fit and great cable. Agreeable tuning therefore these have gotten lots of use. SQ though is very grainy, midbassy with some annoying peaks up top. Sound-wise competes with some under 50€ models, maybe.
- Shozy Zero - cheapo chi-fi with a basically agreeable warm tuning, good bass extension. Loads of grain/distortion masking details. Terribly noisy non-removable cable though is the reason these get "Zero" use.
My initial thoughts of this DD Etymotic:
Insertion
Knowing these need to sit DEEP in the ear, insertion with stock (smaller) silicones was a breeze, nice! Well, that didn't last long - using these on a walk the seal broke repeatedly on my left ear. I needed to man up and start shoving them huge & long foams deep into my head, sigh. Once that was done with some force & trickery they were stuck in and going nowhere, nice! Would have been cool to get there with the "easier" tips though. (Only tried to insert the large silicones once, a painful experience 'twas.)
Isolation
Crazy good isolation, not even my earplugs kill the speakers playing in the same room like this. Biggest surprise is how much they cut lows, very much like my QC35 ANCs. (I guess you need that third flange / that much deeper insertion to get here. Tyll described this well in his ER4XR review.) This is what makes inserting these worth it. I bet this goes for all Etys. I thought previously that low rumbles could really only be killed with ANC, you live & learn I guess.
Amping etc.
these do sound better out of ADI-2 DAC's IEM out than iPhone 6s+, with which the volume needs to be pushed to about 3/4 to get nice & loud, but I have no problem getting along with this downgrade when out-and-about. Cable is very pliable and of good quality, but it does make some noise when walking. The provided clip comes handy.
First SQ impressions
Highs
It has no readily audible peaks and are kind of mellow esp at first. Detail is pretty good but not TOTL great like the Andros. Very pleasing in amount and colour. Having no annoying characteristics here is a big plus in my book.
Mids
...Are just lovely, vocals sound nicely upfront and very life-like. In my experience with IEMs these and Andros are the only ones that get the timbre really right - a believable vocal tone just hooks me. I'm pretty easy to please, but there's lot to love here. This kind of pleasant and correct vocal timbre reminds me of the HD600-series. Yeah, for vocals this thing shines. There's some nice emphasis on the vocal range for sure, but nothing honky etc. happening here.
Bass
This was my biggest fear, but phew these do quite respectably here - with proper insertion there's plenty of lows and "meat on the bone" overall. There's some mid-bass emphasis for sure adding to the overall warm signature, kind of reminds me of HD650 a bit. This kind of warmth isn't my exact favourite coloring, but it's very easy to live with. There's some subs presence too, but it's not really upfront and gets a bit pushed back because of the prominent +100hz. There might be some bloom affecting the mids, but I haven't had enough time to notice or get bothered with it.
Soundstage
This isn't a deal-breaker for me, but these do not sound very wide or spacious. Andromeda did much, much better here. I'm not an expert in describing SS factors anyhow, so I'll leave it at that.
Last thoughts
I'm sure my ears need more hours to truly get to terms with these, but I'm feeling content for the first time with an IEM. CA Andromeda were a real revelation to me of what IEMs can do, even if they didn't get there for me balance-wise. ER2XR is a step in a very good direction, to say the least.
Have you guys tried these, or even better compared to ER3XR or ER4XR?
I'll report back when / if things start to get on my nerves, cheers folks!