[castleofargh]

The Salnotes are more sensitive -- 108dB vs. 96dB -- so that might account for the difference. As long as you're getting enough volume from the Etys to enjoy them, that's good.

I'd be surprised if a cable change makes much difference unless the original was defective. But usually a defective cable would give you no sound, interruptions or static, not reduced volume. But this one's a mystery....

No! The 108dB spec is when fed 1volt while the 96dB value of the Ety is for 1mW(not same units!!!). Once you convert, the Ety actually needs half the voltage to get as loud as the Zero. I didn't explain much but did mention it in my first post.
At least that's correct if the specs from 7Hz are accurate(no idea) and if I didn't fail when typing into Windows calculator. ^_^

 

[earmonger]

No! The 108dB spec is when fed 1volt while the 96dB value of the Ety is for 1mW(not same units!!!). Once you convert, the Ety actually needs half the voltage to get as loud as the Zero. I didn't explain much but did mention it in my first post.
At least that's correct if the specs from 7Hz are accurate(no idea) and if I didn't fail when typing into Windows calculator. ^_^

My bad, I missed that!

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Trying both the foam tips and a larger dual fang tip I didn't notice any noticeable difference in volume, I made sure to use multiple audio sources like usual so I'd get that out of the way.

Since it gets louder when you pull them out with the old tips you had on them, it's possible these other tips are also getting pinched. If anything slightly pulling out the foam wouldn't have it spring back to its old shape as quickly as the other tips. Does pulling them out a bit with the dual flange tips on still make them go louder, just out of curiosity?

Regardless given that was a thing with whatever you had on (presumably the triple flange) I'd try other tips. I don't mean just the ones in the box - try third party tips that fit it. These are relatively cheap, although of course you can't return them after trying them.

Instead for the power restrictions due to the regions law, I did change that in the settings. I don't think it goes beyond the standard settings here:

So I either need to tackle more complicated settings or that's it. The last two things I'm gonna try is using another cable as soon as it arrives, and try the earphones on my sister's laptop.

If this doesn't work, there's really a lack of capability in the hardware or there's a more complex process to getting around that software restricting the output, however...

More than issue since I don't even need the volume to be THAT high, it was more than a perplexity so I won't return the earphones unless the problem gets worse. To give a more concrete example, take this OST. On the Salnotes Zero the max volume is annoyingly loud, I just wouldn't listen to that for more than 10 seconds, on the other hand with the ER2SE beside the starting part it's just pleasantly loud, nothing you wouldn't normally listen.

This is extremely weird. The Zero's sensitivity is roughly 93dB/1mW, which puts its sensitivity a heck of a lot lower. Their impedance also are not far off. If anything, maybe your devices both just happen to drop output drastically below 32ohms, no longer as a matter of power per se but probably getting limited to maintain stability or control heat (but even then it's not like these circuits should just go totally distorted so even I doubt this), but there's still that output variance when the IEMs are markedly softer when the tips get pushed all the way in, so I'd still hedge my bets on all the tips you tried getting pinched as they do deeper into your ears.

 

[oddinvestigator]

The ER2SE *is* harder to drive than your average mid-fi iem. It requires more power than my other iems, Moondrop Aria, Moondrop Chu, Tripowin Olina SE, KZ ZSN PRO. Most phones should be enough to drive it

 

[MhanzABON]

Since it gets louder when you pull them out with the old tips you had on them, it's possible these other tips are also getting pinched. If anything slightly pulling out the foam wouldn't have it spring back to its old shape as quickly as the other tips. Does pulling them out a bit with the dual flange tips on still make them go louder, just out of curiosity?

Regardless given that was a thing with whatever you had on (presumably the triple flange) I'd try other tips. I don't mean just the ones in the box - try third party tips that fit it. These are relatively cheap, although of course you can't return them after trying them.




If this doesn't work, there's really a lack of capability in the hardware or there's a more complex process to getting around that software restricting the output, however...




This is extremely weird. The Zero's sensitivity is roughly 93dB/1mW, which puts its sensitivity a heck of a lot lower. Their impedance also are not far off. If anything, maybe your devices both just happen to drop output drastically below 32ohms, no longer as a matter of power per se but probably getting limited to maintain stability or control heat (but even then it's not like these circuits should just go totally distorted so even I doubt this), but there's still that output variance when the IEMs are markedly softer when the tips get pushed all the way in, so I'd still hedge my bets on all the tips you tried getting pinched as they do deeper into your ears.

I tried pretty much all the tips available that came with the Etymotic, pulling them back does make them louder always, expect for the foam tips but I think it's because I just can't insert them properly. By the way, just to clarify I'm using the small dual tips now, I used the triple fangs and the larget dual fangs very little, basically just for testing the difference. I also tried the earphones on an other laptop (whole other model) and they do sound a bit louder, so I think it's the earphones being generally quiet on my laptop AND the tips getting pinched in the ear, although I think this second one is still an acceptable reduction.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

I tried pretty much all the tips available that came with the Etymotic, pulling them back does make them louder always, expect for the foam tips but I think it's because I just can't insert them properly. By the way, just to clarify I'm using the small dual tips now, I used the triple fangs and the larget dual fangs very little, basically just for testing the difference. I also tried the earphones on an other laptop (whole other model) and they do sound a bit louder, so I think it's the earphones being generally quiet on my laptop AND the tips getting pinched in the ear, although I think this second one is still an acceptable reduction.

If the dual flange doesn't have as bad a problem with volume reduction when pushed in and it otherwise stays in your ears and blocks out noise well enough, I'd say stick with that one.

If you still need to crank it up to how loud other laptops go, then it really seems like you should just get a DAC-HPamp later on.