Drop + Etymotic - ER2XR

Using them rn, lovely sound. Had to eq tho

Which ANC headphones to bring for flights, cafés, and coworking spaces is a hot topic; lots of good offerings out there these days. I’ve been down that road too, but as a frugal "onebag" traveler flying personal item only, after switching to Etymotic ER2XR in-ear monitors, I don’t think I’ll go back to over-ear ANC cans. Here’s why they work so well for travel: * **Isolation that rivals ANC Headphones** \- Deep-insertion seal blocks \~35–40 dB across a wide freq. range. On planes, in cafés, walking down a busy street,...outside sound just disappears.  My wife has regular conference calls in the same room, and I can't hear a darn thing w/ a bit of music playing.  I can't hear the microwave going off 3 feet behind my head, nor the A/C hum, and if the fire alarm goes off, I may be the last out of the building. * **Compact & light** \- They coil up small enough to fit in any pocket like wireless earbuds, unlike bulky ANC headphones and cases. * **Durable & modular** \- Minimal moving parts and electronics.  With filters and cables treated as wear items, they can last 8-10+ years and no batteries to charge or degrade! * **Great sound quality** \- Neutral with a subtle bass lift. I like a V-shaped freq. response, and they respond very well to EQ (I set it once and forget it using Wavelet on Android and EQ software on a laptop). * **Affordable** \- \~$100, cheaper than most ANC headphones while providing similar isolation. * **Low maintenance** \- I wash the eartips with soap every few days and haven't had to replace any filters yet, but it's nice to know they are available.  Just don't get the cable tangled up in a rotary buffer, and you'll be good. ;) * **Comfort can be tuned** \- Deep fit isn’t for everyone, but aftermarket tips or Etymotic’s smaller triple-flange tips help.  I have small ears, and the smaller triple flanges were a game changer. * **Flexible use** \- Works with in-flight entertainment, can pair with a tiny Bluetooth adapter, and optional mic cables are available. * **Backup friendly** \- I keep a cheap set of wireless earbuds for calls and as a lightweight backup, but the ER2XRs do 95% of the heavy lifting. For me, they’ve provided all the isolation of ANC headphones in a package the size of earbuds, with fewer things to charge, break, or degrade.  Something to consider for frugal travelers considering weight, size, and money. Happy listening/travels! 

I enjoy my wired IEMs and find they have a lot of the benefits of ANC headphones, but save me weight and money for my travels.

20 years. It's amazing! I just take the weight hit and carry a cheap pair of wireless earbuds when I need ultimate convenience, but I hear you on the headphone jack. I also carry a tiny Bluetooth adapter to use my Etymotic's wirelessly when the occasion suits me. I probably should have emphasized battery stuff more, but I did say "degrade." 🫣😆

That's a bummer. In that case I'd take the downsides of high end ANC headphones in a heartbeat. Can't mess with our hearing!

It’s hard to find much better than the ER2XR, imo. I’ve been rockin’ the ARTTI T10 this year but the Etys are pretty darn perfect for most anything I want.

I wouldn't use the ER2XR but I mixed an EP on the ER4SRs on a tour bus once. Obviously I checked it in the studio after the tour was done, but it came out great. In general, using IEMs with a Harman tuning will result in bass-light mixes if you are used to working on nearfield monitors that are anechoic-flat. You will want to use something with much more restrained low end.

It could be because the ER2XR has \*relatively\* recessed mids compared to the ER4s. It has the biggest bass boost of any of Etymotics' IEMs, and pretty sizzly treble too, so it could be that those boosts masked what you needed to hear in the mids (where flutter echo from small rooms typically causes the most problems). I have used the ER4S or 4SR for years as my monitors while working as a boom op or location recordist. They have always given me a very clear picture of what the room is doing to the recorded sound.

SR not XR. The XR has boosted bass, which I wouldn't use for mixing.

Not sure about balanced but etymology er2xr is as neutral as it gets.

Etymotic er2xr comes to mind. If you can get used to the fit, it has realistic timbre.

Etymotic ER2XR. These are GOAT material for $100.00 or less. https://preview.redd.it/91ct3lqym4gf1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=367531abe6ef57e904fca8d5ab7d8d894458c0c2

I'd recommend the Etymotic ER2XR. Some people would go for the ER2SE, but they're too "flat". At least, my ears feel the XR are more natural sounding. They're also like $70.00 sometimes, and usually $99.00 https://preview.redd.it/twi61zd90u0g1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=127308c6c86eb67aca96b99a3252eced8d984d25

Then again, the Hexa and the ER2XR are very close, at least in FR graph. https://preview.redd.it/q2l9ilhp0u0g1.png?width=2400&format=png&auto=webp&s=28cba55b98859cfe1bc6a580466bf666bbc49473

Not at all. I have some really new and $100+ expensive sets, and I still go back to my ER2XR.

If you want some proper noise isolation, the etymotic er2xr paired with a qudelix 5k will block out pretty much anything you throw at it, and will have strong Bluetooth with endless equaliser options. The 5k has a clip too, so you can just attach it to the edge of any clothing. Edit: etymotic does sell a Bluetooth adapter for these earphones too, although it is a little pricier. It removes the need for the bottom half of the cable, so you can clip it to the top of your shirt and the wires just go straight to the earphones out of each end. The fiio utws5 are a set of Bluetooth ear hook adaptors that might also work with these, but the input angle of the etymotic may make it incompatible.

Etymotic ER2XR with the dual flange tips.

For me Etymotic ER2XR with the dual flange tips.

Not on your list but check out the Etymotic ER2XR. $100 new and just perfect to my ears. With the dual flange tips they disappear in my ears after a few minutes.

Etymotic ER2XR with dual flange tips. Like and use them more than my HD600s and Auteur Classics.

Check out the Etymotic ER2XR with the dual flange tips. I love them for the same past times.

I'd start with the Etymotic ER2XR with the dual flange tips.

ER2XR has replaceable cables. MMCX.

These are the ones.

Etymotic ER2XR is the classic neutral IEM with a tasteful bass boost. ER2SE will be true neutral.

I'm in the same boat. If I could only keep one set it would be the ER2XR.

Neutral: Etymotic ER2SE. Warm Neutral: Etymotic ER2XR. I like the dual flange tips. The triple goes a bit too deep for me.

Yes! I’ve tried the er2xr and the overall tonality is great, but the technical performance like sound stage aren’t great imo

It adds more bass but it's actually bringing it to the correct amount of bass. The ER2SE is actually anemic in bass by comparison.

Soundstage. Some IEMs just have pretty godawful soundstage, ie Etymotic ER2XR. If an Etymotic ER2xr had fantastic soundstage wouldn't that be a dream. :D But it's mainly soundstage. I should mention that some IEMs that are great for gaming can be HORRIBLE and dogshit for vocals, ie the Supermix 4. I'm sure it's great for gaming. Godawful for vocals. For people who love the Supermix4, you likely don't listen to the same music as I do. It's hecking terrible for music.

I used ER2xr but found it didn't have as much soundstage. But Er4sr have a bit more soundstage then?

So I actually kinda bought a ton of IEMs to answer this question too. I was trying to find something that works for voiceover, for mixing, for critical editing, and for checking how mics sound in reviews. If I had to choose under $300, here’s my categories: * Mixing: Neutral enough to translate well on different setups (HD6xx, speakers, etc.) * Critical editing: Can it expose bad audio or does it hide flaws? * Monitoring: How good it is for hearing your own voice accurately. * Enjoyment: Just how fun it is to listen to. Letshouer Galileo Mixing: Excellent Critical Editing: Excellent Monitoring: Excellent (voice literally sounds just like me when monitoring) Enjoyment: Low Moondrop Blessing 2 / Blessing 3 Mixing: Excellent Critical Editing: Excellent Monitoring: Excellent Enjoyment: Low (pretty harsh, basically MDR-7506s in IEM form) Zigaat Lush Mixing: Excellent Critical Editing: Below average unless you crank the volume on sibilant spots Monitoring: Excellent Enjoyment: Good

Etymotic ER2XR / ER4XR Mixing: Below average (soundstage is too 2D) Critical Editing: Excellent Monitoring: Excellent Enjoyment: Okay Crinacle Daybreak (surprisingly) Mixing: Depends—more “Meta” neutral than Etymotic-style Critical Editing: Excellent (picks up sibilance like crazy, great for catching issues) Monitoring: Excellent Enjoyment: High Xuan NV (big surprise) Mixing: No, too much bass Critical Editing: Excellent (vocals are super accurate for both male and female) Monitoring: Iffy—low impedance can be weird with interfaces like the MOTU M2 Enjoyment: High Thieaudio Legacy 2 Mixing: Excellent Critical Editing: Excellent Monitoring: Excellent Enjoyment: Decent Cadenza 4 Mixing: Excellent Critical Editing: Excellent Monitoring: Excellent Enjoyment: Excellent Orchestra Lite Mixing: Excellent (surprisingly neutral—not bright like Blessing 2/3, not warm like Dusk or Lush) Critical Editing: Excellent Monitoring: Excellent Enjoyment: Excellent Basically the Studio4 but more revealing with sibilance instead of smoothing it out. Hexa I don’t really recommend it—too many fit issues and inconsistent impressions. If you do try it, use wide-bore tips (not narrow). Video explaining why: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9x-T8el9fbs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9x-T8el9fbs) Hope this helps.

Update: Something new added. Softears Studio4. Subjective opinion: HD600 - Neutral HD650/6xx - Warm neutral Truth Hexa - Bright neutral (thin sounding imo) Blessing 2 - Bright neutral like Hexa but better soundstage. More detail. I do recommend adding a bit of acoustic foam in the tips to vastly improve the audio though. Simple mod here--> [https://youtu.be/gsQIODnxmVQ](https://youtu.be/gsQIODnxmVQ) I do feel the Blessing 2 and Hexa were both a bit anemic with bass. ER2XR - Dead-on neutral. I strongly recommend getting the red adapter from the Final Audio tips as it allows you to use it with all tips. This has a bit more bass than Hexa. But I much prefer it and think it sounds more accurate or "neutral"

ie200, meze alba, Aful explorer, etymotic er2xr with Final audio E red adapter + whatever eartip you want, Theioaudoio Legacy 2, all tanchjim stuff, Moondrop LAN 2,

The best way to figure out which reviewers to trust is to start with something you know extremely well and work backward. For me, that was the ER2XR — I looked up reviews, found who heard it the same way I did, and followed those people. Here’s my personal breakdown of reviewers and how well they tend to align with my ears: **Zeos** Fun and entertaining, but not useful for accuracy. He says everything is good. **AndyVault** He has a very enthusiastic, flowery review style where almost everything comes across as good or great. The issue for me is that he uses that same “everything is excellent” language even on IEMs I personally know are weak or are bad. So I don't trust his reviews at all. **Akros** Smart guy with real insight, but his delivery is extremely long, dense, and meandering. There *is* good information in there — it just takes work to extract it. I use Gemini to summarize his videos in seconds. **AudioAmigo** Very solid impressions and good comparative descriptions. Where I differ: his ranking charts can feel inconsistent (some placements don’t match how he describes things). But his explanations of tonality and technical differences are useful. I think adding a quick “sound signature” summary (V-shaped / Meta / Warm) would make his reviews even stronger. It's so odd he doesn't add one. **Paul Wasabii** Consistently excellent. Honest, straightforward, and clear about both strengths and weaknesses. Uses graphs well and explains *why* something might sound the way it does. Very reliable for me. He will let you know if the IEM isn't good. **Prime Audio Reviews** He kinda talks like Dankpods lol. One of my favorites. Concise, clean, and to the point. Good at highlighting what works and what doesn’t. Just a very easy reviewer to follow because he doesn’t waste time and he's concise and on point. **Honest Audiophile** Great at describing sound, honest about flaws, and very detailed. The only thing I skip is the long source-chain discussions (he goes like 10 minutes over what source he uses) — they go deeper than I personally need. He just needs a screenshot for that (and his videos would be 10 minutes shorter on every single one) Everything else is very high quality. **Sharur** Pure entertainment. Everything is bad. And you are bad. **Mark (Super Reviews)** Well-structured and honest. Even though our preferences don’t perfectly match, he’s extremely reliable about sibilance and brightness. If *he* says something is too sharp, that’s a serious warning — because he likes brighter tunings than I do. **Audio-In Reviews** High production value. But they drag on too long. I just skip to the middle of his video because that's when the review actually starts, ie not looking for a video of an IEM sitting on a coffee wall for 7 minutes. I have shit to do. I often disagree with his impressions on certain sets (e.g., Meze Alba, Kefine Delci). I cared nothing for those iems and imo I have better iems I much prefer. It might simply come down to taste: he seems to enjoy tunings like Alba/Delci more than I do, and that’s where our preferences diverge. **JaysAudio** About 50/50 for me. He’s good at comparing graph-similar IEMs and has a solid sense of value, which I appreciate. But his preferences lean noticeably bright, and that influences some of his conclusions. I always keep that in mind when watching him. He loves Simgot and touts Simgot often in his reviews. I hate all Simgot iems rofl. They are ALL trash.

Going to use a grading system: A, B, C, D, F like in school A means excellent B is good C is average D is bad F is absolute fail **Mixing:** Going to avoid using the word "neutral" because then every mofo comes in the thread saying, what's neutral. Let's use the word "even-keeled'. Good iems for mixing are generally more even-keeled. If it has way too much bass you'll thin out your mix. If it's way too trebly and bright and shouty you're going to overcompensate. Ideally you want something more even-keeled. **Enjoyability:** Subjective. But how enjoyable it is **Critical Editing:** This isn't the same as mixing. But it means will it let you know if you have shit audio. If I listen to Kanye's sibilant ass tracks does he sound sibilant on them? If I listen to Lana White Dress is she sibilant on it? She better be. If I watch a DMS video from 6 years ago, does he sound sibilant on it? He better. Because he does. This is important because you need to evaluate your audio and the iem lets you know your audio is shit before thousands of people hear it. Etymotic ERXR Enjoyability: C to B to A. Pretty good, depending on who you ask Critical editing: A+. Very good at letting you know areas of trouble in your audio Mixing: D. Poor soundstage Truthear Hexa Enjoyability: D. I hate it Critical editing: A+ with wide bore tips Mixing: C. Imo actually a bit thin on lowend. You'll overcompensate. Also the soundstage on Hexa is kinda eh ngl. Salnotes Zero Original Enjoyability: C. I think it's ok. Or mid. Critical editing: B. Honestly pretty good at letting you know egregious areas. The version 1 is less forgiving with sibilance than 2, so it's better for critical editing. Zero 2 blunts the sibilance out (better for enjoyers; bad for audio engineers) Mixing: A. pretty neutral imo Softears Studio 4 Enjoyability: A to A+. Very enjoyable IEM Critical editing: D. Ironically. It smooths out all sibilance so you won't know sibilance is there. This is why it's so beautiful sounding. Mixing: A+. Very neutral. I'd even say probably my closest definition of neutral Moondrop Blessing 2 Enjoyability: D (harsh, shouty, bright, sibilant). Same with Blessing 3. Critical Editing: A. These are very picky with harshness in vocals. I genuinely think these are the Sony MDR 7506 in iem form. Mixing: A Zigaat Lush Enjoyability: B to A Critical Editing: C You won't really find problem areas of sibilance. You really really really have to crank it to hear it. Mixing: A. Pretty even-keeled. Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite: Enjoyability: B to C Critical Editing: A. Excellent at picking out flaws. Mixing: A+. Excellent at telling you the whole picture. Excellent for mixing. Very very even-keeled.

Letshouer Cadenza 4 Enjoyability: A to A+ Critical Editing: B to A Mixing: A. While a bit U-shaped it's not egregious. It's enough to make decisions. Sennheiser IE200 Enjoyability: B to A Critical Editing: D to F (rounds out a lot of sibilance imo, which is actually a good thing for enjoyers). Mixing: B. Kind of shocking but while people call this v-shaped this is actually not as v-shaped imo. If you monitor yourself using these iems it'll sound exactly like you down to the microphone. Most other v-shaped iems don't do that. Crinacle Daybreak Enjoyability: B to A- Critical Editing: A (rofl. It's funny because it genuinely is good at picking out bad audio. If it sounds harsh it's because the original track is harsh) Mixing: B (This is more of a "Meta" tuned iem. But imo just enough where it sounds true) Crinacle Dusk Enjoyability: B to A+ (depending on who you ask) Critical Editing: C on Analogue. F on DSP. It rolls out sibilance by quite a large margin. Mixing: A on analogue mode. Honestly pretty neutral. almost HD600ish. But about a C on DSP mode. Tanchjim Origin Enjoyability: C to A (depending on who you ask) Critical editing: A (it'll definitely let you know spicy regions Mixing: A. A bit bright-slanted but definitely capable for mixing. Theioaudio Legacy 2: Enjoyability: C Critical editing: A+ Mixing: A+ Xuan NV (honorable mention) Enjoyability: A Critical editing: B Mixing: D (too bassy imo) I mention these because imo these are the Audio Technica M50x of iems but the size of 2 quarters. They basically give you accurate vocals down to the tee but thumpy bass. The vocals are very accurate on these. Not good for mixing though. Dunu Titan S (original) Enjoyability: C Critical editing: D (the treble is rounded out quite a bit) mixing: A (these are my imo pretty close to neutral)

PART 2 That said, a quick clarification on the Hexa. While it's not the "truth," it's not useless for mixing. If you can get your mix to sound clean and well-balanced on the Hexa, you're probably in good shape for how your track will sound on most consumer gear. It's not a tool for finding problems, but for making sure your fixes sound right to the average person. But then that raises another question: Does that mean the Etymotic ER series is great for mixing? Imo it's great for editing. Not good for mixing. Etys reveal flaws really well, but they don’t give the most trustworthy picture of a full mix. Why? They have no soundstage. From my experience editing voiceover, I’d notice they couldn’t detect issues with people's booths, specifically the acoustics around the microphone. This also means they aren’t very good for things like gaming because they lack soundstage. What about the Truthear Pure? No. The Pure isn’t accurate at all. It has a very warm tilt that will make you think your tracks have more low-end than they really have. What about all the IEMs that are the 'new Meta'? No. These aren't accurate either. They are conformed to a frequency response where most people find music enjoyable—a new Harman target. Ironically, not only is this target not 'neutral' for critical listening, but it also doesn't even sound good. Sounds bleh. Let's get back to the playbook. What would I recommend? I'd actually say the Moondrop Blessing 2. Not the Dusk version. I have the Blessing 2 Dusk and the Crinacle Dusk. Neither of these two are accurate. A quick point on the Blessing 2. While I recommended them, they aren't perfectly accurate. They're intentionally a little harsh. They aren't the "truth" but rather a tool for finding problems—a "bug-finder," if you will. The original Blessing 2 reminds me of the Sony MDR-7506 with a lot more soundstage. Why is the 7506 so common in studios despite sounding like crap? Because it reveals every flaw in your recording. Studios don’t use the Sony MDR-7506 because it sounds “nice” — they use it because it’s brutally revealing. The joke among audio engineers is if you make it sound good on a 7506 it'll sound good on everything. The Blessing 2, with the default tips, will make you hear sibilance in soundtracks. You need something to tell you where the problems are. The issue with the Crinacle Dusk is that it rolls off the highs and hides flaws. That's great for musicality, but not for critical listening. For me, personally I'd use something like the Blessing 2 or the Studio4. I also want to add something that throws a wrench into all of this, but it's a crucial point. Mixing with something like AirPods Pro is not a bad idea at all, even though they sound nothing like the tools I just mentioned. Many people use them, and they are arguably the most common listening device for a massive audience. So while a truthful "bug-finder" like the Blessing 2 or a neutral headphone like the HD6xx is for doing the work, a consumer-grade device is an essential tool for cross-checking. Ultimately, your mix needs to sound good on your target audience's playback system. So, getting it right on your professional gear and then checking it on something common like AirPods Pro, a car stereo, or a laptop speaker is a non-negotiable step.

PART 1: I'm coming back to your post now 22 days later. Because I wanted to answer this question. So think of this as a better update/answer than what I gave you. From a point of simplification, there's monitoring (this means when you use a microphone your voice sounds pretty close to you). There's critical voiceover editing (this means you wear headphones you can accurately detect problems with your audio, ie sibilance, plosives, phasing issues, etc) Then there's mixing. mixing means you are generally trying to make everything comprehensive and cohesive and sounds good on many mediums, ie iphones, speakers, car speakers, cans, openbacks, everything basically. Here's my thoughts: The Tanchjim Origin/Tanchim Fission are good at all 3. The Westone Mach60s (bought recently) excel at all 3. To elaborate, when I use any microphone it sounds exactly like me. When I watch microphone reviews by Podcastage, Boothjunkie, Curtis Judd, not only does it sounds like them to the dot but it sounds exactly individually how that mic sounds on them. When I listen to male singers, they sound correct. When I listen to female singers they sound correct. But it also does a great job of pointing out flaws in audio, ie I can hear everything. But also these have a ton of soundstage. The Beyerdynamic DT70IE (bought recently) excel at all 3. Though I'd give the edge to the Mach60s. Vocally it's pretty on point, with my voice and others. I noticed a voiceactor on Youtube mentioning the same thing. Just be sure to use the silicone eartips and toss the sponge ones (those suck). The Shure SE846 (bought recently) can do all 3. However I used the blue filters (neutral) along with the the black adapter from the AZLA SednaEarfit Crystal Standard which allows you to use all eartips, ie Dunu S&S. It veers warmer than the Mach60s but it's still pretty on point. It reminds me a lot of my JBL 305 speakers on my desk. The Moondrop Blessing 2/Blessing 3/Cadenza 4 excel at all 3. I map these all the same. While not exactly the same they're pretty much in the same camp. If you own 1, you don't need the other. The Softears Studio4 is good at only 2. Monitoring and mixing. But it isn't good for critical editing for voiceover. This is because it tends to round out sibilance and round out flaws in audio. So you need to cross-check it with something like a Moondrop Blessing 2 or a Thieoaudio Legacy 2. The Etymotic ER2XR is only good at voiceover editing and monitoring. But because of its poor soundstage it's not good for mixing. The Crinacle Dusk is good for monitoring. Good for mixing. But not suitable for critical voiceover editing. You won't know you have sibilance and problems in your audio. It even smooths out DMS's old sibilant headphone videos. ie I use his old videos as a reference for detecting horrible sibilance. The Dunu Titan S (original) are good for monitoring and mixing (it's relatively neutral). But not good for critical editing. It completely smooths out harsh sibilance on female vocals. Wouldn't count on these. The Salnotes Zero (original) are surprisingly good for $20. They are perfectly fine for monitoring. They also give you a general sense of the landscape and can be used for mixing. I thought it was a meme when I saw a ton of audio engineers mentioning the Salnotes Zero (original) for mixing. It also is good with critical editing (but nowhere near as reliable) as other options but it'll definitely point out egregious areas with your audio. Not bad for $20. I'd still strongly recommend going with the Fission (with S nozzle) which almost the same as the Tanchim Origin for a good price.