16% of 77 verified Etymotic ER2XRowners don't recommend it — based on real owner comments from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube.
For balance: 48% recommend it. This page collects the complaints so you know what you're signing up for — read the full owner report for both sides. How we score
“Man I got scammed like you when I bought these iems some years ago haha these things only work well if the recording of the songs is absolutely perfect”— morkfjellet on Reddit
“I wish I liked mine, they sound *incredibly* lifeless to me, and so they usually stay in their pouch.”— blargh4 on Reddit
“All of you that have been scared of these were right and I’m switching back to foam tips now.”— SirNarwhal on Reddit
“I loved these headphones! Until they caused really bad impacted earwax issues in both ears.”— helikophis on Reddit
“Those little frosted tips are the worst, they come off the earphone so easily.”— RoyHehe on Reddit
“it was enough to make me switch to Comply foam tips immediately.”— TrinityEcho on Reddit
“Another reason I just don't want to ever own any Etymotics.”— Vulcanicloud on Reddit
“I always tell people that etymotic’s are for masochists”— fishie-the-fish on Reddit
“Lying on an Ety stem can be very painful.”— ganchan2019 on Reddit
“There goes my money down the drain”— hoverboardholligan on Reddit
“I don't like extremely deep fits.”— Miller_TM on Reddit
“2's are my least favourite.”— Vadim_M on Reddit
Not complaints — practical notes from owners that didn't affect the score.
“I've had the tips get stuck a few times myself, though I've always been able to get them out with some patience. Sucks that you ended up having to go to the ER to get them removed.”— MiddleEmphasis6759 on Reddit
“They start to wear out after a time. That is why they have replacements. That said, have had them stuck, though was lucky I could still get them out on my own.”— frankinreddit on Reddit
“The issue for sleeping with these isn't strangling, it's that they stick out a lot so you can't turn your head on the side without poking your ear drum.”— TemuPacemaker on Reddit
“Haha happened to me twice, although I was able to get something a little sharp to get into the 3rd round silicone and pull it out. Still not fun tho lmao”— NYCrucial on Reddit
“The Mays aren’t great at isolating either. They do ok if I get a really good fit. The Etymotics look great for that. I do like that the Mays have the DAC out of the box. What do you use as a DAC with your ER2XRs?”— swaits on Reddit
“Nice review man...I'm expecting an ER2XR in the mail either tomorrow or Monday and after reading your review I'm even more excited to hear it.”— Jeffreyrock on Reddit
“You're probably better off getting a USB C adapter or DAC. The connectors on 3rd party cables always end up huge on etymotics.”— Iamaspicylatinman on Reddit
“Obviously the headroom is greater with the 5K. However phone still had plenty of headroom as well. I mean 116dB SPL/V@1kHz with Impedance of 18 ohm is not exactly 'hard to drive'.”— RNKKNR on Reddit