Aful Explorer VS Etymotic ER2XR

IEM Comparison: Expert & Community Scores Side-by-Side

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Aful Explorer and Etymotic ER2XR use 1DD+2BA and 1DD driver setups respectively. Aful Explorer costs $120 while Etymotic ER2XR costs $100. Aful Explorer is $20 more expensive. Aful Explorer holds a decisive 1.7-point edge in reviewer scores (7.1 vs 5.4). Aful Explorer has better bass with a 0.5-point edge, Aful Explorer has significantly better treble with a 2.1-point edge, Aful Explorer has significantly better dynamics with a 4-point edge, Aful Explorer has significantly better soundstage with a 2-point edge, Aful Explorer has significantly better details with a 1.5-point edge and Aful Explorer has significantly better imaging with a 2-point edge.

Insights

Metric Aful Explorer Etymotic ER2XR
Bass 6.5 6
Mids 6.2 6.3
Treble 6.8 4.8
Details 6.5 5
Soundstage 7 5
Imaging 6.5 4.5
Dynamics 7 3
Tonality 7 5.8
Technicalities 6.6 5.1

Aful Explorer Aggregated Review Score

Average Reviewer Scores

Smirk Audio Gizaudio Axel Shuwa-T Jays Audio
Jaytiss Audionotions
Z-Reviews Super* Review

Average Reviewer Score:

7.1

Generally Favorable


Etymotic ER2XR Aggregated Review Score

Average Reviewer Scores

Jaytiss
Nymz
Precogvision Jays Audio Tim Tuned
Gizaudio Axel
Super* Review

Average Reviewer Score:

5.4

Mixed to Negative


Aful Explorer User Review Score

Average User Scores

Average User Score: n/a

Based on 0 user reviews

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Etymotic ER2XR User Review Score

Average User Scores

Average User Score: n/a

Based on 0 user reviews

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Aful Explorer Gaming Score

Gaming Score & Grade

  • The gaming score is prioritizing technical capabilities of the IEM (Separation, Layering, Soundstage) and good value.

Gaming Score

6.7

Gaming Grade

B+

Etymotic ER2XR Gaming Score

Gaming Score & Grade

  • The gaming score is prioritizing technical capabilities of the IEM (Separation, Layering, Soundstage) and good value.

Gaming Score

5.3

Gaming Grade

C+

Aful Explorer Scorings

Average Technical & Tuning Grades

Average Tunign Grade

A-
  • Generally enjoyable tonal character with some noticeable unevenness. Maintains listenability while showing room for refinement in frequency balance.

Average Technical Grade

B+
  • Satisfactory technical performance. Handles basic detail retrieval adequately in most tracks. Maintains reasonable cohesion in simpler arrangements.
Bass B+
Good bass foundation with decent impact. Maintains acceptable control while providing satisfying thump in most tracks.
Mids B
Good midrange presence with solid clarity. Vocals are clear and instruments have reasonable texture and body.
Treble B+
Good treble response - clear and detailed without fatigue. Well-extended with proper air and sparkle.
Dynamics A-
Excellent dynamics with great contrast and speed. Transients are crisp and micro-details are clearly articulated.
Soundstage A-
Excellent spatial presentation - wide, deep and tall. Precise instrument placement with clear separation in all dimensions.
Details B+
Good resolution with clear articulation of nuances. Reveals recording nuances and maintains clarity in complex passages.
Imaging B+
Good imaging with precise instrument placement. Clear localization within the soundstage including front/back positioning.
Gaming B+
Respectable environmental presentation favors atmosphere over precision. Detects obvious directional cues while conveying game world ambiance.

Etymotic ER2XR Scorings

Average Technical & Tuning Grades

Average Tunign Grade

B-
  • Generally enjoyable tonal character with some noticeable unevenness. Maintains listenability while showing room for refinement in frequency balance.

Average Technical Grade

C+
  • Satisfactory technical performance. Handles basic detail retrieval adequately in most tracks. Maintains reasonable cohesion in simpler arrangements.
Bass B
Good bass foundation with decent impact. Maintains acceptable control while providing satisfying thump in most tracks.
Mids B
Good midrange presence with solid clarity. Vocals are clear and instruments have reasonable texture and body.
Treble C
Average treble performance - present but lacking refinement. Some graininess or splashiness affects clarity.
Dynamics D
Noticeably compressed dynamics. Musical expression suffers with weak transients and poor contrast between quiet and loud sections.
Soundstage C+
Decent spatial presentation with noticeable width. Some depth perception but height dimension remains underdeveloped.
Details C+
Decent detail retrieval. Handles most textures adequately though micro-details and ambient cues could be more pronounced.
Imaging C
Average imaging - reasonable localization but lacks specificity. Instruments have general positions but lack pinpoint accuracy.
Gaming C+
Fundamental left/right positioning with limited depth perception. Works for non-competitive gaming but lacks precision.

Aful Explorer Reviews

Z-Reviews 8.5 * score normalized
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Super* Review 8* * score normalized
Relaxed upper mid-range. Vocals sound a little bit more forward than instruments. Smooth treble performance.

Super* Review original ranking

Super* Review Youtube Channel
- Super* Review
Jaytiss 7.6 Reviewer Score
B+ Tuning
A- Tech
The mids still upset me, but it sounds magical.

Jaytiss original ranking

Jaytiss Youtube Channel
- Jaytiss
Mids: C+ Treble: A- Dynamics: A- Soundstage: A
Audionotions 7 Reviewer Score
Relaxed and fun. Easy to listen to. A bit darker than my preferrd signature but I enjoyed this quite a bit. Loaner

Audionotions original ranking

Website (Audionotions)

- Audionotions
Smirk Audio 6.8 Reviewer Score
A- Tuning
B+ Tech
check links for more info:

Smirk Audio original ranking

Smirk Audio Head-Fi Profile

- Smirk Audio
Bass: A- Mids: A- Treble: A- Dynamics: A- Details: B+ Imaging: B+
Gizaudio Axel 6.5 Reviewer Score
A- Tuning
B+ Tech
Perfect for rock and metal. Smooth, relaxing tuning, great bass with good slam, rich mid-range, safe treble. Upper mids may be too relaxed for some, treble is a bit dark.

Gizaudio Axel original ranking

Gizaudio Axel Youtube Channel
- Gizaudio Axel
Shuwa-T 6.4 Reviewer Score
B Tuning
B+ Tech
check links for more info:

Shuwa-T original ranking

Shuwa-T Website

- Shuwa-T
Bass: B Mids: B+ Treble: B+ Soundstage: B+ Details: B+ Imaging: B+
Jays Audio 6 Reviewer Score
A+ Tuning
B+ Tech
High volume set, very immersive, scales great with no sharpness, wide staging, enough detail/extension, good bass, just crank it up and enjoy the music.

Jays Audio original ranking

Jays Audio Youtube Channel
- Jays Audio
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Price: $107.99

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Etymotic ER2XR Reviews

Super* Review 7* * score normalized
Gizaudio Axel 6 Reviewer Score
A Tuning
B- Tech
Great tuning with natural vocals and safe treble. The fit.

Gizaudio Axel original ranking

Gizaudio Axel Youtube Channel
- Gizaudio Axel
Precogvision 5.7 Reviewer Score
B Tuning
C+ Tech
Controlled bass and darker treble. Narrow imaging, but solid technicalities for a single DD.

Precogvision original ranking

Precogvision Youtube Channel
- Precogvision
Bass: B Mids: A- Treble: C+ Dynamics: C+ Details: C+ Imaging: C+
Jays Audio 5.5 Reviewer Score
A- Tuning
B+ Tech
An ER2SE with better bass control.

Jays Audio original ranking

Jays Audio Youtube Channel
- Jays Audio
Tim Tuned 5.5 Reviewer Score
B- Tuning
A- Tech
Great detail and solid tuning Intrusive fit

Tim Tuned original ranking

Tim Tuned Youtube Channel
- Tim Tuned
Bass: A- Mids: A+ Treble: A-
Nymz 4.9 Reviewer Score
C+ Tuning
C Tech
Sub-100usd king. Great for the price, punching above, but fit is a major problem - I use it with comply foams. Lacks stage depth due to fit. Hard to drive.

Nymz original ranking

Nymz Website

- Nymz
Bass: C+ Mids: C+ Treble: C+ Details: C+ Imaging: C-
Jaytiss 3.5 Reviewer Score
D+ Tuning
E+ Tech
Legendary iem. But I can't even.

Jaytiss original ranking

Jaytiss Youtube Channel
- Jaytiss
Mids: C+ Treble: E+ Dynamics: E- Soundstage: C+

Aful Explorer User Reviews

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Etymotic ER2XR User Reviews

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