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Company ProductName Specs
What we think
The PerfectRec Earbuds or Headphones team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
If you prioritize sound quality for music, the Etymotic ER2SE provides better fidelity, but it lacks a microphone, so it's not suitable for calls. For gamers, the Sennheiser 450BT offers low latency, making them better for gaming and TV. The Sennheisers also feature active noise cancelling, making them more suitable for air travel and noisy environments. The Etymotic earbuds, while less expensive, offer excellent noise isolation due to their in-ear design. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Etymotic ER2SE
- Very good for music
Advantages of the Sennheiser 450BT
- Very good for gaming
- Very good for TV and video
- Excellent for air travel
Key differences
Music
8.8
6.2
The Etymotic ER2SE is very good for music, while the Sennheiser 450BT is only fair.
Gaming
6.2
8.8
The Sennheiser 450BT is very good for gaming, while the Etymotic ER2SE is only fair.
Phone Calls
4.9
6.9
The Sennheiser 450BT is only fair for phone calls, while the Etymotic ER2SE is poor.
Battery
N/A
27.5 Hours
The Etymotic ER2SE does not have a battery. The Sennheiser 450BT has 27.5 hours of battery life.
Cost
$100
$90
$40
$60
$80
$100
$120
$140
$160
The Etymotic ER2SE has a price of $100 and the Sennheiser 450BT costs $90.
Build Quality
9.0
8.0
The Etymotic ER2SE has excellent build quality, while the Sennheiser 450BT has very good build quality.
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Key similarities
Podcasts and Audiobooks
7.6
7.9
The Sennheiser 450BT and Etymotic ER2SE are both good for podcasts and audiobooks.
TV and Video
7.8
8.1
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Sennheiser 450BT to be very good for TV and video, while the Etymotic ER2SE is good.
Noise Reduction
9.1
9.1
The Etymotic ER2SE and Sennheiser 450BT are both excellent for noise reduction.
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How the Etymotic ER2SE and the Sennheiser 450BT compare to other earbuds and headphones
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Etymotic ER2SE | Sennheiser 450BT |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$100 | $90 | ||
Brand | |||
Brand | Etymotic | Sennheiser | |
Release Date | |||
Release Date | February 1, 2019 | February 1, 2020 | |
Form Factor | |||
Form Factor | Earbuds | Headphones | |
Connectivity | |||
Connectivity | Wired | Wired + Wireless | |
SOUND | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Music Score | |||
Music Score | 8.9/10 | 6.2/10 | |
Phone Calls Score | |||
Phone Calls Score | 5/10 | 7/10 | |
Gaming Score | |||
Gaming Score | 6.3/10 | 8.9/10 | |
TV and Video Score | |||
TV and Video Score | 7.9/10 | 8.1/10 | |
Exercise Score | |||
Exercise Score | 4.2/10 | 6.1/10 | |
PERFORMANCE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery life | |||
Battery life | N/A | 27.5 Hours | |
Wireless charging | |||
Wireless charging | N/A | No | |
Charging time | |||
Charging time | N/A | 2.3 Hours | |
Bluetooth version | |||
Bluetooth version | N/A | 5 | |
FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Active Noise Cancelling | |||
Active Noise Cancelling | No | Yes | |
Noise Reduction Score | |||
Noise Reduction Score | 9.1/10 | 9.1/10 | |
Virtual Surround | |||
Virtual Surround | N/A | No | |
Android App | |||
Android App | N/A | Yes | |
iOS App | |||
iOS App | N/A | Yes | |
Mic Quality | |||
Mic Quality | N/A | 8.5/10 | |
BUILD AND DESIGN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality | |||
Build Quality | 9/10 | 8/10 | |
Comfort score | |||
Comfort score | 6/10 | 7/10 | |
Size | |||
Size | Small | N/A | |
Weight (headset or single earbud) | |||
Weight (headset or single earbud) | 4 Grams | 240.4 Grams | |
Microphone style | |||
Microphone style | N/A | Integrated | |
Shopping
Etymotic ER2SE
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Dig into reviews and images
Sound Guys
Lily Katz | April 2022
"Etymotic isn’t playing around: it takes audio seriously and has mastered the art of the noise-isolation earphone. Sure, the fit of the earbuds looks silly but it’s a signature Etymotic thing and could be considered charming by some. If you’re looking for best-in-class audio for a realistic price, the ER2SE is it."
Sennheiser 450BT
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Dig into reviews and images
Sound Guys
Lily Katz | March 2022
"The Sennheiser HD 450BT is a very good pair of headphones for the price, noise canceling is good and sound quality is great—quite rare at this price point. Like any product, this headset isn’t without its faults."
Get a great deal on the Etymotic ER2SE or the Sennheiser 450BT
About Etymotic
Etymotic Research is an American based research, development and manufacturing company founded in 1983. They invented the first insert earphones that were used for the diagnosis and research of hearing loss and other auditory disorders. They went on to pioneer the market of high fidelity, isolating, in-ear earphones.
About Sennheiser
A family-owned company, Sennheiser is a German, high fidelity, audio equipment manufacturer founded in 1945. Their consumer audio division is now owned by the Swiss hearing aid and cochlear implant manufacturer Sonova. Sennheiser offers a wide variety of, very high quality, audio equipment solutions, from headphones to earbuds, full sets of monitoring speakers, amplifiers and microphones. They also make what is widely regarded as the best, and most expensive, headphones in existence, the HE-1 Orpheus, costing a whopping $59,000 dollars.
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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec earbuds & headphones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest earbuds or headphones information and makes it digestible for you.
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About the Earbuds or Headphones team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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