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
8.8/10
6.2/10
The Etymotic ER2SE is very good for music, while the Sennheiser 450BT is only fair.
Gaming
6.2/10
8.8/10
The Sennheiser 450BT is very good for gaming, while the Etymotic ER2SE is only fair.
Phone Calls
4.9/10
6.9/10
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.
Build Quality
9.0/10
8.0/10
The Etymotic ER2SE has excellent build quality, while the Sennheiser 450BT has very good build quality.
"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."
"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.
Give feedback
We're constantly perfecting our model
Earbuds or Headphones guides you might be interested in
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.
By the numbers
108
Earbuds and headphones evaluated
11,340
Earbuds and headphones stats compiled
15
Proprietary Earbuds and headphones ratings developed
113,600
Recommendations made
17,040
Consumer hours saved
About the Earbuds or Headphones team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Earbuds and Headphones Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Luis Torres
Earbuds and Headphones Expert
Luis is a Mexico-based headphones expert. He’s been making headphone recommendations for five years and has close to 100 pairs in his personal collection.