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What we think
The PerfectRec Earbuds or Headphones team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Etymotic ER2SE, being significantly less expensive, offers a stellar overall sound quality and exceptional noise isolation, making it ideal for listening in noisy environments. However, its fit may not be comfortable for everyone, and it lacks features such as a microphone and wireless capabilities. On the other hand, the Sennheiser HD600, while more expensive, provides superior soundstage and comfort, suited for long listening sessions at home. They are open-backed, which gives a more natural sound but leaks audio and doesn't isolate noise well, so they are not the best choice for noisy places or on the go. The HD600 also has a luxurious build but cannot be used for exercise and is not optimal for TV due to no specific low latency feature. If you prefer fidelity and are mostly in quiet environments, the HD600 is a superb choice; if you seek value and versatile listening with noise isolation, consider the ER2SE. 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
- The Etymotic ER2SE has no clear advantages over the Sennheiser HD600.
Advantages of the Sennheiser HD600
- Excellent for music
- Good for gaming
- Very good for TV and video
Key differences
Gaming
6.2
7.0
The Sennheiser HD600 is good for gaming, while the Etymotic ER2SE is only fair.
TV and Video
7.8
8.9
The Sennheiser HD600 is very good for TV and video, while the Etymotic ER2SE is good.
Noise Reduction
9.1
2.5
The Etymotic ER2SE is excellent for noise reduction, while the Sennheiser HD600 is poor.
Cost
$100
$350
$50
$100
$150
$200
$250
$300
$350
$400
The Etymotic ER2SE has a price of $100 and the Sennheiser HD600 costs $350.
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Key similarities
Music
8.8
9.3
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Sennheiser HD600 to be excellent for music, while the Etymotic ER2SE is very good.
Phone Calls
4.9
5.0
The Sennheiser HD600 and Etymotic ER2SE are both poor for phone calls.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
7.6
7.9
The Sennheiser HD600 and Etymotic ER2SE are both good for podcasts and audiobooks.
Build Quality
9.0
9.0
The Etymotic ER2SE and Sennheiser HD600 both have excellent build quality.
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How the Etymotic ER2SE and the Sennheiser HD600 compare to other earbuds and headphones
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Etymotic ER2SE | Sennheiser HD600 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$100 | $350 | ||
Brand | |||
Brand | Etymotic | Sennheiser | |
Release Date | |||
Release Date | February 1, 2019 | January 1, 1997 | |
Form Factor | |||
Form Factor | Earbuds | Headphones | |
Connectivity | |||
Connectivity | Wired | Wired | |
SOUND | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Music Score | |||
Music Score | 8.9/10 | 9.3/10 | |
Phone Calls Score | |||
Phone Calls Score | 5/10 | 5/10 | |
Gaming Score | |||
Gaming Score | 6.3/10 | 7/10 | |
TV and Video Score | |||
TV and Video Score | 7.9/10 | 8.9/10 | |
Exercise Score | |||
Exercise Score | 4.2/10 | 4.5/10 | |
FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Active Noise Cancelling | |||
Active Noise Cancelling | No | No | |
Noise Reduction Score | |||
Noise Reduction Score | 9.1/10 | 2.5/10 | |
BUILD AND DESIGN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality | |||
Build Quality | 9/10 | 9/10 | |
Comfort score | |||
Comfort score | 6/10 | 8.4/10 | |
Size | |||
Size | Small | N/A | |
Weight (headset or single earbud) | |||
Weight (headset or single earbud) | 4 Grams | 258.5 Grams | |
Waterproof Rating | |||
Waterproof Rating | 0 | 0 | |
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 HD600
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Headphonesty
Jean Mouchet | September 2021
"The HD600 are state-of-the-art headphones with high sound quality and remarkable value, among most of the offerings in today’s time."
Get a great deal on the Etymotic ER2SE or the Sennheiser HD600
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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