Review: Earsonics ES2 and ES3 – Jumeaux!

Disclaimer: Max Capgras, the manager of Earsonics In-Ear Monitor Division, sent both IEM’s to me for this article. ES-2 will be sent back and I’ll keep the ES-3 for future reference. The photos which have my watermark are taken by me, the others are from Earsonics’ website.

BACKGROUND

Earsonics is a distinctive brand in the market. They like to do things in their own way and actually they don’t really care about sounding neutral or reference. In fact, they don’t claim such a thing either. They got their own “house sound” coming out of France, and they’re sticking with it all the time. So basically it’s personal enjoyment over Hi-Fi for them. Of course that approach results having lots of fans out there who like the Earsonics sound signature. I can’t say I’m a huge fan of Earsonics, but I appreciate companies that are original and authentic. Even just because they don’t choose the easy way and follow others, they deserve recognition and praise.

I’ve used their SM64 model before and at that time I was really happy with what I had. Of course with time, my preferences and experience has evolved along the way, but I always remember SM64 being a nice IEM with it’s fun and convenient sound. Than of course the famous Velvet had been released and it was such a big hit, given it gained many fans across the community. With it’s changeable sound and fun approach, it’s still one of the popular IEM’s.

So now Earsonics is on a move after their unveil of the flagship S-EM9, which is an amazing IEM to me. With the release of ES-2 and ES-3, they’re now trying to conquer the mid-tier market. It’s really good to see these good performing IEM’s below 500$ tag and it’s also nice to see more companies started to do the same thing. More competition means more options and better value.

So there we are. Two mid-tier IEM’s with the prices being 299 and 399 Euros, respectively.

 

es2-vue-3d

ES-2 SPECS

Sensitivity: 119 dB/mW
Frequency Range: 10 Hz -20 kHz
Impedance: 26,5 ohm
Driver: 2 drivers, 2 way crossover with impedance corrector.

 

es3-vue-3dES-3 SPECS

Sensitivity: 116 dB/mW
Frequency Range: 10 Hz -20 kHz
Impedance: 31,5 ohm
Driver: 3 drivers, 3 way croosover with impedance corrector.

 

DESIGN, BUILD and PACKAGING

The design language here is very similar to what we’ve seen before. It’s a typical Earsonics shell, identical to Velvet colored in a shiny black. I like the logos on them as well, just like the S-EM9. Overall they look really nice and professional. I’m not sure whether there is a difference in terms of quality of the plastic material, but as I inspected them in my hands, I feel it’s an improvement compared to Velvet. I would’ve been really happy if they had used the design of the flagship though.

There’s also an improvement on the cable part. It’s a little softer and thinner, feels nice in the hand. No microphonics and no other noticeable problems about the cable except the toughness of the connector area. It was very hard to detach the cables from the monitors. I have to admit I feared breaking the shell while trying hard to remove the cables. After the first time they were easier to detach but still they fit very very tight.

There are 4 pairs of Comply and 4 pairs of silicone tips in the package, with the addition of a cleaning tool and carrying case. I like the carrying case that Earsonics has been using for a long time. You can always throw it in your pocket and go around. Very useful. There’s also a user manual written in French. In terms of tip variety I guess 8 pairs is pretty nice, but if you don’t like double flanges, than that means you have 3 pairs less practically.

es3

FIT and ISOLATION

I managed to get a good fit with the large comply foams. The other tips didn’t work that good for me. So that shows us the importance of the inclusion of different tips. If there was no foam tips, then it could’ve been harder for me to get a good fit and isolation with those double flanges and remember, Earsonics used to include only double flange tips in the past.

Fit is quite comfortable and I didn’t face a big problem. Also the isolation is very good with foams but I tell you again, only large Comply foams worked for me. The nozzles don’t give you a chance to use 100 size tips which were once a standard across the market. But if you push hard you can make some of them work as the nozzle is not too big like Noble, JH Audio or Oriolus. Also the tip of the nozzle is somewhat angular so it’s a little easier to make some tip-rolling here.

The two IEM’s are exactly the same in terms of shape, and they’re both lightweight and low profile. They don’t stick out from your ears. As for isolation, when you find the best tips for you they block outside noise nicely and I recommend foams and double flanges here. Although double flanges are not comfortable in my case when compared to foams.

GENERAL SOUND CHARACTER

It’s surprising to hear these 2 sounding quite different in terms of character. Of course they are Earsonics IEM’s so they got the fun approach in them, but they sit on different perspectives overall. So I can’t pass on an information to you guys saying these IEM’s are sounding close, that would be wrong. They sound really different. I will describe them in detail individually but first let’s talk about what they have in common.

The bass department is one thing they have in common because they show a similar amount of quantity with different focal points, while ES-3 being more successful in terms of power and it has better separated bass from mids. At the same time mids share some similarities such as positioning, but they’re also very different in terms of tone. Soundstage is another point they share, both having quite good headroom for the price.

Both are not technically amazing IEM’s which shouldn’t be a surprise. Like I said at the opening, Earsonics already hasn’t been a company prioritizing a reference sound. The priority here is their unique house sound and if you shape your expectations around this fact, you can be a very happy Earsonics customer like many.

es5

In depth impressions on page two after the click HERE or below

4.2/5 - (35 votes)
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A keen audiophile and hobby photographer, Berkhan is after absolute perfection. Whether it is a full-frame camera or a custom in-ear, his standpoint persists. He tries to keep his photography enthusiasm at the same level as audio. Sometimes photography wins, sometimes his love for music takes over and he puts that camera aside. Simplistic expressions of sound in his reviews are the way to go for him. He enjoys a fine single malt along with his favourite Jazz recordings.

15 Comments

  • Reply November 24, 2016

    David

    When you compared it to the Velvet, which of the three dial setting was it on?

  • Reply December 4, 2016

    TYG

    Will definitely get the ES3 in case the iSine 10 turns out to isolate as poor as I’m expecting it to do.
    I was one of the first few people who ordered the SM64 and I’ve used and loved them ever since.
    Too bad Earsonics doesn’t send out loaner/demo units.

    • Reply December 4, 2016

      Berkhan

      Thanks for the comment. You won’t be disappointed if you get the ES3.

  • Reply December 29, 2016

    John C Hospod

    Have you heard any of the offerings of Empire Ears in comparison?

  • Reply October 8, 2017

    JHL

    As someone who is new to the mid/high end IEM market, and tends to listen to electronic dance music most of the time, which of the two would you recommend?

  • Reply November 21, 2018

    Amir Shaikh

    Would ES3 be any good for heavy metal, i have Sony WMIA DAP with huge digital collection.

    • Reply November 22, 2018

      Berkhan

      Yes, it would be very nice.

  • Reply February 4, 2019

    Pierre

    It’s hard to tell from pictures here and online… but would anyone be able to tell me whether those use narrow bore canals? I.e. like on Westone IEMs, or on the Massdrop/NuForce EDC series?

    I’m seriously considering them as backup to the Customs I have coming in, but I just can NEVER get good fits out of IEMs with larger-bore canals (e.g. my own CA Lyra II, my Massdrop Plus and Noble X, my iBasso IT01s…).

    Thanks so much for any tip here!

    • Reply February 4, 2019

      Berkhan

      Hi,

      They’re not narrow. Earsonics use wider canals.

      • Reply February 4, 2019

        Pierre

        Thanks Berkhan 🙂

  • Reply June 14, 2019

    victor

    I just have my ES-3 since 2 weeks ago, and i agree with you that ES-3 is an upgrade (a massive one) from SM64. Imo, every earsonics fanboy (like me) will love ES-3 for sure 😀

    now, i’m curious to try ES-5, too bad no demo available in my country.. sigh..

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