I initially bought these for a friend, but as it turns out, I ended up keeping them after a fair trade. And, wow, I'm glad I kept them.
I would call myself an amateur audiophile after a fairly long and expensive headphone and IEM purchasing journey, and I can easily say that I've found my favorite IEM with the Etymotic er2xr.
The sound is a nice and neutral, with a decent amount of bass, but not too overwhelming that it drowns out the mids and highs.
For me, the fit is comfortable. It does feel a little strange the first time, but I got used to it. I can see why the depth might be daunting, but it isn't as bad as you might think.
The main benefit to having them so deep is the noise isolation. I honestly can say that I couldn't hear anything from the outside world with the er2xr's in my ears. The noise isolation is much better than any ANC headphones I've used, and with them naturally blocking out the noise of the outside world, the sound the earphones produce don't have that artificial feeling to it like ANC headphones have. If you are around a lot of noise and want decent sounding earphones, these might be a good choice for you.
The er2xr's are very light, and the cable hardly produce microphonics, but you can hook them over your ears to eliminate any remaining movement sounds.
Pacific Ears' service and communication was exceptional and postage was fast. Also, I chose Pacific Ears because they have the er2xr's the cheapest I could find, and they have free shipping! I'll definitely buy from them again.
You can't go wrong with the er2xr and Pacific Ears. Thanks,
Scott G.