Etymotic Research ER2XR

It fits well and is fairly comfortable, however, I hate its sound. The mids are recessed and strings sound very artificial (this really bothers me since I play violin). So now I'm looking for the most realistic/natural sounding IEMs (or earbuds) under $100. I'm currently looking at the Fiio FA1 and the Etymotic ER2XR.

Quite possibly too loud. Especially if you're going to be using them during quiet hours while your roommate is asleep. It's not like having speakers at full volume firing away from your ears, but it's definitely audible in a quiet room depending on how loud you're listening. To be honest, I think you'd be better served with some decent closed backs (AKG K361/K371, Shure SRH-440, Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro, etc) or IEMs (Moondrop Aria, KATO, Etymotic ER2XR or ER2SE, etc).

I also have the Etymotic ER2XR and I find myself reading for the T4's over them, even after EQing; they give a more "fun" experience over the Etymotic. I also have the Blon BL-03 and I prefer the fuller bass on these, but they don't fit so well and the cable is crappy so I don't use them as much.

From these factors we can conclude that ANC is bad at cancelling random high pitched sounds like the sound of a baby crying. While ANC headphones could help a bit, a better solution would be to use a tight sealing IEM (earphones/in-ear monitor) such as the ones made by Etymotic Research. The ER2XR is a relatively affordable IEM that can block a lot of sound when using the triple flange tips (the only issue is that some people find it uncomfortable due to the IEM going deeper into the ear than most others), they also sound good.