Review: Shure E2, Shure E3, and Ety ER-4P

[tombo77]

My first set of bud were the Koss....That lasted a week.

Since I work in live sound I have access to E5's which are used for onstage monitoring. I tried them and felt they revealed artifacts of lossy compression. The buds were made for live music which is ..as close to the source as you can get (after the DACs at the board) . I could not justify the expense without first trying the Sony 71's at $39. I put those puppies in and was sold. Reminded me of a 10 year old MDR V7506 (without some of the high mid clarity. The bass was unbeleivable for this price range. Boomy comes to mind. If you listen to Rap or Tecno and have a player that is EQ deficient.look no further,

I lived with them for a few weeks and a sax player in the current act Im with threw me a set of E3's to try for a week. At first I missed the immediate bass, but realized later I was listening to a more honest repro of the music. I have an Irive IHP 120 (former Ipod owner, don't hate me) and because there are so many DSP and EQ options available on the 120 I realized I could get the bass anywhere I wanted it and the 3's would follow suit cleanly. In other words they are capable of the extended lows with some "coaxing". After a week I gave them back and put my 71's back in my ears.

It was then I realized that although they are the best for the buck and impressive, they are not as clear in the upper midrange seems after 6khz they fade a bit. The bass stays strong at normal EQ though.

I decided to buy the $138 E3's and feel they are decent for this use on this player. The E5's to me are like owning a Ferrari in NYC...too much is left on the table with lossy music. They were not 8X better than the 71s (pricewise) But the E3s are in my opinion 3X better than the 71'a and worth the price. I equate the E3's to the Sony V7506s which are pretty much the standard in studio OTB monitoring cans.

They do have that warm characteristic with a clear but no harsh
higher end. Thus fatigue is not an issue, . I have not heard the ETYs but Im sure I know what they will sound like if they are extremily detail oriented. Although I don't need to hear a gnat fart behind the drummer! Im curious as to all the hoopla! . At $196 Im buying them as well for the studio for those who don't want to muss up their hair with OTE's. So a pair of E3's and 4ps for the cost of one set of E5's. Call me an idiot!


Anyway thats my take albeit on a different player. I wish I still had the Ipod to hear it on there. I don't think there would be much differene though except when EQing maybe. I was not a big fan of Apples EQ implimention.

[robbadobba]

Tombo,

Do you REALLY feel that the e3's eqaute to the 7506's in sound signature?

I love my 7506's (also for work in audio) and my Koss KSC-35's, but I need portable cans for the subway ride to work. I've tried the e2c's, and don't like them. Someone pointed me to the Sennheiser PX200's, but I hated them too.

I want the punch and clarity of the '35's and 7506's in either a canalphone or a small, sealed set of cans, and I don't want to spend a lot.

I was going to try the er4p's or the e3's, and I would try both, but frankly I am tired of the order--return--refund cycle.

[HRA]

Then get the E5's or professional custom canal phones made.

[tombo77]

Let me clarify a bit. First I am listening on an Iriver . The reason I mention that distinction is because the 120 has many DSP EQ options with which to "adjust" and "coax" an acceptablel sound signature from the buds. I suppose thats why I stubbornly stuck with the 71's so long.

I do get the bottom out of the Shures and hopefully ETY's using the EQ. That said I do not need to hear listen to 40 HZ boomy bass lines like used in Techo and RAP recordings very often. I do enjoy the frequency of these across the entire spectrum though. I listen to intimate music from Norah Jones to Sarah Brightman and on the denser side Michelle Branch, Earth Wind and Fire. Satriani, Vai.

The Bass is tight and as deep as I need it to be, which in my ears sound very much like my 7506's which have become over the years my "reference" cans. There are ear buds that can sound like cans.....E5's which are made for live OTB music are supreme in that catagory, but I don't think the bang for the buck is there as compared to the E3's and ETY 4's.

Since you are more dependant on the pure output sound of the Ipod, I cannot tell you how the E3's will translate. I used 71's when I had my Pod and was happy. .

For a lighter set of cans with a nice sound give the TriPorts a try. Im no fan of BOse (Flash over substance IMO) But I di spring for the Triports after a listen because they were light.....(might even be more fashioable on a train for ya!)

[thedodgyguy]

Commenting on the posts a bit back in this thread: The 'problem' with Head-Fi is partially that of me-too posting without experience but it's also the wildly different range of listening and gear experience, which the quality of writing for example may not reveal.


I personally feel that there are many good points about the Ety 4P's and I do use them from time to time. They aren't as deficient as Lindrone makes them out and the E5's aren't as deficient as dmt1 makes out. I'd say that the E5 at it's lowest selling price now through discount outlets is approaching vaue for money in comparison to the ER-4P. I also like the E3c (which I consider to be on a par with the ER-4P or even superior for portable use) but they spend their time being loaned out to those who want to hear them at the moment.


To me the well-fitted E5 is the best balance for a long-term listening earpiece. It's not bright, but does resolve. What you end up losing in comparison to the Etys are the cues that the inexperienced feel equates to detail... cymbal tizz being a prime component for example.


The same goes for a lesser extent with the E3c. I've noticed that the strong mids cause people to turn up the volume and this does put them at a 'hi-fi-listening test' disadvantage over the ER-4P. I'm not sure how to approach this really... On the one hand, I should review based on how most people will react. On the other, I know better so I should use my knowledge to make the most of both. The Shure disadvantage is that while you can stick an Ety in your ear and that's pretty much it, the Shures have to be played around with for optimum results. This is a problem due to their shorter sound tubes as well as several other factors. I went for a balance of the former and latter review practices and got lumped in with the 'Shure boys' for my trouble.


I flew many thousand air miles while trialling the E3c vs the ER-4P, listened to practically every music type, played with tips given my extensive experience of the E5, took many miles on foot and public transport and used all major portable formats (MD, CD, HDD). Despite that I don't consider myself a rabid audiophile and I don't have to have the usual audiophile traits rammed down my ears. If a phone is entertaining but is not ultimately about detail for example, I'll give it appropriate kudos. It's galling to have nits picked in the review or to have it dismissed by some guy who fiddled about with it on the office commute (and who can only recognise detail by the treble tizz on his Ety 4S) during the 15-day return period... but then of course who has the patience to do what I did? From the popularity of the 4S's on Head-Fi I can also only assume that some like having that excessive audiophile experience rammed down your ears all the time... And this comment is coming from the owner of a Stax Omega II, probably one of the most excessive headphone audiophile experiences around.



So you could say the 'Etys are God' opinion and the 'pro-E3' are equally valid... it just depends on your interpretation of who to use as a guide. Personally, I really don't think sweating ultimate detail in a portable context is worth it. I think that factors like the character of sound, tractability, durability, driveability, comfort and adaptability comes into as much of a consideration as the detail level.

[tombo77]

Brilliany post Dodgeguy. I don't think anyone can review a particular phone for another. All we can do is express our own comparisons bwteen the different brands we have on hand. A lot depends on the music one listens to as well, yet I rarely see that mentioned in user "reviews'

That would at least provide a better reference to whaht one finds inportant and what particular brand is right. I suppose you could say it should not matter reference is reference. But as mikes are also transducers and have different curves to accentuate a particular voice, I believe speakers to a lesser extent should do the same. Many have their own signature.

All I ask is a clear sound with seperatation of Frequencies. This is key for me. The 71's have a deep bass at the expense of that buy foe some music I think even they are fine. I like the E3 as compared to them (duh), The sensitivity alone is worth the price. No need to max out the volume to hear everything as in a good home or live system.

Im looking forward to the ETY 4p since I have read so much about them for pre recorded playback, Im wondering now if the E5's are $150 better. With all the hoopla surrounding the ETY's Im thinking maybe not, likely send either the ETys or E3's back.

I have not listened to the E3s very long at all, but I can live with them. I also don't feel headphones need to be 'Burned in" I know there are teo schools of thought there but I do believe we are splitting hairs there!

[Hyper-X]

I've received my ER4-P a week ago, and I've listened to a lot of different music just to see how these stack up. I won't lie... I was very disappointed in the sound quality of the ER4-P's when I first tried them. Although it does an incredible job at isolating outside noise, it didn't jump out and stand out in front of what I already had, but then again my headset collection are over the ear/circum-aural types so it's really not a fair comparison.

I chose to try some custom club-mix, bass thumping music (to test the ER4-P) that produces a lot of SPL's on external speakers, but it was too much (it would be for any in-ear type for that matter, but I had to try). The iPod was used to recreate audio samples at 192 using LAME 3.95.1 with the EQ set to OFF. On my $1500 10 yr old Sony's, the bass would literally pressurize the air between your ear and the headset and it was wild (I guess I'm spoiled) and unless the recording was distorted, it was difficult to overdrive the Sony's. This kind of audio sounds really awesome in a car with a nice sub.. but I had to really tone the volume down to listen to it without distortion. The case in point, if you are planning on listening to the kind of music that rattles the surrounding furniture, win auto-audio contests, wall-destroying bass filled music, it's a lot better to stick with the big headphones. Just about everything I had (Sony V900's, Senn HD650) sounded better for this purpose. In other words, if the sound pressure level found in hard hitting bass is what encompasses the majority of your music, look elsewhere and stay away from in-ears.

Okay to be fair, I tried some classical, jazz, rock, pop and as long as the bass wasn't over emphasized to pound the cr*p out of your speakers, it sounded very nice... a lot cleaner, a lot crisper, and very much realistic to what I could imagine would sound like to the audio technician in the recording studio. Don't mistake the inability to reproduce high sound pressure levels for not being able to reproduce deep, hearty bass. These Ety's will reproduce very deep lows (just make sure to clean your ears properly) that it'll shock you.

As it was mentioned in an earlier post, the ER4-P is very source sensitive. After listening straight from an old TELARC CD "Star Tracks", it sounded far better than I had originally imagined. When I converted the CD to MP3 via EAC w/ LAME 3.95.1 @ 192, the quality of sound was easily noticed as you will hear the evils of compression. It's like it's almost too accurate that it's unforgiving. Accuracy is good but if taken too far, you'll soon discover in lots of common music that sometimes you don't want to hear everything... trust me on this.

My friend lent me his old Bone Thugs CD and I ripped a few audio tracks using the above mentioned method to my iPod and decided to kick back and enjoy some old tunes. I came across the song "Shoot Em Up" and was really impressed with the nice balanced sound the ER4-P's made. It was very clear and the bass was rich, very full, and very deep with the EQ setting on OFF. If you have this CD and have the ER4-P's, I'd like you to listen to it and leave your feedback here.

The other important thing I found very enjoyable was after the earpiece settles after some use, it made taking some extended naps very enjoyable with the volume set at low.

[tombo77]

>>you will hear the evils of compression. <<

That has been my argument vs buying great buds! for lossy music files. The E3's revealed the result marginal compression already. I have had to reencode quite a few marginal files that were originally at 128 at higher bit rates. If the ETY's are better than the E3's. I suppose my job is not done!

I will say this though. The E3s are MUCH more comfortable for longer periods of time than the 71's and the isolation is amazing. .

[carsten30]

my mdr 51 ex have too much windnoise when i ride my bicycle. Has the E3 ?s more or less windnoise than the Sony?s.
Any experinces? any mods maybe solving this?
thanx

[shooting35mm]

I have purchased the ER-6i's, then the ER4P's. I love the ER4P's, they are simply fantastic. I have tried the E3C's, I didn't find them as comfortable, or as transparent as the ER4P's.



Both setups were tested amped (Total Bithead) and non amped, the ER4P's won every time. Clear, transparent, tight, accurate.

[zerolight]

Newbie/Lurker here. Hi.

OK. So recommendations without a portable amp... ie. straight from the iPod?

My initial thoughts had been...

E5C - but I can't afford it. Though tempting.

ER4P - which had rave reviews everywhere, but from the forums it seems its lacking a little bass and is a bit too tiring and detailed.

ER6i - the cheaper version of the ER4P. Unless its bass is markedly better, I'd prefer to go for the ER4P.

E3C - This had been bottom of the ladder for me till I read the forums instead of the reviews. It now seems to be favoured.

So am I right in thinking that the E3C is probably going to be my best option (without an amp) for use out and about, and on the plane. For rock and pop. Or are there still etymotic devotees out there for that duty too. I can't try before I buy here in the UK (Glasgow).

[bst]

hmmm... I bought the E-3 after reading this review (thanks for the review, very helpfull) and I do have some remarks: the imaging of the E-3 is very good compared to other earbuds, but then again they do cost $179, so any less would be kinda dissapointing. Another remark I have on the E-3 is that the bass is not really what I expected considering the reviews I've read on them. Though the bass is precise and quick I think it lacks power. Compared to other earbuds I've tried this is the first one where I put my iPod EQ on bass-booster to really enjoy some of the music I often listen to like Faithless, Queensryche and Lamb.
The rest of the sound is great though. The detail is good, high and midrange are bright without getting really sharp.
The sound Isolation is also great, I wore the E-3's in my convertable at 70 Mph and still had acceptable music quality

[pretense]

You seem like you know quite about quality headphones. I own ER-4S earphones & Grado SR60 headphones. I appreciate the benefits of boths of these quality listening tools, but I'm looking for a lower end (read:cheaper) pair of earbuds or clip-ons etc, which are comfortable, relatively decent looking, and sound good, but without what 'microphonics' (I think that's the term which is given to the cord vibration sounds made by earphones such as the ER-4S's which seal the ear shut. I've been looking into the Audio-Technica ATH-CM7 Aluminum Ear Stick and the Audio-Technica ATH-EM9d Ear-Fitting Clip-on. Any suggestions either about these or having to do with other possible solutions would be greatly appreciated.

[Wheelingpiazza]

I read all the reviews and decided to purchase a pair of Shure e3s. I listen to alot of different types of music from classical to Punk and every thing inbetween.

I have tried several different types of ear bud style earphones. After reading the reviews on the Shures and other brands I decided to give them a try. I wasnt expecting Deep booming bass, but I was expecting good crisp sound. I am very picky on sound/headphones.

At work I listen to my pod on a set of kenwood krm410 full size headphones. The sound from them is top notch. If I could wear these working out I would.

I installed the e3s and listented to them for a week or so, I tried different tips and what not but it never really produced the sound I thought they would. Almost thought I wasted my money.

I started playing with the headphones while they were in my ear, Moving them a bit, pushing on them here and there and I noticed the bass would pick up along with the over all music quaility would richen as I moved the right bud around but the left bud would lose quality as I moved it.

My determination was this, The left bud fit perfect. The right bud was just not fitting right. I put the smallest tip on my right ear and keep the medium on my left ear and WOW the quality came alive.

So for those who say they just think the quality is ok on the these headphones I sugguest playing around with them while there in your ear and see if it improves and adjust from there.

I say they rival my kenwoods now. the bass still isnt BOOMING as my kenwoods but it is very deep and rich.

I am very satisfied with the shure e3s and would recommend them to anyone. And have actually.

Steve Piazza

[cpn.luckycharms]

Originally posted by kauffee

1st Place: Shure E3

This wasn't what I was expecting, but if you find the E3's to be a little too bright, the triple flange would be the tip to use. I'll probably save them for when I'm going to be listening in high noise environments.

I will be purchasing the E3's... And was wondering about the triple flange add on...

Have you tested them in high noise environments, along with the foam, and seals?

I was told to buy more foam's, and they were good for noice cancelling, along with comfort.

In your opinion... what would you buy fro high noise environment? More foam, or triple flange?