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

[wallywld]

I agree with the fact that they are a good company, but I believe they are going a little too far with the quality control thing. Ultimate ears will sell you a replacement cable, Sure will too. My main problem is that I travel by air a lot and they make such a difference. I don't have an alternative set that can do the same. I just think that I should have a choice here.

[GuitarRocker]

Now i am debating between the e3's and the e5's, which ine do you guys like better?

Also how are the e4's

[GuitarRocker]

Seriously how are the e4's

[Scotsdave]

Well, aren't I glad I stumbled upon this little thread.

Been considering getting a pair of E2Cs and went looking for some last night. Was quite surprised to be told I couldn't listen to them before I bought them, so told the manager to ram it up himself if he thought I was buying without trying. Thought this to be very unusual for audio gear, although I notice somone else in Glasgow said that they had the same problem. Is this normal for Shure stuff?

And the general conclusion that the E3s are the way to go financially depresses me.

[moshun]

i have to say i just got a pair of e3c's and i really dont rate them, i have been using mdr-ex71's for a while, and there is soooooo much more bass on them. i put in the sure's and was like "who turned off the bass" i guess if you are looking for loads of midrange detail, i.e. you listen to alot of kenny g, then they are great, but for electronica,electro, hard rock etc, there's a distinct lack of balls. And they stick out loads. i'm sellin em.

[frozone]

Originally posted by moshun
i have to say i just got a pair of e3c's and i really dont rate them, i have been using mdr-ex71's for a while, and there is soooooo much more bass on them. i put in the sure's and was like "who turned off the bass" i guess if you are looking for loads of midrange detail, i.e. you listen to alot of kenny g, then they are great, but for electronica,electro, hard rock etc, there's a distinct lack of balls. And they stick out loads. i'm sellin em.

Just got E3s for xmas . I can't believe anyone can compare it to ex71 (I got it to). The sound is 100 times better ! Bass, treebles, medium... it's an other world ! The isolation is awesome for the listener and also for people around (everybody can hear your music with ex71). If some don't like E3, the only explanation for me is that they use the wrong sleeves or don't put the earphones correctly (you have to get it really far). Believe me, this is the good choice, for shure

[moshun]

i only say because i was listening to "jackson and his computer band" (warp records) and there is some fabulous dirty bass sawtoothery goin on, and when i played the same track on the sure's the bass was distorting and missing lots of the sound i was used to hearing on the track, on my stereo as well as the headphones. and thats a rather snappy kef Q series setup, so that aint lacking either. i tried the different sleeves as you said and it vaguely improved when i pushed them in further, but they just wont stay there. I tried some other stuff with them, some telefon telaviv tracks with soaring strings and alot of very detailed high glitchy twinkles. The sures peformed fantasticaly.
but!! without the solid bass the gravitas of the music was lost for me. I guess the choice comes down to what really hits your sweet spot when it comes to music. everyone is different, so while i can appreciate the quality of these headphones (although i think the actual bud design is very lacking as they are uncomfortable and stick out.)
i think i'll go for something that suits the music i listen to on the move.

[Quillz]

I just got the E3Cs for Xmas, and I absolutely love them! The best earbuds I've ever owned. Worth the $179, IMO.

[marshall dusty]

and if u got a buddy who works for best buy, you can get the e2c's for $57.00 using the employee discount, like me

[shlo]

I'm not nearly the audiophile that most of you are. I just like music and want it to sound good.

I finally got an iPod a couple of months ago and wasn't too crazy about the headphones it came with. I've got a pair of Sony MDR-7506s and they're great, but not really what I want when I'm riding the el. I bought the Sony EX-71s and felt they were an improvement on apple supplied earphones, but just felt something was missing.

I finally got a pair of the Shure E2Cs from Best Buy because it would be easy to return if I wasn't happy with them. I compared the E2C and the EX71 with a range of music - everything from Jango Reinhart to John Coltrane to Billy Holliday to Chuck Berry, the Beatles, David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, The Pixies, Sonic Youth, The Breeders, Neutral Milk Hotel, and on and on.....

I definitely preferred the E2Cs to the EX71s across the board, but I must have narrow ear canals because even the smallest attachments for the E2Cs caused me significant discomfort. Therefore, I'm sticking w/ the EX71s just out of comfort. It sucks because I'd rather have the good sound, but what's the point of having earphones that you can't use because they're uncomfortable.

[spike55555]

what do you think are the best in-ear headphones for around 50$
...?

[Matt174e]

I'm always reading about the lack of bass on the e3c's; but, it has to be better than the Apple buds, right?

[frozone]

Originally posted by Matt174e
I'm always reading about the lack of bass on the e3c's; but, it has to be better than the Apple buds, right?

Much much much better ! Those who talk about this lack are really huge bass addicts I think

[Grantwad]

It also really depends on what type of music you listen to...if you listen to rap and alot of high bass music i just noticed Shure has a variation of the E3c's called E3G's ("G" for gamers) however, its really just E3c's with "enhanced bass"...i'm no expert on these so if you're interested look them up...btw, i just purchased a pair of E3c's and they sound fine for my taste...earbuds are a bit uncomfortable but i'm still playing around with different sizes, etc...

[mofried]

I've been ipodding since my wife bought me one of the very first iPods, a lil' ol' 5 gigger. I fly on an airplane at least twice a week, and have been doing so for some 6 years, now. So when she handed me that first iPod, I was blown away. I quickly found the earbuds from Apple unsatisfactory, though I did work at them for several months. Then I picked up a pair of Sony MDR-EX70's and it was quite possibly the best $50 bucks I ever spent. When you're commuting coast to coast every week, you've got to find a way to be comfortable and find "your quiet place" quickly and regularly, and those Sony's and my iPod were, well, salvation. I still have the Sony's and they're now my backups. They've been through thick and thin with me: in fact, I've put them through the wash a couple times because I mistakenly left them in a pocket, and they just keep working! I don't recommend this, of course, but if you do, be sure and run them through the dryer as well, preferably in a deep pocket of your jeans. Fast forward to this year...She suprised me with a top-of-the-line 60gb video iPod in black a couple months ago, so I figured it might be time to upgrade the headphones, too. Over-the-ears were out of the question, too cumbersome, bulky, etc. Remember, my primary listening environment is some 30,000 feet up, usually in the company of some 30-300 strangers, sometimes with their screaming kids. Now, my Sony's kick it, don't get me wrong. And they have done a great job of isolating me from my surrounds on countless flights. I've been surfing the web for some time, now, watching the Etymotic vs. Shure vs. Ultimate vs. everyone else wars. And from what I gathered, those that could get the Ety's to fit were in love, and everyone else talked smack about them. The critics seemed to give some mixed reviews, too. You can find lots on either side.

I found myself in a store recently that had some Etymotic ER-6i's and thought I'd go out on a limb and I bought 'em. I've had them for about two weeks now and had been diligently using them with the white 3-flange plugs. Talk about isolation! We're talking serious quiet! The critics say >20db of ambient noise reduction, and the company says >30db. Believe it. I've used Bose Quiet's and Sony's noise reduction version of the MDR-EX71's, and they all pale in comparison. Active noise reduction generates a counter-noise WHICH YOU CAN HEAR! These Ety's just shut everything OFF! Sleep tight, in silence my friends, with these. Oh, and if you plug your iPod into them, watch out! Make sure you keep the volume down, because you can hurt yourself with how loud these things get. I began hearing things I either forgot about, or hadn't heard before: Barry's bass line on AK/Union Station's recent live album. And Jerry's dobro solo on that album became, what? Unbelievable! I could hear every slide and stroke and strum. Eagles Hotel California: okay, cheesy, for some out there. Overplayed on FM for all of us. But it's a great rock standard, and listening to Joe Walsh and Don Felder battle it out in that amazing duet became something new for me last night. Such detail!! It's just so much fun, like my music collection just got the dust and grime blown off of it.

Let's talk about the bass issue and my AHA moment: I was starting to feel a little disappointed about the bass, because I wasn't quite getting it. Maybe the detractors were right, and I wouldn't get the bass I needed. And any fan of pre-Sammie Van Halen/AC-DC/Rush has to have some serious low-end punch to their music. There are just some songs that you can't play loud enough, right? (Dirty Movies; Hells Bells, Given the Dog a Bone; the Camera Eye, respectively, for example.) So anyway, I'd been using the white flange thingys for about two weeks, now, and had been waiting before I tried the "foamies." Last night, I swapped in the beige foamies...rolled 'em thin, stuck way in there.....and......AHA! There's Mikey and Cliffy and Geddy! DAMN, boys! My head felt like there was a big Marshall inside doing it's most excellent business! I gotta give it up for these things. If you're in the sub-$100 market for some good in-ear cans, there is no question, the Etymotic ER-6i Isolators are the clear choice.

I've got some awesome Sennheisers back at the house, and I've tried the entire line of Shure's, including the 5's. I just wasn't that impressed, especially with the $500 price tag on the 5's.

Today, I traded my ER-6i's for the ER-4P's. I think I have found nirvana. They're even better. Yes, $100 mo' better. Got 'em for under $200 delivered next-day air from Erwincomp.com. Good people. Reliable. And you can actually talk to someone when you call them without having to spend 10 minutes navigating their voice-menus.

I guess my bottom line is, if you want big, thumpy, chest-pounding bass, crank up your car or your home stereo's sub-woofer and annoy the hell out of the other drivers or your neighbors. Enjoy! I do! But don't go thinking you can't get INCREDIBLE head-pouding bass out of a pair of Ety's, because I'm a witness.