Shure or Etymotic?

[MasterOfPuppets]

I realize these questions are asked a lot in this forum, but after searching for a while I'm still not sure which canalphones to get. I've bought several headphones based on the recommendations of people here and haven't been disappointed, so I was hoping someone would be able to help me make a decision.

I've had Shure E2's for almost two years now. I have generally been pretty happy with them, but I would like to get some canalphones that sound better. Also, I get tired of having to replace the foam sleeves so often and the flex sleeves aren't very comfortable. My favorite headphones that I own are without question the Grado SR 60's, which I found out about on these forums. They easily have the best sound quality I've ever heard, but they are not ideal in a loud environment for obvious reasons, which is why I started thinking about getting better canalphones. I've been thinking about upgrading to the E3's for a while now since they were released just after I bought my E2's. Now with the release of the E4's I'm considering just skipping the E3 and getting the E4, but that's a pretty high price. I almost bought the E4's at the Apple store the other day but I decided to do some research before spending $300 on headphones. I'd heard of Etymotic but never really looked into them until now. I looked at the Buyer's guide and immediately wanted the ER-6i's. The ER-4's seemed great too but were too expensive. So I went on the forums to see what people thought and a lot of people seem to think the Etymotic phones sound thin and not very musical. I am a metalhead (my username is from a Metallica album) so now I'm not sure where to go. The choice seems to be either the Ety ER-6i or the Shure E3 if I want to stay under $200 or the Shure E4 or Ety ER-4 if I want to spend more money. I might just have to hear them for myself to know what I want, but I'd really apreciate it if someone who has heard all of these phones could give an opinion.

[solvexyz]

http://www.earphonesolutions.com/she4ceaforip.html
sell shure e4c for $198 and free shipping in USA as well.

[c.you]

Go with the e4c's.

[thebrain]

I personally was in a position very similar to yourself, I have the e2c's and wanted better sound. I skipped the e3c's (on head-fi there are quite a few people who dislike them), and go straight to the e4c's (if you go to headphone.com an dask them to match american techpusher's price of $189, they will + free s&h)

SHure's (from what I have researched) have more bass and mids while ety's are kings of the highs. The entire shure line has highs that are anywhere from slightly recessed to heavily recessed.

The e4c's are being continually praised as very balanced, neutral but slightly warm ( this a difference to the ety, which I do not believe are warm at all)


Oh, ya, the e4c's look F***ing awesome!

[MasterOfPuppets]

Thank you for the replies, but this seems to only get harder as I do more research. I looked at headphone.com's list of the 10 best headphones which can be found here (http://www.headphone.com/guide/by-application/our-10-best-headphones/), and both the Ety ER-6i and the E4C are on there. I noticed that the Ety's got a 5.0 while the Shures got a 4.5. The other thing that is affecting my decision is the fact that I have a $50 gift card to the Apple Store, which sells the ER-6i for $149 and the Shures for $299. It's too bad they won't match the online price of $189 for the E4. If that were the case I would go with the E4 without question, but it's not, since it would be $139 with the gift card. So basically it's either $99 for the Ety's or $189 for the E4. Do you think it is worth the extra $90 for the E4? I know the ER-6i was designed specifically for use with the iPod, but is it still lacking in bass? Also, are the flex sleeves on either of those phones any better than the sleeves on the E2 or am I going to still have to replace the foam sleeves every month?

Thanks in advance.

[dnd]

I own e3c and have owned e4c's for a month

I got rid of the e4c's because of the 'inconsistant' bass response

The bass is there for most music but is missing in others - and I mean 'missing' - I think it may be something to do with this 'duct' technology

So, you won't notice it in the main - but on a piece of music you know well - you might...

[MasterOfPuppets]

Originally posted by dnd
I own e3c and have owned e4c's for a month

I got rid of the e4c's because of the 'inconsistant' bass response

The bass is there for most music but is missing in others - and I mean 'missing' - I think it may be something to do with this 'duct' technology

So, you won't notice it in the main - but on a piece of music you know well - you might... Interesting. The main complaint I've heard about the E3's is the lack of bass. The E4's seem to improve the bass from what I've heard. The Ety ER-6i's are supposed to have even less bass than the E3's though.

[dnd]

Originally posted by MasterOfPuppets
Interesting. The main complaint I've heard about the E3's is the lack of bass. The E4's seem to improve the bass from what I've heard. The Ety ER-6i's are supposed to have even less bass than the E3's though.

The e3c's, in my experience, have plently of rich, thumping bass - though I use new foamies every couple of days (I own 40 pairs) - you have to get the isolation right or they suck

The e4c's have just as good bass, but it not as 'consistant', IMO, as the e3c's and it wrecked some of the music I know well - so they had to go

I also found the e3c's a lot easier to listen to than the e4c's over extended periods in the gym - typically 1.5 hours every other day

[thebrain]

Refering to the headroom rating, that was the 'value' rating relating to the price performance ratio, and yes many people think the the er6i are lacking in bass. If you buy from headroom and you keep all the bits and pieces (including twist ties, etc) you can return them for free if you dont think they are worth it. Also it seems that the ety's go further into the ear canal than the shures, which is another reasong I steered clear of them.

[MasterOfPuppets]

That doesn't appeal to me either. It also seems that some people have a hard time getting a good seal with the Ety's so I'll probably just get the E4's since they seem much better for my musical tastes. I just wish I didn't have to replace the foam sleeves so often, since that really drives up the cost of the earphone over time.

[violinmathchick]

I have no experience with the shure e3 or e4s however I own the er-6is and like them a lot. I like to listen to a variety of music ranging from alternative (NIN, My Bloody Valentine) to classical. The sound coming from the etys are not as warm as the shure e2s I own but the bass is there - just not as pronounced. What I like about the etys is you can really hear the different layers of the music and the way they interact. I did not like them when I first used them, but have grown to really appreciate the clarity of the phones and would not go back to using my e2s for extra bass.

Nonetheless, if you prefer the sound to be warm and more bass heavy, the shures might suit you better. I would like to point out, however, that I enjoy the fit of the etys a great deal more than the shure e2s. They actually enter the ear canal and therefore have greater sound isolation (perfect for my commute on NYC subways). Also the triple flange are extremely comfortable to me and only need to be rinsed once in a while (I, too, used the foams with my shure e2s).

I personally think the er-6is are worth the money and I enjoy them a great deal.

Just wanted to add my experience with the er-6is. Good luck with your decision; I'm sure you'll enjoy the earphones you end up buying (all your choices are good quality earphones).

Diana

[csrx]

If you must choose between these two, i would go with Shure E4(c) 's.

[dnd]

YOU MUST CHOOSE!!!!!!

[MasterOfPuppets]

Just ordered the Shure E4's from headphone.com. They appear to come with tripple flange sleeves so hopefully they're easier to use than the foam ones. Thanks for all the opinions.

[Drew Stevens]

The E4Cs actually come with foamies, triple flanges, and several sizes of both soft flex and sitffer clean sleeves, so you can experiment until you find the perfect fit and sound (for me, the soft flex middle-sized ones).

Enjoy the E4Cs - I sold my Etymotic ER4Ps for them and couldn't be happier!

[dnd]

Originally posted by MasterOfPuppets
Just ordered the Shure E4's from headphone.com. They appear to come with tripple flange sleeves so hopefully they're easier to use than the foam ones. Thanks for all the opinions.

Errr, hate to break this to you, but the triple flange, while giving you bass, dull the higher frequencies - the foamies give you both

[c.you]

I say the foamies are the best. Have fun with your e4c's.

[MasterOfPuppets]

Well then, I guess I'll be spending more money on replacement foamies soon. That's the only thing about canalphones I really hate.

[c.you]

Yea I agree, buying foamies are a pain but necessary if you want comfort and best sound out of your canalphone.

[kschles]

Don't give up on the triple flange tips until you try themn. It's hard to generalize about which tips are the best, since ears are so different. I find that the triple flange tips give me as good a sound as the foamies. This includes the detailed highs that I love about the Shure e4c. Also found that after using the e4s for a while, the bass response improved. Don't know if this is because of actual "burn-in" or some psychological things.

[MasterOfPuppets]

I intended to try the triple flanges anyway since every ear is different and they won't have to be replaced as often as the foamies, but thanks for the input.

[ZOOM ZOOM]

Hi MasterOfPuppets,
I bought E4c and i think these earphones are more detailed in highs n they also have very tight n controlled bass. But it,s still not very good for bass heavy music, I think Ultimate Ears 5Pro and 5EB ( Dual Drivers) are more bassy and musical. especially 5EB recomanded by UE for bass heavy music like Matel, Techno, Hip Hop/Rap. Apple selling these too.