Opinions Wanted! Bose QC2 vs. Shure E4c

[Riku540]

I've been saving up for some time for the Bose Quiet Comfort 2 Acoustic Noise Canceling Headphones and recently saw the Shure E4c Sound Isolating Earphones for the same price of $299. I've been a fan of Bose for a while and have always enjoyed and trusted their products, but I was wondering if anyone knows about the Shure earphones. I really want to make a good buy, so I'd like some input on which one is the better deal for the money. As far as noise reduction technology differences go, my understanding is that Bose's monitors unwanted sound and emits frequency correction, while Shure's physically blocks background noise like an earplug. Here's a list of my own personal pros and cons for both so far:

Bose's QC2:

+
Superior Sound Quality
Comfortable fit
Noise canceling
A brand I trust

-
Not ideal for physically active use due to size
Requires battery to operate

Shure's E4c:

+
Superior Sound Quality
No battery required
Noise Isolation
Small size allows for more mobility

-
A brand I am unfamiliar with
Pricy for a risky buy

A few more factors about me that may help:

- Primary use will be indoors or traveling (car/plane/metro)
- Above all things the ultimate goal is to achieve the highest possible sound quality and the best noise reduction
- Portability is not an issue

Thanks to all who help!

[enjoilax]

E4c hands down.

Personally i wouldn't even consider bose as part of an audiphile setup what so ever.

edit - Bose headphones are not bad, but they are not good for the price. The price is ridiculous. I have blind tested friends, and my own headphones (Sennheiser HD-212 and HD-555)

Each time sound quality was equal or in favor of my 'phones. Their respective prices are 50$ and 75$.

Shure, Sennheiser, Grado Labs, Audio-Technica are all much much much better and more worthy of your trust than ANY Bose headphones. I can't speak for their speakers, but this article (http://www.intellexual.net/bose.html) will give you some idea.

of course, its nearly impossible to counteract the marketing of Bose, but please search for "Bose" at head-fi.org and let them help you out.

[Riku540]

Thanks for the info. So far Shure seems to be the best deal out of your alternate brand suggestions. I am definitely an audiophile and the Sennheisers seem interesting too, but Shure seems to have better noise isolation/cancelling. Anyone know the approximate dB of noise reduction for the shures? I think I'm now leaning towards the shures but just need to decide on what model to get. Can anyone fill me in the differences in the e-series? I'd really love to get the best there is, and instics tell me it's between the E4c and E5c. Is there a huge difference between the two? The E4c is probably the most I can afford, but if the E5c really blows it out of the water I can wait.

[enjoilax]

Originally posted by Riku540
Thanks for the info. So far Shure seems to be the best deal out of your alternate brand suggestions. I am definitely an audiophile and the Sennheisers seem interesting too, but Shure seems to have better noise isolation/cancelling.
You called Bose, reliable, and trustworthy. Bose is not anywhere near true audiophile status. Something like the E4C's are close though. i don't mean to offend you, but honestly, I don't truly believe you can call yourself an audiophile and have bose equipment. I'm not the end all be all, but, I think i know enough from other guys to be able to say that with confidence.
If you want a good over the ear's headphones while keeping sound isolation, closed Senneheisers are easily the way to go. But in terms of isolation any pair of in-ear phones are better than Cans.
I'd really love to get the best there is, and instics tell me it's between the E4c and E5c. Is there a huge difference between the two? The E4c is probably the most I can afford, but if the E5c really blows it out of the water I can wait.
Personally i don't think you'd be able to hear the difference.
If you truly want the best get the E5C, over time you'll get used to the E5c reference point and then be able to hear what you missed in the E4c. Coming from your current point of reference both will be a vast improvement over Bose. I would seriousley suggest looking at the head-fi.org forums, and talking with those guys as they know WAY more than me on this subject.

if you do get The E5c's you might want to think about investing in a small amp for your iPod... a higher end Cmoy i think will do it, but don't quote me on that.

[Riku540]

I felt Bose was trustworthy because their products worked well (from of my limited exposure). I do not make alot of money and therefore feel more secure when making expensive purchases with familliar brands. However, this is the first time I've been able to afford more than $100 (hence, my 60 GB iPod), and I want to know what my money is going into. Just because I don't own 'Audiophile' equipment because I haven't been exposed, or can't afford it does not mean I am not an audiophile. And nonetheless, none of this changes the fact that my true core value in sound is quality. As you can see my mind is very open, and I did not put up much of an arguement in Bose's defense other than my familliarity with it. The whole reason behind my post to begin with was to achieve the best sound quality and noise reduction for the money. All I asked for is to help a fellow audiophile make the right choice. No need for criticism. Thanks for your help though. I will do further reasearch on the brands and links you gave me.

[YoungClay]

Riku,
Since you will be using these with you 60GB iPod, I would advise you not to get the e4c's. If you read up on some of the other "headfi" boards, you will find a lot of people complaining about the e4c's lack of bass when used with the iPod.

Personally, I did all my research last month and decided that the Ultimate Ears Super.Fi 5 Pros were my best bet. I was correct. I absolutely love them.

As far as wanting to stick with brands you know and trust, I dont think this is a good approach when purchasing high quality audio gear. The reason being that these "well known" companies are well known because they appeal to the masses by selling mediocre products at a price most consumers are willing to pay. Please note that I am not just talking about Bose. There are other companies like Northface that have put themselves in the same boat.

My advise would be to familiarize yourself with all these "new" brands and then make a decison based on your own preferences. I.e. if you dont care anything about mid-range freqs or portability, then by all means, get the QC2's. If these things are important to you, then take my advise and start researching some new brands.

Just my $0.02

-Clay

[Riku540]

Wow, those ultimate ears are looking pretty good too. I couldn't find what you were talking about with the shure's lack of bass with iPods. Do you know why it happens? The ultimate ears seem to be great and within my price range which is nice. Are these comparable to the shure's?

[loslobos71]

i am NOT an audiophile, but i had the Bose Triports (half the price of the QC2's) and i LOVED them especcially for indoor and plane use. Obviously, as you pointed out, they are not meant to be worn when jogging, etc. unfortunately, the broke a few months out of warranty and the e3c's (one step below e4c's) are in the mail en route to my house. Bose are very comfortable headphones and the noise cancellation is great, however the sound quality, for most on this board, leaves much to be desired.

[YoungClay]

Originally posted by Riku540
Wow, those ultimate ears are looking pretty good too. I couldn't find what you were talking about with the shure's lack of bass with iPods. Do you know why it happens? The ultimate ears seem to be great and within my price range which is nice. Are these comparable to the shure's?

Here are some links to check out:
http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=136039&highlight=e4c
http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=135948&highlight=e4c
http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=134595&highlight=e4c
http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=134413&highlight=e4c
http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=130276&highlight=e4c

Those are just a few. There are literally hundreds of threads out there talking about the bad synergy between e4c and iPod.

As far as why this happens. I am not really sure but from what I have read, the fault can be attributed to the iPod and not the e4c. Apparently, the internal amplifier within the iPod has certain bass frequencies that are "rolled off". This iPod weakness shows up more on some headphones than others. If you read those threads I mentioned above, you'll see that a lot of people who have tried the e4c with a source other than iPod are really happy and think the bass is outstanding. go figure.

-Clay

[Riku540]

It's settled. ultimate ears super.fi 5Pro here I come! Thanks guys!

[YoungClay]

Be sure to let us know what you think once you get them.

fyi, you can get them for $190 at gateway.com and you can get Guitar Center to come down to $200 if there is one in your area.

Earphonesolutions still has the best return policy though.

-Clay

[rx7_fan]

E4 all the way.

[Echo_]

bose

buy
other
sound
equipment

[NawdaKh]

E4c hands down.

Bose is not what everyone cracks it up to be. In fact, they tiny, cheap, chinease speakers in their sound systems. Pull them apart and look sometime...

[degüello]

I love my E4c's and haven't had any serious bass-related issues, other than when listening to recordings where the bass is weak anyways (ie. 70s/80s metal). On any newer releases with solid bass (ie. hip-hop, reggae), they sound great.

However, the rubber connectors on my E4c's (housing where the cord enters each headphone) rapidly fell apart, within a week or so.

Small chunks of the rubber have literally crumbled off, and the Left rubber part has now cracked totally, coming apart from the headphone completely (I have a thread showing pictures in here.)

The online retailer through which I bought them has been pretty good about agreeing to send me a new pair. I'm going to mail mine back tomorrow (yes, this makes me very nervous).

One thinks you wouldn't have to deal with this kind of crap when you've shelled out this kind cash, though...

[SWiTCH]

Im on my 5th set of E4s.. I'd run away from them as fast as I could go. Im gutted I spent money on headphones that have spent more time going back to Shure to be replaced than Ive actually used them.

[degüello]

Originally posted by SWiTCH
Im on my 5th set of E4s.. I'd run away from them as fast as I could go. Im gutted I spent money on headphones that have spent more time going back to Shure to be replaced than Ive actually used them.

What has been happening that's caused you to need them replaced so much?

[SWiTCH]

Originally posted by degüello
What has been happening that's caused you to need them replaced so much?

The first set, the right side went completely dead in less than a week. The second set, the left side had a crackle in the audio as soon as I took them out of the box. The 3rd set, the right side developed a very "tin-y" sound 2 days after using them, the 4th set, the left side died within 10 days of starting to use them. The 5th set is still in the box. I havent opened them yet and dont intend to.

[BradPDX]

I have used the Bose QC2 for travel and such for about 6 months - they work great for what they are intended to do . Please note the emphasis there.

Bose gets slammed more than they should in the audiophile world - they definitely make products for the broad public, but manage to satisfy a lot of folks quite honestly. I have designed and built a lot of high-end gear, but frankly a lot of Bose stuff is perfectly musical in a real-life home. After I got tired of worrying about my (then infant) children getting cooked on my racks of tube amps, I moved my tweaky gear and put a Bose Lifestyle in the living room. It worked so well I wound up selling all my fancy old stuff long ago.

The goal is NOT to sound "the best", but rather to work in a real life environment. That is where my current setup beats my much more expensive old rig hands down. Likewise for the 'phones.

I use the Bose instead of Shure or Etymonic because in-canal phones give me a royal headache within minutes. Also, in-canals are the equivalent of plugging your ears - you hear your own voice very loud, along with other interior sounds (swallowing, chewing, etc.)

While I don't doubt that the new Shures sound great, I will add what a few others have said about the Bose - they really sound big, quiet and non-fatiguing, especially in noisy environments. They don't sound harsh, they reveal a really nice degree of mid-range detail, and deliver an impressive bass extension. Even old mono recordings from the 30's and 40's sound sweet and musical.

I don't think it is fair to bring up other non-noise cancelling phones (yes, I have Grados and Sennheisers as well) because they are trying to achieve something else entirely. Grados sound terrific but on a plane they are useless.

The Bose QC2s are a bit overly warm sounding, but on a plane (or other noisy environment) they beat all the rest. You cannot really evaluate headphones for this purpose until you are in that environment. Example: Sennheiser PCX250 noise cancellers. They sound more balanced than the Bose in a quiet space, but once you are on a plane they come across as thin and gutless.

If you can stand in-canals, try the Shures. Otherwise you will probably enjoy the QC2s just fine. We could complain about cost, but this is group that thinks nothing of spending $300+ on a little music player, so for me a couple of hundred bucks one way or the other is nothing to worry about as long as I get something I really like.

[rx7_fan]

I also have Bose Lifestyle as well (it was a gift), and compare to Polk Rti10, the bose will get own. That's why I really don't like bose, they cost way too much for the sound. I think they lack a lot of range, like it doesn't sound full at all, especially w/ midrange bass. Moreover, w/ bose headphones, I had the Triport and it was okay. For like $30-50 the triport would be a good/great phones, but for $150, they really can't compare to Senns.

I am a bit bias because I don't see a reason to have noise cancelling phones. For $300, you can get custom phones that will you give you confort =D

[Riku540]

Alright, got my UE Super.fi 5Pros today. I have to say that I am satisfied with my buy. The bass resonates beautifully and the highs are cripsy clear. The sound is full and explosive for such small earphones. The eartips are a bit uncomfortable at first, but you get used to them after a while. I guess the foam tips are the most comfortable at the cost of them having to be desposed and replaced every now and then. It looks like I didn't end up sticking to Bose, nor spending an arm and a leg on the shures, but instead went with something completely different. In conclusion, I would like to end this thread by saying, I'm glad I chose Ultimate Ears.

[ChunkPunk]

A question for the E4C owners...

How durable are wires? If I get one, I'm planning on just wrapping it around my Nano and putting it in my pocket or back pack. Will this cause any problems? I've been doing the same with my Sony EX51's and I haven't had any problems.

[degüello]

Originally posted by ChunkPunk
A question for the E4C owners...

How durable are wires? If I get one, I'm planning on just wrapping it around my Nano and putting it in my pocket or back pack. Will this cause any problems? I've been doing the same with my Sony EX51's and I haven't had any problems.

The wires are very durable. They're very thick, much more than the average 'phones cable, actually. My friends always make remarks about it, like you could tow a boat with 'em.

[bond007]

I own a set of E4C and love them to bits. I don't have any issues with bass. I think it is prcise and punchy as intended, not heavy and overly thumping like the EX71s. Also the high notes just sound fantastic to me. The only thing i don't like about them is the rubber bit where the cord goes into the earpiece unit. It just looks so unfinished. Hope my bits don't crumble either... ;) However, I would be interested to try alternative brands just to get an idea.....

[degüello]

Originally posted by SWiTCH
Im on my 5th set of E4s.. I'd run away from them as fast as I could go. Im gutted I spent money on headphones that have spent more time going back to Shure to be replaced than Ive actually used them.

Man, I've got to echo this now too.

I just went through sending back two pairs of E4c's.

As I said, on the first pair, both the rubber moldings housing the cord entry into the headphones crumbled and fell off within a month.

The second pair I received, after a lengthy mailing back and forth process, were faulty upon delivery. This time, the left headphone actually cut in and out if the cord was moved a certain way. Man oh man...

It all worked out for the best, though, as I exchanged the E4c's for a pair of Westone UM2's, and I honestly CAN'T BELIEVE how much better the UM2's sound. I mean that in a huge way- they just absolutely kill the E4c's, to my ears.

Warning to others- Shure's quality control COMPLETELY SUCKS.