e3c, e4c or UE?

[falcon70713]

I've read so much about all the diffrent earphones, and it sounds like what I want is either the e3c, e4c or these other UE earphones. I don't want to spend more then $150 (I can get e4cs on ebay for a price that's pretty close) Here are my questions:

Is there a big diffrence in quality between the e3cs and the e4cs?
If so, what are they? Which of the 3 has the best all around sound (and bass). Someone said the UE earphones "blow the others out of the water" is this true? Do they have good bass? If I got the UE I would only get the $99 Super.Fi 3 or the Super.Fi 5 EB.

Thanks so much for the help!!
-Josh

P.S. I listen mostly to rock (no heavy metal and bearly and rap) and some classical pop music.

[n2xe]

The E4C's are better than the E3C and Etymotic ER-6i. The Dual driver UE's are better than the Shure E4C. The difference between them all is small.

Be advised that the Grado SR60 headphones are way way far better than any canal phone at any price and they only cost $70. If it's audio you're after, a canal phone is not the answer.

I find the Etymotic, Shure, UE products are fantastic if you need to kill ambient noise and aren't moving your body at all (like sitting on an airplane or train). If you're walking, jogging, eating, chewing gum or moving in the slightest, it sends annoying noises through your body, jaw and untimately, ear. So you end up with this weird sub-sonic distraction that really detracts from an enjoyable listening experience.

In real life practice, canal phones are very limited. If you really really need isolation and small, easy portability, then OK, otherwise they are expensive, don't sound that great and are uncomfortable.

[falcon70713]

Wow that's a huge help! I'm only 16 so I don't do many train/plane rides. I do alot more running and walking. I will look into the Grado SR60s... thanks! =)


EDIT: I took a look at them and they're not really what I want. Those would be perfect if I wasn't concerned about my "style." I sort of have a reputation as the "cutting edge tech kid." Plus. those don't fit in my pocket =/

[Macromedia]

Originally posted by n2xe
The E4C's are better than the E3C and Etymotic ER-6i. The Dual driver UE's are better than the Shure E4C. The difference between them all is small.

Be advised that the Grado SR60 headphones are way way far better than any canal phone at any price and they only cost $70. If it's audio you're after, a canal phone is not the answer.

I find the Etymotic, Shure, UE products are fantastic if you need to kill ambient noise and aren't moving your body at all (like sitting on an airplane or train). If you're walking, jogging, eating, chewing gum or moving in the slightest, it sends annoying noises through your body, jaw and untimately, ear. So you end up with this weird sub-sonic distraction that really detracts from an enjoyable listening experience.

In real life practice, canal phones are very limited. If you really really need isolation and small, easy portability, then OK, otherwise they are expensive, don't sound that great and are uncomfortable. I bet the UE-5c out perform of the SR-60.....

[n2xe]

OK Falcon70713,

Fair enough, I understand the cool 16 year old dude thing. If your price limit is $150 (or just slightly more), I would go with the Shure E4C. The audio is pretty decent and the bass response is a little better than the E3C. The Shure and UE canal phones are worn with the cord wrapped behind the ear.

As long as you know what you're getting into, you probably won't be dissapointed. I wasn't kidding when I said a decend low-cost headphone beats any, repeat any, canal phone. But yea, headphones are big and bulky.

The Grado may look like something from 1940 but they are made in Brooklyn, New York so there's a certain amount of coolness right there.

[falcon70713]

Thanks for all your help =)

[rextrade]

Originally posted by n2xe
The E4C's are better than the E3C and Etymotic ER-6i. The Dual driver UE's are better than the Shure E4C. The difference between them all is small.

In real life practice, canal phones are very limited. If you really really need isolation and small, easy portability, then OK, otherwise they are expensive, don't sound that great and are uncomfortable.

I disagree--canal phones sound fantastic, and their comfort greatly depends on your ear shape--I've used etys, shures and ues and find none of them uncomfortable. I would put the Shure e4s up against any other headphone in its price range--you don't get the soundstage you would with a big set of open cans, but the clarity and bass tightness are fantastic. The iems you mentioned will blow away the SR60s (which I own and love).

Also, I don't think the dual driver UEs are better than the Shures at all. You get more bass impact, but lose some detail and the higher mid range.

[iTara]

All I can say is, read this:

http://www.ultimateears.com/superfi/images/press_wired2_Nov-2005.gif

I'd choose the UEs without a second thought, cheaper & better than the Shure e4cs.

T.

[Quillz]

Originally posted by rextrade
I disagree--canal phones sound fantastic, and their comfort greatly depends on your ear shape--I've used etys, shures and ues and find none of them uncomfortable. I would put the Shure e4s up against any other headphone in its price range--you don't get the soundstage you would with a big set of open cans, but the clarity and bass tightness are fantastic. The iems you mentioned will blow away the SR60s (which I own and love).

Also, I don't think the dual driver UEs are better than the Shures at all. You get more bass impact, but lose some detail and the higher mid range. I agree. My E3Cs fit great and also sound great, because they really do isolate the sound. In-ear earbuds are unfortunately hit-or-miss for most people, as they either fit or they don't. I had a cheap pair of in-ear Koss earbuds that wouldn't fit at all, whereas the Shure fit perfectly.

[rextrade]

Originally posted by iTara
All I can say is, read this:

http://www.ultimateears.com/superfi/images/press_wired2_Nov-2005.gif

I'd choose the UEs without a second thought, cheaper & better than the Shure e4cs.

T.

Well, I own both--I would strongly disagree that the UEs have superior sound quality. They have stronger bass, and they are fun to listen to, but you lose some treble and can sound muddy. But, for th 4th generation ipod, the UEs are definitely better (they make up for the weak bass response in the ipod). For the 5th gen, I perfer the Shures, but the UEs are still fun to listen to. I think the Shures are the best non-custom canal phone out there (except if you have a fourth generation ipod).

[skroll37]

Best recommendation for activities...

Just got my first iPod and the included earphones don't fit that well. I am looking for something that is comfortable, but also something that will fit well and stay in while biking, snowboarding, skiing, etc.

Thanks

[kissdadookie]

The Grado SR60 I can say for sure blows away the Ety ER-6i's. There's just a much wider soundstage and a certain sense of size and space with the SR60 (and any Grado for that matter) that is just impossible to achieve with the ER-6i's and closed type headphones. If it's audio quality you're after (as in listening and enjoying the emotions in the music) then a good pair of open air cans are what you want. If it's purely accuracy and isolation you're after then definitely go for the in-ears and closed sets but remember, accuracy here means that instead of having that nice wide soundstage and emotional impact from the music you have instead a note for note reproduction that is technically very accurate. Thus open air sets have this naturalness to them while in ears and closed sets has a certain flat characteristic to them.

[rx7_fan]

UE5c owns all the canal phones you mentioned. They are really good in my opinion. I listened to the UE10 Pro before through their universal fit model and would actually prefer the UE5c. If you can afford it, you'd love the UE5c =) I also have the Super.fi 5 Pro and the E4, and it really depends on the music you prefer. Use Jazz/Classical for the E4 and R&B or Rap for the Super.fi 5 Pro.

[palermo22]

Question: I assume that the UE 5 Pro and Shure E4 are very close in sound quality (and probably if one asked ten people it might go 50/50 as far as preference); however, I am very interested in those that know both of these - which one is more comfortable - which one will stay comfortably in the ear and which one will not readily fall out while running.

[rx7_fan]

UE super 5 Pro is more comforable, easiest to put on, and stay equally well as the E4.

[kissdadookie]

Man, I can't revert back to my ER-6i's anymore. The soundstage is just not there. I tried some Shures E3's before. Those fell flat too. Spoiled by the Grado.

[rx7_fan]

try UE5 super.fi 5 pro, they have a huge sound stage. Believe me, I have used, Grado 60,80,125, 325i, and RS1. As well as, MS1, MS2 from alessandro. The super.fi 5 sound stage is huge, and you wont be dissapointed coming from grado.

[palermo22]

Does anyone at all favor the Shure E4 over the UE 5 Pro? From what I have seen on the internet - they are within $10 of each other; therefore, price is not a consideration. Just interested in sound quality and comfort.

[Macromedia]

I find any headphone over 300$ is more of a side grade when compared headphones with in the same league...I prefere the E4 over the UE 5 pro. The UE 5 pro is too bassy for me. For some reason I really like the UM1/2 from westone.

[Interpol]

Originally posted by palermo22
Does anyone at all favor the Shure E4 over the UE 5 Pro? From what I have seen on the internet - they are within $10 of each other; therefore, price is not a consideration. Just interested in sound quality and comfort.
I'm assuming you're talking about the UE Super.fi 5 Pro ($249) and not the 5 Pro ($700).

I owned both the Shure E4c and the UE Super.fi 5 Pro, and ended up returning the Super.fi - not necessarily because they sounded bad. I would say the Super.fi has more bass than the E4c, but that extra bass also tends to slightly overwhelm the mids and highs to the point where it sounds slightly muddy. On the other hand, the E4c's had crystal clear mids/highs. I'm not a big bass-head, so the amount of bass the E4c's supplied were sufficient for me.

The bottom line is, you really should listen to both IEMs and decide for yourself which one sounds better to you given the type of music you listen to. They are both excellent headphones.

Another IEM you might consider is the upcoming Shure E500, which will be out in May. They have triple drivers and will cost the same as the E5c ($500).

[palermo22]

That is correct: I am speaking of the UE super.fi 5 pro.

I usually listen to rock (60s/70s/80s) on my Sirius S50. While the outsource (of the S50) is not great - I just wanted a decent earphone to make the music sound as good as possible. I also use Sennheiser PX100 when I run and wanted something that will enhance the music better when I walk my dog.

[JazzyMac]

I was looking at the super.fi 5 pro versus the Shure E4s and was told the E4s were smaller and more comfortable than the UEs. The bigger size hurt my ears so having "the best" would have been no use to me. I used the E4s and I loved them.

My ultimate choice, however, would be either custom made phones or the Westone UM2s. To me, comfort is first.

[peter_m2]

Does anyone know how the UM1 and Super.fi5 pro compare? How's the cable noise?, comfort and stability in the ear? Is the 5pro worth the extra money?

[drevo]

Iv'e got e3c, e4c, er6i and Grado SR60. Grado's good if you never leave home - 1) you'll look ridiculous if you do, 2) their are the most open of open 'phones and any - any - external noise will blot out the sound. The best of the lot imho are the Shure e4c's. But you must be patient and get the fit right else you'll be disappointed. Never use the er6i - unpleasant to my ears.