Brain mushy - need advice on IEM headphones.

[jgpippin]

I hate to be this guy, as there are like hundreds of posts on things related to this topic, but I've read so many reviews that my eyes are going googly, and I was hoping somebody just had the direct experience to help with this.

I'm trying to choose between the following 3 IEM headphones:

Ultimate Ears Super.fi 3 Studio
Shure E3c
Etymotic ER-6i Isolator

I listen to a lot of rock. Like, Marcy Playground type crap*. I like clarity in the mid-ranges, really want to hear the vocals, and don't need a lot of bass. I use my iPod for general walking about and subway riding.

Does anybody have experience with any of these headphones under this kind of usage? I'm concerned that the ER-6is may be TOO isolating... as in, I don't hear that car honking at me as it barrels towards the crosswalk. I'm also very interested in comfort (love my Sony EX71s for that) for my rather average-sized ears.

I can get any of these three for roughtly the same price with a bit of shopping about, so that doesn't matter. Any user anecdotes that might sway me in this?

*Chosen to illustrate typical range, and not my archaic tastes.

[Jackonicko]

Definitely avoid the Etys. Too flat and too isolating.

I'd add Panasonic HJE70s to the list of possibles. As cool as can be, great, accurate, well balanced, clear, detailed and with powerful but not over-powering bass. Moreover, they feel just like the EX71 comfort wise, and have the same degree of isolation.

You might also consider Sennheiser CX300s and Audio Technica ATH CK7s.

[jgpippin]

Originally posted by Jackonicko
Definitely avoid the Etys. Too flat and too isolating.

I'd add Panasonic HJE70s to the list of possibles. As cool as can be, great, accurate, well balanced, clear, detailed and with powerful but not over-powering bass. Moreover, they feel just like the EX71 comfort wise, and have the same degree of isolation.

You might also consider Sennheiser CX300s and Audio Technica ATH CK7s.

Yeah, I've noticed you've gone kinda apesh*t supporting the Panasonic HJE70s on these forums ;) . You seem to be the only one, though, and the rest of the reviewing sites don't seem to have taken them very seriously - I can't find a single in-depth review on them. So I'll have to take your word on this being one of those dark horse wonders that people ignore because of the sin of being made by a mainstream electronics company that doesn't produce sound equipment for Linkin Park or whatever.

I must admit, if they sound as good as the rest of the $100 - $150 lineup (like the ones I mentioned in my original post), they'd be almost an instant buy for me. I love the uneven L/R cords that let me loop it around the back of my neck (I was correct in reading these had that, right?), and the short+extension cord dealio is perfect for those of us that use the Apple inline remote. In fact, these seem on first glance to be EX71s with better sound and a cooler form feature, which is perfect for what I'm looking for.

What, by the way, is the deal with them being photographed stuck back-to-back? Is there some kind of clip that holds them together that way?

So in offering this up as a possibility, are you suggesting that the Panasonic HJE70s rival the E3cs and super.fi 3s in sound reproduction?

[Jackonicko]

I'm saying that to beat the HJE70s, you'd have to go to the UE5 or the Etymotic ER4. I'm saying that they are, to my ears, far far better than the ER6i, which is horribly flat, and somewhat nicer to listen to than the UE3s, and that the HJE70s feel more luxurious and well made.

I suspect that the UE3s are a pretty cheap item cobbled together to plug a gap in UE's range. The difference between the UE3 and UE5 is stark, in both sound quality and build/'tactility'.

I'm also saying that the Panasonics would be a good choice if you're worried about too much isolation (and I think I know where you're coming from - since a quiet car can sneak up on you if you're walking or running with EX71s - while E2Cs and ER6is would hide the approach of a column of tanks or Concorde on take off).

Though I've listened to the E3C I don't own a pair so I can't give them a rigorous 'back to back' comparison as I can with the E2C, the ER6i etc. They're more comfortable than the E2C, and easier to get total isolation with (triple flange!) but I didn't find the sound quality much better than the E2C. Perhaps I haven't given them enough time.

Though there have been few reviews of the HJE70 (I believe they may be a limited edition) the proportion of those reviews that have been favourable have been far higher than for the ER6i (widely condemned as flat) and the UE3. Four out of four positive reviews is better than 100 out of 200!

I'm not surprised there haven't been many reviews, since these are difficult to find, and I've never seen a pair in a store, except the pair that I ordered!

To describe them as "EX71s with better sound and a cooler form feature" is spot on - once they're in your ear you wouldn't know they weren't EX71s until the music starts! When it does they are better balanced and warmer than the ER6i and the E2C, with better definition of subtleties in the bass line and better mids.

As to the 'clip', there are rubber tabs on the backs of the cable guides which push into slots on the opposing cable guide. This means that you can take them out of your ears and clip them together in front of your neck/chest and they won't slip off, tangle, or dangle about in your pasta!

I'm not saying that you should buy HJE70s, only that you should consider them. I'm also saying that for EX71 levels of comfort and moderate isolation you might also consider the new Sennys and Audio Technicas.

I am saying that while the ER6i is way better than the EX71 it's expensive and it's easy to beat, and I'm saying that the UE3 and E3C may be less comfortable than you'd like, and that the E3Cs may 'over isolate'.

Earphone choice is VERY subjective. Many people swear by the EX71, and others find no discomfort with the E2C, and there's even a review on this site that discusses Apple's own in-ears without mentioning the fact that they don't fit a human ear. I'd therefore be extremely cautious about giving a definitive "You must buy....." type of recommendation.

All I can say is that the HJE70s exceeded my expectations, and I like them better than any other in-ear I've tried. But that's just me.

[J Dubbya K]

I'd recommend the e3c's over the 6i's. Both sound similar but the e3c's are more midragey, which are perfect for vocals; they're also more comfortable since they don't go in as deep as the 6i's. I haven't tried the ue3's, but i have the ue5's and its a biznatch to carry around because of the memory wire. I always have to wind it up and put it back in its metal case out of fear I'll snap the wires...

[1265GBP]

Give the Westone UM1's a look see......... I ordered mine on Friday.... Heard great things about them..