E2c or Fi 3

[petrie]

well.... my e2c finally broke and warranty for me is up. i have saved up bout $150 and am bout to buy a new IEM, but i dunno which one to buy. here in the gta i found a store that sells a few IEM. it is down to a choice between gettin another pair of e2c ($109 CAN) or tryin out Ultimate Ear Super.Fi 3 Studio ($119 CAN). so can anyone help me out, greatly appreciate it.

thx,
petrie

[Interpol]

Nobody can tell you which one fits better than yourself. Honestly, it doesn't help to recommend which one sounds better if the one that does hurts your ear canals to use them.

That said, I haven't heard a lot of good things about the Super.fi 3's.

[Shane1]

I heard the UE Super Fi 3s a week ago and there amazing, yet i don't have much to compare them to, they blow everything i thought about earphones out of the window though.

(green at Interpol's Porsche) hehe

[Aceospades1250]

Well, before Jackonico comes in and bashes both headphones, I would like to add that the Superfi 3 blows the e2c completely out of the water.

[Interpol]

Cool, I should pick up a pair of Super.fi3's and try them out.

[Jackonicko]

Panasonic HJE70 outperforms both, at a lower price. I own all three so do have a basis to compare them.

Shure, Etymotic and UE have spent a great deal of money building up the hype for their products, and you pay through the nose for these manufacturer's names.

Which is fine if you don't care about value for money and quality, and if following the herd is more important.

But you can do MUCH better for less money.

[Jackonicko]

I know of dozens of UE3, Shure and Ety owners who have been disappointed by their purchases, but I know of only one individual who claims to have been disappointed by the HJE70 - and I suspect that he was lying about buying them in the first place!

[petrie]

oooo..... i have never heard of the panasonic HJE70, seems interestin i will go do a bit of research on them.. can they be found in toronto canada?

[Jackonicko]

They're easily available online, and there are loads of threads about them on iLounge.

Everyone I know who has tried them has been blown away by them - they sound like $200 headphones and feel even better - the build quality is superb, and the box is amazing! Most people say they're the best in-ears they've ever heard.

I'm not sure. I do like the SuperFi 5, and sometimes, for some tracks, they sound marginally better than the Panasonic HJE70s. But they blo.ody well should do - they cost $250! And sometimes the HJE70s sound slightly better.

When it comes to the ER6i, the E2/E3 and the SuperFi 3, the HJE70s always sound better, to me.

And the fact that they're machined out of solid aluminium, and come in a titanium case, just adds to the high end feel of these remarkable low cost earbuds.

It must say something that my SuperFi 5s stay in the desk drawer, and these babies go everywhere with me.

[Maxman]

Jacko, can you give me a link where I can get a pair pretty cheap? Haven't been able to find any on eBay, or anywhere in my basic price range.

[Jackonicko]

The cheapest price I've seen online is $89. I've seen them for £52 in physical shops in the UK.

http://www.igearbox.com/product_info.php?cPath=45_58&products_id=288&osCsid=f4c99e436aed016d4b05fc8ae5f85cf2

[Aceospades1250]

Originally posted by Jackonicko
Shure, Etymotic and UE have spent a great deal of money building up the hype for their products

Really? The only advertisements I have ever seen for any of them with the exception of Shure is on their own websites.

[truckson]

Originally posted by Aceospades1250
Really? The only advertisements I have ever seen for any of them with the exception of Shure is on their own websites.

.....they did a lot of advertising already and the profit margin is huge! If you get their products in MSRP, they are overprice!.

[georgel12]

The same thing has happened to me, my shure e2c's broke, but they are still under warranty so i sent them back for repairs. I didnt want to start a new thread about this, so hoping you wont mind petrie. anyways, im probably gonna give my e2c's to my friend once they get back for is b-day and im hoping to move on to better headphones. After seeing all threads being dominated by Jackonicko's HJE70, i was wondering how much better they really are. i know that for each person, it is different, so im hoping to get these questions answered.

1) One of the things i hated about the e2c's was its lack of bass. It was real tiny and sometimes hardly noticable. I previously had the Sony ex-71 or something like that and the bass on that was really there, but it was kind of muddy. I was wondering which the HJE70's bass is more like.

2) The shure headphones came with a two-year warranty from shure, was wondering if panasonic gave anything like that.

3) I didnt really like the fit the e2c's gave me, they were ok but not as good as the sony's. but the sony's had cheap wires which dissintegratd away after a year =( was wondering how sturdy the wires were on the HJE70 and how they fit into one's ear.

4) i loved the e2c's sound except for the bass. was wondering if the HJE70 was similar in the crispness or such.

5) lastly, is it worth it?
any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks in advance

[Jackonicko]

1) Read the reviews. Most people agree that the bass is as powerful as the EX71 (or more) but far less muddy, allowing you to hear distinct bass notes where the EX51/71 would just deliver a "THUMP!" Individual rapid bass notes are clear and separate with the HJE70, too, not just one long THU-U-U-UMP. Certainly more bassy than the E2C

2) I haven't looked at the paperwork, I'm afraid.

3) The HJE70s use the same soft sleeves as the EX51/71 so fit and comfort and isolation are virtually the same. they give less isolation than the ER6i or the E2C, and much more comfort. The wires are thin but solid and very well anchored. I don't think they'll disintegrate like the Sony wires, but they're not like those agricultural hose pipes on the E2!

4) It's not quite as crisp as the ER6i, it's warmer and less clinical, less 'tiring' to listen to, in my view. It's not soft, or muffled, not just really bright and empty like the ER6. Compared to the E2C, it's just as clear, but a little warmer and a little less over-bright. The highs are less sibilant and hissy.

5) Yes. $89. Unbelievable value. I think perhaps Panasonic should have priced these higher so that audio snobs took them more seriously. Someone whos mindset is that "I'm going to spend $125 might not even look at these, and they sound better than most $200 buds.

[truckson]

Originally posted by Jackonicko
5) Yes. $89. Unbelievable value. I think perhaps Panasonic should have priced these higher so that audio snobs took them more seriously. Someone whos mindset is that "I'm going to spend $125 might not even look at these, and they sound better than most $200 buds.

I think the audio technica ath-ck7 are comparable to these panasonic. What do you think?

[Jackonicko]

Yes, I would agree. You may know, if you read these fora a lot, that I tend to use the CK7 with my Nano, and the HJE70 with my Gen 4, or when I need/want good bass.

The CK7s are very, very nice. (I have a pet theory that metal earbud housings give a delicious warmth while retaining detail).

BUT in one area, the HJE70s (also metal bodied) kick the CK7s right out of the park - and that's in bass. The HJE70 isn't crude, and bass notes are beautifully reproduced, remaining distinctive and tuneful, but the bass is powerful.

For classical music and some jazz, the CK7 may well be a better headphone, but for rock and pop, I do prefer the HJE70.