E3c or ER-6i

[Butthead]

Hey everyone, I'm sorta new to posting here but I've been reading this forum for about a year, and I wanted to know what your opinions were on the Shure E3c and the Etymotic ER-6i.

So far I'm sort of leaning towards the E3c's, seeing as I've found a better price for them and they seem to look a bit better with the iPod than the Etymotics do on their website. However, I've seen quite a few people say that the ER-6i is much better, and something about them having a much better sound stage.

So, if you could give me your opinions and explain to me what a sound stage is, I'd appreciate it greatly.

And by the way, the music I listen to is mostly classic rock and rap.

Thanks again.

[ham_man]

Might try looking on head-fi. I surfed there for a couple of weeks until I made my descision on the E3c. I listen to classic rock and folk. They haven't arrived yet though...

[Butthead]

I see... where did you get them? Cheapest price I found so far is $118 with free shipping.

And thanks, I'll check out that headfi.org or whatever, it just seems a bit hard to navigate to me.

More opinions appreciated.

[Doug Gilmour]

I got my Shure E3c's from Earphone Solutions (www.earphonessolutions.com) and bought an extra 20 foam sleeves. They are fantastic, sound great (especially the highs), and provide outstanding isolation (with the foams). I would thoroughly recommend them as I find they were a great addition to my setup..

-Dan

[SlowBye]

I suggest you buy from a seller that you can return the earphones to. They can be uncomfortable to people and some don't like the isolation. It would be better buying them, not likeing them, and returning them rather than trying to sell them on ebay or something.

[Butthead]

Thanks, and can you provide links to these sellers of yours?

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by SlowBye
I suggest you buy from a seller that you can return the earphones to. They can be uncomfortable to people and some don't like the isolation. It would be better buying them, not likeing them, and returning them rather than trying to sell them on ebay or something.

When you buy from an authourized dealer you will get a certificate, which is your warranty certificate. If you have problems you send them to the manufacturer (Shure, Etymotic), not the dealer. So as long as you get the warranty you will be fine.. This is the case for Shure at least, as I received a 2 year warranty certificate.

-Dan

[ham_man]

How do I know when the warranty is valid from? Reason being is that my E3c just came in the mail and I was just wondering...

-Andrew

[yinyang]

Originally posted by SlowBye
I suggest you buy from a seller that you can return the earphones to. They can be uncomfortable to people and some don't like the isolation. It would be better buying them, not likeing them, and returning them rather than trying to sell them on ebay or something.

earphone solutions (as mentioned above) do allow you to return either phones if you're not satisfied.

check out the site for details - they are very helpful

btw i got the ety's er-6i and think they 'produce' much clearer sound than the sony ex71s. the bass is definitely toned down in comparison, but maybe the sonys over embellished the bass in the first place...!?

anyway your ears will tell you which ones are better!!

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by yinyang
earphone solutions (as mentioned above) do allow you to return either phones if you're not satisfied.


This is only a 30-day "Money back guarantee" though, is it not..?

Andrew,

At the back of the plastic package that the Shures came in, there should be an orange slip of paper that says, "Full Two Year Warranty" on it, and has some details below it..

-Dan

[ham_man]

I have the paper, but I bought them off eBay, so is the date of purchase when I got them?

-Andrew

PS I bought them from eBobs. Great experience.

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by ham_man
I have the paper, but I bought them off eBay, so is the date of purchase when I got them?

-Andrew

PS I bought them from eBobs. Great experience.

No, it will be 2 years since they were originally bought.. Contact the seller and ask him when they were bought. Or contact Shure and ask them, perhaps they know from the serial number?

-Dan

[Butthead]

Originally posted by yinyang
anyway your ears will tell you which ones are better!!

Yeah but problem is I don't really have enough money to try both out... oh wait.. I could probably buy one, reutrn it, buy the other, and if I didn't like it more return it for the first ones.

Anyways, are the Shures those kind of headphones you put all the way inside your ears? Something about brain waves I think... I think the Etymotic's are too but I'm not sure.

The pic of the Shure's looked like regular earbuds to me.

[ham_man]

The Shures are in-ear earphones. However, they are still mighty, might y comfortable. I have been listening to them and give them a big thumds up.

-Andrew

[Next4]

I have to agree, Shure's sound great on my iPod.

Some tips:

- Seal is everything.

- Go through all of the sleeves.

- Give 'em a week.

- My dad gave me some advice that I think you could use,

"Buy the pair you think you'll be most satisfied with."

----

I found this in the Shure e3c review from mctriple:

"durability: e3c > er6i
comfort: e3c > er6i
bass: e3c > er6i
less microphonic sounds:
e3c > er6i
overall sound: too subjective to say :P"

If you go w/ shures, go to macmall.com I got mine at $119 USD.
Free shipping too!

And with all that saved moolah, pick a Mac mini for yourself while
your at it. (http://www.apple.com/macmini/)

-NeXt4

P.S. Although I don't own a Mac, I still recommend them to people. I can't wait till I dump my Dell!

[Red Monkey]

I also have the Shure e3c. I still trying to get used to them. I have tried out the kit..and found that the black and clear in the small work best. But they keep falling out. But they have great sound so I guess I have to still work with them. The ER-6i I heard are easier to fit in the ear though....thats what a lot of people say. :)

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by Red Monkey
I also have the Shure e3c. I still trying to get used to them. I have tried out the kit..and found that the black and clear in the small work best. But they keep falling out. But they have great sound so I guess I have to still work with them. The ER-6i I heard are easier to fit in the ear though....thats what a lot of people say. :)

Use the foams. They easily are the most comfortable and provide an excellent seal.. Squish them up and then shove them in your ear. They will expand and form a great seal..

-Dan

[Butthead]

Thanks for the advice everyone, I'm almost sure I'll get the E3c's, the only worry is that they won't fit in my ear, so I'll buy from that place that allows returns. Thanks a lot everyone, and opinions are still welcome.

[Butthead]

One more thing - Well actually 2.

Right now I have the Bose Triports, and they sound alright, and I was wondering if the E3c or ER-6i was a huge leap over these, and also - Are the E2c in the same league as the 6i or E3?

Once again, I thank you all so much for the help.

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by Butthead
One more thing - Well actually 2.

Right now I have the Bose Triports, and they sound alright, and I was wondering if the E3c or ER-6i was a huge leap over these, and also - Are the E2c in the same league as the 6i or E3?

Once again, I thank you all so much for the help.

Not sure about the Triports or the 6i's, but as far as the E3c's go, they are good, but not quite as good as the E3c's.. There is a reason for the $80 price gap. The E3c's are not as bass oriented as the E2c's are, but extremely good in the mids and highs, while not a slouch in the lower areas of the spectrum either. The E3c's are better, but at a price.. If you have a tight budget go with the E2c's. If you have some extra cash to spend, get the E3c's..

-Dan

[yinyang]

Originally posted by Doug Gilmour
If you have some extra cash to spend, get the E3c's..



if you really have extra cash get the E4c's :D

depending on how 'broad spectrum' your music is, i reckon you're probably better off trying the shures before the etys, since most people agree the bass response is just that much better on the e3c then the er-6i. i don't know how comparable they are on the mids and highs, but would guess that they are both pretty similar. the ONLY thing that stopped me getting the shures was just how they're supposed to be worn!!

regardless which you choose though, i think your ears will thank you :D

[Butthead]

I see... where can I find these E4c's? I haven't seen them on the Shure website or on Pricegrabber...

Edit: I see they're not out yet.

There is also the Etymotic ER-4 at Comp-U-Plus for $248, but that's taking it a bit far unless they're absolutely amazing.

Thanks.

[Mina]

I have listened to both the etymotic 6i's and the shure E3c's and would like to offer my thoughts. I am by no means a good linguist, so let me first apologise if some words i use to describe things aren't as intelectually challenging as some of you make like them to be, including me. My music collection consists heavily of rock and roll, punk rock and heavy rock music, with a little pop and dance here and there.

So First off i think a valid point to make for the etymotics is how easy they are to insert, very quick and painless to get a perfect seal. The shures on the other hand took alot longer to get the seal right, especially if you plan to wear them over the ear style. This may have been because they didn't come with any triple flanges from the word go, and so the triple flanges may be a valuable purchase if you end up keeping the shures. I personally found the triple-flange tip to be the most comfortable while still offering good sound. They aren't the best at blocking out outside noise though. The soft-flex and foam tips were the best isolators of noise in my opinion.

Now to the noise these things make. The shures are alot warmer than the etymotics and have very clear, precise highs, the vocals are also nicely pronounced. The etymotics also have very clear highs, but they were very different, metallic i think is the word most use to descibe it. The etymotics give a good representation of how the sounds were recorded, but the shures have an edge, a little something extra that i can't put my finger on. The main weakness for both the shures and the etymotics (more obvious with the etymotics i thought) is the lack of pounding base. This may not be your cup of tea, and if so, either earphones will provide sufficient base. But if you enjoy head shattering base or even a little base, none of these will fill that base shaped hole in your head. They will need to be equalised and/or require an amp to get the base some enjoy. I found the base booster EQ setting on my 4g ipod enough to get the base i wanted, but for some of you this may still be lacking.

Another important point i think i should make is how fragile the etymotics were compared to the shures. The shures looked very well made and could take a beating. but the etymotics would need to be babied. The wire that enters the earphone to the driver doesn't have a seal around it and could easily be pulled out if something strong enough like your brother/sister etc had a grip on them. The etymotics are extremely small however, and this may be to some peoples liking. They are hardly noticable when inserted. When the shures are inserted properly they come out at a 90 degree angle from your head, although this is also the case with the etymotics, I found them alot more awkward to wear. From the pictures i'd seen before i bought the E3c's, i'd always thought they would rest inside my ear lobe parallel to my head, but this is not the case.

So to conclude this pretty lame review, at the end of the day the shures gave me the sound i was looking for. This is extremely subjective, which is why you should always take reviews with a bucket load of salt, including mine. The etymotic 6i's beat the shures hands down in terms of looks and ipod matchibility but the shures aren't that far behind. The only way you will know for certain which earphone you will like most is if you try them for yourself. Look for companies that offer a 30 day money back gaurentee, as you can return them if they're not your cuppa.

As some of you may have noticed, i now own the shure E5c's, but that is a story for another day, but an important and noteworthy observation nontheless. If you have any other questions regarding either earphone just pm me and i'll gladly help.

Mina.

[yinyang]

Originally posted by Mina

So to conclude this pretty lame review,

i thought it was a pretty decent review actually :)

thanks for taking the time to post!

[Butthead]

Yeah, that was an excellent review with a lot of points that I was concerned about.

I'm probably going to get the E3c's now, I just need to worry about if I need the triple flanges.

It shouldn't worry me too much, but I'll probably lose sleep if I don't at least try out the ER-6i to see if I like the sound and they fit better.

Thanks many Mina and everybody else!

[Butthead]

Could someone help me and tell me if MacMall.com is a Shure Authorized Reseller? I can't seem to find it, and www.earphonesolutions.com will only match prices from other authorized resellers.

Thanks again..

[cpn.luckycharms]

I will be purchasing the ER-6i's. They seem like a really good choice sound wise, also because the sound cancellation matters alot to me.

~Take Luck

[filmmaker2002]

I purchased both the Ety ER6i and the Shure EC3 last week, tried them both out over the course of that week and ultimately decided on the Shure's. They are built like a rock (which the Ety's are surely not, I'm always afraid I'm going to rip the cord out when I pull them from my ears) they sound fantastic and the isolation is awesome. THeir customer service is also top notch. I emailed the asking if I could get the two smallest grey foams because they were missing from the package, and they sent me an entire set of clear, grey, and yellow foam covers the next day...AWESOME. I sent the Etys back because...well...they just didn't sound as good to me. I like warmer sound and the bass on the Shure's blows the Etys out of the water...and for those of you who like the Ety triple flanges, you can get the same from Shure (or you can actually use the Etymotic triple flanges...I did and they sounded and felt fine)

[Next4]

You could 4-flange mod that Taxipod posted around here.

Another tip:

-Wear them over your ear then down the front of you. I found this to be the best way to wear them (IMHO).

-NeXt4

p.s. Welcome to Team Shure!

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by Butthead
Could someone help me and tell me if MacMall.com is a Shure Authorized Reseller? I can't seem to find it, and www.earphonesolutions.com will only match prices from other authorized resellers.

Thanks again..

If you are looking for a deal I may be able to help... I have a coupon that will get you the Shures for $140 shipped, from Earphone Solutions.. I'll give you it if you want, I won't need it.. So drop me a line via PM if you are interested..

-Dan

[sonikninja]

filmaker2002's review probably has the most clout here, only because he actually owned both of these earphones. Anyone else's opinion should be ignored simply for the fact that they are biased on the earphones that they already own. I can't say my Ety's sound better then Shures because I really don't know for sure. Am I happy with the Ety's? Yes. Are they better then the Shures? Who's to say?

[Butthead]

Hehe thanks everyone and Doug, if I can get them from macmall.com for $118 is there a reason to get them from earphonesolutions for 140? I think I'll call Shure tomorrow and ask if macmall is authorized...

Thanks.

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by Butthead
Hehe thanks everyone and Doug, if I can get them from macmall.com for $118 is there a reason to get them from earphonesolutions for 140? I think I'll call Shure tomorrow and ask if macmall is authorized...

Thanks.

If Macmall cannot get you the 2 year warranty, then the extra $22 would definitely be worth it from Earphonesolutions.. Also, does Macmall have a 30-day return policy?

-Dan

[Butthead]

Manufacturer Information
Parts Warranty 2 years
Labor Warranty 2 years

Your quality product is protected via the manufacturer's warranty. To request more information on a product warranty prior to purchase you can check via the manufacturer's website or contact us at: warranties@macmall.com or call (800) 622-6255 Please include the MacMall part number: 401083

That's all I can find on the MacMall website, but as I said I'm going to try to call them today.

[Mina]

If anyone is interested in buying the shure E3c's from earphonesolutions i have a coupon to get them for $114 including free shipping inside the US. Just hit me up with a pm and i'll give it to you :)

Mina.

[Next4]

I bought my canals (e3c) from MacMall. I got my warrenty card.

I called when I was ready to by my 'phones and they told me that all warranty claims go directly to the company (Shure) not MacMall.

As for the 30 day money back, Shure has one but you have to order from their website, not MacMall's.

If you check my topics before, I got to listen to both. I immeditely thought that the ety's were better. But i figured out that I had the Shure in wrong, they were not burned in, and that the guy was using the largest grey flex sleeve (didn't fit me right).

After I read all the reveiws on headfi.org, I thought to myself, if I thought the etys were good, the Shures should be better! I absolutely had to order the Shures after my hypothesis (I also cancelled the etys (just in time)).

Now I'm absolutely happy and gave the ety guy a try w/ my burned in phones with the foamies. He gave off a lil tear after he heard Goo Goo Doll's "Give a little bit."

I heard from him just recently and he's returning the etys and getting the Shures (he doesn't care about the 15% charge).

-NeXt4

P.S. When you get your Shures, they're are no replacement filters in the box. I called Shure about it and they told me that the e3c's don't have to get they're filters changed often (as compared to the etys that have to be changed once every 3 months).

P.S.S Don't be like me and wait a week to start checkin' out the fit kit. Your ears will thank you.

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by Next4
I bought my canals (e3c) from MacMall. I got my warrenty card.

I called when I was ready to by my 'phones and they told me that all warranty claims go directly to the company (Shure) not MacMall.

As for the 30 day money back, Shure has one but you have to order from their website, not MacMall's.



Sounds like a decent deal, although the lack of a 30-day return isn't the best... However, Mina's deal sounds VERY good. I'd jump on that, Butthead...

-Dan

[Next4]

Were was Mina when I ordered my e3c's??!!

[groovndc]

I just recieved my ER-6i's today.

I am not a hard-core audiophile so I cannot give you an audiophile's review of these headphones, however, I will tell you my feelings based on a few hours listening. Also, keep in mind that I'm upgrading from the standard apple earbuds, which I have been using for a long time.

These are my first canalphones and I found that I had to adjust the phones to hear bass. Intially there was very little bass. After wetting the flanges and inserting them into my ears until I heard a little "squish" or "woosh" I got much, much better sound quality.

I listened to "the Supersuckers, live at the Magic Bag" and I actually understood people talking in the crowd between sets. With the apple earbuds I could hear people yelling but I couldn't understand what they were saying. With these headphones I hear and understand quite a bit.

I also listened to Shirley Scott (a jazz organist) play "Solar" and she was just grooving on the Hammond organ. The sound was full and rich. Awesome. I recorded it from the CD at 192kbps AAC.

I listened to Red Planet's "Get Back At You." It sounded okay. I don't think this song is very demanding....

Finally, I listened to Deuces Up, Double Down Pt. 1 by Breakestra. This is some solid funk. The bass could have been better. I turned on the EQ - Bass Booster and it helped a little bit.

Overall, I am satisfied with the sound quality.

It's hard to remove the canalphones. This is a major drawback to me. Maybe I'm doing something wrong but I almost had a panic attack when I first tried to remove them - they're so tiny. I'm thinking of ordering some Sensaphonics custom-molded earpieces - just found out that they make them for the 6i's today.

Barry

[thedodgyguy]

I have both the E3c and the ER-6i. I also have the E5c and have until recently also had the ER-4P/4S. I broadly concur with the reports by filmmaker and Mina. The sound on the E3c is significantly more involving and for want of a better word, more natural (although it's not actually a natural reproduction) than the ER-6i. The ER-6i tries to duplicate the over-boosted highs of the 4P/S to achieve a sense of 'detail'. With the Shure, the treble takes a back seat in the mix and definitely could be a little more prominent, but it is to me more listenable on a day in, day out basis.


There are also physical problems with the ER-6i. Apart from the apparent lack of durability which I won't expand on because so far it's unsubstantiated in my case, the flyweight cable of the ER-6i has a habit of oscillating in mild to strong winds and trasmitting an annoying buzz-whistle into the phones. The filters come off very easily, and with the 2 ER-6i's that I and a friend are using (and also lending to others), we've now lost track the number of filters we've managed to consume.


The prominent midrange on the E3c can be a disruption for some music types though, and on the iPod I never really did find a preset that I thought cured that in a way that I wanted to. On other players with a custom EQ facility, of course I didn't have that problem. The low end of the ER-6i straight off the iPod and many other players is something of a 'wet fart'. It's got no real sense of impact, just a 'blat' of the lows. The E3c is notably better, but don't go expecting monster bass... because you won't get it. Want that? Go for the MDR-EX71SL.


To me, the E3c represents a better commuting and travelling phone in both sonic and physical areas. The ER-6i triple flanges and foam tips can be used on the E3c, as the 'pre-cut' Ety triflanges work for most ears on the E3c and the ER-6i foam tips provide significantly higher isolation than the Shure yellow foam tips for in-aircraft use.

[speed_racer]

OK guys.. ive read pretty much every single review on the internet there is regarding the shure E3C or the Ety Er6i.

Now i dont have the luxury of buying both, but i can afford either so price isnt the problem.

I just need to know.. coming from someone use uses sonys ex70 earphones,

Will the cord going behind my ear be uncomfortable??? No one seems to have mentioned it.. so im guessing it wont be... but maybe i just need to hear it from you guys!!!

also GREY OR WHITE??!! :P

[loslobos71]

speed_racer: i just bougt the e3c's and LOVE them. The cords behind the head is actually more comfortable than the normal way. You wont notice that these things are in your ears . I actually have had 2 pairs of the ex51/71 and they both ripped. The e3c's are: more comfortable, better sound, and much more durable.
Good Luck.

P.S: Get White