beginner's guide to the Shure E3c... help!

[aluren]

i just received the shure E3c's in the mail yesterday. i jumped for joy when i first saw the package outside my house. anyways, after putting them on for the first time, i felt extremely dissappointed... the sound is just like the original ipod earphones... i tried all the sleeves, including the foam sleeve, and still don't hear any difference.

i read some stuff from this forum saying that it needs some time for it to really start working. why is that?

well hope i can find a reason to justify my $120 investment. any help would be very much appreciated. thanks.

[Blue_Dawg]

I don't know specificly about the E3s but with most speakers there is a break in period. It takes time for them to loosen up so they flex properly and allow you to experience the full range of sounds that they are capable of making. This could be the problem. PM Doug Gilmoure as he owns a pair and I know he will try to answer whatever you need.

[kauffee]

I don't think it has anything to do with burn-in. What you're noticing is not uncommon aluren. Shure's, especially, don't have much of a "wow" factor when you first listen to them. Other than the isolation, a lot of people don't notice the dramatic increase in sound quality at first. I didn't either.

Use them for two weeks, though, then put on your stock buds. You'll be amazed.

[aluren]

what's there to loosen up in a tiny earphone? just curious...

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by kauffee
Other than the isolation, a lot of people don't notice the dramatic increase in sound quality at first. I didn't either.

Use them for two weeks, though, then put on your stock buds. You'll be amazed.

This is true. At first when I put them in, other than the isolation factor they didn't really amaze me... Then after getting used to the foams and a good technique of getting them in (squish them in your fingers and shove them deep in your ears) coupled with how comfortable they were I was getting a bit more impressed. After about two weeks I tried out my Sony MDR-EX51LPs and the Shures blew them away! The highs were nowhere near as pronounced, not much isolation, not as tight, especially up in the mids and highs. Now whenever I listen to a track with a lot of highs the E3c's absolutely amaze me... They seem to get better with time..

Good luck,

-Dan

[aluren]

thanks for the advice.i thought about returning them for a second, but i decided to test it again. i switched the e3c's and the apple ipod original earphones back and forth and i can slowly hear the difference. i guess retailers should say this next to the e3c's:

price: $179 + two week aging process
(no returns whatsoever within two weeks of purchase)

[Benco]

make sure you are really getting the proper seal. Also, use the smallest clear sleeve first, it will always fit and feel better than one that is too large. once you "feel" the correct seal, a difference should be heard. Especailly in the sound stage.

[enjoilax]

Originally posted by aluren
thanks for the advice.i thought about returning them for a second, but i decided to test it again. i switched the e3c's and the apple ipod original earphones back and forth and i can slowly hear the difference. i guess retailers should say this next to the e3c's:

price: $179 + two week aging process
(no returns whatsoever within two weeks of purchase)

180$????
*faints*
I think you mean:
120$ + 2 week user acclimination process

[thedodgyguy]

The difference is more psychological than mechanical IMO. Knowing what I'll get, and with a pair of "fully-trained" ears, I can stick a brand new pair of E3c's in my ears and hear more or less what I hear from a year-old pair.


The mental re-conditioning is the time you should allow, especially in the case of the E3c which has a tonal response which is seemingly not hugely different from many of the better stock phones. The major difference in the music information you're hearing will become pretty clear after a while.

[Next4]

Here's a tip:

Overnight, keep your iPod running w/ bass heavy music (like dance or hip-hop) in a continuous cycle (like a playlist) with your Shures. Make sure that the repeat function in the settings menu is set to "all." Set the volume a lil higher than what you listen to. Then do this for about a week or so and notice the changes.

I have the e3c's and after I did this, I cryed when I was listening to Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing."

-NeXt4

P.S. I have to admit, at first the e3c's don't sound good. I was sooo unhappy w/ them until I read the headfi.org's boards.

EDIT: Corrected some spelling/grammatical errors and clearifed the tip.

[adox]

I owned a pair of these for about a month before becoming fed up with them and selling them on.

The pounding of footsteps in your ears when you walk was just intolerable to me.

I bought a pair of Sennheiser px100s for a fraction of the price and am muxh happier with them.

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by adox
I owned a pair of these for about a month before becoming fed up with them and selling them on.

The pounding of footsteps in your ears when you walk was just intolerable to me.

I bought a pair of Sennheiser px100s for a fraction of the price and am muxh happier with them.

The microphonics weren't bad at all for me. From what I have heard, Ety's have much worse microphonics, especially because of how narrow the wires are..

-Dan

[adox]

Originally posted by Doug Gilmour
The microphonics weren't bad at all for me. From what I have heard, Ety's have much worse microphonics, especially because of how narrow the wires are..

-Dan


Yeah I should have stated that it was the partcular earphone style,rather than the brand or model that I had a problem with.

It was my first experience with sound isolating/reducing in ear phones,and they just didnt do it for me:)

[aluren]

Originally posted by Next4
Here's a tip:

Overnight, keep your iPod running w/ bass heavy music (like dance or hip-hop) in a continuous cycle (like a playlist) with your Shures. Make sure that the repeat function in the settings menu is set to "all." Set the volume a lil higher than what you listen to. Then do this for about a week or so and notice the changes.

I have the e3c's and after I did this, I cryed when I was listening to Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing."

-NeXt4


wow, so you really did this huh? i guess i should do that too cuz I Don't Want to Miss a Thing with my e3c's...

[frescagod]

Originally posted by Next4
Here's a tip:

Overnight, keep your iPod running w/ bass heavy music (like dance or hip-hop) in a continuous cycle (like a playlist) with your Shures. Make sure that the repeat function in the settings menu is set to "all." Set the volume a lil higher than what you listen to. Then do this for about a week or so and notice the changes.

I have the e3c's and after I did this, I cryed when I was listening to Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing."

-NeXt4

P.S. I have to admit, at first the e3c's don't sound good. I was sooo unhappy w/ them until I read the headfi.org's boards.

EDIT: Corrected some spelling/grammatical errors and clearifed the tip.

There is no burn-in required for the Shure e3(c) earphones. Burn-in is used primarily for large-coil headphones, as they may be stiff out of the box and won't perform properly until they're broken in. As for being disappointed with the earphones, I got mine in fall of '03 and the first few times with them, I <i>thought</i> I had inserted them correctly, yet I had not. Once you get the proper seal, there's no mistaking the difference in sound. If the seal isn't totally blocking out ambient noise, then you're not going to get the quality of sound that you paid for. There won't be any bass, or much of anything. If it doesn't feel like you have earplugs in, then they're not fully sealed off.

Good luck.

[Next4]

I was just kidding about the crying thing, though it was so good that I wished I could cry.

As for the burn-in, its debateable. Some think that its all psychological while others think that its really true. I thinks its a bit of both. Check out headfi.org and you'll get my drift.

[aluren]

about the seal, i'm surrently using the ultra soft sleeves (the dark grey ones)... i use the mid-sized ones and i thought they fit pretty well... well enough to the point where there is suction, like the outer part is sticking to the ear and doesn't seem to move when you pull it out, and only the inner part is coming out. is that a good seal?

[Joshdude]

Originally posted by Next4
I was just kidding about the crying thing...
Hahaha, suuuure.
I tried the E3c a while back and was disgusted. No bass at all. I returned them within the month. I could not tolerate such an absolute lack of bass. in headphones, especially expensive ones.

[aluren]

Originally posted by Joshdude
Hahaha, suuuure.
I tried the E3c a while back and was disgusted. No bass at all. I returned them within the month. I could not tolerate such an absolute lack of bass. in headphones, especially expensive ones.

i nearly cried too, but for that reason... spending $127 bucks on a pair of earphones that has no difference from the ipod regular earphones... and the $127 isn't easy money for me, being a college student paying for tuition, rent, food, insurance from a part-time job... that's why i posted here for help, and luckily the loungers here are extremely helpful!

can anyone help me regarding the seal of the e3c's that i just mentioned earlier?

[kauffee]

You're always better off starting out with the foamies because it's easiest to get a good seal with them. Once you know how it sounds with a good seal, you can switch to another tip. The sound signature will change slightly but you'll know immediately if you aren't getting a good seal.