Review: Shure E2, Shure E3, and Ety ER-4P

[kauffee]

I was on a trip with my iPod a few months ago and I realized in the car that I was getting a lot of noise coming in with the stock buds. I set out looking for better headphone for portable listening. I didn't know much about canalphones, but knowing that they were "isolating" I decided that would be the best option. I'm not necessarily new to audiophiledom, as I've been using Grados the past few years when I'm at home. I've also had the opportunity to listen to a lot of upper end Sennheisers, so I knew what good headphones could do. I never really looked into good portable headphones though. I was looking for something not too expensive, having just born the brunt of a $400 iPod. After doing a bunch of research, I settled on the Shure E2.

3rd Place: Shure E2

Initially, I really loved the E2. It was the first set of canalphones I'd listened to, and I really liked the isolation effect. They bass was deep and the sensitivity was excellent. Overall, the sound quality really blew away the iPod buds. After a few weeks, though, I started listening more critically and decided I wasn't happy with thm. The bass on the E2 is deep, but it's not at all very tight. This isn't necessarily a big deal, but combined with a very prominent mid-bass and mid-range, it gave the sound a muddiness that really bothered me. The instrument separation was weak, as well. Basically, the E2 really seems to squish the sound into the midrange, where it gets a bit lost. All the instruments are there, but you have to almost reach in and grab them because they come out kind of muffled. This isn't a bad effect if you listen to a lot of rock, but if your music varies a lot and you have a bit of pop, jazz, classical, or acoustic rock, I don't think the E2 is the best choice. Still, it's an enjoyable headphone. It feels durable and I had no problems with comfort.

Still, I?d started reading a bit on the web and I began lusting after the Etymotic ER-4P. Even though they were $225, I figured I?d probably save money in the long run by just getting them now, rather than upgrading incrementally.

2nd Place: Etymotic ER4P

It feels wrong putting these headphones in 2nd place, since they really are the best of the bunch in most regards. After reading all the glowing reviews of this phone and seeing how fanatical its fans are, I figured I might as well go for it, knowing that I wouldn't be truly satisfied until I'd heard them. The reviews are justified, because the ER4P are simply amazing. Their sensitivity, accuracy, and clarity are second to none. Most people cite the weak bass as its only shortcoming, but I didn't really find that at all. The bass is incredibly tight and evenly presented. There were times when I would've liked a little bit more oomph to it, but I blame that on the iPod, not the earphones. The highs on the ER4Ps are amazing and the instrument separation is much better than either the E2 or E3. I found the overall sound very similar to my Grado SR-80s, but more intimate, in the sense that you really feel like you're standing on stage with the musicians. The Shures (and to some degree, the Grados) feel more like you're sitting in the audience listening.

Now to the negatives. Quite simply, I found these phones too accurate and too sensitive. I'd never experienced headphone fatigue before, but I felt it with these. As amazed as I was whenever I put them on, I could barely listen to them for an hour. Strangely enough, this seemed to get worse as the days went by. This wasn't related to any comfort issues, either (I'll get to that in a bit.).

See, as good as the sound is, it's really not very natural. This is clearly an audiophile headphone. There's really very little warmth to the sound, and this is especially bad out of the iPod. It is important to note that the ER4P is extremely source-sensitive. If your MP3s aren't at least 192 or high VBR, don't even bother. Almost all of my files are 192 or LAME VBR, and I still felt like a lot of them sounded like crap. The Etys will show you the evils of compression. The Ety sound was noticeably better out of my portable CD player, as the bass was slightly boosted and warmer, and there were no compression artifacts.

Still, the flatness of the sound is odd in the sense that the midrange is much more subdued than most headphones. This is great because the bass feels deeper and the highs feel higher, but overall I found the sound less "musical" than I wanted. The clarity feels almost artificial. There was a review over at Head-Fi where the person mentioned that the Etys sounded like they pulled the notes out of the music. This is how I felt, and the effect was magnified coming from the iPod.

As far as construction goes, the ER4P looks cool in the same way Grados look cool... in other words, they really don't. It's the unusualness that gives them some panache. The braided cord is extremely thin and hangs nicely. The two sides come together into a barrel which (I'm told) houses the resistors, as well. The phones come with a shirt clip that attaches the barrel to the shirt, which is pretty much essential to reduce microphonic noise. Nevertheless, there was more microphonics than the Shure phones, but it didn't really bother me, even when walking around. The triple-flange of the Etys extends far deeper into the ear than the flex sleeves on the Shures. I never found them uncomfortable, but you're definitely not going to forget they're in your ears. I think most users can adjust to them within a few days. The triple-flange isolates far better than the flex sleeves or soft-flex sleeves on the Shures, but still not quite as well as the foamies. I didn't do much listening with the foamies, as I'm really not a big fan of them. In my opinion, the added hassle of putting them in and the cost of replacement don?t justify their added isolation. The only way I'd use them is if I couldn't get a good seal with any other sleeve.

In the end, I just couldn't justify keeping the Etys. I wasn't enjoying them enough due to the fatigue and the way they revealed the MP3 compression. It was disappointing since I wanted a phone that resembled the Grado sound, and these fit the bill. But when all that detail was sealed into my ear canal, it just didn't work for me.

1st Place: Shure E3

Since I really can?t justify spending $400 on Shure E5s, the E3 was my next option. I was looking for these to be a happy medium between the E2 and the ER4P and for the most part, they are. The sound is more akin to the E2 sound than the ER4P's sound, but after listening for a while, it's clear that the E3's resolution is very close to that of the ER4P. It just doesn't jump out at you when you first throw them in. My other first impression was that the E3 bass was weaker than that of the ER4P. If you read E3 reviews, you'll see a lot of complaints about lack of bass on the E3. The problem is one of perception, though. When I A/B'd the E3 and the ER4P on the same tracks, it's clear that the E3 actually has slightly more bass than the ER4P. However, the overall sound signature of the E3 emphasizes the midrange far more than the ER4P. I think the effect is that the E3's bass blends in with the mid-bass and midrange, so it sounds a little weaker than it really is. The ER4P's understated midrange leaves the bass more isolated in the lower ranges, and so it stands out a little more, despite being weaker than that of the E3.

The E3's bass is much tighter than the E2's, though I think the E2 had slightly more impact. Nevertheless, I found the strength difference to be minimal, and I prefer the tightness of the E3. The E2's muddiness is gone. More importantly, the E3 seems to bring the upper ranges out from the congested middle where most of the E2's sound was located. The highs aren't as high as the ER4P, but they're pretty close. The midrange, again, is much more emphasized than it is on the ER4P, which gives the E3 that warmer Shure sound. The E3 seems to presents the music as a cohesive unit, rather than a lot of instruments with wide separation. I found I really liked this on the iPod.

From the pictures online, I wasn't too enthusiastic about the look of the E3c (I got the white version). I was afraid they looked too much like your average commercial earbud. When I got them, though, I was pleasantly surprised. I was expecting plastic similar to that of the iPod buds, but it's not like that at all. The plastic appears to be very strong with an unpolished texture that gives it an almost ceramic-like quality. The cords coming from the buds are slightly thinner than those of the E2, but they still have some rigidity to them that I could do without. Still, I won't complain because they're probably a bit more durable this way. I was always freaked out about damaging the thin cords on the Etys. As far as overall comfort, the gray soft-flex sleeves are a noticeable improvement over the clear flex sleeves. To me, the sound seems about the same, although the soft-flex sleeves have slightly poorer isolation than the clear ones. The E3 gives you the option of using a triple flange, as well, although they have to be purchased separately. I haven't ordered them from Shure yet, but the ER4P's triple flange fits on the E3 just fine. Using them improves the isolation, as I would expect, but it also brings down the highs just a bit and warms up the lower ranges. This wasn't what I was expecting, but if you find the E3's to be a little too bright, the triple flange would be the tip to use. I'll probably save them for when I'm going to be listening in high noise environments.

To summarize, the stronger midrange of the E3 seems to make the sound more musical and less sterile. The detail and instrument separation aren't as pronounced as the ER4P even though the E3 resolution is just about equal. In the end, I just find the E3 much easier to listen to from the iPod. Their warmth seems to cover up any issues with MP3 compression, and most LAME VBR files are basically indistinguishable from uncompressed files. The E3 has a similar sound signature to the E2, but it's clearly a better earphone. If it's between the two and you have the money, definitely opt for the E3.

So after spending some time with all of these earphones, I'm sticking with the Shure E3. For my purposes, it's the best of the bunch.

[daveman_84]

Great reviews. It's funny because I'm experiencing exactly what you did. I got the E2's about a month and a half ago and LOVED them...now, they're starting to wear on me. The highs could be better and the bass could be better too. I'm really considering going for E3's. The ER4P's were never really in consideration, beacuse from what I've read that thin sound is not really what I want. We'll see...

[DMB 311]

Thanks a lot for the review. This is exactly the post I was looking for. I think I'm going to be getting the E3's now. If not, I'll get the E2's but for only $79 more, I think I'll just save up for E3's. Thanks again!

[junkymailbox]

I have ex 71, e2, e3. By far the e3 is the best. E2 is muffled compared to e3. and ex 71 is boomy but clearer (imho) than e2.

[kauffee]

Yeah I have the EX71s too, but I didn't include them in the review as I really haven't listened to them long enough to make detailed comments. I will say that I don't think they're on the sonic level of the E2, though. I can see why you think they're clearer, because the highs are more separate from the midrange, but their ability to resolve detail is nowhere near that of the E2.

[joni]

I just got the converter cable that makes the ER4p into the original ER4s. I have to say that while I understand the thinking behind shaping the "p" sound for low output portables generally, the iPod is more than cpable of driving the "s". The result to these ears is what I hoped originally to get from the Etys....completely balanced sound and ..yes Improved bass .

[XBarbarian]

wow...a little searching, as opposed to post new threads..." whats best buds?"..gave me this great review!

Sweet, thanks for the post, bro. Just got my first iPod, 3g 40gb, this week, so..kinda swimmin with options atm, but I want to get better phones...so ..thinkin E3's now..
thanks again!

[jpmac55]

As already mentioned, thanks for taking time to post the review. I recently upgraded to the E3's and like them so far in the few days of owning them. I also own the Sony 71's which I happen to also like. I decided to try the E3's after much debate with the E5's.

Frankly, it was very confusing as many love and hate the Shure E3's. Head-Fi.org folks especially are polarized with opinions. I decided that I was trying to digest too much information about audiophile technicalities that I know little about. So I decided to trust my own ears, compare them to my Sony 71's and ultimately will reach my own conclusions. Kauffee's assessment is more in line with my own particular tastes, requirements and findings.

Another nice feature perhaps overlooked by some is the E3's can be utilized over the ear or hang down ala more typical headphones. The E3's also provide greater isolation than my 71's. Yes, the Sony's offer more bass but my layman's ears distinguish crisper and cleaner midrange tones which is pleasing to me. I am one of the few that can live without booming bass headphones and can only hope I remind myself of that if I ever to decide to upgrade to the Shure E5's!

[springtide]

Bump, bump, bump....

Thanks, for the great review. More than answers all my questions....

[lindrone]

Good review

Important thing to remember about the ER-4, is that they are wildly popular on Head-Fi, and generally deemed as the standard by which all canalphones measure up to. However, the reason behind it has much to do with ER-4's unique capabilities as it has to do with the Head-Fi "groupthink".

ER-4's unique capability is extracting details, even though that I still feel that the detail it extracts comes at a huge detriment to other characteristic of sound and music itself. So that gives the ER-4 an unique place where it'll always be "different" than other headphones, offering an experience that only it can. Where Shure E3c sounds more like a very, very good "regular" headphone. So it's hard to appreciate a headphone that does all the things you expect it to do, just better; than a headphone that does it so uniquely different.

Also, ER-4 is for a very long time, the only canalphone anyone's ever used on Head-Fi. That means.. well, person A recommends to person B, person B recommends it to ten other people. Before you know it, everyone's sticking to the only "tried and true" canalphone suggestion there is, and no one wants to spend money on anything else. Not that there weren't other options at the time, just that no one ever bothered exploring them.

When I first started posting on Head-Fi about 9 months ago (lurked for long time)... any mention of the word "Shure" makes you the anti-Christ.


Also, a lot of people consider audiophile listening as "details details and more details". Which means an earphone such as the ER-4 is very much suited for this need, even though it severely lacks in visceral impact, bass, and generally just not very much fun (although if you desire details, they're your cup of tea). This is not only because it's paired with the iPod either. Without a signifcant bass boost from a good amp, Ety's bass is just anemic.

There's really more than just that one way to be an audiophile, personally I don't believe that having detail at the expense of a good, musical sound is worth it. Ultimately if I was spending a whole bunch of money on a pair of headphone, I have to be able to enjoy a musical experience that makes me want to tap my feet or just get up and dance (okay, maybe not when listening to classical music.. but still!).

[dmt1]

It's a difference of opinion. I personally don't feel the E3's are in the same class as the Ety 4P's--probably more comparable to the Ety 6's. It's all relative; some people get hooked on the detail provided by the Ety's, others by the relative improvement in bass provided by the Shure's. And some folks may consider the detail fun, whereas others may consider more bass more fun.

That being said, I'd love to try the Shure E5's, as I really am a big fan of the E2. I was disappointed in the E3 though; it just didn't seem that much better than the E2 to justify the price. But then again, I've had much more experience with both the E2 and the 4P.

[springtide]

Just ordered the e3c's off Ebay!

I shall see how I get on with them. At the end of the day, a big factor will be personal preference.

If I don't like them I'll sell them on and start saving for the e5c's. But there again, I may not even like those :-)

[kauffee]

lindrone, I think "groupthink" is a really good way to put it regarding head-fi. I was 100% sure that I was going to love the ER4 more than life itself based on everything I'd read about them. Just didn't happen.

[dmt1]

To be fair, the same has happend with others with the E3 and the E5.

Again, I think it's all relative to one's tastes and perceptions. I think they're all great phones (The E5 is the only one of the group I haven't heard, but I'm willing to bet it's a great phone too); just depends on what you're after.

[lindrone]

Originally posted by dmt1
To be fair, the same has happend with others with the E3 and the E5.

Somewhat true, but not entirely. E5 and E3 has to fight against an already established headphone in Ety's.. and years of history and public opinion that carried behind it.

When I first joined Head-Fi, the public comment wasn't "Shure sounds like this, and Ety's sound like this, you can pick one based on what you like".. the public comment was, "Shure? I think they're new, not trustworthy, just go with Ety's".

When Ety's came into the Head-Fi world, there was basically nothing else for it to compete against in its specific niche.

The Shure "groupthink" took a lot more courage (or just pure bluntness and stupidity)... I had to battle against many people who just weren't willing to give them a chance at all. What didn't help the situation, was the E2c and E5c were the only ones out at the time. So it was either a cheap option, or super-expensive option (you could only find the E5c for $500 MSRP back then). Most of the people who did switch from ER-4 to E5c's, or at least own both earphone on Head-Fi now only came to being after the street priced went down to the $350~$380 range.