Shure E4c Sound Isolating Earphones
by Shure Incorporated
|
Our Price: $599.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more product details |
|---|
Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Shure E4c Sound Isolating Earphones
Customer Review: A great choice for high-end sound on a budget
Summary: 4 Stars
To establish my bona-fides, I own not one but two pairs of Shure E5's, multiple brands of open and closed full-sized headphones, and I have two hand-built custom headphone amplifiers for my home listening setup. I'm all about trying to get the best sound I can get while not spending tens of thousands of dollars on snake oil.
The Shure E4c's are, as the model number indicates, one step down in quality from the E5's but still retain that clean, fairly neutral Shure signature. With only one driver you won't get a totally full bopttom end, but these do a great job of reproducing tight, accurate bass. In fact, I would say that's their signature: they're accurate across the board. The highs are good without being too brassy. Mid-range is a little forward - it's the primary sound you'll hear, but it's totally accurate and not at all tinny like most earbuds of this size.
I stopped using my E5s every day because they were taking a beating - and they;re so expensive! I never thought I would be satisfied with any other earbuds, but the E4c's really do the trick and for a lot less money.
Customer Review: Great travelling set-up for classical music
Summary: 5 Stars
I would like to add that these headphones are really great for listeners of classical music. I just listended to Clara Haskil play Beethoven's Piano Concerto no.3, and it was a real pleasure.
The e4cs are airy sounding with good separation and the timbre of delicate instruments such as oboe is just great.
I would go so far as to argue that these headphones are in fact more suited to classical music than other genres, since the strength is in the mid-range.
Bass is much better than generally reported. Again, I found the foam tips to be most suitable and have ordered 20 more tips.
Just one thing I guess: the Shure headphones have a signature sound to them - personality you might call it - which I actually like. I have heard great reports about the Etymonic (ER4P?), these may be more 'personality-neutral'.
Because of the nature of the headphone (it goes in your ear) they are 'sit-still-and-listen' headphones. But that is what you do with classical music.
Overall, superb travelling headphones for classical music.
Customer Review: The Best Travelling Companion
Summary: 4 Stars
I've always lusted after noise cancelling headphones, especially on long haul flights across the atlantic. At the same time, I could never see myself carrying large, bulky over the headphones with me. The added weight, plus the possibility of breaking them was too much. But, I've now found my perfect travelling companion - the Shure e4c's. They are light, compact, and are amazing at blocking out the sound. Granted, they are expensive (I paid $189) and take time to get used to (it took me a week to find the proper fit and way to insert them). But once you get over these two caveats, you'll hear an amazing reproduction of sound and moreover, you'll actually be able to block out sounds on the plane. A testimony of their noise cancelleing: Tte Shure e4c's have allowed me for the first time ever to fall asleep on airplanes. I'd definitely recommend purchasing a pair. The only reason I give these headphones a 4/5 instead of 5/5 is based on price. At a list of $319, they are simply too expensive.Customer Review: What happen to Shure quality control?
Summary: 1 Stars
Not sure if I am just plain unlucky or what. Got the Shure E4c. Right out of the box, one of the ear buds doesn't work. No sound came out. Can't tell you in this post whether the sound quality is good or not, since I didn't brother to test it due to one ear bud not working. One thing for sure, Shure really need to do a better job in quality control for their product! Not sure right now if I want risk buying another one and try again. Or, maybe just try other earphones from Ultimate and Etymotic Research. The Shure E4C is still fairly new. There are currently not a lot of reviews comparing it to Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5Pro Earphones and Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5 EB Earphones, which seems to be pretty good earphones and in same category as Shure E4c. Hopefully more reviews for them will come out soon. For now, due to my bad experience of getting a defective one (not to mention the price I paid for this E4c, I expected it to be at least working!), I am going to rate it 1-star. >.<Customer Review: Great sound but not so great wires
Summary: 3 Stars
I have had a pair of the E4c earphones since June of 2007 and use them every day. As far as sound quality goes, they are hard to beat. That being said, the thing that dropped it down from 5 stars to 3 is the propensity of the insulating material on the wires to become brittle and crack over time. A short period of time! Had to send the 1st pair back after 1 year of use. No problem with the 2 year warranty. The second pair have lasted a bit longer.....about 2 years. The insulation is now rampant with cracks and fissures and it is only a matter of time that the phones will cease to function. One thing that I tried, a product I picked up at one of the big box home stores, is something called "liquid electrical tape". It comes in different colors. I painted the cracks with this material and allowed it to dry. It is not unsightly, remains flexible and appears as though this may extend the life of my E4c earphones.