Shure E2c Sound Isolating Earphones
by Shure
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Our Price: $199.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $79.70 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Shure E2c Sound Isolating Earphones
Customer Review: Pretty good headphones, for a price.
Summary: 4 Stars
Hey all,
Well, yesterday I bought the Shure E2c headphones, being a little weary because there were no specifications on the packaging for these headphones. That worried me, and even when I had a store associate check their web site I was still disappointed that there were no really specific technical specifications that I could find. I still decided to buy them, and am on my 2nd day of using them. Am I happy I got them? Very much so.
These earphones are a lot different than other earphones that I've used, including other earbud types (ipod type, and some from sony) as well as headphones that cap over the ear (sony there too I believe). Compared to any other earbud type headphone, these are a lot better once one gets used to it - and yes, it does take time to get used to (I'll go over this later). Are these better than many of the cup type earphones? Definitely not, sadly. There are some earphones that cup over the ears that give a lot better sound for these, but obviously won't be portable which is what I needed. It's kinda like comparing apples and oranges, I guess..it just depends on where you want to use the headphones. So, in short if you want to use them at home mostly, then I would discourage going earbuds at all since the sound quality just isn't that good from what I've seen. On the other hand, if you intend to listen to music elsewhere (gym, outside, riding bus, work perhaps, etc) then I really recommend these.
There are some minor problems, though, with these earphones that you probably already read here. First, the fit is..to say, interesting. These *do* fit if you do read the directions and properly try the different inserts. I'm, right now, using the smallest clear-rubber ones. The problem, really isn't this, as it is the new sensation that one gets with these in their ears. There's a slight pressure, that was extremely uncomfortable for me when I first used these. After going through most every low/middle insert, I finally found ones that work for me that don't form the tightest seal so air can get out some. This does have the unfortunate side effect of not canceling out as much sound as other inserts do. Over time, I'll probably try another insert once I finish getting used to these. If you buy these, be sure you're expecting that these won't be the most comfortable at first, and will take some work to get used to them (On day 2, I can wear these a lot longer than day 1 - just keep with it).
The second, more negative thing, is the price tag. At 100 bucks, these things are expensive. The sound quality is good, even the bass for me (Not as powerful as a real sound system, or my cup over headphones, but better for me than my ipod headphones - just be sure to make use of your EQ settings, which should make it work just fine). I feel that one gets what they pay for, though, so 100 bucks wasn't really that bad of a complaint of mine.
These earbuds will last me a long time I feel, and they block outside noise pretty well (a little less so for me since I am using smaller earbuds with a larger ear). They do take some time to get used to, and will punch a bit of a hit into the pocketbook, but overall these are well worth the money.
Customer Review: If 3 1/2 stars were available, I'd have gone with that...
Summary: 3 Stars
Other reviews have pretty much covered all the pros and cons of these I think--but I thought I'd sum up a few things based on my own experience.
First of all--you have to *really* jam these things deep into your ear. If you're a musician familiar with the technique(s) used to insert musicians plugs, this will seem familiar, but perhaps not so much otherwise. I use the hand opposite the ear I'm placing these phones into and lift my ear to open the canal to get these things in as far as possible. The farther they go, the better seal that's created, and the better they sound. If you don't do this, or try to "go easy" on how far you push these things in, they do indeed sound like crapola.
If this process doesn't appeal to you, you probably should go with the over-the-ear headphones instead and forget bud-type headphones. The ones included with the Ipod don't create a good seal so you crank the music to overcome it, killing your ears. No good.
With that said, it does seem like the pads are oversized for most. I really wanted to make the black rubber ones work, as they "look" the best, and seem to hide all my gross earwax the best, but those keep falling out of position after insertion and as others mentioned--need constant readjusting. At least for me. Music sounds good for a bit, then they fall out and you have to put them back in. The clear ones are hard and too big for me to even attempt to use any of them.
The smallest foam pads are the only ones that work for an extended period of time for me. They're the softest and most comfortable (at least initially). With that said though, the engineers made these "peach" colored, and they look dis-gus-ting with all my earwax all over them. Wouldn't black or gray or anything else have been better for these? I guess they attempted to make them earwax colored, but they're embarrassing. If these are out of your ears, you don't want to show them to your friends.
Overall though, because these do block outside sound, they're much "healthier" for your ears because ultimately you don't have to crank the volume as high to overcome outside noises. So for that reason it's worth it to try to make these work. I almost wish I could get a custom mold though for these (as you can with earplugs) so they would fit "perfectly".
Lastly, I do think the bass on these was a tad disappointing--although I'm not sure what I expected. They're better by far than the original Ipod phones, but the bass even with the buds perfectly inserted is OK, but not exactly impressive. They are tinny on some Ipod EQ settings and I had to fiddle with those to get something that sounded good to me.
So I'm deducting a half-star for the choice of peach for the foam pads (and the fact that almost all the included choices are too big for most--it's hard to imagine smaller women could really wear ANY of these--I'm a 5'10" male) and another star for overall sound quality.
I see the price is falling as low as $75 on these now--and if that continues it may get closer to a 4-star item. At $40-$50 these would be a good value, but I don't believe the sound quality you get from these is worth $100.
Customer Review: Surprising clarity, excellent fit
Summary: 5 Stars
After many years of faithful use from my set of Sony earbuds, I had gotten to the point where I was ready to try a slightly more sophisticated set of in-ear headphones (read: the rubber on the right cord was worn to the point where there was over an inch of copper wiring exposed).
I restricted myself to a firm top price of $100, and then began an exhaustive search which ended tentatively with the Shure E2c Consumer Headphones. I had heard much about the Shure company, and a friend of mine who works in a recording studio assured me that anything they make must be quality.
COMFORT
The first thing that was markedly different with the Shure E2c from my Sony earbuds was the fit. Most earbuds slip into the ear canal and then hang straight down, while others (like my Sony pair) have one ear cord that is longer so that you can loop that part around the back of your head, thus keeping the cord out of your way.
The Shure E2c go one better. Each earphone has a separate, angled channel from the base of the unit that sits comfortably inside the ear canal, while the unit itself rests flat along the outside, at the top of your ear. It is tricky the first few times to get the settled, but you get use to it fairly quickly. Once positioned, the cords actually wrap over the top of your ear, meeting in the back with a plastic sleeve that can be tightened or loosened behind you back. This has proven to be great when running, as the cords can be secured tightly to the back of your head, and with the cord running behind my neck, my arms don't get tangled in it.
Also, there are nearly a dozen different types and sizes of earphone sleeves, ranging from very thin, soft rubber to collapsible foam made from the same material that earplugs are, so once inserted properly they expand for a nice, snug fit.
CONSTRUCTION
The design of the headphones, as mentioned above, is a definite improvement and can be worn for many hours without discomfort. Also, the cording is noticeably thicker then my old Sony earbuds and feels like it could stand up to a good deal of abuse.
CLARITY AND SOUND
Initially I was a bit put off by the sound range when I first began using the Shure E2c. The clarity was astounding from the very first chord, but the sound was slightly tinny and the baseline seemed rather flat. The same friend who initially pointed me in Shure's direction assured me that this was normal and that I should give them a few weeks to break in.
He was right, of course, and I am now enjoying a rich array of sounds and instruments that went unheard with my Sony earbuds. I am simply amazed that such tiny speakers can produce such a rich field of sound.
NOISE-CANCELING
The Shure E2c are not true noise-canceling like the Bose QuietComfort ones are, but when fitted correctly, then do create a sort of "noise vacuum," similar to the effect you get when plugging your ears with your fingertips. This means that while much of the outside noises are greatly reduced, any internal noises from your body are amplified. This is most noticeable while eating, or from the jarring of your footsteps if you are running on a hard surface.
Customer Review: Great sound, but stops working after ~12-16 months
Summary: 4 Stars
The Sound
These sound isolating earbuds are quite good for the price you pay. I can use them on an airplane and barely hear the engines, even if I sit right behind the wing emergency exits where it is noisiest. When pushed in, the low end is pronounced, but sometimes it takes a couple of pushes into the ear to get the full effect. You also might have to twist them a bit in your ear to get them to work, but it is no more than 2 minutes of fiddling. I take these with me on my motorcycle sometimes, and if I get it just right, I can barely hear the engine. The freeway is a surreal experience when you can't hear your own engine. I still can hear car horns, though, so it's not totally unsafe. Still, I think the AMA recommends at least earplugs during riding because many longtime motorcyclists do get hearing loss because of the noise when on their bikes. Warning: some states it is illegal to wear earplugs. I don't like this rule at all because there's no law that prevents cagers from blasting their music which ends up being the same thing. I digress.
The Quality
This is where I would give these a mixed review. The cord is heavy duty. The buds themselves feel substantial. These earphones have a quality feel, even though the bud casing is plastic. There are two problems with the quality:
1. if you work out, the cord rubber gets exposed to your natural oils when you sweat and becomes brittle especially on the cord where it wraps over your ear. Since it is bent there, if you bend it back, sometimes the rubber starts to crack and finally will expose the wire underneath.
2. The lifetime of the "electronics" are suspect. Let me explain. I've had 3 pairs of these but have only paid for ONE. The reason is that almost without fail, after 12 months, the right earbud's sound starts to cut out, like a bad connection. If you fiddle with the cord, the sound comes back. However, if you twist your head a certain way (and it seems different every time), then the sounds cuts out again. It gets progressively worse until one day, it will not work at all. My second pair had this problem starting in the right ear, but then migrated to the left earbud as well.
For these two problems, I would give this product only 2 stars. What's the use of a product if it only lasts a year every single time?
The Customer Service
Here is where Shure redeems themselves. They replace it under their 2-year warranty. On top of that, your 2-year warranty starts over after the replacement. Also, the replacement is fairly straightforward and relatively hassle-free so far. I only have to pay for shipping, which is not too bad for new earbuds that retail for 100 USD.
Overall
If you don't mind waiting for a couple weeks every 1-1.5 years to get a new one, then the quality of the sound for the amount of money you pay is quite worth it. I am a bit frustrated that my third one is starting to fail just like my first two, but as long as they honor their agreement, I will be happy overall. Shure, keep up the commitment to your customers and I will follow. But please, find a way to fix these issues.
Customer Review: Very Good
Summary: 4 Stars
I just got these so I cannot comment on durability. Also, my ears are a bit sore from trying to get them to seat properly. I think I have the fit down now, and I agree with other reviewers that getting them to seat properly and having the ear canal essentially sealed off is important to getting decent sound. I am very happy with these all around. They are pretty comfortable and seem to stay in my ears. They certainly seall off outside noise.
The sound is much better than the earphones that come with the IPod and better than the Senneheiser (sp?) noise cancelling headphones I have, which I also like a lot. It has been a long time since I have had really decent headphones, but it has not been so long since I have had quite good speakers (Spendor)--if not quite audiophile quality speakers, they were still pretty good. By my recollection of decent headphones long ago and good speakers, I would say that the audio quality is not truly excellent. Things like cymbals are not chillingly realistic like they can be on a truly excellent system, and they just do not sound as precise to me as I have heard previously. (Then again, I am listening to an IPod or my laptop, not to a real stereo system, CD, or LP.) But these were about $65.00. I assume that the fact that Shure sells a number of higher-priced ear buds--I would love try them but have not had the opportunity--means that Shure itself thinks that this model is not the be all to end all.
That said, these are pretty darn good and anyone should notice a huge increase in quality over the earphones that come with an IPod. I am not sure I have the vocabulary to fully describe the sound quality, but I will try, as I really agonized over getting these and was having trouble understanding what folks were saying about the sound. It is immediately apparent, for instance, that you can hear much more "detail" in music. The spoken voice is much more nuanced, and you can hear ambient noises in the room where a voice was recorded, for instance. Things like cymbals are distinct, they just do not sound as much like live cymbals as they possibly could. I think I agree with some that the bass could be more present and more precise, and I do not think of my self as a big bass fanatic. With truly excellent sound, you can easily pick out the bass guitar, even when the bass is not that loud, and hear nuance to it. This is not quite there in that respect, and I think the low range is weaker than the midrange or high range. I am not sure that I can absolutely always distinguish the bass guitar from the bass drum, for instance. That, said, I can distinguish those instruments most of the time, which speaks very well of these earphones. It is not that they sound "muddy," and certainly not "tinny," if that makes sense and helps.
Like I said, I am quite happy with these earphones across the board. For the money, I do not think you are going to feel like you went too wrong--unless for some reason you cannot get a good fit. I am guessing that most folks, if they persevere, will be able to get a good and comfortable fit.