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: Great set of headphones that serve their purpose well
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought these headphones last weekend as a birthday present with some gift money that I had received. I was looking to find something to use with my iPod that would do a better job of blocking out outside sound and also would not "leak" out what you are listening to so that people around you don't have to hear your blasting rock and roll at 200 decibels the same as you do. For that, these serve their purpose well and then some. The stated goal is to be able to listen to music at lower volumes (and thus hopefully preserve your hearing) by blocking out the outside sound. The Shure's do that by essentially doubling as earplugs - they go that far into your ear canal, which some people have an aversion to. If you are one of those people, save yourself the grief and aggrivation and DO NOT buy these headphones. They are not at all like the Apple earbuds. Once you have them inserted properly, they block out virtually all sound, which can include everything from your wife who is trying to yell at you from across the room, or a Mack truck that might be about to run you over in the street. So, use with caution. Honestly I would not recommend these for exercising outdoors if there is a chance that you will be having to look out for traffic - because you simply can't hear it. Also because of the earplug effect, you will notice sounds that you don't normally hear in your body while listening to the music - like maybe your feet pounding the ground, your pulse, or even your sinuses creaking. But all of that you can get used to. As for the sound itself, I have seen a few people complain about the bass or the range of bass on these. I think that is nonsense. The bass is what I expected and honestly it would be dangerous if it was more powerful. You don't want something that deep in your ears just blasting them out. Also the bass will not function properly if you don't have the headphones inserted right and don't have a good seal with them in your ears. The sound overall is rich and full, and at least with my iPod, I can keep the volume a lot lower than I normally do with the Apple earbuds and still hear everything perfectly. This is what makes it great when you are on a plane or in some other noisy, crowded environment. In terms of design, the cord length is good, unlike the Sony's that I originally purchased and took back less than a day later. These can be worn either in the "behind your neck" style or with the cords in front as is traditional. The one complaint I have seen is that the wires have an "over-the-ear" fit that bothers some people - but not me. Bottom line - a very good and professional product if you are looking for an advanced in-ear headphone. If you are careful with them and get to know how to use them properly you will get a lot of enjoyment out of them. Just don't buy them expecting them to look / feel / function like the run-of-the-mill in-ear phones.Customer Review: Great Product Great warranty
Summary: 5 Stars
These headphones are great if you consult the owners manual. The isolation is superb as long as you get a proper fit. Drowns out even the most annoying people or noises (I use mine prodominantly at work or at a college library.)
FIT
You have to experiment a little in order to find the best fit for your ears. I first used the medium clear plastic pieces. These hurt at first but my ear eventually got used to them (they have the best noise isolation) However, After they got stuck in my ears and I had to use tweezers (it was a little scary)to remove them I switched to the foam. These are easily the most confortable and if inserted correctly have in my opinion only slightly lesser noise isolation. WASH THEM WITH SOAP AND WATER (mild laundry detergent or dial antibacterial works) Otherwise they will start to look gross. You can buy replacements from Shure for dirt cheap as well.
SOUND QUALITY
These were used to replace an aging set of Sony EX-71s. While the Sony's offer booming bass over clear mids, with proper fit and equalizer settings you can get BETTER bass response. How you ask? First with my Ipod I usually use the 1. electronic music or 2. hip-hop setting (i listen to everything but not usually techno) and this will help. Secondly, run the headphones through an amp or volume booster. I run my e2cs through the little equalizer on my creative speakers for my laptop or i use a volume booster called a boostaroo. Both really drive the power out of these low impedence headphones and make it have booming bass. As far as mids and highs go They are far superior to the Sony's. These headphones do take some time however for them to break-in and reach their full audio pontential.
RELIABILITY
The Sony's 4-5ft cord (I wish I was kidding) disintigrates over time causing a hodgepodge of scotch tape to keep them running. These E2cs have a much more durable wire. However, Through my work as a headhunter I listened to them out of only the left ear. (headset in the other ear) Overtime the wire started to seperate. Well the headphones have a 2 YEAR WARRANTY!!!! I had been using my headphones for about 7 months daily. As a college student/ headhunter they had extremely heavy usage. I just spoke with a Shure rep. and they are replacing (not repairing) them for me free of charge.
OVERALL
For an audiophile on a budget ( I got mine for 64-65ish) I would highly recommend them. If you have more money E3cs, or etymotics is the way to go. The E2cs take some time as they are similar to professional musician's gear. If they are used properly they are amazing. If not used properly then Ipod headphones will be more comfortable. After a month to break them in and get used to them, you will be kicking yourself that you ever bought a cheaper pair of headphones.
Customer Review: Great earphones, two gripes
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought the E2c earphones three weeks ago in the Philadelphia airport for my flights from Philly to Chicago, then Chicago to Tokyo. I put them on just before I boarded my first flight, and I was so totally into the CD I had playing (Nichole Nordeman) and staring out the window that I completely missed the safety demonstration. That is to say, I didn't hear the safety demonstration at all. I also missed the announcement where they tell you to shut off all portable electronic devices during takeoff. (I had my CD player on that whole time -- oops!)
The great thing about these earphones is that on the airplane, I was able to listen to music at a significantly lower volume than with my normal set of Sony earbuds, thus saving my hearing. The music just doesn't have to compete with as much ambient noise. Also, I was hearing details in the music and lyrics that I had never noticed before. These earphones really let you focus on the music. This is to such an extent that I found it hard to do other things with these earphones in, like read a magazine or a newspaper. All my attention was focused on the music that I had playing.
Gripe #1: The E2c doesn't come with a two prong airplane adapter. This means that if the airline audio system is one-prong, like the United flights I was on, you can plug the E2c right in to the airplane's audio system and actually understand dialogue in the inflight movies without having to turn up the volume all the way (like you have to with the headphones United gives you). However, I'm not sure that the E2c would work with an airline that has a two prong audio system, like Air France.
Gripe #2: The plastic flex sleeves HURT. I can only wear the small flex sleeves for about two hours at a time before I have to take them out. Amazon's review is slightly incorrect. The E2c does not come with triple flange sleeves or soft flex sleeves. They come with flex sleeves in three sizes and foam sleeves in three sizes. For my comfort, the foam sleeves are slightly better than the flex sleeves. As soon as I get back to the States, I'm getting on Shure's website to order a set of soft flex sleeves. I hope they do the trick.
The E2c works great if you have big ear canals. Maybe mine are too small, or too sensitive. Anyway, because of E2c's lack of the two prong airplane adapter, and because they hurt over an extended period of time, I'm considering getting the Sennheiser PXC250.
2/2/2010: I've now had the Sennheiser PSC250 for a while now, and I love them - I can wear them for hours and they don't hurt. The noise reduction doesn't work quite as well as the Shure's sound isolation, but it's a pretty good tradeoff.
Customer Review: With one caveat, these have absolutely delighted me
Summary: 5 Stars
I recently decided to take the plunge and get myself my first iPod, but having tried the headphones that come from Apple, I knew I wanted an immediate upgrade. After reading a number of reviews, I was impressed by what I read about the Shure Earphones. With one qualification, I am incredibly happy with these. The sound produced by these earphones is just superb. I even tried them on my home stereo and was even more impressed. The amount of aural detail produced by such tiny earphones is truly remarkable.
These earphones are also absolutely perfect for commuting. One of the banes of living in Chicago and taking the EL to work each morning and home in the evening is the number of people who rudely talk on their cell phones in loud voices, making it impossible to read or do anything except listen to their conversation. These earphones are the perfect cure. They not only produce great sound, they are actually more effective in cutting down outside noise than regular ear foam earplugs. In fact, if you play any music whatsoever, you can't hear the recordings announcing what stop is coming up, so you have to pay more attention than usual using them. My routine is to either listen to a book or a rock album while walking to the EL, and then switching over to chamber or orchestral music when I sit down to read. My ability to concentrate on my reading on the EL has risen dramatically after getting these earphones.
I am also very happy with how well they fit my ears. The earphones come with a large selection of various types of plugs. I experimented for several days wearing various sizes until deciding upon the ones best for my ears. Extras can easily be ordered from their website.
I have one complaint with them and this stems from their basic design. The way that they produce the high quality bass is by grounding the plugs in the ear canal. But when I walk I notice that the slight jarring caused by each step causes me to hear it when I walk. As a result, as I walk down the street I hear two things: my music and the sound of the jarring my walking causes. If someone plans on doing a very large amount of walking while listening to music, I don't think I can recommend these earphones for that purpose. The jarring is just too prominent. I think over the ear isolating headphones instead of earphones would produce a happier result. But with that lone exception, I couldn't be happier with these earphones. I would heartily advise anyone getting an iPod or any comparable MP3 player getting the Shure Earphones instead of the stock ones. Unless, of course, you don't care about the quality of the sound.
Customer Review: E2c's VS Etymotic ER61's
Summary: 5 Stars
I was torn between these two and so I did the sensible thing - I purchased both! My thought was that I would unload the pair that I did not like on eBay.
The problem is, I like them both but for different reasons. They both offer crisp, accurate sound like you can't imagine. I have heard others say this and it is true, your favorite music will sound brand new. You will hear nuances that you have never heard - listening to Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue" I swear I could hear the room!
The differences came in comfort vs. sound and build quality. I found that the Shure 'phones were much beefier build. They look like what they are, an entry level professional monitor set. The wires are heavy and don't look like they will ever fray. At first, I was not wild about the sound. I thought they were a little weak in the bass. If you buy these be prepared to invest some time. It will take a bit for you to find the sweet spot in your ears, the tips that you like and they do apparently have a burn-in period. After three weeks I am in love with the sound. The bass is just deep enough without muddying up those spectacular highs. The problem is, they aren't all that comfortable. They are heavier and larger than the Etymotics and more of the phone sets in the outside of your ear, more like an earbud.
The Etymotics on the other hand are elegant. The speaker portion is tiny compared to the Shures. You really can fit the whole piece inside of your ear canal, and in fact, you have to do this to get the best sound. No matter how I have tried, though, I can't get a sound that I like as well as the Shures. The highs and mids are beautiful but the bass just isn't as well defined. I talked with Etymotic and they are wonderful - they sent me several alternate ear pieces and gave advice - even sent me a free spool for the wires. Nothing I tried got the sound there.
However, they are much more comfortable than the Shures. They are light and the wires are almost wispy in comparison. I put these in before I go to bed (I work nights and need the isolation to drown out my three year old son!) and they never bother me the way the larger Shures do.
So here is my conclusion - the Shures are my favorites for out in public. I don't have to worry about breaking them or stripping them when they are in my bag. The Etymotics never leave my bedside. They are nice and safe there. Whatever you decide, give them time. In-ear phones are a different beast and it takes time to figure out how they interface with your anatomy.
Now if only I could convince my wife that I need an iPod for the road and one for home.....