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 $79.80 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Shure E2c Sound Isolating Earphones
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.....
Customer Review: Accidentally In Love
Summary: 5 Stars
As a college student/musician/audiophile, shopping for ear buds is a painful experience. You want the best, but you can only afford the sub-par. After my stock iPod earbuds (which are pretty good) were eventually destroyed by my continual gym-going, running, and backpack-related abuse, I decided it was time to upgrade.
Most searches were disappointing, I kept finding the only highly regarded headphones were $50 and above, which puts decent earbuds fairly low on the priority/necessity list (right above German beer, PS2 controllers, and enormous jugs of Utz pretzels).
Discouraged, I packed up the search, borrowed my girlfriend's iPod buds for the gym, and lived my classroom commute in silence. Deep in frustration, I did what any sensible college student would do - I went to a frat party.
Long story short, I woke up the next morning downing V8, honey, vitamin C, aspirin, and comic quantities of Deer Park. When I checked my email, I found 6 eBay bid notices, a win confirmation, and a Paypal receipt. Apparently my idea of drunken debauchery is obsessive, relentless, needless amenity bidding. I say that beats out the typical stop sign-stealing, cat calling, destructive antics usually surrounding youthful intoxication. Good for the community, bad for me.
Anyway, 7 days later, my Shure E2c's arrived at my doorstep, and I anxiously tried them out, hoping my inebriated wisdom would pay off.
They delivered. That is, after trying out three different pairs of the included ear canal inserts and working out how to wrench the damn things in, they delivered. The sound is so good, I find myself listening to the music at a lower volume, because the sound is so full. The noise cancelling inserts do the trick, and I'm no longer cranking the tunes to hear the bass response over background. I go to the gym and run more often just to listen to these wonderful things. I go to class more often. You might say, these earbuds improved my life. I've tried out my friends' Bose earbuds, as well as others' more expensive Shures. In short, while those models may beat mine for sheer clarity, the extra price hike is not warranted. I'm continually astounded by these things' comfort, bass response, high-end clarity, and durability (so far).
I whole-heartedly recommend these to any audiophile on a budget. I find they're the best bang-for-the-buck buds out there. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some Warsteiner-drinking, pretzel-crunching, iPod listening Crash Bandicoot mastering to do.
Customer Review: great product, and Shure stands by it
Summary: 5 Stars
Like many people, I was tempted by the good reviews but reluctant to pay so much for a pair of tiny earphones. Finally, almost 2 years ago, I bought a pair.
Like all of the other reviews here state, the Shure E2c's sound GREAT. They are very balanced, and let you hear the subtle details of your music, making the music almost come alive in your head. They turn your MP3 player or Discman into an audiophile-quality stereo system.
The E2c blocks outside noise by forming a very tight seal in your ear. In contrast, "noise canceling" earphones, such as the popular ones by Bose, do not block outside noise from reaching your ear, rather they add their own electronically generated noise which is supposed to cancel out the outside noise. I've never had good results with the various noise canceling headphones I've tried; plus, they require batteries to generate the noise-canceling noise. The E2c's block noise without batteries, and without adding any artificial noise or discoloration to your music. It works very well. I especially appreciate it at gym, on the bus or subway, and on a plane. (Warning - PLEASE don't wear the E2c's while driving or bicycling or any other time that safety requires your full attention!)
The build quality of the E2c's is very good - the cord and plug are thicker and sturdier than competing earphones. For 2 years, I heavily used and abused my E2c's, especially at the gym. Literally hundreds and hundreds of times, I've plugged and unplugged them into my various MP3 players, hastily wound and unwound the cord, and tossed them into my gym bag, usually without using the protective case that comes with the E2c's. Despite the very good build quality, my heavy use led finally to a short: when the cord was wiggled in a certain way, the sound on the left side would briefly go out.
I went to Shure's website and saw that they have a 2-year warranty. I sent my E2c's to Shure for repair, hoping it would be covered by warranty, but prepared to pay if Shure felt the problem was due to wear and tear (because, in fact, it was). Two weeks later, I received from Shure a BRAND-NEW PAIR of E2c's - they decided the problem WAS covered by the warranty, and wanted me to have a new pair rather than repairing my old ones!!!
This is more than I expected, and will make me a repeat buyer of Shure products! I especially appreciate this level of service given the lackluster support I've received from so many other companies.
Customer Review: Basically Perfect
Summary: 5 Stars
These headphones work wonderfully. Just wearing them cuts out a lot of noise, and when you have music going it's amazing. My iRiver's volume goes from 0 to 40. At 3, I can't hear people talking from 4 feet away. At 6, I can't hear them talking loudly or almost yelling. At 10 or 12, I couldn't hear someone screaming at the top of their lungs at me from 3 feet away (it was a test). No more distractions on the bus, flying, or in any noisy environments. It's great, although sometimes people get annoyed that they can't get your attention. Stomping on the ground sometimes works.
I love the sound quality. I can hear everything, and I constantly find new things in my music that I didn't notice before. It has much more bass than any earbuds I've used before (obviously). I've never used any really nice headphones before, so I can't speak for people who really know what they're talking about, but for anyone who is sick of their iPod earbuds the E2's are amazing.
They're very small and portable, however, the case that they come with is kind of hard to use. You have to wrap them around this little plastic thing and then zip it closed. I usually just put them in my sweatshirt pocket or leave them around my neck.
They come with hard plastic earpieces, soft rubbery earpieces, and foam earpieces. The hard plastic was very uncomfortable to me, so I tried the medium-sized soft ones, and they worked perfectly. If you look at the directions for a second, you see how to put them in and you should be able to get a good seal. I let 3 of my friends and my brother try the headphones with the medium soft earpieces, and they all got a good seal with no problem and were amazed by the sound quality and noise reduction. If you can't get the regular ones to work, you can always use the foam, which you compress and then let expand until they fit your ear.
They're pretty comfortable, except that after an hour or two I start getting little itches every now and then. The wires go behind your ears, so the headphones stay in better, but they sometimes don't want to stay back there. After a few days, though, the cord gets sort of shaped to stay there better.
I like the way you tell the left headphone from the right one: the right one is half black and half clear, and the left one is all clear. It sounds weird but it works.
So, after using them for about a week, I can't believe I ever used lame earbud headphones and I will never part with these Shures.