Please help me choose: Ety ER-6 vs Shure E2c vs. Sony EX71

Welcome to the forums, sorry about your wallet!

Either one of those phones would sound a lot better than the EX71's, I have the Ety ER-4P's and you just can't compare the two!

i have the E2c's, and i have owned the EX71's. the EX71's are pretty wretched in terms of accurately reproducting audio, though they are fun to listen to and are very comfortable. i couldn't stand classical music on my Sony's. the shures are bass heavy, and have rolled off highs. they are pretty good for my mix of rock, electronica, and classical. much more accurate than the EX71's, and comfortable when you get the correct tips for your ears sorted out. the etys have a reputation for great highs, but somewhat lesser bass response unless paired with the correct amp. for mostly classical, i would probably go with the ER6. you might also want to wait until reviews of the ER6i, which was JUST released, come out to see how they pair with non iPod players.

in terms of isolation, i find the Shures and the Sonys to be pretty comparable. the Shures are better when music isn't playing, but with music playing you can't really hear much around you with either. the sound quality difference by itself, in my opinion, is enough to ditch the Sonys.

Go ER-6!

Or even the Shure E3c. It's only $15 more than the ER-6.

I listen mostly to rock/pop/classical and the Shure E2c were extremely muddled and bassy. For extreme clarity and subsistent bass go for the ER-6. For a good middle ground: good clarity and good bass, go for the E3c. I would stay away from the E2c.

Just this week I had the opportunity to listen to a pair of Sure E-3s driven by a new 40GB Ipod. I had with me a pair of Sony EX-70s and a pair of Etymotic ER-4Ps.

All the audio was encoded @ 192kbs. I concentrated most of my listening to a classical piece consisting mostly of strings. The sound through the E-3s was pleasant and listenable although a little soft and lacking detail on the top end with good bass. The sound through the Sony EX-70s was very similar to the E3s believe it or not although the Sure's were better. My EX-70s actually are pretty listenable and do not seem to have the exagerated problems reported for the EX-71s highs, although I feel their bass is a little bloated. Maybe they're one offs... I dunno. Anyway, when I plugged in the Etys I was shocked. I could hear all the encoding artifacts and it would have really bothered me to keep listening to them. When I let the E3 owner listen to and compare all the "phones" he remarked that the Etys sounded really clear, moreso than the Sure's. Take it for what it's worth. My two cents: Go with the ER-6s.

they both are big an improvement over the ex71.
classical=er6
jazz=er6
rock=e2c

Piggyback on this thread

First off, First time poster long time lurker.

I was going to post a separate thread but figured I'd piggyback on this one.

I just got an ipod and was looking to upgrade my buds. I already have a pair of Sony ex51's and they are nice but I've got some money burning in my pocket......

Basically should I get the Shure E3c or the Ety ER-6. I'm not an audiophile yet but I hope to become one. I like the looks of the shures over the er-6 but that doesn't mean much. I want them to be comfortable to wear and work for now with unamped ipod. (I'll definitely build a cmoy in a month or so)

I mostly listen to alternative/indie rock (bob mould, husker du). Sometimes jazz/blues (white stripes, black keys, jon spencer). some techno (zero 7, portishead). Even some country sounding stuff (Neko case, whiskeytown). even bands such as Rush, GnR,bob dylan and the stones. no classical, rap or korn-type music. I figure either the shures or the ety's would be fine for me for these. (as far as I could tell)


Finally this genre is important to me right now, I don't know what it's called but it's quiet indie rock. I fly a lot so I want good isolation for these quiet albums, which for some reason I always want to listen to on planes (probably cause that's the only time I have to sit and *listen* to them and they are calming). I want the buds to match these types of albums well.

songs ohia-magnolia electric company
decemberists-Castaways & Cutouts
Shins-chutes to narrow
postal service - give up
belle & sebastian
elliott smith

I don't know what genre those are but if anyone is familiar (or check them out on amazon) with them please recommend which earbuds I should get. I'm probably at this moment leaning towards the shure e3c's how does that sound.

Thanks
Jeff

Kartoffel,
Although I have not had an opportunity to compare the E3s directly against the ER6s, I have listened to them both at different times and with different sources. The Sures did sound pretty darn good with the IPOD and I thought they were very comfortable to wear as well. The ER6 will probably sound brighter than the Sure and both should be pretty equal to one another in the bass department. As I recall, the ER6s displayed some grain when compared to the ER4s, and I suspect the Sure won't have that problem, although it will probably sound less detailed than the ER6. You should listen for yourself to decide. There is no substitute.

I listen to all of those, and when I had ER-6s I thought those were the best, and I've tried a crapload of "budget" canalphones.
I'm getting ER-4s right now though.