[bandit1200]

I hesitate to write about this.

Edit: No one has reported a similar problem, so this failure is "just one of those things" not an indication of any kind of quality problem. /Edit

I really like my E3's. I stepped up from E2's, and really like the improved high end and punchier sound of the E3's. I think they are fantastic earphones.

That being said, I though it would be fair to let folks know what happened to my 1st pair of E3's.

About 1 month after buying them, I was flying cross country, enjoying the E3's and (plugged into a Zen, playing Hillary Hahn's Barber Violin Concerto.)

I was still listenening during descent into DFW (the earphones are stealthy enough to keep listening even though the flight attendants usually tell folks to remove headphones...) I noticed that the sound in the right driver got progressively weaker. By the time we landed, there was no sound at all in the right earphone. My first thought was that is was my ear was plugged from the pressure change. But that wasn't it.

Later that day, in the quiet of my hotel, I could hear only very faint sound from the right driver. I gave up.

A couple of days later, I tried them again, and, voila, they were working again. Hmmm. Maybe it couldn't handle the pressure change --something about the driver operating during pressure changes? Maybe it needed some time for the driver to re-equalize?

So I went about using them again. Unfortunately, with time, the right driver became more and more distorted and eventually sounded blown (crunchy sound, grattle).

I sent the pair in to Shure for a replacement. (Shure quickly sent me a new pair -- great service!)

My current pair are working fine, but I have not flown with them yet.

I am assuming this was a rare hidden defect that only appeared after a time, and isn't a common problem with the earphones.

(Unfortunately, after the production problem that Shure had with the E2's, I am a bit wary. Shure has done a good job of dealing with these problems.)

Has anyone else had a similar problem?

Is it bad to use these earphones during descent/ascent in a plane? (Matt? Should I not do this?)

-Bandit

 

[cmascatello]

I get away with wearing my E5s during ascent and descent (the clear housing makes it even easier to get away with than witht he E3

) and have had no issues with the drivers in either ear. I am thinking that you had a defective unit and that is not a wide-spread issue. The pressure in an airplane does not change so appreciably on take-off and landing that you would be outside of the tolerances for the cans.

 

[toaster]

interesting quandry. i never had any problems with the e3's other then the fact that they did not satisfy me. i got the e5's and no longer have this problem.

i hope the "pressure" theory you talked about is not a wide-spread succeptibility of canalphones. if it is true, i would definitely not want to take my e5's (or cmascatello's er4's) on the airplane with me in a few days.

i don't think i could last without music on the flight no matter what, so i am gonna be taking the chance...hehe.

 

[cmascatello]

Don't worry about the pressure issue on the plane -- your ears would be in excruciating pain before the canalphone's driver(s) broke. Feel free to take my ER-4Ps on the plane with you and enjoy.

BTW, I did not get a chance to send them out on Friday (work crisis), but they are packaged and labeled to go out UPS Next Day Air tomorrow for Tuesday delivery. I'll send the tracking number in a bit...

 

[toaster]

perfect. i forgot my flight is actually on wednesday morning, not thursday.

 

[mbk]

Commercial airplanes have pressurized cabins so there is very little change in pressure at different altitudes. It's basically akin to driving up a mountain. There's almost no way pressure changes ruined your E3.

Supposedly, the E3 uses a filter similar to the ER-4, only backwards. You can see it if you look down into the phone. If that got wet or dirty, it would cause the sound to go away like you described. That would be my first thought.

 

[thtl]

I've flown on airplanes a couple of times with my iRiver 595T and E3cs, usually started using them before boarding and didn't take them off until I have to go through customs/immigration. Haven't experienced any problems at all.

 

[some1x]

Don't the stewartesses usually tell you to put away any portable electronics during takeoff and descent?

 

[cmascatello]

They do, but when you are using these almost hidden canalphones, they often are not able to tell that you are listening to tunes. And, what's better, with the canalphones in I am unable to hear the pilot's messages and have no idea when we hit the "portable electronic devices off" zone unless the stews give me a tap on the shoulder. It is always a bit strange to be unaware that touchdown is comming and to think that we just hit something...

 

[toaster]

lol @ cmascatello.

 

[TM2 Rampage]

Quote:

Originally posted by cmascatello They do, but when you are using these almost hidden canalphones, they often are not able to tell that you are listening to tunes. And, what's better, with the canalphones in I am unable to hear the pilot's messages and have no idea when we hit the "portable electronic devices off" zone unless the stews give me a tap on the shoulder. It is always a bit strange to be unaware that touchdown is comming and to think that we just hit something...

You know, they tell you to turn off electronics for a reason.

 

[cmascatello]

Quote:

Originally posted by TM2 Rampage You know, they tell you to turn off electronics for a reason.

This is one of the biggest phallacies of the modern world. Two-way devices and cellphones are (BARELY) reasonable electronic shut-offs during takeoff/landing. However, there is a rather large percentage of folks who forget to turn off their cells and Blackberries on every flight. I have yet to hear about a single flight going down or having a near-miss b/c of cells and RIMs. Have you? This really is a case of the Federal Gov't making a pointless rule to make the idiot masses in the US feel safe and "trust" that their bureaucracy is doing something to protect them. But, at least these are devices COULD transmit signals that would interfere with FAA and airline communication. However, the frequencies used by TDMA, CDMA, and GSM are so far from those protected frequencies used by the Gov't that it is lunacy to think that a cell phone would interfere with the plane. It's damn difficult to listen in on a tower-to-plane conversation, to say nothing of interfering with that signal.

DAPs, PCDPs, and other portable electronic devices that do not output RF or other high-frequency signals are of no threat to the aircraft. The logic behind the whole "It is dangerous at 5,000 ft. and below but perfectly safe at 37,000 ft." boggles the mind. I have a few old business contacts at the FAA and FCC in DC that candidly told me that the reason behind the "rule" about PEDs during take-off/landing was created b/c it was too difficult to specify all of the particular devices that needed to be off (phones, walkie-talkies, FM broadcasters, etc.). The Federal Government always finds it easier to paint in broad strokes and the inclusion of all electronic devices on this list is furhter proof of this.

Sorry about the rant, but this is one of my biggest pet peeves as someone who travels 150K+ miles a year. I see the best and worst of the TSA and FAA on a near-daily basis and some of the rules/regulations in place after 9/11 are simply insane. The FAA was badly stung by the fact that their own security loopholes were used to take the planes (knives on planes, unsecured cockpit doors among others) and have swung the pendulum too far in the other direction. They have done a lot of things right since 9/11 (scanning all checked bags, better ID checking, Immigration tightening at the borders), but little things like not allowing nail clippers w/files on them still cause me to shake my head. And don't get me started on TSA guards asking people to remove their sneakers b/c they can set off the METAL detector. Unless you have stainless-steel Nikes on, I think you are safe to keep them on.

 

[thtl]

I once got into an arguement with a flight attendant (male) about the difference between a CD player and MD player. The guy was telling me that I can't use my MD player as CD players are not allowed to be used. I explained the facts of life to him - that CD players uses laser to read data, while MD players uses a magnetic head. My lecture didn't seem to get through, and I never use that airline again...

 

[chadbang]

Quote:

I was still listenening during descent into DFW (the earphones are stealthy enough to keep listening even though the flight attendants usually tell folks to remove headphones...)

I would take them out during descent for your own safety. If the plane made a sudden, rapid descent, the pressure on your eardrums with canal phones could damage your eardrums. I ruptured my eardrum removing my Shure 2Es too fast - same story. Haven't you noticed the pressurization on most planes is fine but sometimes you get one where your ears really pop on descent? Maybe I fly more than you.

 

[bandit1200]

Well the good news is that after 400+ views in this thread, no one has reported a similar problem.

Must have just been a fluke.

As for loosing your eardrums during descent, I realize the pressure in a plane can change pretty dramatically. Cabin pressurization works, but is not very accurate and there is often a time-delay involved that causes excessive pressure during descent. (Essentially the airframe is compressed by the air as it descends and the cabin pressure takes a while to come back down.)

Some planes do seem worse than others as you said. If there's a problem with wearing earphones, it is the same problem as wearing earplugs, which lots of people do. Some airlines even give out earplugs.

Anyway, I'll keep flyin with my E3s.

-Bandit.