A little help needed with Shure's
Nov 22, 2008 at 7:18 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 16

Apple254

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Basically I think I am going to purchase a pair of Shures but I was wondering if the older equivalents are better than the newer pairs. For example The old e2c's vs the new SE110's or the old e3c's vs the new se310's. Im sure someone will get the picture. Primarily looking at the se310's but if anyone wants to advise me, it will be much appreciated
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Nov 22, 2008 at 7:41 PM Post #2 of 16
the se series is the upgraded e series, but not sound wise, when comparing them it goes like this.

se110 = e2c
se210 = e3c
se310 = e4c
se420 = e5c
se530 = e500

now the new se series does carry supposedly improvements over the e series, for example the se310 is arguably a nicer design than the e4c, but apart from that the se310 offers a tuned bass port and the e4c doesnt.

the tuned bass port is a small hole in the armature housing and it improves bass response but not accuracy, ports dont improve accuracy, they just improve depth response. for this reason some will argue the e4c is tighter in the bass, but when bass is that minimal most prefer a little more bass as standard, the se310 offer this.

again the se210 is arguably a nicer set of phones than the e3c, both are single drivers with no bass port, its really down to what looks best to you, although the sound differences are not many, some people argue the e3c is better and some prefer the se210.
 
Nov 22, 2008 at 7:54 PM Post #3 of 16
Thanks ever so much for the reply. I can see your quite the Shure fan
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I think I may go for the se310's. My budget is £100GBP and I can get them for £109GBP so I am sure I can stretch my father to pay a little bit more. Also if I am using an un-amplified iPod Touch, will the sound quality still be good? Thanks again.
 
Nov 22, 2008 at 8:09 PM Post #4 of 16
believe me the first biggest improvement you can make to the sound is a nice set of phones, have a look around tho, your options are wide.

do you like bass or tingling highs?

do you like a forward midrange or something a little more settled?

describe what kinda sound you like and help from head fi will lead you to an amazing set of earphones just for you.
afterall you dont want to spend that much on phones and then think hmmmm this dont sound that good. shures are pretty amazing dont get me wrong but they are all tuned for different kinds of music.

if your not sure what type of sound you prefer, just tell us what music you like.

wether it be rap, hip hop, to classical or rock, let us know what you like and we will tell you what to go for at that price range.
 
Nov 22, 2008 at 8:18 PM Post #5 of 16
I originally was going to go with the Shure 310's, but have decided to strech my budget and get the USD $175 Klipsch's because I don't want to be upgrading multiple times in the future.

Also, make sure the IEM's you're getting match the type of music you will be listening to. This is not a big issue but will make the difference.
 
Nov 22, 2008 at 8:22 PM Post #6 of 16
Okay thank you sooooo much for your help!
So basically I have had a few pairs of budget headphones i.e. less than £30GBP and I also have a pair of sennheiser hd 485 over ear phones. I was pleased with the hd 485's but i want something with a bit more kick and far more portable. I listen mainly to 'rock' and english indie music. I also listen to electronic music very frequently. I am pleased with my current headphones as they were a fifth of the price they were meant to be. However when listening to certain electronic songs, they really cannot hit the lows! The music gets fuzzy, crackly and the bass becomes very, very muddy. In reality I would just like a bit more bass, but if you are going to recommend me the Super Fi 5 E.B's I am not really interested in them as they are too big. Thanks again, I dont think i have ever had such a warm reply on a forum
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Nov 22, 2008 at 8:36 PM Post #7 of 16
hey head fi is a great forum and people are very friendly here for sure, thats why its so popular.

i wasnt going to recommend the EB's dont worry. the best shure's in your budget would certainly be the se310 but i really do think you would benefit from a second driver.

the problem with one driver is bass cannot come through strong as it will disrupt the mids and highs. especially balanced armatures as these are tiny speakers and bass is only truely achieved with more than one.

what may be a good set of phones for you maybe the future sonics atrio's or maybe denon's c551. the reason i suggest these two is because both use a dynamic driver which can sound great and deliver strong low end when the music provides it.

single driver earphones only ever struggle if you decide to crank the volume right up, this is when multi drivers come into thier own as the workload is less on the drivers. maybe if you can get a good deal on the super fi 5 pro's such as this Amazon.co.uk: ULTIMATE EARS - Super.fi 5 Pro Earphones: Electronics & Photo

the super fi 5 pro are not as big as the EB's, in fact they arent too big at all, and what they do deliver is sharp highs with a wacking low beat. the midrange is a little lost but its not too bad. lets just say im still a fan of these and i loved the power and punch prowess.
 
Nov 22, 2008 at 8:43 PM Post #8 of 16
Aha, I had also been looking at these originally but was put off because some people said that the standard Super Fi 5's were better than the pro. Would the standard Super Fi 5 or the Pro be better for my listening criteria?
 
Nov 22, 2008 at 8:49 PM Post #9 of 16
Quote:

Originally Posted by Apple254 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Aha, I had also been looking at these originally but was put off because some people said that the standard Super Fi 5's were better than the pro. Would the standard Super Fi 5 or the Pro be better for my listening criteria?


the pro for sure in my opinion. remember your not looking for a flat sounding set of phones and the super fi 5 are a little flatter than the pro's and offer a more accurate sound.

the pro however is not hugely accurate but gives your range of music the body its looking for. remember some people will prefer the normal super fi 5, this is no suprise, some people will prefer a £30 pair of phones to a £200 pair, this is no suprise either, the important thing is choosing the right phones for your prefered sound.

another way of looking at it is this...there is no ''better'' earphones at this price range, they just all do some music better than others. yes there is better phones than all of the ones ive mentioned but the ones ive mentioned are hard to beat for the music you like. rock will clash just like you expect and the low end will stay true with those complex basslines but like i said the midrange is a little lacking on the super fi pro. but perfection is hard to get, serious money needs to be spent to get close to perfection.
 
Nov 22, 2008 at 10:03 PM Post #11 of 16
I had been looking at the Klipsch Custom range but the flexy plastic that goes over your ear out me off, I would be using them in school every single day and would have to be able to hide them under my shirt easily, hence forth me not really considering them. I was however looking at the Klipsch X5's but the price range was a little off putting. Do they compare to the Fi 5 pros very well do you know?
 
Nov 22, 2008 at 10:07 PM Post #12 of 16
havnt tried them to be honest i couldnt comment.

pictures dont do earphones justice, remember they have to fit in your ears, so they are usually smaller than they seem, dont be too put off by the flexy plastic over the cables.
 
Nov 22, 2008 at 10:12 PM Post #13 of 16
Your responses are so quick! Well thanks for your input, from your advice, I think I will order the Super Fi's or still maybe the Shure's, purely because of the price. I know its only £15 difference but to a 15 year old that is quite a low of money when buying headphones.
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