frogcat
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Feb 22, 2008
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Yes, this post is likely to offend but I don't care. I know they don't compare to each other: one is IEM and the other an around ear can. But I really want to document the differences because some head-fi starters have trouble finding out whether to go IEM or full set cans. And these are THE consumer phones readily available to these people.
First off, I want to say that I have had the BOSE AE for half a year, and my girlfriend just got me these shure e3's like literally 4 hours ago.
It's funny because I was just about to buy her some BOSE AE, as I sold mine...not thinking she would be an audio junkie.
On to the phones:
BOSE AE - Man these headphones are clean. Do not listen to "Bose is crap," but listen to your ears. Listening to these is pleasurable when listening to beat driven music...or really really studio enhanced music. For instance, listening to bjork, gwen stefani, and christina aguilera was another world to me. I am usually into rock, heavy metal, or aggressive metal bands. When I got these headphones, I just got eccentric and expanded the selection a little more than guitars. Beat is an essence with these. NOT BASS, AND NOT CAR THUMP IMPACT. The bass is clean-cut. Enough to make you nod your head and tap your feet. Music is however, not in your face, the way you want it. These phones are seriously a relax session, like listening to jazz. Jazz is great with these by the way. Miles Davis's Kind of Blue is amazing with these phones, as you can feel every dark tone that Davis' trumpet hits, or hear the plushness of Evans' piano. All this is helped by the warm tone the BOSE gives. The side-effect of course is the seriously lacking guitars and descriptiveness of the music. Yeah there's detail, but these are so commercial, that they would rather not treat you like a musician, but more like that highschool kid who thinks they Apple and Music are the same thing. A warning to people who want BOSE...buy them somewhere that sells em for 60-75. You can't justify the pleasure with these phones that purport to glaze and muteness. (And to point out...these phones are not muddy, mute and glaze are perfect terms; with guitars being crunchy, and hence heavy guitars sounding like cream on BOSE).
Shure E3 - Okay, I have only had Sony's and JVC IEMs so I am really new to this category. I will tell anyone here though that these are the most comfortable IEMs I have ever worn, because of those yellow foamies. I noticed as well that these are oddly more durable looking than the AE's. Mind you, the AE's are now very durable and never broke on me. Now for the sound signature of the Shures...take everything I said about BOSE and reverse it. Maybe the price point should be lowered too though. I would be willing to pay 80 for these. More importantly, these are fantastic. It's like...my time with the BOSE was a fad. It was a good time to listen to studio music and appreciate it. But now, I can get back to the live band sound. Guitars are "crunchy," high-hats and cymbals are just electric. They sort of sparkle. There's one thing that gets me though...Jazz sounds lackluster with these. I cannot hear frayed sticks hit a cymbal as well as I could with the BOSE. Jazz also loses some feeling...and I cannot pinpoint why. Maybe it's the lack of a vocalist, because when there's a vocalist...man do these phones sing. Listening to bjork on these was a complete different experience, emotional if you will...although I do miss the lows. This is all made up though, when you listen to rock again...for the first time in your life. haha. Oh and something else I noticed was a certain honey "coating" on the sound signature. These phones had to be colored just a little bit, cause I can hear it. Listen to vocalists on these and you will hear what I am talking about. Billy Corgan's voice was filed out, when it used to saw into your skull. Other than that, these phones can pick up that awesome slew on Deftones, and whatever aggressive rock you listen to. Very detailed.
Well my contemplations need to come to an end. I say get BOSE if you feel like you want to just chill. The added comfort to them puts extra points to them (I effing hate canal phones cause my canals are tiny). Get Shure if you truly love music. And I don't mean this in an offensive way, but there is a difference between an "obsession" and a way of life. Everyone loves music, that's why we are here, but some of us are more analytical and anal about chord voicings and timbre, and some of us are more searching for the best phones to satiate our spoiled ears. I fall in the middle. Everyone at headfi has different tastes and you want to listen to these people, because they know a s***load of music and phones.
take it easy guys
First off, I want to say that I have had the BOSE AE for half a year, and my girlfriend just got me these shure e3's like literally 4 hours ago.
It's funny because I was just about to buy her some BOSE AE, as I sold mine...not thinking she would be an audio junkie.
On to the phones:
BOSE AE - Man these headphones are clean. Do not listen to "Bose is crap," but listen to your ears. Listening to these is pleasurable when listening to beat driven music...or really really studio enhanced music. For instance, listening to bjork, gwen stefani, and christina aguilera was another world to me. I am usually into rock, heavy metal, or aggressive metal bands. When I got these headphones, I just got eccentric and expanded the selection a little more than guitars. Beat is an essence with these. NOT BASS, AND NOT CAR THUMP IMPACT. The bass is clean-cut. Enough to make you nod your head and tap your feet. Music is however, not in your face, the way you want it. These phones are seriously a relax session, like listening to jazz. Jazz is great with these by the way. Miles Davis's Kind of Blue is amazing with these phones, as you can feel every dark tone that Davis' trumpet hits, or hear the plushness of Evans' piano. All this is helped by the warm tone the BOSE gives. The side-effect of course is the seriously lacking guitars and descriptiveness of the music. Yeah there's detail, but these are so commercial, that they would rather not treat you like a musician, but more like that highschool kid who thinks they Apple and Music are the same thing. A warning to people who want BOSE...buy them somewhere that sells em for 60-75. You can't justify the pleasure with these phones that purport to glaze and muteness. (And to point out...these phones are not muddy, mute and glaze are perfect terms; with guitars being crunchy, and hence heavy guitars sounding like cream on BOSE).
Shure E3 - Okay, I have only had Sony's and JVC IEMs so I am really new to this category. I will tell anyone here though that these are the most comfortable IEMs I have ever worn, because of those yellow foamies. I noticed as well that these are oddly more durable looking than the AE's. Mind you, the AE's are now very durable and never broke on me. Now for the sound signature of the Shures...take everything I said about BOSE and reverse it. Maybe the price point should be lowered too though. I would be willing to pay 80 for these. More importantly, these are fantastic. It's like...my time with the BOSE was a fad. It was a good time to listen to studio music and appreciate it. But now, I can get back to the live band sound. Guitars are "crunchy," high-hats and cymbals are just electric. They sort of sparkle. There's one thing that gets me though...Jazz sounds lackluster with these. I cannot hear frayed sticks hit a cymbal as well as I could with the BOSE. Jazz also loses some feeling...and I cannot pinpoint why. Maybe it's the lack of a vocalist, because when there's a vocalist...man do these phones sing. Listening to bjork on these was a complete different experience, emotional if you will...although I do miss the lows. This is all made up though, when you listen to rock again...for the first time in your life. haha. Oh and something else I noticed was a certain honey "coating" on the sound signature. These phones had to be colored just a little bit, cause I can hear it. Listen to vocalists on these and you will hear what I am talking about. Billy Corgan's voice was filed out, when it used to saw into your skull. Other than that, these phones can pick up that awesome slew on Deftones, and whatever aggressive rock you listen to. Very detailed.
Well my contemplations need to come to an end. I say get BOSE if you feel like you want to just chill. The added comfort to them puts extra points to them (I effing hate canal phones cause my canals are tiny). Get Shure if you truly love music. And I don't mean this in an offensive way, but there is a difference between an "obsession" and a way of life. Everyone loves music, that's why we are here, but some of us are more analytical and anal about chord voicings and timbre, and some of us are more searching for the best phones to satiate our spoiled ears. I fall in the middle. Everyone at headfi has different tastes and you want to listen to these people, because they know a s***load of music and phones.
take it easy guys
