[Sergey]

I used yesterday middle size of silicon, because with smallest size I'm loosing my bass. 2 days ago I tryed triflange and didn't pay attention to the sound - just immidiatly removed them. The triflange doesn't go completely to my ear, so all body of E5C near my ear and not going in.
I'll continue to practice , but for now I consider to return it is by weekend I won't change my feelings to pleasure.
I read this forum last 7-8 month and I hates you guys . After first 3 months I got my HD560 after another 2-3 month I got Corda Prehead .I actually very happy with both products. And now I wanted some isolation phones... As I told you I had fiasco with E3c and decided to try E5C

 

[Sergey]

Oops I mean I have HD650...

 

[Girdag]

Did you burn the e3s in? The bass improves a LOT with burn in.

 

[Decreate]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sergey I used yesterday middle size of silicon, because with smallest size I'm loosing my bass. 2 days ago I tryed triflange and didn't pay attention to the sound - just immidiatly removed them. The triflange doesn't go completely to my ear, so all body of E5C near my ear and not going in. I'll continue to practice , but for now I consider to return it is by weekend I won't change my feelings to pleasure. I read this forum last 7-8 month and I hates you guys . After first 3 months I got my HD560 after another 2-3 month I got Corda Prehead .I actually very happy with both products. And now I wanted some isolation phones... As I told you I had fiasco with E3c and decided to try E5C

I personally prefer the tri-flange but like you I initially had problems getting them to go in. After reading various posts in this forum I have tried cutting off part of the stalk that was protruding from the the tips and they now fit comfortably in my ears.

 

[labrat]

Deleted.

 

[__redruM]

You get used to it, Work through the pain...

You get the best sound from either the foamies, or the tri-flange. The tri-flange is better because its not consumable. To get the best fit cut about 5mm off the stem of the tri-flange.

 

[Seroka2]

i find the e5c very comfortable with the foamies. if your ears are shaped right, they fit in their like a hearing aid. and you do get better bass but less treble than with the silicone or triflange.

if you're still having trouble with the triflange, try pulling down on your earlobe while putting them in. it makes it easier.

i too am annoyed with the stiffness of the cord, especially when its cold outside. it freezes up and won't bend at all.

i may be the only one, but i like the memory cord. its great at work. with foamies you can rest it on the outside of the earcanal and you get sound almost as good as normal. and then you can take then on and off easily when you need to talk to people.

 

[__redruM]

I like the memory wire too, or at least I've never had a problem with it. Does removing the wire void the warrenty? Also the stiffness of the cable makes it very durable. The green color change is weird though.

 

[Ic3Floe]

I do agree that the memory wire can be a total pain in the arse. If you want, take a search for that e5c mod where you cut off most of the memory wire. The memory wire is basically just a sleeve of bendable plastic that covers the first bit of the cable, so it can be cut off without damaging the wiring. If you cut off most of it, most people find that the e5c's become much more friendly and there are far fewer irritations.

Also, the entire e5c wire is pretty stiff in general. After unpacking them from the little 'puck' case that comes with them, I find i have to work to re-straighten the cable every time. Nothing as user-friendly as the ety cable.

 

[KenW]

I can remember the first week or so with the er-4p's and the trouble getting a decent seal plus the shock of having canalphones in place for the first time. Yet, after time and some practice, I got much better and quicker at getting a proper fit and seal. I also became very comfortable with the whole canalphone experience. Now that I have the E5's, I'm back to square one again. Certainly a different beast from what I'm accustomed to. Those extra soft/comfy tips are a real sweet deal IF you can get them sealed and IF you position them properly. I find that it takes me a good bit longer to properly fit my R ear. The left one hits the spot every time the first time. With the R ear, I'll fiddle for several minutes before I get it right. There are times, the angle is wrong and the seal isn't there leading to a very thin sound. Other times, I get over aggressive in pursuit of the "seal" and drive that comfy tip in too deep. Not only is there no seal and poor sound but it's almost as though the back edge of that tip has inverted a bit and is cutting into my ear canal. Yet, when I do get these tips into the right place, I get the sound AND oh my, that comfort that these tips were designed to give. I do miss that detail from the ety's at times but I can go for longer periods with the E5's. I suppose my ears are rebelling against loud and/or bright gear but the shures seem to be an interesting choice. I'm enjoying the time spent getting to know them. Suppose that once I master the comfies, I'll move on to some of the others and see how they sit with me.

Bottom line is that the shures are very nice phones but they do have nuances that take time to adapt to. I'd be patient and experiment a bit. As for the wires, it also takes some time but when things are properly fitted, the comfort, seal and stabilization provided by the memory wire makes them a winner. I can almost forget I'm wearing them.....when everything is just so so. Keep at it. I think it pays off in the end. JMO.

 

[jakenz]

Sergey, I'm in the same boat as you - had my new e5c's for some 3 weeks, but am struggling to find a tip/fit which manages to combine optimum sound with acceptable comfort.

For what it is worth my observations so far are not dissimilar to yours:

(Apologies in advance for this overly long debut post

)

1. Most comfortable for extended listening (ie.1 hour +) :

Mid-size grey tips (v comfortable),
Clear tips (comfortable)
Foamies (comfortable)
Tri-flanges (not ideal)

Unfortunately after 3 weeks of fit adjustments and acclimatisation, the tri-flanges still consistently give me a low-level head/earache after half an hour or so (when properly inserted sufficiently deeply to give the full sound and sweet midrange for which the Shures are renowned). It is slight discomfort, not pain, but it is distracting and it is a relief to remove them. Due, I guess, to my particular ear-canal physiology (smaller than average maybe?), but that’s not much consolation.

2. Best sounding:

Tri-flanges (albeit stem trimmed slightly to reduce external protrusion), when fit properly. IMO they have the most open, balanced, and full sound by quite some margin over the other tips. I’m very happy with the sound from them (For the moment

).

In comparison the other tips seem to me to have an artificially "thin" sound. To me, as many before me have also observed, the full sonic abilities of the e5c's are unleashed only by the tri-flanges (better even than custom-fits for the Shures, according to some reviews here). I speculate that it is something to do with deeper insertion + better surface contact with the inner ear.

3. Best comfort/sound compromise tip:

Err, there's the problem. I spent some serious dosh (£250 here) assuming, like you no doubt, that this would be sufficient to pretty much say au revoir to both sound and comfort compromises. I’m seeking a fit that achieves the sonic potential of the e5c’s (which as I say is at a level I’m happy with via the tri-flanges) but is comfortable enough for me to leave in for hours on end at work/on the train and forget all about.

From my experiences thus far and from what I’ve read in this forum I’m wondering if perhaps only custom-fit IEM's can truly achieve this, for me. My already-depleted wallet hopes not.

4. Possible ray of hope:

The Westone “Comply Canal Tips” for the UM2 which I understand fit the Shures also. It is a long shot, but perhaps the greater length & more sustained surface-contact area of these longer foam tips will get close to the tri-flanges sonically, whilst being acceptably comfortable also. I’m ordering some today, and will post my results if anyone is interested, when they finally arrive from the States.

 

[Simple]

Excellent post for E5C owners here!

To add my $0.02, I find the tri-flange the most comfortable. I have modded the tri-flange and cut the outer most largest flange off for a "bi-flange" and get an excellent seal and excellent sound.

My problem is not with the sleeves themselves, but with the main body housing of the E5C's and how they sit in my "outer ear" (if that is the correct terminology). I recently wore them on a 5 hour plane trip, and my ear canals felt fine, but I was experiencing pain in my outer ear.

Now I have quite small ears, and the main body of the E5C’s takes up ALL the space in my outer ear and it hurts. Anybody have similar experiences and maybe some suggestions for improved comfort?

(BTW I have had my E5C's for about 2 months and LOVE THEM. They have the memory wire mod too with about 1/2" of memory wire remaining on them)

Thanks in advance...

 

[boodi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KenW Those extra soft/comfy tips are a real sweet deal IF you can get them sealed and IF you position them properly. I find that it takes me a good bit longer to properly fit my R ear. The left one hits the spot every time the first time. With the R ear, I'll fiddle for several minutes before I get it right.

same thing here with westone um2 and long foamies some difficulties on the R ( but not more then 1/2 minute , I insert them even on the go
2 days I have them , I'm lucky canalphones seem to be my cup of tea and don't hurt me even after 5 hours actually spent with them on

 

[boodi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jakenz The Westone “Comply Canal Tips” for the UM2 which I understand fit the Shures also. It is a long shot, but perhaps the greater length & more sustained surface-contact area of these longer foam tips will get close to the tri-flanges sonically, whilst being acceptably comfortable also. I’m ordering some today, and will post my results if anyone is interested, when they finally arrive from the States.

sorry missed to read this; I'm using the westone UM2 longer foamies , they work better then the short ones for the seal, and seem to give an overall better sound too ( more accurate less bloated )
anyhow I've still to learn how to insert them properly.. the short ones are more easy to get in, the long one can give different sound too depending on how do you insert them in ( basically the canal micro tube termination can be overmounted on sides with some of the surrounding foam termination or not , depending on how you insert and rotate them on insertion )

my imagination suggest me the 3flange ( I'm searching still info on if to get the shures' or the etys' ) will sound the best because the um2 foamies soft plastic spongy material look like steal/absorb some sound and reflect somewhat in a soft plastic manner it.

 

[Sergey]

Excellent post for E5C owners here!

To add my $0.02, I find the tri-flange the most comfortable. I have modded the tri-flange and cut the outer most largest flange off for a "bi-flange" and get an excellent seal and excellent sound.

My problem is not with the sleeves themselves, but with the main body housing of the E5C's and how they sit in my "outer ear" (if that is the correct terminology). I recently wore them on a 5 hour plane trip, and my ear canals felt fine, but I was experiencing pain in my outer ear.

Now I have quite small ears, and the main body of the E5C’s takes up ALL the space in my outer ear and it hurts. Anybody have similar experiences and maybe some suggestions for improved comfort?

(BTW I have had my E5C's for about 2 months and LOVE THEM. They have the memory wire mod too with about 1/2" of memory wire remaining on them)

Thanks in advance...
__________________
Exactly:
After last week of experience I found that inside of my ear I have a discomfort,but the real pain coming from the outer ear.The main pain coming from the the body of E5c where it's lay in the ear.If I remove E5c after 30 min of listining my outer ear is red and painful.Again,probably it's not the best choice for people with smaller ear.And there is no way to rotate it, because the wire's loop going forward-it's looks weird.

I still don't want to cut triflange seals, because I still on 50/50 to return it or not.
When I spen 330$ on my HD650 I enjoing from the 1st day without any efforts. Going through all this pain and discomfort with E5c I just trying to justify this amount of money.
My pros for today is good sound with good sealing.
My cons is:
1.Wire is tough
2,Takes time to insert them.Usually with 2 hands.
3.Not comfortable/painful after 20-30min.
4.Price.

I still trying to get used,but my patience is almost gone...

Sorry for my English...
And thanks for all advices!