[silencer]

I have the choice between these two phones, both costing me around 500 Australian dollars.

The Ety's are located in Australia which is a bonus, whereas the Shures will have to be imported from the US.

I have no way to demo either of these phones and after reading articles on both i think i may be leaning towards the E5.

I have no amp as of yet but in the near future I will be buying a OTL 32 (i think).

I will be using the phones at home with a Nad c542, and with my ipod (no portable amp)

Basically i would like to hear some peoples suggestions on what they would do.

 

[downingp]

I have had to opportunity to own both the ER4P and the Shure E5. After hearing both of them, I would go with the Shure E5. IMO when I listen to the Shures I get a much fuller sound and a larger sound stage. When I listen to the Etys, although very good as well, seem to be missing something. I also feel the comfort of the Shures is better than the Etys.

 

[blessingx]

You may want to wait a couple weeks until the Shure e3cs get distributed and see what response they get. You may be able to save a few dollars. One more option, but I doubt the e3cs will sound better overall than the e5s

 

[silencer]

Wow! Thanks for the Speedy Reply!

Yeah they look better than the Ety's aswell.

Does annoy you when its hanging down your back, or is it possible for the cord to fall down your front?

Does anyone notice the background hiss i hear people talking about with the E5?

Thanks again

 

[downingp]

At first, having the cord down my back was a little different. It took some getting used to. But now, I actually much prefer it. I don't have any cable hanging in front of me to snag on things. As far as the sensitivity of the E5s, I haven't experienced it with my ipod or my PPA.
If you do want the Shure sound and want the cable in front, the E3 can go both ways.

 

[EyEPoD]

I second the vote for the E5s. Ive owned both and i think it is a better all around canal phone.

If you only listen to classical the etys may be better, but for rock, jazz, vocals, etc, i prefer the shures. The sound is full, the soundstage is huge, and they are very comfortable IMO.

The etys are great as well, but the fact that they are uncomfortable and a bit bright to my ears has turned me away.

If you can afford it go with the E5s, as for the e3/er4 matchup, i have a feeling that will be very close, and in the long run the etys will probably perform better with a higher end home rig. If you do decide to get the E5s make sure to call them to find out what tips will be packaged with them. You will need either the tri-flange or the new flex sleeves.

Good luck

 

[lindrone]

E5's are absolutely awesome (did you expect any less hyperbole than that from me?.. hehehe), so if you can afford it, I would say grab it instead of the Ety.

The *hiss* problem is not really with just the E5, E3 has the same issue as well. However, it is a fixable issue (as in the case of the XP-7, where changing the opamp fixed it), and it usually doesn't happen in higher class amps. I haven't had any problems with Gilmore V2 SE, Emmeline HR-2, Sugden Headmaster, MPX3... the list goes on and on... I don't even remember having a problem with Mint Meta... so it's pretty amp specific.

So, as much proponent that I am of the E5, I will also give you something else to think about, out of the kindness of my heart (or just totally screw you up if you've already made up your mind). The E3 is probably 80% of what the E5 could be, with all that at less than half the price. It's cheaper than even the Ety ER-4. Meanwhile ER-4 and E3 are in the same class, E3 has the Shure sound signature (fuller and more exciting), and it's better priced. You can take the rest of the budget and start investing in a good home set-up instead.

On top of that, there's the "wearing down the front" aspect of the E3, you really can wear it both ways.

On the portable side, just about any hard drive based portable players will be fine driving all the Shure phones. They are very sensitive, very efficient. I don't see a point of using a portable amp with my iPod anymore. They give you good enough of a sound that I can't justify having to carry another component around. Not only that, I also can't justify using most portable amp with it, as it doesn't really improve it enough. I rather take that money and spend it elsewhere.

The only portable amp I would consider with the Shures, are either the XP-7 (because they are very close to HR-2), and battery powered version of PPA. Anything lower than that, may as well just save the money.

Last thing, regardless of which one you decide to get, wait until January 5th (I think that's the official ship date). The E5c is supposed to come with both tri-flange and soft flex sleeve by then, which it still doesn't now. And the E3c is officially shipping on that date.

 

[silencer]

I was looking at buying the phones from Ebay

I have e-mailed the guy to see if this is the E5 or the E5c, he hasn't replied yet.
If i bought these and then seperately purchased the tri-flange tips i would still be saving money.

I'll wait until the seller gets back to me first, and then make my desicions.

 

[Sugarfried]

I'm pretty sure that those are E5's, not E5c's. I could be wrong.

Same exact product, different packaging and carrying case.


This might seem foolish of me, but your original post said that you can get either E5 or ER4 for $500 Australian. But it looks like if you buy the ER4 from the same ebay seller it would actually be $283 Australian (far less than $500, even though it would also be from the US). You probably already noticed this, but I thought I'd mention it just in case.

 

[twilightrevenant]

i think the e5c comes with a crossfeed, which is a $5 product. on and I second e5

 

[penbat]

While your here Mr Sugarfried, when do you think the new style E3/E5 tips will be available for purchase in the UK ?

 

[lindrone]

Quote:

Originally posted by twilightrevenant i think the e5c comes with a crossfeed, which is a $5 product. on and I second e5

The passive crossover in the E5 is not for the L and R channels. E5 has a dual-driver design, one for low-end and one for high-end, the crossover is for combining the two driver to produce the midrange. Much like the natural crossover that occurs with multi-driver speaker systems.

It is *not* a crossfeed.

P.S.: E5 and E5c are the same product, with different packaging, just for clarity... and avoid future questions like, "What about the E5c, does that have crossfeed?"

 

[evolushun]

i would go for the e5, i bought them a year ago, and they are amazing, so good that i have bought another pair....i did own a pair of ety ety 4p, but sold them as i prefered the shure e5. you won't regret it, i know it is expensive, but its worth taking the plunge for. There have been mixed reviews for them here, but at the end of the day its your own personal preference

 

[gerG]

I would vote for the ER4S. To my ears there is no comparison. The Etys have far smoother response. The E5 have the classic "boom and sizzle" tuning. I would not tolerate the sound of the E5 for any price.

Either one works best with the cord down the back. The Etys need to be clipped to the back of your shirt collar to control microphonics and eliminate cable tugging. The Shures tighten around your head like a glasses retainer.

I get far better isolation with the Etys. The Shures fit more like an earbud, while the Etys work best in the ear canal.

I am curious about the E3 as well. They look suspiciously similar to the Ety design, but that may not mean anything.

As far as detail, I have never been overly impressed by the level of detail from the Etys. There are better headphones out there for that aspect. The Shures are not even as good as the Etys.

Soundstage should not even be mentioned in the same paragraph as canal phones. They lack the ability to provide the phasing cues that would create such a perception. Crossfeed does help the illusion a bit. If you are a longtime headphone user, you probably won't mind this aspect. Headphone newbies sometimes have a problem with the extreme in head experience. I never have trouble visualizing a large empty space inside my head

gerG

 

[javahut]

I 2nd, 3rd, 4th or whatever most of the replies here. I bought both the ER4P and E5Cs at the same time to compare. I was totally surprised at the lack of low end on the ER4Ps. The E5Cs have an extremely full range, and really tight, deep strong low end. For portable use, you won't need an amp with the E5Cs. I returned the ER4Ps & kept the E5Cs. The E5Cs are tight, crystal clear, highly efficient... and I'm constantly amazed at the sound quality every time I listen to them... AWESOME!