[LaBreaHead]

A short-term, low tech, approach would be to get something like the Creative EP 630 canal phones for under $30 (U.S.). Not as much isolation, as they're not true in-ear monitors, but comfortable, easy to use, louder than the E3's and priced nicely.

Think about it -- the listening is not being done in an overstuffed armchair with a glass of brandy in hand -- I believe it's a machine shop, or a similar site. This is non-critical listening. So bassy canal phones could be an affordable solution while he sells the E3's and researches what to get next (UE's, Westones, or whatever).

I have the Creatives and the E3C's, and if I listened in an industrial setting, I'd probably find the Creative canal phones more "fun" ... and certainly bassier.

 

[Turner_Brown]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LaBreaHead A short-term, low tech, approach would be to get something like the Creative EP 630 canal phones for under $30 (U.S.). Not as much isolation, as they're not true in-ear monitors, but comfortable, easy to use, louder than the E3's and priced nicely. Think about it -- the listening is not being done in an overstuffed armchair with a glass of brandy in hand -- I believe it's a machine shop, or a similar site. This is non-critical listening. So bassy canal phones could be an affordable solution while he sells the E3's and researches what to get next (UE's, Westones, or whatever). I have the Creatives and the E3C's, and if I listened in an industrial setting, I'd probably find the Creative canal phones more "fun" ... and certainly bassier.

probably the best solution presented so far.

 

[ComfyCan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MatsudaMan Call me blunt, but it sounds like the fella doesn't like Shures. If he thinks the e3c's sound like utter !@#t, than I think recommending him some e4c's is pretty lame advice. He should sell the e3c's and get something that's more his sound signature - bassy. I think UE's or even regular headphones will satisfy his needs. For sure, not Shures.

There's nothing wrong with switching brands, but I can't agree with your premise. I do not like the sound of E3c's--at all. Even amped, with a great seal, they simply have no bass. That is just the most obvious flaw; there are others. To be equally blunt, they suck (IMO)---but I love the E4c's.

They are made by the same company, but they are in an entirely different league. I wouldn't give you $10 for a pair of E3c's, but I'd pay more than the going price for E4c's.

 

[Turner_Brown]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ComfyCan There's nothing wrong with switching brands, but I can't agree with your premise. I do not like the sound of E3c's--at all. Even amped, with a great seal, they simply have no bass. That is just the most obvious flaw; there are others. To be equally blunt, they suck (IMO)---but I love the E4c's. They are made by the same company, but they are in an entirely different league. I wouldn't give you $10 for a pair of E3c's, but I'd pay more than the going price for E4c's.

I am just about to return the e4's because I am not satisfied with the amount of bass unamped from a 5G ipod. I am not the only one to voice this concern either. It's pretty likely that the e4's are not the solution to his problem.

 

[Selkal]

How much could the fact that he's using the 1g nano have to do with it? I imagine the tiny nano may not kick out enough power?

I recently bought the UM1's and use it with my ipod 4thG 20 gig. I get lots of bass (with a good foamy seal), more than I ever had with any of the cheaper headphones i tried before upgrading. Maybe there's just not enough juice going to the headphones? In that case, switching to the UE EB series may not do much good.

Another point, and forgive me if I'm totally off the mark here, didn't I read something about the Shure headphone L and R indicators being mis-labeled? I would think if so, this would be a pretty obvious problem, but who knows?

And finally, if you buy another pair, use of of the sponsored retailers and save a bundle of money. I used Earphone Solutions and had no issues with shipping to Canada.

 

[ComfyCan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Turner_Brown I am just about to return the e4's because I am not satisfied with the amount of bass unamped from a 5G ipod. I am not the only one to voice this concern either. It's pretty likely that the e4's are not the solution to his problem.

Everybody's different, and we are dealing with a very subjective issue. This is true for headphones in general, and is even more true for IEM's. No phone or IEM is going to make everyone happy; we'd have nothing to talk about if that were the case.

There is no question that the Shure E4 series IEM's benefit from an amp. The Nano w/lineout + Xin SuperMicro+ E4c's = pocket sized audio bliss, to my ears. Still, to me, the E4c's sound pretty good plugged straight into the Nano. Not as good, but not too shabby either. I don't get the same bass response that I get with full size cans, but I don't expect to.

I just don't want the original poster to come away with the impression that the Shure E3c is indicative of a Shure sound "signature" that is carried over to the E4c. I have done way too much side by side testing of the two to accept that--about the only thing they have in common is they are both made by Shure.

Different strokes....

 

[Slingblayde]

Wow, thanks for all the replies everybody!
After I posted last nite I went home from work and plugged them into my computer. I have the Logitech Z-680's on my PC (they ROCK) and got similar lack of bass. I did this because I thought maybe it was the lack of juice the IPod can actually give to them like one of the other posters mentioned.
I also am going to re-rip a few tunes at a higher bitrate and put them on and see what happens. I will give them time to "burn in" before I make any descision to sell them or keep them.

I really do like the fit of them, the over the ear design works great when moving around in a machine shop. I cant wear great big headphones while working unfortunately and the small IEM design is perfect. I really like how they keep the sounds of the shop out (wrenches dropping, grinders going, compresed air blasting etc..) Altho it is a bit wierd hearing yourself singing like you can while wearing them. hehe

One of the other posters mentioned returning them, I dont think I can because I threw out the packaging so I could ...uh...IMPORT them over the border. I guess I can get off my backside and call Circut City and ask if I can return them without the packaging if I decide I really dont like them.

 

[fondy44]

Just to make sure you have a good seal, plug them into a source with graphic EQ and crank up the low frequency sliders. I'm a bit of a basshead myself and the iPod's generic presets are about worthless for bass IMO. If you still think the bass is non-existant after messing with the EQ sliders, then you may not be getting a good seal.
If you are getting a good seal, then it sounds like the E3c just doesn't have enough bass for your liking (at least not with the iPod). I had the same complaints, and though there is a noticeable improvement with the E4c, it's barely enough to satisfy me.
One thing to keep in mind, if you do decide to go the canalphone route (ie: Sony 71's, Sennheiser CX-300), they don't typically provide as much isolation as a true IEM like the E3c or ER-4, and may not be a safe alternative to earplugs.

 

[egokun]

Well, for me, the E3cs were the first "good" phones of my life, and I found them soooo much better than the iBuds. Total isolation, good detail, and yes, satisfying bass. They were perfect for my iPod... until I auditioned the Ety ER-4S. Since then, I could no more find the E3c satisfactory, so I ended up buying the E4c, which have splendid detail and resolution, but very controlled bass. At the moment, I'm switching between the E4c and the UM2, which have wonderful bass and musicality, but lack the E4c's sparkle and detail.

But as an entry-level IEM, I really think the E3c were excellent, straight out of the box... and at a time when Ety ER-6i and UE universals still weren't available.

 

[dura]

This week, I had the opportunity to listen to a ipod nano with 256kbs AAC with my Shure e4s.
I was apalled by the unpleasant flat and bassless sound (compared to my sony HD-players with the Shures), so it might the nano or the interaction.

 

[Zephyron]

E4 + Good seal resulting in not enough bass = listener is a basshead