[pretzelb]

After some research I went with the Shure e2c to go with my new Zen Micro. I've only been testing for a few hours but here are some thoughts. This is mostly geared to the non-audiophiles as I'm not expert.

* Wow. So this is isolation! Yea, believe the hype on isolation. If you want isolation I think it's safe to say this style works.
* I can see where people say it takes a while to put them on and off. I hope to get better at it.
* Still working on the fit. The smallest buds are so-so but I need to try foam. It's weird but not terrible.
* I really hope I get used to this behind the head thing. At work it keeps pulling on the back of my shirt. So far it's hard to find a comfortable configuration where I don't feel a "yank" when I turn my head.
* Sound. Well, that's a hard one. There is a definite difference between these and the run of the mill buds. Yet, I'm not sure if it's more accurate or not. Some stuff seems very clear then other stuff seems different from what I remember (I'm loading a lot of old music that hasn't been listened to in a while). Bass may be the big thing that is missing but I'm not sure yet. I need to compare with maybe some non-bud headphones. I have some very, very old Sennheiser's around somewhere.

Probably not useful to the experts but maybe someone new like me will benefit.

 

[gshan]

Hey, congrats.

[size=xx-small]* Still working on the fit. The smallest buds are so-so but I need to try foam. It's weird but not terrible.[/size]
Comfort gets better after a few days of getting used to it. Pain and pressure at first with foamies, just a little bit of pressure now - no pain.

[size=xx-small]* I really hope I get used to this behind the head thing. At work it keeps pulling on the back of my shirt. So far it's hard to find a comfortable configuration where I don't feel a "yank" when I turn my head.[/size]

That can be hard, depending on what clothes you happen to be wearing. IMO the cord is just heavy, so you'll get a little bit of yank no matter what. Don't worry about the cord. Just get the ear pieces in first.

[size=xx-small]* Sound. Well, that's a hard one.[/size]
I think the main thing here is just to appreciate the isolation, and the extra detail you get in comparison to buds in and below this price range.

 

[Spyro]

I swear the E2's are like Porta Pro canalphones to me. When I switch them it seems isolation is the main difference. I find the sound to be very similar over the spectrum. Perhaps bass is a little tighter on E2

 

[jparris1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pretzelb * I really hope I get used to this behind the head thing. At work it keeps pulling on the back of my shirt. So far it's hard to find a comfortable configuration where I don't feel a "yank" when I turn my head.

You can wear them in front of you. I find it much more natural. Just go over your ears and then in front of your body rather than down your back.

 

[zachary80]

With the ultra-flex tips I can have my shures in and out in a second.

I would say more than half of the time I do not wear the headphones behind my head. I let the cord go around the back of my ears but the have it come to the front.

 

[kramer5150]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jparris1 You can wear them in front of you. I find it much more natural. Just go over your ears and then in front of your body rather than down your back.

x2

Enjoy them they are a great canalphone when you need isolation.

 

[japa]

I've got my E2cs couple of weeks ago and here are my "non-audiophile" feelings on them. I bought mine with ultra soft flex tips and I'm very happy with them. I didn't have any problems finding the seal, the bass was there the instant I put the headphones on. Actually I later switched to smaller ultra softs and I still have great bass and they are so comfortable!

The sound.. My other phones are PXC250. Both go quite low and have nice bass. PXC250 is perhaps bit more brighter in the sound and in general I like the sound of PXC250 just a tiny bit better than e2c. the e2c's sound is missing something that PXC250 has, I just don't know what it is and how to describe it. On the other hand e2c is more accurate with the details. Getting these made me to ditch some mp3 all together and rerip some others. Didn't notice they were that terrible with PXC250.

As said, I like PXC250's sound more, but...
- I don't like the NC stick, it's a hassle
- They are bigger in size
- In small volume levels there is the NC hiss
- They don't isolate as well as e2c

That's why I mostly have e2c with me. I'd say 95% of the time. I just love their small size and isolation. I think e2c has converted me to canalphone nut.

.
Only drawback is that I already think that perhaps I should have purchased e4c. head-fi infection?
Just that I have to mailorder those and buying headphones without listening them first is risky..

Ps. One of my favorite "testdrive" songs is Bliss - Sleep will come from Cafe del Mar Dreams3. It has nice bright instruments and then a really low bass is introduced at the middle of the song. Here's a 15 sec/380kilobytes sample of it. Before getting PXC250 I didn't even notice that there was such a low bass. What's your favorite testdrive song?

 

[pretzelb]

I will have to try the cord in the front. They are so new now I have a hard time knowing if I'm putting them in the right way without the diagram.

It's going to be hard to verify the sound quality. The dap is new and many of my songs are newly ripped so there isn't really a baseline. Canalphones are a weird experience for sure.