[Brewmaster]

Hi,
I purchased a pair of Shure E4c's after hearing so many positive things about them.

Personally I find they sound flat (not in the good way) and harsh. It seems that most people don't find this so I guess it's just the way my hearing is.

I find that i enjoy music from my speakers (Dahlquist QX10A), or my full size cans (Senn HD590's) much better. I've also owned the Senn 580's and Grado SR125's and loved the sound.

Am I expecting too much from iem's or is there some other options I should be considering that might better match up with my tastes?

 

[GreatDane]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brewmaster Hi, I purchased a pair of Shure E4c's after hearing so many positive things about them. Personally I find they sound flat (not in the good way) and harsh. It seems that most people don't find this so I guess it's just the way my hearing is. I find that i enjoy music from my speakers (Dahlquist QX10A), or my full size cans (Senn HD590's) much better. I've also owned the Senn 580's and Grado SR125's and loved the sound. Am I expecting too much from iem's or is there some other options I should be considering that might better match up with my tastes?

What is your source?

If this is your first IEM, give them some time to grow on you. They give a considerably different sonic experience compared to full size cans, IMO.

 

[nsjong]

Of course IEM's sound bad compared to full size headphones at the price range.
Would you think drivers that small would provide a sound even close to a good full size?

IEM's are meant for noise isolation and portability.
Fullsize cans are meant for home/studio use with a good set up.

Of course, you will get used to the sound but seriously, you can't expect too much from IEM's.

 

[catscratch]

If they sound harsh, then there's a good chance that you're not getting a good seal. If this is your first pair of IEM's, then you're very likely to not get a good seal with them during your first week or so with them. I'd suggest that you try out all of the different eartips that came with them, and make sure that you're inserting them deep enough.

I'm suggesting this, rather than saying that the E4's aren't for you, based on the fact that you like the 590's, and they have a fairly aggressive treble. The E4's did sound harsh to my ears, which is why I got rid of them in favor of the UM2's, but I'm very sensitive to treble in the first place. If you think that the seal isn't at fault here, then you can return/sell the E4's and try the UM2's as they do have a warmer and smoother sound (or go for the ES2's - you know you want to!

).

Quote:

Originally Posted by nsjong Of course, you will get used to the sound but seriously, you can't expect too much from IEM's.

In general, I would agree with you, but I prefer the ES2's over my HD650's by a good margin, and over the HD600's by a decent margin. On some material I find them better than the SR-404's. I really don't believe that balanced armatures can't compete with full-size dynamic drivers. It's the implementation that counts, and given how new this technology is, we're bound to see some stellar balanced-armature driven IEM's that outperform many full-sized headphones in the future (the E500 being the first hint of that).

 

[The_Duke_Of_Eli]

Seems like you're an Etymotic man. Welcome to the dark side

.

 

[Mercuttio]

My Etys sound quite harsh out of my iPod directly. With my bithead though? Smooth and delightful.

And I once too thought that an IEM was a tradeoff in sound for size... but then I discovered the ER4P.

 

[Jam_Master_J]

Check your seal. Shure E4s sound very smooth to me on all my gear, never harsh.

 

[Spareribs]

I also have a pair of the E4c and it's not bad. I would never use it for home though. Maybe I need to hear another IEM to really impress me but at this point, I would rather spend the money on another fullsize can or amp. Overall, I am satisfied with my E4c because it isolates sound and the tone is good. And I only payed $160 for it plus shipping as a B stock item. Not bad. I cannot imagine me spending over $160 for an IEM. If I had to spend over a couple hundred dollars for an IEM, it had better be amazing but I cannot imagine an IEM really impressing me. Overall, I am not an IEM person.

That said, I'm happy though with the E4C. It isolates sound and gives me the oppurtunity to hear music with a decent tone in a noisy enviroment. It didn't cost me an arm and a leg. I now can enjoy music and escape the noise..... Wonderful. It's like cheating in a good way.

 

[Mercuttio]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jam_Master_J Check your seal. Shure E4s sound very smooth to me on all my gear, never harsh.

I can't imagine the seal being the problem with the smoothness. Lack of bass maybe, but air getting in just wouldn't make them more rough. I'd say the culprit is most likely the source; when you can't hear anything else (isolation!) you suddenly discover just how lousy your iPod really sounds.

Just the other day, I found myself outside and realized that I'd left my Bithead on all night. Damned batteries had run out! Well, I couldn't go without music so I popped my Etys into the iPod directly. Eugh. That's a grainy, gritty sound with nasty etched highs. Since I'd had the bithead long before I had the Etys, I had never tried a direct connection into the iPod!

 

[PiccoloNamek]

Quote:

Would you think drivers that small would provide a sound even close to a good full size?

Yes.

 

[vagarach]

I'd say that comparing iems to full size cans or even speakers in both sound quality *and* price is bound to result in disappointment. When paying iem prices for iems you have to realise that part of the higher price (as compared to open headphones) is the ability to get that same quality of sound in listening conditions that can at times be far from ideal.

I made this mistake when comparing my HD497's to the e3c's I bought at retail canadian price. I was so disappointed I returned them! The senns totally trounced the e3c in all areas save for detail. I have later realised that iems afford the luxury of really good sound wherever you may be, and that you pay for this luxury.

 

[dura]

If IEMs gave perfect sound no one would use large cans.
The E4 is not perfect tonally, but to my ears it gives a nice smooth sound (out of NW-HD1 or NW-A3000, smooth players) which is very musical, letting through the whole message. I can listen to them for hours, attentive listening or doing other things.
But they are a little midforward, and with an more agressive source like an ipod I can imagine the sound might become too bright.

 

[Headphoner]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brewmaster Hi, I purchased a pair of Shure E4c's after hearing so many positive things about them. Personally I find they sound flat (not in the good way) and harsh. It seems that most people don't find this so I guess it's just the way my hearing is. I find that i enjoy music from my speakers (Dahlquist QX10A), or my full size cans (Senn HD590's) much better. I've also owned the Senn 580's and Grado SR125's and loved the sound. Am I expecting too much from iem's or is there some other options I should be considering that might better match up with my tastes?

I also have the E4c's and I originally found them too bright and harsh. Here's what I did to transform them into excellent quality. I bought the HeadRoom Bithead amp ($200). I leave the crossfeed circuit switched off. I use my laptop as the CD player with the Bithead connected to a USB port. I play CD's with Windows Media Player (software), which has an equalizer. Windows Media Player comes, I believe, with Windows XP and is free. I boost 31Hz and 62Hz by 9dB. I boost 125Hz by 3dB. I boost 16kHz by 2dB. This transforms the E4c's. If you want the sound even warmer, try boosting 500Hz by 2 or 3dB. The secret is that the E4c's are excellent phones in need of equalization. They are seriously deficient in bass but this can be corrected with EQ. I listen to classical, folk, and Broadway. If you listen to hard rock with huge, insistent bass, you may want to take care not to overdrive the phones, given that the low bass is boosted 9dB. --Best, Les

 

[Jasper994]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mercuttio I can't imagine the seal being the problem with the smoothness. Lack of bass maybe, but air getting in just wouldn't make them more rough. I'd say the culprit is most likely the source; when you can't hear anything else (isolation!) you suddenly discover just how lousy your iPod really sounds. Just the other day, I found myself outside and realized that I'd left my Bithead on all night. Damned batteries had run out! Well, I couldn't go without music so I popped my Etys into the iPod directly. Eugh. That's a grainy, gritty sound with nasty etched highs. Since I'd had the bithead long before I had the Etys, I had never tried a direct connection into the iPod!

I find that the E4 boarders upon harsh when used with the silicone tips. They sound much better with the foam tips.

FWIW, IEMs can compete with full sized cans in every category except soundstage, and even there, they only really lose ground to the open backed cans. Most sealed full sized cans (leaving out the R-10, CD3000, and a few other sealed cans that have good soundstage) don't fair much better than IEMs in soundstage.

 

[Kirium]

I'll take them off your hands...