[jolegs]

I just ordered e5c yesterday after reading all of the reviews here. Until now I am not sure if I made the right descision. I listen mainly to classical music and jazz in my ipod -- is e5c the best choice?

 

[EdipisReks]

i don't think that the E5c's are particularly suited for jazz and classical, but i don't think it'll sound bad, per se.

 

[Aman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jolegs I just ordered e5c yesterday after reading all of the reviews here. Until now I am not sure if I made the right descision. I listen mainly to classical music and jazz in my ipod -- is e5c the best choice?

You'll need an amp to make them sound their best

Welcome to headfi - sorry about your wallet

Truthfully, you may not have made the BEST decision - but you really don't know until you hear them. We all have different ears.
I like to audition headphones before I buy them, especially with investments as large as the E5C's - I am not always able to (actually, not often at all) but when I can, I find my buying experience to be much more satisfying.

 

[toaster]

what other headphones have you heard?

 

[jolegs]

first i bought e2c then returned it after a week and bought the e3c. I listen to music a lot and I want to check out my options. Thanks for the quick replies.

 

[overlunge]

Hi jolegs,

IMHO, having owned a pair of E3c, and current owner of E5c, I found E5c noticably improved over E3's. If you like your E3's you will find E5's a pleasure to listen to.

I personally enjoy using them out of an amp (when situation allows me to) for Jazz vocals. Amping them does improve it's resolution. I'm not a frequent listener of Classical music, so I have to leave that for others to comment.

Hope that helps,
Overlunge

 

[bnlsn]

No, no earphone is perfect when it comes to anything

 

[LFF]

HI and welcome!
I own a pair of E3 and have listened to a pair of E5 as well. I am a heavy listener of jazz and classical music as well. To me, the difference in price doesn't warrant the upgrade in sound quality. However, the E5 definately sounds better than the E3, especially the bottom end and I think they are better suited for jazz rather than classical music.

Personally, I prefer to listen to jazz on Grado's, particularly the RS-1's.
As for classical music, it really depends on what type of classical music you like. I find that the RS-1's do a very decent job with classical music, especially woodwinds. I would recommend you give a listen to some amped Senns (HD-600/650 preferably) as I feel these make classical music just come alive.

If your looking for earbuds, I would recommend you stick to the E3's unless of course your wallet can take a hit with the E5's.

PS - Sorry about the wallet.

 

[wildsponge]

There is no such thing as the best phone for any type of music. I don't listen to much classical, but I threw on Miles Davis "Kind of Blue" on my E5's last night and it sounded unbelievable. Don't let anyone tell you you made a wrong decision. The E5's are a killer set of phones.

 

[hawkfire]

hello,

This is a sorta loaded question to answer, but as to the "best phones" I would say no such animal exists as it all boils down to personal preferences, sound sources, quality of recording etc etc.

Depending on your source and quality of sound recording with jazz vocals, the E5 is very good indeed even without an amp.

In my experience, this holds especially true with analog sources.

As for classical instrumental, it depends if you want accuracy and sterile lifeless presentation such as the sound of the ety er4s or a warm, less accurate lively sound like that of the Shure E5.

If you listen to opera, you will most certainly enjoy the E5 as the soundstage makes it seem like the performer is right there in front of you.

Should you be disatisfied with the Shure E5 and dont need isolation or have to worry about durability, you might consider the STAX 001/003 as it has a more concert hall like soundstage than that of the e5.

 

[jolegs]

Yeah..I listen to mostly opera and other classical vocal music because I am studying vocal performance. Thanks for your responses. I really appreciate it. This website is cool!

 

[VicAjax]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hawkfire As for classical instrumental, it depends if you want accuracy and sterile lifeless presentation such as the sound of the ety er4s or a warm, less accurate lively sound like that of the Shure E5.

i heartily disagree that the ety's are sterile and lifeless, especially with classical and jazz.

IMHO, the ER4 is far more well-suited to classical and jazz than any of the shure line i've auditioned (e2c, e3c, e5c). all three of the shures are far too rolled off in the trebles, and the bass on the e5c is too overpowering for jazz.

the ety ER4, while lacking visceral bass impact desirable in harder rock, handily beats the shure line for jazz and classical (i can't speak for the shure e4c). it's defined by its extension and control on both ends of the spectrum. the detail and clarity is ideal for live jazz and classical.

 

[hackeron]

Listening to the Chicago Soundtrack. Damn it sounds fine

I'm using my decade old portable sony cd player, straight out the line out with shure's volume attenuator. Sure its far from what the Shures are capable of, but much nicer than even what the Envy24HT based cards give (and Envy24HT gives far better sound than the Ipod for instance). Its really amazing that all recent portable sound equipment is so much worse than legacy stuff :'(

Sure the CD player is a brick that gets through 2 AAs in less than 5 hours, has no buffer so slightest movement causes skipping and to top it all off has the worst headphone output I've heard in a while, the lineout is crystal clear and gives the best soundstage I heard on my E5 so far

 

[jolegs]

I just got my e5c today and I am happy that I am happy with the e5c(you know what I mean hehe) big sigh of relief..I thought I'd return it but I am keeping it. I wonder how it would sound like with an amp..... should I buy one? will the PA2V2 go well with my ipod+e5c? what are my other options?

 

[hackeron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jolegs I just got my e5c today and I am happy that I am happy with the e5c(you know what I mean hehe) big sigh of relief..I thought I'd return it but I am keeping it. I wonder how it would sound like with an amp..... should I buy one? will the PA2V2 go well with my ipod+e5c? what are my other options?

Yes, an amp is recommended. They are far more powerful than other portable phones, so they arent easy to drive to their potential, even if they get sheer volume from the weakest sources.

Biggest problem however is thanks to their sensitivity, most amps bellow $500 will have noticeable hiss and possibly distorsion, so you'll have to choose carefully.

I wanted to get the XP-7 + (with AD797) or SR-71 or HR-2 or the SuperMacro or Singlepower PPX3 - all those are pretty good with the E5 but none are available in or to the UK!

Whatever you do though, stay away from PPAs like the plague! - They hiss so bad with the E5 its not even funny. Ironically those are available everywhere...