[Tunaghost]

I currently have a pair of grado SR60's. Though i'm by no means an audiophile, I still have a (in my opinion) good sense of sound and I really really love my grados.
Now the problem im having is - I use the subway and walk around alot, and the outside noise leaking into the headphones ruins the sound (especially on the subway). Im looking at the E3's because they seem to cancel out most of the unwanted noise and supposedly have very bright and detailed sound.

Could one of you guys compare them to the grados? Im worried that I wont like them, and I can't really return them because they're canal phones.

 

[mypasswordis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tunaghost Im looking at the E3's because they seem to cancel out most of the unwanted noise and supposedly have very bright and detailed sound.

Wait, I thought that was the description for Ety's...

I don't have any Grados, but I do have the er6i's.. if you want bright and detailed sound without overinflated bass, get some Ety's. Yes, this is another "Get what I got" post.

 

[XXstatic]

I have the E-3's and luv them, I'm not a bass head and I also luv the Grado sound.

Just my observation.

 

[Tunaghost]

The amount of bass treble and midtones on the grado's were perfect for me, are the E3c's anything like them?

Also i heard the er6i's had an abnormally low bass

 

[Mr Iriver]

I think the E3s mids are closer to the grados, but the Er6i have a brightness closer to the grados. I myself think the E3s are a far better pair, yet they don't seem to fit the description of what you are looking for. I think both canalphones are technically superior to the SR60, but neither is very close to the type of sound you seem to be looking for.

 

[feh1325]

eh...i wish the e3's had more bass
i miss the impacts i had with my cheapo sonys, so i'm gonna order an amp

 

[warpdriver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tunaghost The amount of bass treble and midtones on the grado's were perfect for me, are the E3c's anything like them? Also i heard the er6i's had an abnormally low bass

Nope, the E3's are nothing like them. You won't get ample bass out of canalphones until you get to the dual-driver models. But for treble, the Etymotics comes closest to the Grado's

Trust me on this, if you like Grado's highs, there's a good chance you won't like the E3's

I think one could be pretty happy with the ER6i's coming from SR60's. They actually do have a reasonable amount of bass once you get a good seal. Just today I was listening to them and thinking: how could anybody say these things don't have enough bass?

 

[LaBreaHead]

I have the Etymotics and the Shures, and I've listened to my brother's Grados ... and my hunch is that, of the two, you would prefer the Etymotics. Plus, with the two-flanged tips, the Etys penetrate more deeply into the ear and isolate a bit more. But I now use the foamies on both my Shures and Etymotics ...

The Shures route the cords over the ears, which is not a big deal (helps them stay in place better), while the Etys use the traditional "straight out of the ears" configuration ... if that makes any difference for you.

Have you used any isolating IEMs, or at least any canal phones? It's a whole different experience, in a lot of ways, than listening to headphones, as you might know. I find the isolation an especially attractive feature on airplanes, in noisy waiting rooms, etc. They don't sound quite like headphones -- it's more of a situational thing. In noisy environments, the isolation (and thus lower volume) trumps "sound stage" for me.

With headphones, you're in the studio, listening to the band ... and maybe the screaming baby across the airplane aisle, or the screeching subway wheels; with IEMs, the band is playing in your head.

 

[Tunaghost]

you guys are really helpful, i'm gonna go look into the ety's
I heard the ety's sound very electronic and lack warmth, do the shure's have a warm sound?
I like alot of Beck, Floyd, New Age, Rock Jazz and Classical music which one is better for those?

 

[Skylab]

Shure E3 - warm, pleasant, good bass, but they lack some high end sparkle and detail IMO. I can tell you their high end presentation is VERY different from your SR60's. I find SR60's too bright up top, so factor that into your thinking.

I liked the E3's a lot, but I prefer the (more expensive) Westone UM2. But the E3 are VERY good IEM's, again IMO.

Never heard any ETY's.

 

[LaBreaHead]

Perhaps the Shure E3's are more "normal" sounding than the Etymotics (or less remarkable, depending on how you look at it), especially if you are like me, not an overly critical listener (for example, as I type this, it's the first time I've ever used the term "rolled off," which should say something).

In my personal experience, the Ety's took more getting used to, both in sound and form factor -- but now I like them as much as the Shures. Using the foamies helped "normalize" the Ety experience for me. The two 'phones are just different approaches to the same thing. By definition, IEMs are different from headphones, so don't expect the Grado impact -- the benefits are more subtle (like, being able to hear music cleanly on an airplane or on public transportation, and your neighbors can't tell you're playing anything).

If you're going to choose between the Ety's and the Shures, you can't go far wrong, really. And after six months to a year, if you want to upgrade (you are on Head-Fi, after all

), you'll know a lot more about what you like and what you're looking for. But if you never upgrade, either should bring you a lot of listening enjoyment.

 

[Tunaghost]

Alright, thanks so much guys - you pretty much answered all my questions.
I think ima' go get the E3c I prefer a warmer sound.

Im gonna come back later and tell you what i think of them for those who care.

 

[warpdriver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tunaghost Im looking at the E3's because they seem to cancel out most of the unwanted noise and supposedly have very bright and detailed sound.

OR

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tunaghost .....I prefer a warmer sound.

You are a bit inconsistent. I'd recommend ER6i based on your first paragraph and the E3 based on the second.

 

[Spyro]

Or just spend $60 more to get E4's and then you will have both paragraphs covered.

 

[Mr Iriver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spyro Or just spend $60 more to get E4's and then you will have both paragraphs covered.

Thats funny, but absolutely true.
The E4 will give you the most transparent sound in any single driver IEM. The e4c is still not as impactful as the grados though, but it is a far far far better phone.