[matheis]

hello all!!!

thinking of getting some shure e1 canalphones to use with my portable md set-up. alot of my mds are recorded in lp2 format. i was wondering if anyone has experience with the e1 and lp2 mds. if so, how does it sound? do the e1 reveal any problems with the extra compression? is it fine & dandy?

also, i'm thinking of maybe getting a xin super mini and am wondering how much benefit the e1 will derive from an amp.

thanks!!!
nikolaus

 

[hawkfire]

I use the Shure E1c with the Sony MZR-900 with recordings in lp2 mode with no problems whatsoever.

This eaphone sounds is well suited for minidisc.

Makes my 2nd gen ipod output with no eq sound really flat and tinny with encodings at 320 VBR and even worse at lower rate encodes such as 192.

I think you'll have no problem with the output, clarity or loudness using this setup.

But using Xin's amp in lp2 mode with these earphones and the pseudo-line out on the MZR-900 brings out artifacts and distortions and reveals the limitations of lp2.

Hissing and swirly distortion becomes apparent.

Using this on the line out with Xin's amp and the mzr-50 is SP mode, the sound is incredible and actually prefer it both sound and comfortwise over either the Shure E5, E2 or the Etymotics ER-6, which I do indeed own and listen to.


Sounds even better on the Kenwood L7-R which is the OEM sharp Mt-831.

As far as the ER4P, I own them BUT, I just cant use them as I am uncomfortable with the way they seal and sit in my ear canals.

 

[matheis]

hawkfire

thanks so much for taking the time to respond to the various threads i have going on the shure canalphones. i went and purchased a pair of e2 from guitar center last night, much to the dismay of the sales staff - they were quite shocked when i told them i would be using them for my walkman!!! a "do you really know what you're doing" look crossed their faces. 'don't listen to them too loud'! 'you can lose your hearing'! my gf was along, and boy was she giving me some looks

anyway, i'll give them some burn in time and also try out the ex71 with the e2 silicon gaskets to see if it gives me better isolation.

one last question for you...since you own the e2 qnd er6, so the flange tips from the er6 work with the e2?

thanks
nikolaus

 

[Sugarfried]

matheis: I hope you don't mind me answering your question.
The flange tips from the ER6 will not work on an E2. The primary reason for this is the ER6 tips taper down, changing the diameter of the nozzle. This will severly affect the frequency response.

The E2 tips will work on the ER6, but not the other way around.

-Matt

 

[erikzen]

Quote:

Originally posted by matheis hawkfire i went and purchased a pair of e2 from guitar center last night, much to the dismay of the sales staff - they were quite shocked when i told them i would be using them for my walkman!!! a "do you really know what you're doing" look crossed their faces. 'don't listen to them too loud'! 'you can lose your hearing'!

That's funny. I had just the opposite experience. When I told the sales guy at Guitar Center that I wanted to use them for portable audio, he said, "wow, great idea. I should get a pair for that, too."

 

[matheis]

sugarfried: thanks for taking the time to respond!

erikzen: yeah, i thought it was weird that the guy was implying that i would go deaf by using them with my walkman?!?!? the added isolation is there to SAVE your hearing, not destroy it

anyway, i'm experimenting with them today at work. i work in a research greenhouse - quite noisy due to exhaust fans and cooling pads running all the time! so far, i've logged on about 6 hours with them with first the medium and then the small silicon tips. i'm not sure which i like better yet and plan on switching back to the medium in a bit.

i've been using them with my sharp dr7 md recorder (5+5mW @ 32ohms). compared with the ex71 i usually use, the added isolation and sensitivity have allowed me to use the e2 at 5-8/30 in the greenhouse. with my ex71, i needed to use 15-18/30. i'm still figuring out the best way to get a seal. the cords are thicker than i'm used to. with the dr7 unequalized, i find that the e2 are a bit dull, which i'm hoping will improve with some burn-in time. after changing the eq settings to bass 1 and treble +2, the sound is much improved! on my ex71, i never noticed much of a change after activating the treble eq, so i'm happy that i do notice a difference with the e2 in that regard.

later
nikolaus

 

[hawkfire]

I did try using the ER-6 tips on the E2C, but the results were very disappointing.

Made the E2 sound rather veiled and muddy overall and killed the treble to the point of non existance.

 

[matheis]

hawkfire

a couple more ?s for you, if you don't mind...

1. i'm using the small silicon tips on my e2 after experimenting with the small and medium sizes yesterday. today, i tried out the foam tips (all 3 sizes). the small seemed to leak quite a bit of sound, so i tried the medium and large foam tips. there didn't seem to be too much of a difference between the two, sound-wise. what i did notice, however, was that the soundstage seemed more constricted with the foamies, and the mids more recessed. am i alone in this? improper fit?

2. how about the e2 with an amp?

thanks much!
nikolaus

 

[adhoc]

matheis, what is the sound like?

i've almost pressed the 'confirm order' button on theearplugstore.com for my e2s.

 

[matheis]

adhoc

i'm hesitant to give a comprehensive review, as i've just only started using them a couple days ago. i'll need more time with them to come to a thorough understanding of their strengths and weaknesses.

here are my inital impressions so far. i see you had the ex71, which i've gotten the e2 to replace, so i'll use those as a reference. the e2 have ALOT more isolation + more sensitivity. i'm listening to 1/3 - 1/2 the volume with the e2 than i did with the ex71 (on my sharp md-dr7). perhaps my insertion method isn't quite as good as others, but i found that i prefer listening to the e2 with the bass at setting 1 (on a scale of 0-3). i usually listen to the ex71 with the bass at 0. the bass sounds tighter on the e2, though. the mids and highs are recessed, although i can get the highs to sound really nice by setting the treble to +2 on my dr7 (on a scale of -2 - +2). the mids however, i cannot adjust with my dr7 and are lacking so far. this might be overcome by using a different source, though. i plan on trying the e2 with my panasonic sj-mr220 today (which has empahasis on mids and highs) to see if that makes a difference.

once again, i want to emphasize that i've only used them for a couple days and feel that the e2 need more burn-in time and i need time to feel more comfortable assessing them. also, i bought them with the anitcipation of receiving my xin supermini v6.2 cmoy amp. the reviews i've read of the e2 while doing research on them emphasized two main points to me:

1. it takes time to grow familiar with the process of inserting the e2 (and any canalphone) properly. some e2 users have first reported disliking the e2 only to come back later loving them after finding the proper way to fit them into their ears.

2. they open up quite a bit soundwise with an amp. i like a small set-up, so i plan on using my md player & supermini in a small neoprene case out to the e2. i think this set-up will be super!

anyway, i hope this helps! and remember (i know i've said this before), these are only initial impressions

later
nikolaus

 

[adhoc]

thank you for your initial impressions matheis.

i suppose i will over time, come to enjoy my e2. i already have and currently am using a px200 which sonically, is similar to your description of the e2's sound. however it does not provide me with the isolation i desire and i require something slightly more discreet. thankfully though my iriver has a full eq, not just some 'bass-boost' setting.

once again, thanks.

 

[erikzen]

I've experimented with the various tips and found that the silicon tips provide the best fit. Therefore, they give me the highest level of isolation. I think that the better the fit the better the isolation no matter if you use the foamies or the silicon, but I could be wrong.

In comparison to the PX200s there are similar sonic characteristics, both positive and negative. Both seem to have a slightly veiled sound, with recessed treble. Both give a strong bass sound that is not too flabby, with the E2 probably giving an even more controlled bass. However, the E2s perform much better when amped giving a much more balanced sound with clearer treble, while the PX200 do not seem to improve as much, at least with my amps.

 

[adhoc]

excellent summary erikzen.

many thanks. you've provided that last bit of convincing i needed to order the e2s.

 

[matheis]

adhoc

my impression after listening to the e2 with my panasonic sj-mr220 as the source yesterday was different. the brighter sound of the mr220 complemented the e2 very well, indeed. i didn't feel that the mids were recessed, as they were with the sharp md-dr7. so, either i'm learning how to fit them better (with medium silicon tips), or the dr7 isn't the best complementary source for the e2 (without and amp anyway). all in all, i don't think you'll be disappointed! just spend some time figuring out how to fit them, and give them some burn-in time.

later
nikolaus

 

[hawkfire]

I cannot exactly comment on how the headsave mint or xins amp will sound with the DR7, butI can comment on how it will sound with the Panasonic MR-220 and SJMJ-78.

Panasonic MD units have a slighly flat sound and emphasize the mids and highs.

With the 220 and the SJMJ-78, the rolled off treble is still present, but the rolloff isnt as hard with either amp.

The bass does tighten up a little as well as the vocals but not by much and in my opinion, the extra cost of an amp to make lp2 sound better isnt worth it since by using an amp, you also bring out the limitations of lp2 and artifacts and swily sounds become more defined as well.

I think that the treble rolloff is because of the lack of the second driver as found in the Shure e5.

The E2 is identical except for the color of the casing, the stupid wire stiffener and the missing second driver in each transducer.