Shure e2c $127, er6i $198 CAN, which is better?

[dominator]

Hello head-fi. Well, up until today I was all decided, I was going to buy myself some er6i earphones from a guy in Canada that sells them for $198 with shipping, taxes and all that stuff payed for already. However, in another post I found an eBay guy that sells Shure e2c headphones for $127, again, with all taxes, shipping etc payed for.

I had researched the er6i heavily and was prepared to pay for it, but finding the shures at a considerably lower price then the er6i's for me is a big bonus considering I am a student and don't have much money.

So, I guess, which of these headphones is better, both in terms of value and quality. I know the e2c's retail for less then the er6i's regularly, but how do these price ratios match up, am I getting ripped off on either of them?

I guess what I'm saying is, I would prefer to spend less money, but am I getting ripped off and/or getting an inferior product by doing this? My primary concern with these headphones was isolation, so I know the etymotics have the best, but are the shures almost as good, or are they significantly worse?

 

[frankcent]

depending what you are looking for. e2 has a warmer and fuller sound. er6i however, I have never heard them myself, but they are said to be analytical and detailed. you can buy from headroom, idealsound or any head-fi sponsor. you get a much lower price and good return policy.

 

[dominator]

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankcent depending what you are looking for. e2 has a warmer and fuller sound. er6i however, I have never heard them myself, but they are said to be analytical and detailed. you can buy from headroom, idealsound or any head-fi sponsor. you get a much lower price and good return policy.

Are their any head-fi sponsors based in Canada?

 

[terrymx]

unless money is an issue, i would choose the er6i. lots more details, more comfortable (with the foams atleast), easier and faster to insert, isolate more. just about everything really. except the e2c fit tighter (if you insert it all the way in and hard to fall out), but could work just as well as the er6i.

 

[mr.karmalicious]

What about microphonics?

 

[EdipisReks]

the ER6i suffers from microphonics much less than the E2c does. this is because of very light, thin cables. this makes the ER6i a bit fragile, though. i think the ER6i is MUCH better than the E2c, sonically.

 

[Sinbios]

shure e2c's for 127 o_O?

is that new? if not, i recommend you get it here, since i got mine for $50US shipped.

 

[dominator]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EdipisReks the ER6i suffers from microphonics much less than the E2c does. this is because of very light, thin cables. this makes the ER6i a bit fragile, though. i think the ER6i is MUCH better than the E2c, sonically.

Oh, the er6i's sound a lot better then the e2c's? Do you think it would be especially noticeable to a non-audiophile? I find that I can't really tell the difference between a lot of these things, I mainly need these headphones for the isolation. Although, I am a musician, so I do have a decent ear, probably better then the average person.

Also, how do their isolation levels stack up?

 

[EdipisReks]

i think the sound difference should be noticeable to about anyone. the E2c has a very noticeable treble roll off. the triflange on the ER6i isolate more than the silicon flex sleeve of the E2c, but its about the same with foamies on both.

 

[Jmmmmm]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EdipisReks the ER6i suffers from microphonics much less than the E2c does. this is because of very light, thin cables. this makes the ER6i a bit fragile, though. i think the ER6i is MUCH better than the E2c, sonically.

sorry, but wouldnt this make the microphonics worse on the e6i's? am i mistaken on what this means?

 

[ibbo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EdipisReks the ER6i suffers from microphonics much less than the E2c does. this is because of very light, thin cables.

Is this statement correct? I was under the impressions that the Shure products, when behind the ear, suffered from nearly no microphonics compared to the Etymotic products. Certainly this was the case when I used my friends e2c's, my previous e3c's behind the ear. Both were much less microphonic than my current ER-4's. I would think that the ER-6i, with its similar design to the ER-4 series would likewise be microphonic. The only non-microphonic Ety's I've experienced is the ER-4P with modified Xin cable.

Jon

 

[aeriyn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sinbios shure e2c's for 127 o_O? is that new? if not, i recommend you get it here, since i got mine for $50US shipped.

$127 canadian dollars lol. translates out to like 80ish usd.

 

[dominator]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aeriyn $127 canadian dollars lol. translates out to like 80ish usd.

Actually, I think it's more like $100 US, but because it's in Canada we get crappy prices.

Also, the Shures are brand new, factory sealed and everything.

So, are you guys saying I should go with the er6i headphones for $198 as opposed to the Shures of $127 (although, I may actually be able to get those for $120 if I go to the place instead of getting it shipped since it's right by my house)?

 

[dominator]

Quote:

Originally Posted by terrymx unless money is an issue, i would choose the er6i. lots more details, more comfortable (with the foams atleast), easier and faster to insert, isolate more. just about everything really. except the e2c fit tighter (if you insert it all the way in and hard to fall out), but could work just as well as the er6i.

Well, money is an issue obviously (being in high school after all), but not an extremely big one. I do have a job, so if paying an extra $70 gets me much better headphones, then I'll pay the extra money.

Also, how fragile are these er6i's really? Will I be able to take them to school with me without them dying?

 

[EdipisReks]

let me put it this way. with my ER-4P's and my E2c's, any taps on the cable are conveyed rather loudly into your ears. both of these have relatively thick, stiff cables. with the ER6i taps on the cable are barely audible with no music playing, and inaudible with music playing. the Er6i's have thin, light cables.

mechanical microphonics are directly caused by vibration being conveyed into the ear piece. the thicker cables are stiff, and thus any contact on the cable causes the entire thing to vibrate like a violin string. the lighter cable gives/bends at the point of impact instead of carrying the vibration all the way up to the ear piece.