SHURE E2Cs --- any good?

[Trollheart]

Like the title says.
Some people here have recommended these . Are they good for listening to MP3-style music on the move? Would they go ok with a Creative Zen Vision:M?
How's sound/comfort/convenience/durability?
Any comments welcome.
Thanx
TH

 

[dap_pad]

Durability wise... not that great... after around a year or so, the cord starts to fray and break down.

The sound is okay... not that great but not bad either. It's a good choice I guess if you can get it for under $50-60.

 

[Chri5peed]

Some don't like the way IEMS fit and e2cs are not exactly petite IEMs.

Try some industrial yellow foam earplugs.

 

[Happymonkey]

I've seen pics of the cable fraying too, I think it was posted by someone from B&H photo. Shure has a good 2 year warranty though and should cover any kind of issue like that.

 

[Kataklystik]

I use my E2C on the go with my Zen Vision M and don't think that they're that bad.
They are great when listening at school (in boring lessons I sometimes listen to music..) or when in public transport but I can't imagine wearing them for walking around or something like that. It's just annoying to hear every step.
Comfort is quite good. I guess one of the 9 tips will fit you.
I don't have to turn my Zen up very much to get good volume (never past 12/25 on the EU regulated version of the Zen) so this saves my battery power.
I don't know about durability because I got them about 3 months ago but there are no cable fraying issues yet.

 

[Chri5peed]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Happymonkey /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've seen pics of the cable fraying too, I think it was posted by someone from B&H photo. Shure has a good 2 year warranty though and should cover any kind of issue like that.

Shure are super-duper. That warranty is very variable.

My friends e2cs broke, they sent him some e3s without any proof.

 

[firefly89]

I have the e2c's

I find the yellow foam plugs to be more comfortable, but I have to use the soft plastic ones because I'm always taking taking my phones in and out and the foam ones's get wrecked easily and are a pain to put in all the time

they are good for the money, being only 17 I can't really afford much else but they definitely lack bass, which is something i believe is addressed in the E3C's
still they are quite musical, and with some songs they sound brilliant- sometimes it's hard to get them to feel and sound right in the ear though, and make sure you clean your ears before using them

I would like to try the sennheiser cx300's for comparison

edit: by the way the cable is thick and the phones themselves are made from tough plastic, they look as if they could be trod on and still be fine
very hardwearing- but not very stylish

 

[Kataklystik]

@firefly89: I had the Sennheiser cx300 before and they have much more bass than the E2C but it is bloated and muddy.The E2C control the bass better and overall they have much more detail.

 

[Kaaspeer]

I've had mine for about a year now and my cable is frayed upto the point that i lose sound in the left earbud when the cable moves too much.

I'll just send them to shure, they will repair it.

 

[firefly89]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaaspeer /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've had mine for about a year now and my cable is frayed upto the point that i lose sound in the left earbud when the cable moves too much. I'll just send them to shure, they will repair it.

I have no idea how this would happen
i've had mine 2 years now, baught them second hand and not had a single problem

If it's any help I don't wrap them up in the case, i find that winding up cables is never a good thing
I keep them in a little velvet bag thing

come to think of it i've pulled and tugged and tripped over that cable so many times i'm actually genuinely surprised i've never had a problem

perhaps i'm just lucky

I like the way they go behind the ears, I use them for cross country and Mountain Biking and they have never fallen out

They have all the sex appeal of a hearing aid though

But on the plus side they are pretty discrete, especially if you have longish hair

 

[filipelli]

The e2cs were my introduction to head-fi. Didn't like them, but good thing I kept going. I would go for a used um1 based on comfort. Who cares about sound, if they really hurt in your ears.

 

[epaludo]

I was shocked after reading that some said the E2c isn't durable. I use mine everyday and it's freaking tough. I have it for more than 3 years and it still in perfect conditions. Works flawlessly. I don't take a really good care of it.
It might break soon though, but working and resisting mine usage for more 3 years is superb.
I might be just lucky, but my E2c still 100% ...

 

[Trollheart]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kataklystik /img/forum/go_quote.gif I use my E2C on the go with my Zen Vision M and don't think that they're that bad. They are great when listening at school (in boring lessons I sometimes listen to music..) or when in public transport but I can't imagine wearing them for walking around or something like that. It's just annoying to hear every step. Comfort is quite good. I guess one of the 9 tips will fit you. I don't have to turn my Zen up very much to get good volume (never past 12/25 on the EU regulated version of the Zen) so this saves my battery power. I don't know about durability because I got them about 3 months ago but there are no cable fraying issues yet.

Thanx, you raise some interesting points here.
When you say "hear every step", do you mean that the outside noise is blocked out to such an extent that you can't hear anything at all other than your music? That would be a little weird. At the moment, I'm using the Creative ones that came with the player.
The other point is the volume. As I mentioned above, I'm currently using Creative's earbuds, and find that the volume HAS to be at least 23 - 25 (ie up all the way) if I want to hear the music in any real way, which of course is bad for my hearing and also runs down the battery quicker. If the Shures will eliminate this, and allow me to reduce the level to half, that would be a big plus.
On a slightly off-topic note, how long have you had your ZVM, and what do you think of it in general?
Thx!
TH

 

[steviebee]

I think he's possibly talking about microphonics & his own footsteps...which aren't that bad with the E2c's so I'd be surprised. Breath, maybe!

They isolate well - not as well as Etymotics IME, but pretty darn good all the same, so can help with volume issues depending on your source ( & I tend to use mine in pretty quiet places...ymmv). And I'm another who has had no QC issues with mine over the past 2/3 years of regular use. This cable thing is strange...not saying it aint so, but it does seem to vary individual by individual.

 

[thomaskuhn]

I had the e2c's for a year or so. Yes, they are large, with a thick cord, and for a while uncomfortable. But I really did not start missing them until I bought a pair of Etymotic ER-4p's. Physically, The ER-4s had very thin cords that required a clip to clip them to your clothing. Since the cables did not wrap around your ear and close to your body like the e2c's, I ended up snagging them on a lot of things. To make a long story short, I just sold my ER-4's and ordered another pair of e2c's. I also guess it depends on what you are using them for. I mainly used them for yard work, welding, wood working and the such, and for those tasks they are indestructible. Maybe they do not have the best sound, but I actually liked them better than the ER-4s in the audio area.

Tom