[otprof]

I think my E3s are sick.

Lately I've noticed that the center part of the soundstage is shifted left a little bit. I can still hear instruments playing in the right ear, but evidently I'm not getting as much sound from that side because my lead singers always seem to be about 3 feet to the left.

I have made sure that there isn't any wax or anything in there, and the cable seems fine, so I'm thinking it must be a driver issue.

The sad part is that I bought them two years ago in January (still within warranty), but I cannot find a receipt, and the date stamp is 4/2004. So, no free replacement for me...

I have two questions. Should I pay the $70 (I think it is) for Shure to replace them, or just bite the bullet and buy some E4s? The second is related, what do you think the sale value for these might be? I was thinking that I could sell them for $50 or so, and then someone could do the replacement with Shure and have a new pair (or just tilt their head left all the time

). They are in perfect shape otherwise.

 

[flamerz]

I assume it's your ears. Have someone else test them out for you. If it turns out to be you, try completely messing with your fit on each ear.

 

[The_Duke_Of_Eli]

Could be a tips issue. Try different tips. Could also be some really deep blockage or just a driver failure, which is fairly common. Try to get shure to replace it for free.

 

[ClieOS]

It could just be your ear...(would be bad too).

I got problem sometime on my amp too, it seem to swift sound to the right. What i do is to wear my gear in reverse just to be sure it is not my ear. Shure take warranty by the prodcution number on the plug (3 or 4 digit #), no receipt is needed in most cases. Try to call them first to confirm your warranty.

 

[otprof]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm using a new set of foamies, but I'll try to switch those for something else to see if it changes. I don't think it's fit, as I have been using foamies with these IEM's for months with no trouble.

I hope it isn't my ears... that is a bit scary. I do not notice the same thing with my regular headphones (see sig). Could the IEM style accentuate a wax blockage or something that would not be apparent with super-aural phones?

 

[Hermitt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by otprof /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the suggestions. I'm using a new set of foamies, but I'll try to switch those for something else to see if it changes. I don't think it's fit, as I have been using foamies with these IEM's for months with no trouble. I hope it isn't my ears... that is a bit scary. I do not notice the same thing with my regular headphones (see sig). Could the IEM style accentuate a wax blockage or something that would not be apparent with super-aural phones?

Also try switching sides (l/r) with the cables hanging down to see if imbalance changes. But i agree with the others that it could be just a deep clog in the nozzle

 

[derek8555]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hermitt /img/forum/go_quote.gif Also try switching sides (l/r) with the cables hanging down to see if imbalance changes. But i agree with the others that it could be just a deep clog in the nozzle

x2.

It could well been wax clogged in the nozzle. It is possible that you don't really see any sign of it. This happened to my ER4 once, but luckily the filters were replaceable.

 

[ClieOS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by otprof /img/forum/go_quote.gif Could the IEM style accentuate a wax blockage or something that would not be apparent with super-aural phones?

Wax blockage happen all the time to IEMs. E3c doesn't come with a wax guard, which can make thing worst... I got my ER6i a pack of wax guard just in case the old one fail. The decrease in sound level usually is a big indicator of wax problem.

 

[otprof]

Yep, it's definitely a clogged driver or something. Everyone shuffles around to the right side of the stage when I switch ears.

I evidently can't count to three, as I realized that I bought them during the spring of 2004 (they are dated March 2004), because that is when my head-fi account was created. (I had just gotten my Karma and was looking for something good to go with it... ah, good times.) In any case, that is 2 1/2 or so years ago, more than the 2 year warranty. Maybe I'll plead my case to Shure and see what they say.

By the way, that was the first time I tried them hanging down rather than over the ears. What a huge spike in microphonics!