[the terabyte]

I'm currently in the process of finding a headphone suitable for portable use with my iPod, and so currently I have in my possession the Shure E3c. I know that these phones receive conflicted reviews here, so I decided it would be best just to try them for myself. Below are my impressions of a few different configurations. I used the shure small soft flex tips on the E3s. All tonal and detail comparisons are to my K1000 setup (while some might say this isn't fair, I think it's important to have a benchmark).

Shure E3c from RME ADI-2: Very muffled sound, but somehow still sibilant in some sections. Certainly has lots of bass, but without the snap on the top end it's hard to get involved in the music for me. Sometimes sounds like I'm listening to speakers covered by thick blankets or something (literally veiled).

Shure E3c from iPod 4G: Still muffled, but seems more balanced (perhaps less bass). Sibilance is not as noticeable, either, but there is also decreased detail from the above setup. The fact that when I plugged them into the iPod I was greeted with a wall of background hiss probably has something to do with the loss of microdetail.

Ety ER-4S from RME ADI-2 with Triflange: almost sounds "smilie eq-ed." There is simply very little midrange to be found. Ok bass, yes, but the treble was very hyped. Either way, they sound closer to my ideal sound than the Shures.

Ety ER-4S from iPod 4G with Triflange: Boring, lifeless, grainy. Almost as bad as the E3s, due in part to poor midrange and bass response.

Ety ER-4S from RME ADI-2 with Shure soft flex: I honestly didn't think the sleeves could make this big a difference. The high end is much better controlled, with the rest of the sound left alone. This allows the midrange to come through more. Almost similar tonally to the K1000s, maybe even a little lighter on the treble (but barely).

Ety ER-4S from iPod 4G with Shure soft flex: As above, the sound is vastly improved. With the high end tamed, the treble grain is less apparent, and the newly exposed midrange helps make the sound more involving despite the still lackluster bass.

So, at this point although I love the ergonomics of the E3s, I think I'll have to send them back (and order myself a set of small flex tips for my ER-4S). The only worry I have is that the ety filters are only about a millimeter below the entrance of the flex sleeve, so I bet they'll get clogged more often. They sure sound great, though.

 

[the terabyte]

I should add that the "Latin" EQ preset on the iPod greatly helped the E3s. Although they sounded much more interesting with it on, there was no realism and the bass was a bit overpowering.

 

[Mr Iriver]

Good impressions. I prefer the E3's however to the Er4 because of their lush mids, but then again not everybody has the same taste, and not everybody hears equally. Great review.

 

[the terabyte]

Realizing that the triflange seemed to accentuate the highs on the etys, I decided to try them on the Shures, and indeed a similar effect was found. The resulting sound was much better than with the flex sleeves, but now instead of the treble seeming rolled off, it felt good up to a point and then just gone, nothing. Arguably this was more disturbing than the rolled off treble sensation had with the flex sleeves.

 

[zhenya]

Have you tried the Ety's with the foam tips trimmed? This is my favorite setup for my 4p/s's, except when I need maximum isolation, when I use the tri-flange tips. Are you using the 4s's amped from the ipod?

 

[the terabyte]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zhenya Have you tried the Ety's with the foam tips trimmed? This is my favorite setup for my 4p/s's, except when I need maximum isolation, when I use the tri-flange tips. Are you using the 4s's amped from the ipod?

I have (not trimmed, but using the shorter Shure foam) and while it does balance things out much like the soft flex tips, it is a pain to compress and insert. They also aren't easy to clean. But I agree the sound is quite good with them, as well.

All references to the iPod usage are directly from the headphone jack, sorry I didn't specify earlier.

 

[Mr Iriver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by the terabyte Realizing that the triflange seemed to accentuate the highs on the etys, I decided to try them on the Shures, and indeed a similar effect was found. The resulting sound was much better than with the flex sleeves, but now instead of the treble seeming rolled off, it felt good up to a point and then just gone, nothing. Arguably this was more disturbing than the rolled off treble sensation had with the flex sleeves.

Does this mean that the triflanges improve the shure's highs, or does it means that it makes them worst. Do the triflanges change shures lush midrange into ety's thin midrange?
Thanks

 

[TenaciousO]

Did you try the foam tips on the E3? IMO, the soft flex sleeves sound horrible and are pretty much useless. The clear and foam tips are much better.

 

[mr.karmalicious]

A good EQ can make one HELL of a difference.

 

[Mr Iriver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr.karmalicious A good EQ can make one HELL of a difference.

I agree. Try the shures with a good equaliser, and the difference will be night/day. Many have said equalised E3s sound very close to the E5cs. They still won't sound as detailed as the ER4, but with the equaliser you can fix the rolled off highs. Equalization however cannot fix the lack of lushness in the mids of the Etys, and cannot fix the etys thin sound. Try this and you may see a huge improvement in the sound of the shures. Use a good equaliser, and a not to hissy source.

 

[the terabyte]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TenaciousO Did you try the foam tips on the E3? IMO, the soft flex sleeves sound horrible and are pretty much useless. The clear and foam tips are much better.

the foam tips and hard clear tips are out due to ergonomics, but i agree that on the E3s they sound better, though the difference isn't as great as with the triflanges.

 

[the terabyte]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Iriver I agree. Try the shures with a good equaliser, and the difference will be night/day. Many have said equalised E3s sound very close to the E5cs. They still won't sound as detailed as the ER4, but with the equaliser you can fix the rolled off highs. Equalization however cannot fix the lack of lushness in the mids of the Etys, and cannot fix the etys thin sound. Try this and you may see a huge improvement in the sound of the shures. Use a good equaliser, and a not to hissy source.

I agree to some extent, as I did mention that the "Latin" preset on the iPod helps them. However, just like using the triflanges, the highs may be boosted, but there is a point when they simply stop existing, and no matter how much I try to boost them, there's nothing there. EQ can make up for some types of frequency problems, but when the phones simply can't make the sound, it's a lost cause. There is also the fact that I use these phones for movies and I can't exactly whip out an equillizer every time I want to watch a movie.

I also disagree with the comment regarding the lushness of the midranges between these two units. I would characterize the Shure midrange as completely overblown (like cheap car audio speakers), not the tubey, warm sound that I associate with "lush." And although it is bad not to have a midrange (etys with triflange), it's just as bad to have too much, in my opinion. As for the Etys, I find that they do have a nice midrange, it's just that the treble hides it until you use the right tips. Right now my etys almost sound too bassy/midrangy, to be honest (using the shure soft flex tips).

 

[steel102]

may i ask what type of music you used to test these?

 

[the terabyte]

Quote:

Originally Posted by steel102 may i ask what type of music you used to test these?

You may. I used my standard battery of:

Jamiroquai - Synkronized
Bernstein - West Side Story
Mahler - Symphonie No. 6
Lacuna Coil - Comalies
Medeski, Martin, and Wood - Last Chance to Dance Trance (perhaps)