[allenf]

The Shure blurb talks about "Personal Monitors" etc. I don't know how much of this is marketing but I would say that my E3Cs show an audio signature which makes me think strongly of "stage monitoring" applications ie: a very strong and clear midrange, capable of deafening volume, very good isolation with the standard silicone sleeves.
They do sound really good at low to mid volume, straight out of the hp-out on my iPod.
I ordered the triple-flanges and really hated both the comfort (like sticking my thumbs in my ears) and the sq (sounded like the length of the sound tube - curved in my canals - totally rolled off all the treble). Orrible.

They are nowhere near the sq of my HD650s but I love 'em for portable usage!

Note - the right bud on my 3 month old E3Cs died - bought from the Apple UK store who kept me on phone-hold for 33 mins just to tell me it wasn't their problem & that I should contact Shure UK. Fortunately the Shure returns dept is 10 mins by motorcycle from my London office - tho' I won't be using the Apple store again...

In the meantime I have bought a pair of EX71s (my second pair - my nephew "borrowed" the first pair) and - how can I put this - the Sonys are actually quite fun really - in a Japanese-hatchback-with-tinted-glass-and-cut-down-coil-springs-and-a-subwoofer-next-to-you-at-the-traffic-lights kind of way

 

[PinchyCM]

i think they're pretty decent. they're no er4, and probably around the sq of a set of 6is, but at the price i paid for them,i can't complain.

 

[erikzen]

For those of you that find them comfortable, what sleeves are you using? I'm finding that I'm having a bit of trouble with my right ear. The left ear gets a perfect fit with the small flex sleeves. However, my right ear must be much smaller or have a funny angle because getting a seal on that side is difficult. I also find both of them to be uncomfortable after a while but perhaps a bit more comfortable than the E2s.

 

[ZimbuTheMonkey]

I recently ordered them, I hope the E4s don't turn out to be MUCH better, they look MUCH better at the very least...

 

[bLue_oNioN]

Quote:

Originally Posted by erikzen For those of you that find them comfortable, what sleeves are you using? I'm finding that I'm having a bit of trouble with my right ear. The left ear gets a perfect fit with the small flex sleeves. However, my right ear must be much smaller or have a funny angle because getting a seal on that side is difficult. I also find both of them to be uncomfortable after a while but perhaps a bit more comfortable than the E2s.

I found both the yellow foamies and grey rubber tips to be most comfortable. Be sure to play around with the sliding plastic on the cord, it might help. I found that by varying the tightness and adjusting back and forth between the unit and cord, I could fix things to a point where presence was essentially transparent.

Good luck =)

 

[Seijang]

Quote:

Originally Posted by erikzen If I were in a different situation I wouldn't have bought the E3s but I needed something to listen to and this was the best I could do. I know I might regret this purchase when all the positive E4 reviews start rolling in. I do like the E3. When I first tried them I thought they were a little sibilant but maybe that was due to a poor fit as later on it seemed to disappear. While the highs are not exagerrated, I didn't find them particularly rolled off either. When I got home I tried them with a 120 ohm adapter raising the impedence and they did have a bit more shimmer on the high end, but I don't think it's entirely necessary. As a matter of fact, if the Etys have more emphasized highs than this, then I'm not sure I would like them. I am one for detail but not at the expense of musicality. Compared to the E2 the bass is much tighter and there is more high frequency information, so to me it is definitely an upgrade. My one complaint about the E3 is the comfort. It seems kind of hit or miss comfortwise as sometimes it feels great and other times it's irritating. I've been using the small soft flex sleeve and in my left ear it slides in quite far. In my right ear it doesn't seem to go in all the way. I'm not quite sure how far these things are supposed to go into your ear. What are people's prefences for sleeves? How are the tri-flanges, are they worth ordering?

give it a bit. The soft flex sleeves get softer I think the more oils it absorbs from the skin on your ears, and they actually start fitting in better

 

[wanderman]

the e3's perform better when there is ambient noise. I like listening to these buds when I am out side and not in my room infront of the comp. The detail and sq hold up when there is noise unlike the fragile er4's. The sound on the e3's hold up in high noise areas and they are super comfortable. It is significatly easier to go on long listening sessions because they aren't fatuging with the rolled of higs. Anytime I want that extra detail I will just eq them.

 

[overlunge]

E3c with yellow foamies all the way... my choice of portable anywhere, it shines at noisy places.

overlunge

 

[erikzen]

Just to follow up, I've been experimenting more with adding extra impedence (120 ohms) and it significantly improves the sound. The bass is much more controlled and subsequently there seems to be more detail. Even vocals seem to be a bit clearer. Is this similar to the difference between the Ety ER4S and P?

 

[wolfen68]

E3's with yellow foamies get a B+ in my book. They were my favs until I went into custom canalphones.

 

[Hellknight[FA]]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Iriver I love my E3s too. I found the ER4 more detailed than the E3, and that I prefered, in the ER4. But then the ER4 just sound so thin compared to the E3s that I just can't enjoy my music as much as I do with my E3. The Etys while detailed sound so thin and dead, I don't think you will like them (ER4)especially since you say you prefer musicality over detail. I also prefer musicality over detail and that is why my E3s are so enjoyable to listen to. Compared to the Ety's the make the music sound so present and alive it is great. They do need a very slight high end boost however to have that lively sound. Their midrange is also my favorite out of the 3 canalphones I have heard.

If you insert the ER4(P) correctly, they don't sound "thin". The ER4 series don't forgive lack of isolation. Even a small failure and the sound is thin and bass is abstinent. In my ER4P-package there was a red paper which states that there is no bass and thin sound when a good seal isn't achieved.


If yo insert them correct (I found out my optimal "personal inserting procedure" after 2 days of trying and testing!) they sound absolutely clean and detailed (I love clinical clean sound

) without being harsh, even the bass is there. It's not ground-shaking like the bass of my former EX-71 but it is there when it occurs in the track

(with the sony's the bass is present always and everywhere).

In my opinion the Shure (e3c) are much easier to insert. Moreover they are more forgiving when the seal is faulty. Of course this is a reason of the warm sound characteristics of the shures.

The Ety's have a "cold" sound characteristica and so they tend to sound thin when they aren't inserted correctly...


Greetings

Timo

 

[jgerry]

I like my E3C's a lot. They're my first canalphones though, so I don't have anything to comare them to in that category.

I tend to like pristine sound reproduction with very little coloration, and to my ears, these phones sound a lot like nearfield studio monitors, except with slightly pronounced mids. I listen to them on my portable player (iAudio M3) on the train and at work, with no processing or EQ whatsoever. The isolation is really outstanding.

Comfort isn't totally great for me yet, but I'm working on it. It's more than bearable. I'm still not loving having the cords draped over my ears and down my back. I kind of wish I could find a way to wear them so the cords were just hanging down in front, but the angle at which they have to go into your ear and the L-shape of the phone itself won't allow for that. I can't seem to find a 100% comfortable way to wear them that doesn't have the cord pulling and twisting on the phones. The twisting is a dealbreaker, as any twisting at all breaks the seal in your ear and that kills the isolation and the bass response...

The bass response, in my mind, is very clear, deep, and rich. It's not boomy or thumpy at all. People who complain about the lack of bass in these phones probably like a lot of EQed boom, or the phones don't have a good seal in your ears. Good sound is 100% dependent on a good fit inside your ear canal. I'm personally using the gray medium-size tips and they work pretty well for me.

 

[MrJoshua]

I've had my E3C's for a few weeks now and I really like them.

I'm currently using the medium stiff transparent rubber sleaves and only just sticking them down my canal (unlike the foamies which go very deep inside my ear).

I think the bass response is fine, it drops low enough for my liking and is not boomy.

My EX-70's sound very boomy and muffled when I use them in the gym now...

Overall, if you can get them cheap like I did, they're hard to beat.

 

[hackeron]

Read this entire thread. It has technicians from Headfi posting charts and equalizer settings and some really objective comments:

http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=90256

There's also Lindrone's review who is one of the people who prefers the Shure E3 to the Etymotic ER4P.

http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=74814

There is also Bangraman who initially prefers the ER4P to the E3, but changes his mind after.

http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=74863

No offense, but If you would actually attempt to search, you'll find a huge fan club for the Shure E3c and also many people who initially prefer the ER4P, but later change their mind.

You'll also see how people turn their opinion and start to just plain dislike the ER4P because they have artificial detail that doesnt actually exist in the recording. They settle for the E3 or upgrade to the E5 and above.

I suppose you only checked the first results that were from the more vocal hate club *cough*commando*cough* that tend to prefer $25 headphones like the Sony EX71. I guess we E3c owners spend 6 times more money for the sake of it (PS, I owned the EX71's and they are absolutely horrible by comparison to the E3)

 

[erikzen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hackeron No offense, but If you would actually attempt to search, you'll find a huge fan club for the Shure E3c and also many people who initially prefer the ER4P, but later change their mind.

If you don't want to offend then don't make assumptions such as I didn't attempt a search. Two of the three threads you posted were from over a year ago and opinions around here tend to, well let's say, develop over time. I had not seen any recent posts praising the E3 and thought maybe they had fallen out of favor. I think by starting the thread I got some useful opinions from people who hadn't voiced them before and that will only add to the collective knowledge base. Still, I thank you for the links.

Incidently, I was not too terribly hurt.