[erikzen]

I recently bought the E3c somewhat impulsively. I was at the airport and had gone through great pains to but together a transportable rig and the headphones I brought with me were giving me a hard time. I found an audio shop at the airport and the only decent cans they had were the E2s and E3s. Since I already own the E2s and was desperate to try out my new rig, I bit the bullet and paid full boat (MSRP) for the E3s.

Excited about my new purchase I come back to Head-Fi looking to bond with other E3 owners but I can't seem to find many positive comments about them. I see a lot of posts that start out with "After reading all the positive reviews here about the E3c..." but go on to say that they were somewhat disappointed with them and some have said they are overrated.

So where are all the positive E3 comments and happy owners? Why was I under the impression that these were well liked around here? Am I just having trouble searching? Show me the E3 love!

 

[RockCity]

I think the problem is that you came from e2c and that you haven't owned other canaphones besides Shure. Moving from e2c to e3c might be satisfying for you because e3c is the bigger brother of e2c. However, if had any other canalphones to compare with the e3c, for example the ER4, you might find some flaws about it.

 

[elbastardocalvo]

Count me among the very happy e3c owners. They're my first canal phones, and I can't see a need to upgrade any time soon, especially as I listen right out of my ipod, and am almost always outside when using them (i.e. in high-noise environments).

 

[bLue_oNioN]

It seems a lot of people who would otherwise buy the E3s are holding out for the E4s, thus the sharp drop in exhilarated posts (not as many new owners to share their joy).

Do you like the E3s?

 

[saint.panda]

I think the E3 are great. In a portable situation with a lot of ambient noise such as from buses or subways, I like them more than the Ety ER-4P/S whose great resolution, detailed bass, linear frequency response, et all don't really matter when it's too loud outside, despite the Ety's excellent isolation. Since the isolation of the lower frequencies is worse than the HF isolation, especially the Ety's bass gets lost.


I also find the Etys highs to be a little bit fatiguing, which I blame on the triple flanges. The Ety's with foam pads (uncomfortable) or the E3's soft flex sleeves sounds much more balanced, less bright and more natural. The differences are quite striking and the Etys with soft flex sleeves is a very nice combination. Maybe Etymoic should think about it. Strangley, by using the E3's flex sleeves the Etys also "seem" to lose some of the Ety's famous detailing but how can information be lost solely by using different sleeves? So much for high frequencies and perceived detailing. There's an interesting paragraph about detailing and resolution in the Road to Audio Hell article


Nevertheless, it's not like the E3 completely owns the Etys because the competition is closer than something like personal reference couldn't easily reverse the results. There are still many areas in which the Etymotic has the upperhand in a portable situation, especially the better headstage.

With that said, if alone for musical pleasure on the go, the HD 25-1 (especially with your upgraded cable) or something like a Beyer 250-250 (amped) should beat both of them rather handily. The emphasis here lies in on the go.

 

[rsaavedra]

Here's some love I've posted before for the E3c's.
In that post I didn't mention excellent isolation, and no microphonics.
Here and here some of my impressions shortly after getting the E3c's.
Currently they are the only headphones I have with me, hence the only ones I'm using (see signature).

 

[TURBO]

For me, my e3c's have the Sennheiser sound and the etys have the grados sound. Love them both. They sound just different.

 

[erikzen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bLue_oNioN It seems a lot of people who would otherwise buy the E3s are holding out for the E4s, thus the sharp drop in exhilarated posts (not as many new owners to share their joy). Do you like the E3s?

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?

 

[geardoc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by erikzen I recently bought the E3c somewhat impulsively. ..snip Show me the E3 love!

Here we go: I love my E3's. Despite all the the canalphones I have, the E3's get plenty of airtime. I tend to do some bass and treble boost, but can listen
to them un equalized as well. These are my favorite canalphones to use at work when there is a good chance of getting interupted. I have to take them out and put them back in frequently.

 

[Mr Iriver]

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?

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.

 

[baies]

Most people who love the E3c's have only heard lower quality earbuds. There are a few who prefer them to anything else but this is mostly based on reasons other than sound.

The E3c's are good up to a point but they have many weak areas. They are better than stock earbuds and are a good deal if you can get them for a low price.

 

[IC-Silencer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by baies Most people who love the E3c's have only heard lower quality earbuds. There are a few who prefer them to anything else but this is mostly based on reasons other than sound. The E3c's are good up to a point but they have many weak areas. They are better than stock earbuds and are a good deal if you can get them for a low price.

Nice joke!!!! I prefer the Shure E3c because of its warm and full sound. The bass is good (i dont understand why people say theres no bass). In my opinion these are earphones for rock and pop purists. In comparison with the Ety ER-4P (which my brother owens) i think the Shures arent so clear and detailed but... the sound of the Etys is thin...and bass? nope. I think the Etys are for classic freaks.

Marco

 

[Mr Iriver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by baies Most people who love the E3c's have only heard lower quality earbuds. There are a few who prefer them to anything else but this is mostly based on reasons other than sound. The E3c's are good up to a point but they have many weak areas. They are better than stock earbuds and are a good deal if you can get them for a low price.

I do not agree with this at all. I have tried other canalphones (ER4, ER6i), and I prefer the sound quality of the E3 over them. The E3's sound fuller more impactfull and more alive than the ety's while still sounding clean, and detailed. I have also heard I few headphones, including my friends excellent SR225. I do prefer these grado's much over the shures, or etys, however I still am very happy with the shures because their sound quality is very good, and in my opinion performing close to as good, or better as many full size headphones in their online price range (Unamped, and portably though). My point is that people who like shure's like them because they have good detail, and clarity, or in other words good sound quality, which can rival some full size headphones. Also if by E3's you meant all single drive canalphones, the ones I heard at least all sound excellent.

 

[minya]

I also love my E3. Like saint.panda said, I think the ER-4S sounds better on an absolute level, but the sound signature and comfort of the E3 are a lot more practical for portable use. They're perfect for walking around with and for wearing while on the bus.

I use the clear silicone sleeves; for whatever reason, the greyish "ultra-soft" sleeves completely suck out bass response, leaving an irritating, overloud munge of treble.

 

[dura]

I love mu E3s. But they do need EQ-ing; get that right and they sound great!