Shure E4C and....

[Delmeister]

Hello fellow audiophiles. Although I am a regular lurker on these pages, this is my virgin post, so please go easy on me

As a music lover, and also home recording songwriter, I am used to putting cans on my ears. Then someone pointed me towards in-ear thingys, and so my journey began. You know the trip, on the web searching reviews, reading specs, checking forums, who likes what, which ones suck, and so on. As you no doubt can guess, so many differing opinions. The biggest issue around in-ear seemed to be comfort, and therefore not getting the right sound. So I decided to buy myself and the missus a pair of Koss The Plug phones for £7 each on ebay, and used these for a month or two to get the ears used to having something stuck inside them. Nice little phones, okay sound and fine with bass. Pretty clear sound, actually, pretty surprising.

Now, being a bit of a "must have quality" nut, I then looked around at what's on offer, and I sort of came to the conclusion that Shure and Etymotic are the two to consider. Okay, you UE fans and others will no doubt have something to say, but the main reason for looking at Shure and Ety is they have the most consistent reviews and feedback. Other brand supporters can't seem to decide on whether a model has better bass or clarity, go figure.

So I ordered a pair of Shure E4Cs and they arrived today. The wife had them covered in wax in no time, and I have to admit they are really comfortable, although they did sound a bit muddy. I guess this is the "getting used to" thing we need to go through until we get the right fit. The ball and chain has now laid claim to the E4Cs, so I am going to order another set. These E4Cs are top half black/bottom half white, btw. Is that normal? I got them for £50.

I am possibly going to get another set of E4C for myself, or maybey Ety E4. So, now that you have read this far, you can have some input. I have £90 in my paypal account ($180), and I am itching to spend it. What do you recommend? Thanks for reading, and if you do comment, thanks for posting.

www.myspace.com/musoweb

 

[Caribou679]

Hi!

Head-Fi's slogan, Welcome to Head-Fi, sorry about your wallet


Quite a step you took from The Plug to E4C!

My first "IEM" too were the Koss The Plug (Hybrid: with E4C triple flanges)

Before ordering your other pair of IEM take the time and check out the Atrio M5(black) or M8(blue).

They share the same tips/flange as the E4c! You could have an advantage money wise if both your IEMs use the same tips.

The Atrio are professional IEMs, they have a wonderfull sound. There is a tread going for many pages about them on this forum,and it will give you all the sound descriptions/qualities/nuances/specificities/ these IEM have.

Also you can find them at ebay for less than the money you want to spend.


cheers,

 

[elnero]

Seeing as you have the E4c's now I suggest that you take a bit of time to get used to them and then decide what you like and dislike about them and post that here. That will help experienced members tremendously when making suggestions.

Edit: Missed commenting on this.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Delmeister /img/forum/go_quote.gif These E4Cs are top half black/bottom half white, btw. Is that normal? I got them for £50.

That sounds off to me, E4c's should look like this. The metal piece should screw off so you can replace the small plastic filters as well.

 

[faichiu]

Be aware there are fake e4c on ebay.

 

[yrh0413]

oh my... do they look like these?

try searching "fake e4c" in this forum's search form, you'll end up with a handful of links and info. I have a pair of e4c myself, and it is grey top bottom white.

 

[elnero]

Oh wow!!! Those or horrible looking! That's not even a good attempt at a fake.

 

[El Duderino]

To the OP: If they're half black and half white, they are certainly fake E4 which would explain the "muddy" sound since the E4 are anything but muddy. The cheap 50 pound pricetag is also a giveaway.

My advice, if you have the money, get the genuine article, either for sale here on head-fi or through any number of reputable online retailers.

El Duderino

 

[hopemanjk]

I had E4c for 2 1/2 years, and its a wonderful IEM. I complain about lack off bass sometimes, but its NEVER muddy. MAYbe if you mean rolled-off-high as muddy I can understand a lil bit, but IMO, it is very clear because of its very strong and clear mids.

 

[Spyro]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hopemanjk /img/forum/go_quote.gif I had E4c for 2 1/2 years, and its a wonderful IEM. I complain about lack off bass sometimes, but its NEVER muddy. MAYbe if you mean rolled-off-high as muddy I can understand a lil bit, but IMO, it is very clear because of its very strong and clear mids.

X2. They are great IEM's

 

[Delmeister]

Fellow music lovers, firstly, massive respect!! Thanks for the responses. I must say, when I saw the two-tone pic above, my heart sank. Anyway, I managed to negotiate a refund, and now the world is rosy again. So,without your guidance, I would probably have continued listening to muffled sounds and ended up panning Shure, which I don't want to do, cos I use their mics, and they are great. I am going to post a follow up to this where I now ask for your help on what I am going to buy (from a reputable dealer, of course).

New thread - http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=257210