[luckybaer]

Is it possible for my Shure E4c to sound better with use? I've owned them for a little over 3 weeks, and I've probably got at least 50 hours of usage baked into the little devils.

When I first started using them, I thought they were pretty good, but I did have a hard time reconciling myself to their apparent lack of bass - compared to the DT 770 that I own. Now, not only do I hear the bass (and, it goes deep and it is nice and tight, IMHO), but I also "feel" it, too. Sure, it isn't teeth-rattling, air-moving bass like the DT 770, but it sounds to me as it has transitioned from a sound that could use more bass to a signature that is much more rounded and fulfilling.

I have tried to tell myself that I'm just getting accustomed to the headphones, and that perhaps because of all the money I've spent on them, my mind is playing tricks on me to make me feel good about my spending. To kind of test this, I used my DT 770s exclusively over this weekend. It has so much bass, that I figured the E4c's would sound lacking once I made the switch. I was wrong.

Obviously, the E4c does not reproduce bass the way the DT 770s do, but I was still happy and more than satisfied with the bass that was generated. I doubt bassheads will be satisfied, but I was. The DT 770 still sounds better for my "Groove" playlist (filled with dance tracks and some hip-hop and rap), but for rock, jazz, and reggae, the E4c's have become the phone that I reach for first (sometimes the KSC-75 gets in the way), and the DT 770 pretty much stay attached to my gaming PC.

So, am I nuts? Is it possible for IEMs to benefit from some "burn-in"? Is my mind playing tricks on me?

 

[milkpowder]

Balanced armature drivers - the ones in your IEMs - aren't supposed to respond to burn-in for some reason. This is generally believed to be true on this forum. I think someone who knows for sure should come in and explain.

 

[scatteredshadows]

I plan on composing a more complete description of my impressions of the e4 after listening to them all weekend, however I wanted to mention that the biggest thing I've noticed in my short experience with these earphones is that getting a proper fit is HUGE.

On Friday night, I sat up until 5am listening to every form of music I could think of. With EQ. Without EQ. With extra bass and without. Plus a film. I experimented extensively with every tip that came with my earphones too. I tried the triple flanges and hated them. There was NO bass in anything I listened to, no matter how I adjusted them. So, then I tried all three sizes of the flex and soft flex sleeves. There was a wide range of results. Some sounded pretty good, but didn't sound good with all forms of music and were extremely uncomfortable to boot. Of the six, the small soft tips seemed to fit me the best and sounded great with most of the musical selections that I tried. However, it still seemed to lack energy with certain types of music, especially anything with feedback. But then, I tried the foam sleeves and suddenly all was right with the world.

It was a revelation. They were more comfortable, provided better isolation and, as a result, suddenly the few tracks that felt inert popped to life. It was incredible how a little yellow piece of foam could produce such a giant difference in my results.

Anyway, for anyone with e4's who hasn't exhausted all possibilities while using their earphones, I'd say that you should try every sleeve you can find before pronouncing a final judgement on their sound quality, particularly concerning bass response.

 

[Oski]

Quote:

Originally Posted by milkpowder Balanced armature drivers - the ones in your IEMs - aren't supposed to respond to burn-in for some reason. This is generally believed to be true on this forum. I think someone who knows for sure should come in and explain.

Yes, while that is generally the case, I must report that my E4c also resulted in more bass after burn in. In my case, I didn't listen to it continuously so it's not really a matter of psychological burn in. After listening to it for a bit, I put on bass heavy tracks for the rest of the weekend and whereas I couldn't hear the bass lines as well prior to burn in, they were definitely there afterwards. In addition, I had the E3c before for a number of months...so it's also not a case where I just happened to have figured out how to insert IEMs into my ears either.

 

[luckybaer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scatteredshadows I plan on composing a more complete description of my impressions of the e4 after listening to them all weekend, however I wanted to mention that the biggest thing I've noticed in my short experience with these earphones is that getting a proper fit is HUGE. On Friday night, I sat up until 5am listening to every form of music I could think of. With EQ. Without EQ. With extra bass and without. Plus a film. I experimented extensively with every tip that came with my earphones too. I tried the triple flanges and hated them. There was NO bass in anything I listened to, no matter how I adjusted them. So, then I tried all three sizes of the flex and soft flex sleeves. There was a wide range of results. Some sounded pretty good, but didn't sound good with all forms of music and were extremely uncomfortable to boot. Of the six, the small soft tips seemed to fit me the best and sounded great with most of the musical selections that I tried. However, it still seemed to lack energy with certain types of music, especially anything with feedback. But then, I tried the foam sleeves and suddenly all was right with the world. It was a revelation. They were more comfortable, provided better isolation and, as a result, suddenly the few tracks that felt inert popped to life. It was incredible how a little yellow piece of foam could produce such a giant difference in my results. Anyway, for anyone with e4's who hasn't exhausted all possibilities while using their earphones, I'd say that you should try every sleeve you can find before pronouncing a final judgement on their sound quality, particularly concerning bass response.

I agree. Oddly enough, I find the medium-sized clear tips/buds work best for me. The gray ones are OK, but I get a much better seal with the clear tips. The flanges don't work, because it feels like I'm shoving a chopstick deep into my ear canal. The foamies aren't big enough for me. I may have to try and make some custom foamies from foam earplugs - like the ones I used for shooting.

 

[marvin]

I'd look into the Westone Complys. The medium ones fit like the hearing protection plugs that you're used to, and (in my opinion of course) are easily the most comfortable of all the plug choices.

 

[luckybaer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by marvin I'd look into the Westone Complys. The medium ones fit like the hearing protection plugs that you're used to, and (in my opinion of course) are easily the most comfortable of all the plug choices.

Will they fit the Shures?

 

[Sinwerm]

Quote:

Originally Posted by luckybaer Will they fit the Shures?

I use the Comply tips on my E3c's and they are the most comfortable by far of the tips Iv'e tried. Im pretty sure all the Shures have the same stem (except for the E2) so they should fit the E4's fine also.

 

[apnk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by luckybaer Will they fit the Shures?

Yep, well I assume they do because the Shure/Etymotic tips fit the UM1/2.

 

[Spyro]

I thought my bass opened up after as little as 8-10 hours but I could be wrong.

 

[sacundim]

One day I found myself wondering at how extended the bass was, and its level, contrary to my memories of it at first. This is with the same tips, amp, player, evertything.

 

[sidewinder]

I only believe in your ears adjusting to the sound of the IEM/headphone, though others may disagree.

 

[GravY]

for those having trouble getting a consistant nice fit give this a try..

make sure to read the Update at the bottom, I have changed a few things for saftey and seal..








I have the e3's and have made my own tips with Max Ear Plugs at work and I get amazing sound isolation and the bass response got much much better, I am very happy with these headphones..



Items needed to make your own tip:

Utility Knife
Scratch Awl
Rubber tips
Ear Plugs - Ear FX Style




I take the rubber tip and cut away the outter shell leaving just the post.



Take the ear Plug and cut the top off to fit over the post.



Push the Scratch Awl through the center of your cut Ear Plug and move it all the way to the end, pull on the plug to tear the hole alittle larger so it slides onto the post more easily.



Slide the post onto the Scratch Awl and holding with your thumbs (or owever you feel the need to do it) and slide the ear plug over the post. I held the post with my finger and turned the ear plug a few times so it would start to expand and then set it aside and went on to the next..




After a few minutes it should expand out over the post, this type of plug holds on tight to the post so there is no real worry of it coming off when you remove the headphones from your ears.



After putting these in my ears, you all know how much easier it is to get a seal with the foams over the rubber tips, these are even easier. The seal with these was much better than the stock Foams and feel just as comfortable. I turn on the PMP-120 and my eyes light up and a big smile comes to my face! BASS!! WoW what a difference, everything is so natural now, Bass is not overpowering but just right, exactly what I was looking for, to top this off the Mid's and High's have bounced into life and sound incredible.

I hope some of you can try this out and let me know what you think, I can guarentee you wont be dissapointed!


***you can find these ear plugs for 25.00 a box/200pcs and with a few minutes of your time save money over purchasing the stock foamies.***



****UPDATE****

Since I posted this I have changed a bit of how I make these.. I no longer use the plastic tips to get my tubes, Use the foamie tube as it will leave behind a rough texture to the post after cutting it off, this will make sure the plug stays on, I did have an instance where the plug remained in my ear..

I also dont use the top of the ear plug as my tip, I use the bottom and it creates an even better seal.. I seriously cannot hear someone talking (quite loud I work in a auto plant) right next to me even with my volume set to a low level of around 9-10 out of 40.. they seal!

 

[GravY]

whop dbl post.. sorry..

 

[threepointone]

The foamies are my favorite, too. I think the e4s do burn in very, very slightly--the very high frequencies seem to get ever so slighly less harsh after use. It's barely noticable, so I guess you could say they don't burn in at all.