[jjcha]

I think there are a lot of fair points here - honestly, part of it is that I'm only interested in the Shure E4c to the extent they pair with the iPod. And to be clear, I'm only interested in them with the soft-flex sleeves.

Anyway, I've only got 25 hours or so of "in-ear" time with the Shure E4c, though I can definitely feel that my ears have adjusted to its tonal balance.

Still, having said that, straight out of the iPod, I think the following phones do just fine with respect to bass:

Shure E5c
Sony MDR-EXQ1/EX81/71
Sharp MD-33
Sennheiser HD650/600/25-1
Sensaphonics 2X-S
audio-technica ATH-ES5, ATH-W10VTG

The following phones are just okay bass-wise straight out of the iPod:

Sennheiser PX200 (though this is very close to the ES5 above)
Panasonic RP-HJE70
Sony MDR-SA5000

I think there's a bass deficiency with the following phones:

Shure E4c (still a little early, ear-burn-in has helped, but I don't think it'll ever reach category 1 above)
Qualia 010 (yes, I've tried these straight out of the 'pod...)
Sony MDR-SA3000
audio-technica ATH-EW9 (okay, more than a "bit" deficient here...)

I haven't used the Etys with just the iPod. Actually my Ety time is limited - used zChan's twice during our mini-meets. But I will say when I tried them out of my full portable rig, I thought "bass sounds fine to me".

Anyway, if you're planning on using the Shure E4c with another source/amp, great. And if you're good with very high quality bass that is generally somewhat recessed (but oddly sometimes almost completely missing in some areas), the iPod/Shure E4c may be for you.

Though again, I'm troubled recommending these to friends as the ultimate (well for casual users anyway) iPod solution. I know a lot of them will come back to me and say "Jay, they're great, but where's the bass??"

Best regards,

-Jason

 

[Ingo]

Here's what I've learned from this thread:

1. I will never in my lifetime own an Apple iPod.
2. I need to go out and audition the e4 and superfi pro if I can
3. I'll never like Etys
4. I really need to get a replacement for my lost e3s ASAP.

 

[PTheD]

Here is a relatively large thread about the E4C.

A thread about the Super.Fi 5 Pro vs. the Shure E4C.

This thread has grown significantly since its last reference in this thread as well.

 

[PTheD]

A thread about needing an adiquetly endowed bass source for the Shure E4C.

 

[superjohnny]

Initial impressions of my E4's is that they sound pretty darn good. I find the soft flex tips to be comfortable to wear and while they provide adequate isolation, it's not so much that you can't hear the world around you. The cord & wire are nicely built and not thin or frail. The Y is a bit heavy and over-built which pulls the headphones down slightly. I prefer to wear them down as opposed to behind the ears and that might be part of the problem. There is no shirt clip. Microphonics are much better than Ety's. They're still present, but much much better than the ultra sensitive Ety's.

I can see where people are coming from about the bass (or lack thereof), but I find the bass to be clean and tight... just not terribly impactful. Much better than the *thin* Ety ER4's. I can't compare them to the E3's or E5's, but even without that frame of reference they sound great. To my ears they're very nicely balanced from top to mid-bass, with just a bit to be desired down low. Overall they sound terrific.

Again, just my initial impressions.

 

[PTheD]

PFRfan's take on the Shure E4C vs. Ultimate Ears Super.Fi question & subsequent reaction.

 

[albau]

I would be pretty happy if e4 bass out of un-amped iPod is no worse than that of e3. With the music I listen to (classic rock, jazz) I never noticed bass totally "dissapearing" like it was reported with e4.

So what's a consensus (if such thing is possible on head-fi) among those who tried both e3 and e4?

Also is e4 harder/easier/same to drive than e3 by iPod amp?

 

[SHADYMILKMAN]

preordered my E4s but does anyone know when they are going to ship, the website says that they are going to ship in late june.

earplugstore.com

SHADY

 

[Caboose]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SHADYMILKMAN preordered my E4s but does anyone know when they are going to ship, the website says that they are going to ship in late june. earplugstore.com SHADY

Preordered mine from earphonesolutions.com and I'm reading pretty much the same thing on their site. I'm not optimistic for anything earlier than mid July unfortunately

 

[el bandito]

I don't know about earplug store, but earphone solutions rep said today that Shure is still telling them the E4 will be shipped to them on 7/1. The Rep then said they would receive them w/in 3 days and start sending them to customers. With the holiday i'm hoping for shipment by 7/5.

 

[Caboose]

Great. July 5th would be nice. I'll just hope for sometime between the 5th and the 15th, I guess. The price of being different (black vs. white).

 

[K.Ashwood]

I will confirm that is the date. That is what we are still being told as well

Keith Ashwood

 

[Goldmember2]

Hey guys, first time poster long time lurker. I got the Ec4's a few weeks ago and I love them. I've noted many of you don't care for them when attached to an iPod. I only use my Ec4's on my iPod and I can't say that I've felt the bass is lacking. I listen to a lot of hip hop, r and b, jazz, alternative, etc. I set the eq on the ipod to off and I've generally be pleased with the amount of bass repsone I've gotten from this phones. I feel like the bass is tight and very very solid. In the past I've used Sony Eggos, 71's, etty 6is, and shure e1. I've never felt like I'm missing the bass lines in my songs when using the E4c or missing the punch of the bass and I've been able to actually pick up on some details that I'd missed in the past.

Based on the things I've read many of you guys have very discriminating taste and have a wealth of knoweldge to share. i'm sure you guys have been exposed to some of the best equipment out there and expect flawless response from your cans. I share your desire in that I want my music to sound good and how its supposed to sound. Bass is a very subjective trait in my opinon. My friend has the etty 6i and thinks they have great bass, I've used them and find them to be lacking. It's all in the ear of the beholder though. I like a lot of bass, I used to have 2 12 inch subs in my car when I was college. These are great head phones from my perspective, a person that enjoys much bass, and I'd recomend them to anyone.

 

[SHADYMILKMAN]

That sounds good to me, 7/5/05 or near that date, its been a decent amount of time for a second line to launch. I hope I ordered high enough in their queue to get one during the first shipment. I just dont understand why shure decided to sell the white ones first doesnt sit right with me (i know that they had to make a choice of which color to run) ... my views however may be skewed, as I have a pure disdain for the iPod, but even from a purely marketing standpoint it seem as though they chose to make ppl who dont want a white unit take a backseat. Specialized products should come out after a line is introduced instead of prior or at least create a false demand having run half the amount in white and the remaining half in black and shipping both at the same time that way if we had to wait it would be due to market forces not Shure. I dont know I just feel shafted having to wait, because of the iPod. To them it may seem the same since they are still gettin my money.

 

[Caboose]

Since I wanted the E4's (black) as well.....I have a hard time disagreeing with the sentiment, but Shure's logic seems rock-solid. They know what the market share is for Ipod. Couple that with the fact that a lot of people will buy the white even if they don't have an iPod, simply because they can't wait. Makes pretty good sense from a marketing standpoint. When the dust settles, I'd like to see the numbers comparing % of E4C's (white) sold compared to E4's (black). Between the iPod market share and the fact that the white was released first, the ratio will have to be 2:1 at the very least.