Shure E4's won't fit and hurt my ears

[Alien-life]

My shure E4's just don't seem to fit in my ears.
They don't go in any further in than my sennheiser CX300's (even though IEMs are supposedly meant to go further into your ears than canal phones) and, unlike my sennheiser CX300s, they fall out.

I've tried all sized clear flex sleeves and soft flex sleeves. The sleeves seem to get misshaped in my ears (When I feel in my ears I can feel the rubber all squished). Is this meant to happen?

Even when I try to push them in as far as they'll go they come out easily. I don't feel any kind of suction when I pull them out, they just drop out (even easier than Sennheiser CX300).

The angle of the nozzle doesn't seem to fit the shape of my ears.

My ears are killing me after trying the medium sized rubber tips for half an hour (although this may be from constantly pushing them back in).

Also, I don't hear any major difference in sound from my Sennheiser CX300's.

Am I doing soimething wrong? Could I have the wrong shaped ears for these phones? Please help!

 

[LaBreaHead]

One solution that works for me (and many other Head-Fi members) is using foamies ... yes, there's an extra expense over time, but the difference in fit (and sound) can lead to the enjoyment you were hoping for.

I don't believe that in most instances this is a case of throwing good money after bad -- for example, the switch to foamies made my Shure E3's more sonically bearable and really opened my eyes (and ears, of course) to the Etymotics ER6i's. Try the small (or medium, unless you have really tiny ear canals) black Shure foamies and see whether they work, or the short Comply foams (which I find to be "grippier" than the excellent Shures). Both these foamies will fit the E4's, and they just might change your opinion of the entire IEM experience.

Of course, it could simply be that you have highly unusual ears or that you're not finding a good fit ...

PS/Edit: "Also, I don't hear any major difference in sound from my Sennheiser CX300's." The Senns would probably sound more "robust" or "fun," anyway (or less detailed), especially if you're not achieving an optimal fit with the E4s. Oh -- I have the similar Creative EP630s, and I think they insert deeper than my E3s did/do ... so depth might not be the only point here. The shape/configuration of the Shures might not seem "natural" to you at first, compared with an earphone with a shape that "looks" like it would insert straight into the ear (the Senns/Creatives, the Etymotics, the new Klipsch, etc.) ... but the Shures do provide many listeners with good fit and isolation, so maybe there's hope for your situation.

 

[jinx20001]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alien-life /img/forum/go_quote.gif My shure E4's just don't seem to fit in my ears. They don't go in any further in than my sennheiser CX300's (even though IEMs are supposedly meant to go further into your ears than canal phones) and, unlike my sennheiser CX300s, they fall out. I've tried all sized clear flex sleeves and soft flex sleeves. The sleeves seem to get misshaped in my ears (When I feel in my ears I can feel the rubber all squished). Is this meant to happen? Even when I try to push them in as far as they'll go they come out easily. I don't feel any kind of suction when I pull them out, they just drop out (even easier than Sennheiser CX300). The angle of the nozzle doesn't seem to fit the shape of my ears. My ears are killing me after trying the medium sized rubber tips for half an hour (although this may be from constantly pushing them back in). Also, I don't hear any major difference in sound from my Sennheiser CX300's. Am I doing soimething wrong? Could I have the wrong shaped ears for these phones? Please help!

wow i havnt seen a fellow brummy on head fi before. where bouts are ya im in handsworth next to city centre.

anyway down to your question. have you tried the smallest tips available??
if you have, are you sure your putting them in correct, these high quality earphones are not like cheapo in ears you have to put them in upside down and route the cable behind your ears, check out the shure website for examples

 

[zombi]

Second the idea for foam pieces. However Ive also noticed that using your other hand to lift your ear and guiding the earphone in with that side's hand works well for me with the other pieces.

 

[navmau]

If I were you, I would invest in a apack of shure black foamies, they will assist in getting the perfect fit and you don't need to worry about the cost as one pair can last up to 6 months, so a pack of 5 pairs should last 2 years or more...good value if you ask me.

 

[rincewind]

I'd try to meet up with someone else who uses them without problems and see how they use them - something is definitely wrong that might be solved by someone watching you put them in. I know a friend who bought E3C's managed to put them into his ears so the hole where the sound comes out fired directly into the side of his ear canal, so obviously he couldn't hear anything and they fell out

 

[Alien-life]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LaBreaHead /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have the similar Creative EP630s, and I think they insert deeper than my E3s did/do ... so depth might not be the only point here.

This is what was confusing me. I don't see how anything could go any deeper than the CX300s, unless I was to go into my actual ear canal rather than the opening (which would be inpossibel).
The shape of the E4s does seem unnatural compared to the CX300s. Are you supposed to feel a kind or suction (With a squelching sensation when you pull the earphone out), I don't get this at all, they just fall out!
I will try some foamies and see if this helps. Do you recommend the comply foams over the Shure black foams? Do they last 6 months over the shure ones and do they come in different sizes. How do I know if I have small or medium ears before I buy? (I've never measured them before!

)

Ps. Do you prefer Etys over Shures? (I agonised over which to get!)

Quote:

Originally Posted by jinx20001 /img/forum/go_quote.gif wow i havnt seen a fellow brummy on head fi before. where bouts are ya im in handsworth next to city centre. anyway down to your question. have you tried the smallest tips available?? if you have, are you sure your putting them in correc

Alright our kid?! I'm from Perry Bar/Great Barr (Sort of inbetween the two).
I've tried the small tips but they fall out even more so than the larger ones. Even when I route the cable behind my ears, no matter which sleeves I use, they fall out. I don't feel any kind of grip like I do with my CX300s

Quote:

Originally Posted by zombi /img/forum/go_quote.gif Second the idea for foam pieces. However Ive also noticed that using your other hand to lift your ear and guiding the earphone in with that side's hand works well for me with the other pieces.

Tried that, it doesn't work with me!

Quote:

Originally Posted by navmau /img/forum/go_quote.gif If I were you, I would invest in a apack of shure black foamies, they will assist in getting the perfect fit and you don't need to worry about the cost as one pair can last up to 6 months, so a pack of 5 pairs should last 2 years or more...good value if you ask me.

What's your opinion on the Shure black foamies vs Comply foamies?

 

[navmau]

I have not used the comply foamies however I have read a bit about them. They are very soft (apparently 3 times softer than human skin!!!) so the comfort will be right up there, however, they are VERY expensive at $5/pair and have to be replaced every month, thats $60/year on foamies...or $15 for 5 pairs of the Shure black foamies that will last around 2 years!!! Comfort of the shure black foamies is fantastic, I really like them, they create a great seal and are comfortable and easy to just wipe clean.