Shure SE110, SE210, E3 & Westone UM1

[dogg]

Hey all, finally decided to register.

I was wondering which of the following IEM's are the best ones for their money:

Shure SE110, Shure SE210, Shure E3 or Westone UM1?

Since the SE110 are new I just put them in there aswell, but I'm mostly interested in the other three, unless there's not much of a difference in SQ. The Westone's are the cheapest for me, but if they are "so so" then I'd probably will want to invest some more money and get either the E3 or SE210 of Shure. The westones however arent available in Europe, but luckily there's always ebay (which is why these are the cheapest ones for me seeing the Shure's sell for quite a high price in Europe).

I think it would also be helpfull to tell you I listen to a pretty broad variety of music genres and I do like some bass, but I wouldnt mind trading it in for a better overall value of the sound quality.

Hope you audiophiles can help me make the right decision! Thanks!

 

[dogg]

No1?

 

[pez]

Well, I've seen a lost of people prefer the Ultimate Ears Super.fi 3's to the e2c's and the e3c's and the se110 and the se210 are the successors of them both. Also, the UE's are half the price of the SE210's. Some people really like the Westone sound signature. I remember them describing it as warm and a little lacking in the highs.

BTW, Welcome to Head-fi! Sorry about your wallet.

 

[dogg]

Thanks for the advice.

I'll do some research on the UE super.fi 3's. I've seen them being mentioned, but I didn't really know the brand, so I kind of let them sit aside.

Another thing that crossed my mind was the plug at the end of the cable, I prefer it being straight than an L shaped vorm. It's tough to find this info on all the earphones...

 

[drlau9]

Hi Dogg,

Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't Ultimate Ears have L ports? I say that only because my triple fi's has them. You might want to consider the ease of replacing the cables if they are somehow damaged in the future. However at the moment i'm using Shure E310's for that better sound isolation.


Dr.

 

[pez]

Well Ultimate Ears makes custom IEM's for probably at least 5 of the bands you listen to. Go here: www.ultimateears.com and look under Community and Clientele. Also, since you did say you like a lot of bass and you were willing to go up to the SE210 which are about $150, you might as well get the Super.fi 5 Pro's. Also, Ultimate Ears IEM's cable is replaceable and can be bought off the sight for ~$20.

 

[dogg]

Thanks, that helped alot. Unfortunately on ebay I can only find the super.fi 5 pro's for ~€150.

For comparison:
Shure SE210 ~€115
Westone UM1 ~€80

Think I'll just drop the SE110 and E3, unless some1 can change my mind.

Anyway, with these prices I think I'm leaning more towards the Westone's. Mainly because of the fit (although everyones ears are different) and the braided cable to reduce microphonics (and of course the lower price ).

Since I'm mostly using the earphones while travelling, I think a small difference in sound quality will quickly be nullified and thus wouldnt be worth the money. On the other hand, if the sealing is perfect... hm, so many choices! ><

But like I said, I'm leaning more towards the Westone's atm. I know in the end I'll have to make the decision myself, but please keep the replies coming!

 

[TheChemist]

The UM1 is awesome, I loved it for the time I had it (replaced it with the UM2 and now moving up to ES2s). It's a great deal.

 

[speakerhead]

The Shure E3C's are likely the most unsatisfying headphone purchase I've ever made

 

[dogg]

Yeah, I read alot of people are disappointed with the E3, because they could have had (so) much more with the E4 for a bit of extra money.

I think I will get the UM1's then and leave the higher end phones for the future.

I'm coming from Sony EX71's, which have an overwhelming bass. Hopefully the step to the UM1's will be quite nice in overall use and performance.

 

[intoflatlines]

I have a pair of Shure E3 and I think they sound much much better than the UE super.fi 3, which my girlfriend has. The SF3 sounds really compressed, if that's the right word for it.. It seems like all the audio is crunched and everything sounds like mids to me from them. I haven't tried the other ones, but I am very happy with my UE super.fi 5 pros.

 

[pez]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dogg /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yeah, I read alot of people are disappointed with the E3, because they could have had (so) much more with the E4 for a bit of extra money. I think I will get the UM1's then and leave the higher end phones for the future. I'm coming from Sony EX71's, which have an overwhelming bass. Hopefully the step to the UM1's will be quite nice in overall use and performance.

It's a good idea to start from the Entry level IEM's and work your way up, that way it's more like a journey

.