[theBishop]

I've had my E2's for 8-10 months now. I determined early on that the plastic sleeves were horrible. I couldn't stand the way the hurt my ears. So i've been using foams all this time, and q-tipping frequently, and cleaning the foam when it gets intolerable.

But yesterday, i shoved the small silicone's in, and i swear they sound a lot better! The bass is richer, and the sound is crisper overall. This struck me as odd since it seems like everyone recommends the foam, but i swear its true.

So i decided to give the silicone a second chance. But its not going well. They hurt! Today i saw those "ultra soft" silicones.

Here's my questions:

Is there a consensus that silicones sound better, or am i the oddball?

Are these ultra soft silicones able to capture the sound of the "hard" ones and do it comfortably?

How do the sizes compare? I wear a small silicone and a medium foam, i'd prefer to buy a 10 pack in the right size rather than waste my money on ones i'm not going to wear.

Are they worth the money?

 

[negritot]

For me, the sound is better the further I am able to insert the phones into my ears. The foam tips sounded decent, but I preferred the small silicon tips, despite some pain during extended listening.

Now I have the news small flex-sleeves, and I really recommend you give them a try. They are every bit as comfortable as the foam but with similar sound characteristics to the silicon.

 

[git20]

I prefer the sound of the silicone to the foamies. Unfortunately, in standard silicone the Med was a little too big and the Sm was definitely too small. Then, along came the soft sleeves, and the medium is perfect since it's smaller than the hard silicone medium. Just order a pack of sm, med, lg soft sleeves direct from Shure, since you may not end up using the size you think you need. Mine arrived promptly and were about $12 shipped (I don't remember the exact cost).

 

[kramer5150]

IMHO thety both sound good. But the sillicone is easier to install IMHO.

What really matters is the depth I can insert the tube. So I mod all my tips to increase the tube insertion.

 

[viator122]

Quote:

Originally Posted by theBishop I've had my E2's for 8-10 months now. I determined early on that the plastic sleeves were horrible. I couldn't stand the way the hurt my ears. So i've been using foams all this time, and q-tipping frequently, and cleaning the foam when it gets intolerable.

You should compare a fresh pair of foamies to the silicone because the foam deteriorates after a while.

 

[zachary80]

I would think it depends on getting the best seal for your ears

I (iPod) think the ultra-flex/soft and foamies sound the best (similar if not the same to me), but the ultra-flexs are more comfortable. The regular just don't fit right in my ears.

My brother (iRiver) thinks the foamies are the best.

 

[joelongwood]

Just do yourself a favor and get the ultra-soft flex sleeves. Even if there is a slight degradation of SQ, it's worth it just for the comfort. I can now actually use these things. I just ordered the E3 because I'm really beginning to like the Shure sound. I used to be a real detail freak (Grado, Ety), but I now prefer a warmer, richer sound. Who woulda thunk it?

 

[Ubijza]

What i (and Head-Fi mate of mine)have found is:
Foams - best isolation, best bass, poorest highs.
Silicone hard - medium isolation, poorest bass, best highs.
Ultra softs - poorest isolation, ok'ish bass, good highs.

I think foam absorbs high frequencies and slicone dampens low freq (bass).
I use all sleeves depending on the situation.