[andrwlee]

I read glowing reviews of the e2c so i decided to put down a good amount of money (to me) for them. People said that you couldnt hear people talking next to you with them in your ears and the music off, but I can. With the music on I cant hear people talking, though. Also, I expected to be blown away by amazing sound quality. However, I feel like the e2c's SQ is slightly better than the iPod buds. The music seems only a bit more detailed with the e2c's in (compared to the ibuds). I don't think fit/seal is an issue because I am rather isolated and the bass is good.

Am I doing something wrong? Am I just a complete no0b?

Should I return them and get a different brand of IEMs? (considering this)
I didn't even know about UE before I came to head-fi. super.fi?
I felt like the e2cs would be better than the er6is. wrong?

P.S. I listen mostly to contemporary rock, a little rap, some classical.

Thanks for your help in advance.

 

[LaBreaHead]

What price range? What player are you using? Would you be willing to pay a little extra periodically for foam tips (which I think helps fit, isolation and sound)? Do you want isolation (foam tips or flanges), or would partial isolation using silicone comfort tips be enough for you? Important question: if you had to choose bass or detail, which would you choose?

Just some qustions to get the process going ... some popular models around here recently are the Crossroads Mylarones X3 and XB, Future Sonics Atrio M5s (yay!), UE super.fi 3 or 5, Etymotics ER6i or Jays (maybe not what you want after your recent experience), and Shures at or above the E4 level (I'm sure I've left something out).

Sorry about your disappointing experience. Fit (and tips ... and player) can make a big difference, but the E2's are only going to do what they can do. Good luck resolving this problem.

 

[andrwlee]

Thanks for answering. To answer your questions:

I'm looking for some IEMs under $100. I use a 5th gen. 30 GB iPod. I don't want to use the disposable tips. I don't need complete isolation. I would choose detail over bass.

I dont really like the idea of buying from Singapore, so no thanks to the X3/XB. The M5s are a bit expensive. I've been seriously considering the super.fi 3s, and the er6is are not out of contention.

So I guess the question for me now is... Are the super.fi 3's or ER6i's notably better in sound quality than the e2c's?

 

[locu64]

Quote:

Originally Posted by andrwlee /img/forum/go_quote.gif I read glowing reviews of the e2c so i decided to put down a good amount of money (to me) for them. People said that you couldnt hear people talking next to you with them in your ears and the music off, but I can.

People like to overstate things a lot (especially here!) I can still hear people talking next to me when I wear my e2c.

Quote:

Also, I expected to be blown away by amazing sound quality. However, I feel like the e2c's SQ is slightly better than the iPod buds.

For me the difference was much greater then slight compared with my ibuds, but they didn't offer much more musical enjoyment to me then my KSC75 or CX300/EP630.

Quote:

Should I return them and get a different brand of IEMs? (considering this)

If it's not troublesome you should try some of the others. I think the general consensus around here is that for e2c money there are better sounding IEMs out there.

 

[NeObliviscaris]

i have to disagree, i have e2c's and i love them. using the small white tips i get extreme isolation - remember canaphones require proper insertion - i love the sound. i think its a great first/entry-level iem, but i do know that the super-fi will sound better.

the shure e2c's are great ihmo - i love em!

 

[pez]

I've heard that the Etymotic ER-6i and UE Super.fi 3's are pretty similar, but the Ety's supposedly are very lean on bass, so I would recommend the SF3's based on my hearings, because if the Ety's bass is lighter than the SF3's, than I would be definitely yearning for more, because I think the SF3's bass is either just right or a little less than I would want.

 

[HeadBanger]

sf3's with bass boost on my ZVM are pretty bassy, yet the bass lacks some extension and feel to it.

 

[kramer5150]

Yeah.. they are pretty bad sounding IMHO. 3-4 years ago they were the best entry level. Fast forward to today and there are a lot more options for less$$$. They were my entry to IEMs though, and I do think they isolate pretty well.

 

[big-fi]

ive had e2c, sf3, er6i and now the x3.

of those four, e2c isolates the most and has the most bass, IMO.

e2c to sf3 isn't that much of an improvment. with your style of music, either x3 or e2c would fit.

 

[lostbobby]

under $100:

Unfortunately I'd say the e3c weren't that great on clarity/bass straight out of the ipod either, but the E4c and ER-4p are. So if you can stand to buy used, they're always coming up for sale used on headfi, at not much over $100.

 

[dealmaster00]

Quote:

Originally Posted by andrwlee /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for answering. To answer your questions: I'm looking for some IEMs under $100. I use a 5th gen. 30 GB iPod. I don't want to use the disposable tips. I don't need complete isolation. I would choose detail over bass. I dont really like the idea of buying from Singapore, so no thanks to the X3/XB. The M5s are a bit expensive. I've been seriously considering the super.fi 3s, and the er6is are not out of contention. So I guess the question for me now is... Are the super.fi 3's or ER6i's notably better in sound quality than the e2c's?

www.theiriverstore.com sells the X3/XB now, no need to buy from Singapore. You may want to consider the X3s if you are looking for detail over bass.

 

[andrwlee]

Thanks to everyone for their replies. Now I am wondering which iems i can get that have much better sound quality, but still around the $70-$80 price range.

 

[bronxers]

I feel that it is very difficult to find value in the IEM market for under $100. You are essentially paying for isolation and convenience, while quality of sound takes a back seat. I bought the shure e2c about 2-3 years ago, quickly decided they were crap, and went back to my $15 sony earbuds. The sony's fit my ears perfectly and sounded much better (to my ears). I kept the shure's for the times when I needed isolation, but used them sparingly. Having now heard some of the higher end IEMs, I simply cannot understand how or why anyone would recommend the lower end shure models unless they just don't know any better (ie. they haven't tried some of the higher end IEMs to make a comparison).

That being said, it is hard to ignore the praise that has been bestowed on the crossroads mylarones X3/XB , which can be found at the lower end of the price spectrum. If you must stick to your $100 limit, I would say go with those. I have not personally listened to them, but if you do a little research and look into past threads, you will see mostly positive things said about them on head-fi (unlike the majority of the other lower end IEMs, where the reviews are decidedly mixed). The fact that the iriver store is now selling them means that you no longer need to purchase them from Singapore (although Jaben is supposedly a VERY reliable seller). The er6i or the altec lansing models would be some of the other viable options in this price category -- they generally receive positive reviews, but are clearly not for everyone and may leave you disappointed.

If you are willing to stretch your budget a little bit, you can find the futuresonics atrio m5 for about $140 shipped. With a lower end IEM, you risk disappointment. With the atrio m5, you will not feel a need to upgrade and will know that the money was well spent (which, in the long term can end up saving you money).

 

[andrwlee]

Thanks for your help everyone. After reading bronxers reply, and looking into the Mylarone X3 thread, I thought I had found what I was looking for. However, I soon realized that the people raving about the X3's were the same kind of people who raved about the E2c's (i.e. first-timers, or people who had only previously had sonys or creatives). Also, durability and build quality seemed to be an issue. I'm beginning to think there is nothing for me for under $100, although I still have some hope that theres something I haven't heard of or that maybe the UE super.fi 3's would be an improvement in sound quality over the E2c's.

 

[LaBreaHead]

Re-read Bronxers' comments -- "With the atrio m5, you will not feel a need to upgrade and will know that the money was well spent (which, in the long term can end up saving you money)" -- and then look at my list of 'phones to see how you might save money by extending your limit now, rather than slowly upgrading and even "side-grading" as I have done. No regrets, but I've gotten earphones that weren't all that dissimilar to each other. The first few sets of canal phones, I had no idea what I was doing (yes, I know, there are those who would say I still don't); I think I'm doing better now and enjoying my music even more than ever.

I would think the super.fi pros (or the Future Sonics) would be a more significant upgrade than going from the E2's to the super.fi 3's. For example, I really wish I had gone to the Shure E4's when I thought I'd hedge and save a little money when I wanted to try something diferent from my Etymotics ER6s. Instead, I got the disappointing (to me, and some others) E3's, and eventually ended up getting the Etymotics ER6i's. That's three pairs of earphones when I could have just gotten the ER6i's to begin with or jumped up to the E4 level after not really "getting" (understanding) the Etys the first time around.

Of course, it's the Head-Fi way to tell you to spend more money than you want to or can afford to ...

Good luck making your decision.

[Edit: I just re-read your first post. Using foam tips is a good quick fix for getting fit and isolation right. If you don't want to use foamies, isolation can be trickier (for me, the seal shifts when using flanges, when I turn my head or nod up or down, and the comfortable silicones don't isolate as much as the flanges and foamies ... but flanges do provide a great potential for isolation, assuming the fit and seal are good). I'm prejudiced in favor of foamies, so I don't know that I can help you much, except for maybe suggesting closed headphones from Sony, Audio Technica or AKG, if you are truly opposed to foam ear sleeves.]



__________________________
Phones (in order of purchase):
Sony MDR71, Sony MDR51, Etymotic ER6, Panasonic RP-HJ50, Shure E3C, Koss PortaPro 2, Creative EP630, Etymotic ER6i, Sennheiser PX-100, Sennheiser HD555, Future Sonics Atrio M5