[djestouff]

Whats up everyone. I wanted to share some of my frustration and hopefully get some recommendations.

I have been using E3c's for the past 3 years and for the most part i love them. While its true they can be a little lacking in lows and highs, a little EQ on my good ol' iriver hp120 has them sounding fantastic.

Unfortunately the build quality seems to be much lower than the sound quality. My first pair started cutting out on one channel. I sent them in and Shure sent me a brand new 2nd pair in return, which was great... until i lost them (or perhaps they were stolen) at school a few months later.

Since i liked them so much, i bought a third pair (E3g, basically identical). After less than a year one channel cut out yet again, only this time the cable actually cracked right at the earphone (this actually happened on both channels but one still works anyway) the picture isnt so great

I should also add on top of all this that my dad also has a pair of E3c's and the same thing happened to his pair, with sound on one channel cutting out.

Has anyone had similar problems with E3's or other Shure products? I'm thinking maybe I am done buying shure products, so if anyone could recommend a similar pair of IEMs for under 120 that would be great.

what i particularly liked about the E3's:
clean and pretty neutral sound. strong bass when pushed. very good mids.
VERY good at blocking outside noise passively.
small, lightweight.

 

[xkRoWx]

Looking at all those plastic cabinets and drawers behind you, I'd assume that you're pretty handy in DIY. If my assumption is right, why not try recabling it with a different cable that is more flexible? Bear in mind that the cable might get very microphonic in comparison to Shure's original cable.

 

[djestouff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by xkRoWx /img/forum/go_quote.gif Looking at all those plastic cabinets and drawers behind you, I'd assume that you're pretty handy in DIY. If my assumption is right, why not try recabling it with a different cable that is more flexible? Bear in mind that the cable might get very microphonic in comparison to Shure's original cable.

I might be able to do something like that with some sort of guide, I mainly deal with network installation, but i didnt even really think about fixing it myself.

ALSO-- mods, sorry if i posted this in the wrong forum.

 

[xkRoWx]

Headphones are usually very modular in design. You just gotta figure out how to soften the adhesive used to bond the parts together.

Good luck with that.

 

[Ishcabible]

Try a heat gun. That usually works.

 

[xkRoWx]

Not sure about that, too much heat might melt the thin dynamic driver membrane or coil. Heat gun's better for full-sized cans, but not IEMs. I see most people like to use a small flat head jeweler's screwdriver to "pry" or "wedge" the pieces apart, since most IEMs and earbuds uses superglue and not hot glue.

 

[unlimited]

i never have any problem with my e3c, but anyways maybe i just didnt use it much..
i this is a very normal problem for shure's product...

 

[Steve_72]

I believe so. I had the E2c's, E4c's and SE530's - all of which succumbed to cracked cables within a few months of use.

 

[Lunchbox2]

djestouff- I completely understand where you're coming from. I have a pair of e2c's that I absolutely LOVE. Thing is, its actually my 3rd pair. And I didn't lose one. Every pair of e2c's i've owned, the cable has cracked right where your picture shows. I think it has to do with the cable being bent over your ear in a certain way for a long period of time. Eventually the plastic coating the cable gets brittle (maybe from cold weather?) and cracks.

But, I have to say here so people know, Shure has been exceptional about replacing the earphones. The first time it happened I called up, and they sent me a prepaid shipping label to send in my old earbuds, and I had a new pair within a week. The second time it happened, I was studying abroad in Argentina and they worked with me for about a month to figure out a replacement. Shipping the earbuds back to the states would have cost something ridiculous like 40 dollars, so they allowed me to photograph the earbuds and their serial number and email that to them. Then they called their distributors in Buenos Aires to see if any of them were carrying the e2c's and if the store would switch it out for me. They really put in a ton of effort. As it turns out, the Argentine suppliers refused to switch out the phones (and I guess they weren't required to) so the woman I was in contact with at Shure told me that as soon as I was back in the states they would ship me a pair no questions asked. And they did. All in all, it was exceptional customer service, and they have me as a customer for life. If you call Shure, my guess is they will be quite understanding and replace the phones for you free of charge.

 

[djestouff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lunchbox2 /img/forum/go_quote.gif djestouff- I completely understand where you're coming from. I have a pair of e2c's that I absolutely LOVE. Thing is, its actually my 3rd pair. And I didn't lose one. Every pair of e2c's i've owned, the cable has cracked right where your picture shows. I think it has to do with the cable being bent over your ear in a certain way for a long period of time. Eventually the plastic coating the cable gets brittle (maybe from cold weather?) and cracks. But, I have to say here so people know, Shure has been exceptional about replacing the earphones. The first time it happened I called up, and they sent me a prepaid shipping label to send in my old earbuds, and I had a new pair within a week. The second time it happened, I was studying abroad in Argentina and they worked with me for about a month to figure out a replacement. Shipping the earbuds back to the states would have cost something ridiculous like 40 dollars, so they allowed me to photograph the earbuds and their serial number and email that to them. Then they called their distributors in Buenos Aires to see if any of them were carrying the e2c's and if the store would switch it out for me. They really put in a ton of effort. As it turns out, the Argentine suppliers refused to switch out the phones (and I guess they weren't required to) so the woman I was in contact with at Shure told me that as soon as I was back in the states they would ship me a pair no questions asked. And they did. All in all, it was exceptional customer service, and they have me as a customer for life. If you call Shure, my guess is they will be quite understanding and replace the phones for you free of charge.

Well here's the problem...

The first pair that broke i did send in to Shure and they sent me a new replacement pair, no problem at all. BUT, I bought that pair at Best Buy and still had the receipt and everything. When I lost the replacement pair, I did not want to shell out another $200 at Best Buy when I saw some brand new E3Gs on ebay for 80 bucks. So without a proper receipt and being from a non-authorized dealer, what chance to i have of getting a free replacement?

i've read in another thread that Shure will replace out-of-warranty E3s for $55, so thats a good option but i'm starting to wonder if even $55 is worth it for a product that is pretty much guarenteed to break in less than a year.