Strangely, I was going to ask something about this, but went ahead and bit the bullet on the Shure E3C earphones ($135 shipped). I have a pair of $50 Sonys that I've been using, but I plan to return them to BestBuy once the Shure's arrive.

The Sonys do sound pretty impressive at normal volumes. I've only used them for listening to music while at my day job. They help drown out the annoying coworkers. ;)

I have to assume the Shure's will sound even better than the Sony... or so I hope. I'll be pretty disappointed, since all the reviews I've read make the Shures seem like they sound like pure heaven. We'll see. I'll post my opinion as soon as the Shure earphones arrive (tomorrow sometime).

Spot: yes, holy, I noticed they're expensive and considering this tiny wire that risks some break once in a while in the action... Your first comment, I assume, is about the ER6's ? Now, that's the model that I'm interested in...
PumiceT : I'll be checking for your impressions avbout the Sure's. eager to hear about those ! Same comment about their top-of-line model: $600 : woo-hooooo! now, THAT is expensive !

My son (who is a musician) bought the Shure. After a year and a half he handed it to me to repair. When I opened it I was amazed it cost so much because quite literally it looked like a piece of junk. Resoldering the leads was no easy matter and the L&R insulator looked like a thin piece of toilet paper. Closing it up again involved using a piece of wire from a twist tie to bind it because it obviusly wasn't intended to be serviceable, but rather replaced. Probably with a different brand.
If you want feedback on earphones or headphones post your questions here or here. Or search the sites for reviews or opinions.


John

I was told by a salesman that the ER-6's deliver 75% of the sound of the ER-4's at less than half the price. He said that was his standard line about the Etymotics.

I listened to both phones and that estimate sounded about right to me. If you have never heard the ER-4's, the ER-6's will be a revelation.

Ok... I got the Shure E3c earphones today. My first impression: A bit disappointed. I really expected them to sound "better" than they do.

Keep in mind, I've been listening via some new Sony MDR-EX71s, which only cost $49.99. I really expected the Shures to blow those things away.

So far, I've listened to some samples of various types of music through my Archos MP3 player. I'm used to listening to this source material, but with other headphones.

Rap: No way. If you want to hear bass that's best reproduced with large woofers, these earphones won't suit you. Do they "accurately" reproduce it? Probably. Your ears shouldn't really have to vibrate to hear those sounds, since you're more likely to "hear" them in the room's vibrations.

Jazz (?): I listened to some JBs (the band that backed James Brown), and I'm still missing some bass that I would like to hear. I'm slowly getting used to the sound of these things, but I still feel like they're a bit weak in the low-end.

Rock: Led Zeppelin - Stairway. While this song is quite hissy (analog tape, no?) it does sound quite nice. The bass guitar is present, but not where I'm used to hearing it.

?? : Linkin Park ... This sounds pretty good. I can hear the bass in the kick drum better than in the Led Zeppelin stuff.

Maybe I'm used to some really over-accented bass, but I really feel like these things are a bit thin sounding. I read a review that said they've got a bit of an accented mid-range. I'm leaning towards that opinion, too. Mind you, the review pointed out that these earphones sound "bad" at home, in silence, but they shine and perform wonderfully out in the field - in a train, on a plane, in a crowded office, etc. We'll see what I think tomorrow when I bring them to the office.

For field use I use a cheap pair of cans, yes they sound pretty horrid BUT I'm not mixing, I'm just trying to see if I'm recording something that I don't want and will have issues dealing with later such as ac noise or hum. Whne I;m doing that I press the things to my ears and close my eyes. I try to get cans that filter out as much of the natural sound as well. The other plus I've found with cheap cans such as the ones from Behringer is they're more sensitive than the expensive ones and cameras don't have enough oomph out there headphone jacks, plus if they get damaged, lost or stolen no big drama.

One trick I do, put an inline plug / socket connection a short distance from the plug that goes into the camera, one that comes apart with minimal force. It's all too easy to forget you're plugged into the camera and walk away from it with the cans on, very bad karma unless you work for Sony service :)

Bob.

So here I am, in the office. (Should I be posting now? Hmmm..) Listening to some Crystal Method.

The thing I'm thinking now is: perhaps I'm listening WAY too quiet? So, I've turned the volume up... The bass is definitely a bit more present. I just feel like I'm listening too loudly. It's not hurting my ears, but it's at a volume that would normally bother anyone in the same room, and I'm very conscious of keeping my music to myself, especially in an office environment. I also feel completely detached from the outside world. I guess that's the whole idea with in-ears, huh? I may have to change my overall opinion of these Shures. At this volume they do sound pretty darn nice. If I can recall the sound of some studio monitors I've heard, these do sound similar: tight accurate bass, not overly boomy. Mids that allow you to hear the vocals quite smoothly, and highs that aren't shrilly and painful.

Worth $135? I'd say so. Over the long haul, I'd much rather have something that helps me learn the sound of mixes with flat / accurate sound, than something that colors the sound so much that I expect all mixes to pound and vibrate the earth.

I bought a pair of the baby Shure in-ear headphones about a year ago for about $70, and I like them a lot. As for studio-reference linearity, I don't know, and haven't seen any articles doing tests in an objective way with in-ear phones. But I dearly love them when I fly, since they are so effective at eliminating the roar of the airplane and the din of nearby conversations (when using the foam inserts). In fact, one problem with them is that they may isolate TOO much; if a companion in the next seat wants to say something to me, I not only need to pause the music player but also listen very intently to him or her, since their voice is so very quiet.

A bit of advice: clean your ears often with Q-tips, or you'll really gross yourself out with the loads of earwax these things can capture.

I've always cleaned my ears daily, using Q-Tips. :)

Did somebody mention expensive headphones...

http://www.alienware.com/GearShop_Pages/Gear_Shop_Detail.aspx?ItemId=13011&CatId=1090


Mario