Shure E2c Sound Isolating Earphones by Shure
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Digital camera reviews of Shure E2c Sound Isolating Earphones
Digital camera Review: 2 1/2 Stars
Summary: 3 Stars
I'm not particularly talented with reviewing things, so pardon my shoddy review of this product. I figure i'll start at build quality because it is the most glaring feature of a pair of headphones right out of the box, and is not manipulated by usage. The build quality on the e2c is roughly average, out of the box, one of the housings was slightly loose, and the plastic they are made out of isn't particularly great, it happens, but i would have greatly preferred a metal housing, although that has the potential to severely impact the sound. The cable on these headphones is great though, and is approximately 3/16ths of an inch thick, which is really thick as far as cables go. The stress reliefs are the typical stress reliefs found on any pair of in ear monitors, with the cable terminating in the same L plug the westone 3 uses. Comfort with any pair of earphones is highly subjective, however, the e2c perform well here because of the large variety of tips that come in the box, 9 pairs of them, you would expect to find a pair of tips that are reasonably comfortable, however, the foam tips are abrasive, the PVC tips are hard, and the silicon tips dont really fit. Either way, ive had reasonable success with the PVC tips, and find that there are times when i barely notice them, the housings are where the real comfort issues are though, and ive found the housing to rub my outer ear raw from time to time, also, the cable behind the ear may be painful for some users. Directly correlating to comfort, sound reduction is good, and blocks out more sound than many earphones, but it certainly isnt the best reduction ive experienced. Sound quality, the most important aspect of a pair of headphones, is diminished on the e2c, i gave it 2 stars, its really only 2.5, but i bumped it down to make up for the 3 in comfort, ive gotten some nasty ear infections from using these despite keeping them very clean. The sound signature of the e2c is rather bassy, and the rest of the music sounds to be muddy and colored by the bass. The treble is exceptionally recessed, so i EQ the treble up to make the rest of the music sound less muddy and dark, thats how i will review these. Even with the trebly bumped up, the bass can be a bit boomy and loud, personally, i wouldnt EQ the bass down anymore because it compliments my musical taste fairly well, but i would like a more flat pair of headphones. the mids, as stated above, are colored by the bass, listening to death metal, the mids were actually so dark and heavy that it became irritating because it made the headphones sound so sluggish. The treble, in its current state, is terrible in the department of clarity, separation, and sibilance, and if i drop the treble boost, my treble goes away. The clarity throughout the rest of the range is only average, but the separation in the mids is proficient. Volume and distortion wise, these earphones are fantastic, and clock in approximately 2.5x louder than vmoda bass freq, which are pretty loud to begin with, and distortion seems to be pretty insignificant, with volume 70% distorting an extra 7.5% than on volume 35% (this distortion number is arbitrary and estimated). finally, there is the durability of the earphones, ive owned my pair for 5 months, and in that time, a strain release has snapped, and a cable is starting to tear, the strain release was trivial damage, and the cable was user invoked to some degree.
Overall, id advise you to find a pair of e3c for an extra 30 bucks, which has a flatter sound, better design, and a more durable cable.
Digital camera Review: 2 yrs of good service
Summary: 4 Stars
I've had this pair for about 2 years. The sound is great, they've served me well. I compromised on this pair, getting the cheapest Shure because I wasn't sure how I'd like in-ear headphones. It turns out I love them, so I'm looking forward to graduating to a new pair.
Anyway, one thing I haven't been thrilled about is the little parts and pieces you have to deal with, especially the wax guards. The foam earplugs wear out of course, I've preferred them to the silicon ones, but I'm not eager to buy more. I'd rather upgrade to a new pair with more permanent plugs.
Digital camera Review: 2-year warranty
Summary: 4 Stars
Far superior to any headphones I've ever used in sound quality. I ride the subway every day and am able to hear my music clearly even at half-volume (I cannot hear music cleary at full volume with stock iPod earbuds). Left speaker went out after using them for a little over a year. Sent them back to Shure and received (within a week) a BRAND NEW pair at no cost. EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICEDigital camera Review: 2nd Pair I Bought!
Summary: 4 Stars
This is the second pair of Shure E2c Sound Isolating Earphones I bought. After several years of use, I ruined the first set by inadvertently cutting the wire. These are nice headphones. Good sound, good fit, good build quality (nice heavy wire), AND good price. I particularly like the moldable foam earpieces (included) that once compressed, will form fit to your ear canal. I routinely use these when I am exercising....doing yard chores..etc. I have to say that when I'm cutting the grass for example, the earpieces just about cut out all of the mower noise. If I had to give any critique, it would maybe be that the bass may be a bit lacking at times, and an earpiece has cut-out once or twice during periods of increased exercise ..and I would assume because of sweat getting into the ear-piece.Digital camera Review: 3 Stars Compared to the Bose
Summary: 3 Stars
I received these headphones recently as a gift. My initial experience was positive. I've decided to only give the E2c's three stars only after listening to my friend's Bose In-Ear Headphones. In my opinion, the Bose have a much deeper base response and, in comparison, make my E2c's sound 'tinny'. The E2c's are also more difficult to fit properly in the ear. Lastly, I do not like having to wrap the cords from the buds around my ears. In my opinion, if you're undecided between the Bose and the E2c's, I'd go with the Bose...particularly since they are priced equally.