Shure - E2C Consumer Headphones Review

After playing drums for a few years and already experiencing some hearing damage, I knew I needed a good pair of noise isolating or cancelling headphones. I looked at the Bose and Shure headphones, along with a few other brands, and it came down to a few essential things. Comfort, sound quality, and price. The Shure line of headphones met all of these requirements. I looked at the different levels of headphones and while the E5C's were appealing, I knew that I would never get a custom mold for my ear or justify the price. The E2C's though were the perfect buy. For under $100 you get a great pair of noise isolating headphones that require no batteries (like the Bose ones) and are incredibly comfortable. After having used the small apple headphones, I was hesitant to get another pair of "in-ear" headphones. To my surprise they were incredibly comfortable and unless I wore them for more than 3 or so hours (on planes), I would rarely notice them. The sound quality is amazing. I've heard complaints about the Bose headphones not carrying the low-end, and these surprisingly did. If you really want a lot of the low-end, I've read in many magazines that the "buttkicker (http://www.thebuttkicker.com/) is a great add-on. I've plugged them into both a mixer (that would also have mics on my drums) as well as only an ipod, and all the levels come through quite clearly. Lastly, the warranty is amazing. Being a drummer I have played them a little too loud before and have blown out the little speaker, but Shure was very easy to communicate with and they sent me a brand new pair of headphones (with all the different ear "molds") within a week. Shure's headphones, like their microphones are professional quality and affordable.