Shure - E3C Consumer Headphones Review

This is the third set of headphones that I've used with my Apple iPod (4th gen 40GB).

1. default Apple iPod ear buds (that came with my iPod)
   
2. Sony MDR-EX71SL in ear headphones (after a couple years they fell apart)
   
3. Shure E3c (my current headphones)

Overall the sound is fine but not fantastic. For the price that I paid (over a $100) - I expected a quite a bit more.

The single biggest factor that affects the performance of the Shure E3c headphones are the sleeves that you choose to use. It comes with three different types: soft gray flexible sleeves (three sizes: S|M|L), hard clear plastic sleeves (three sizes: S|M|L) and universal fit yellow foam sleeves. The hard plastic ones were just plain uncomfortable, the gray flexible sleeves were comfortable but let in too much sound and didn't seal in the bass enough. The yellow foam sleeves worked best for me. The only down side is that they only last 3-4 weeks before losing their foaminess and need to be replaced. When you need replacement foam sleeves, you can either buy the Shure replacement sleeves (and pay a premium price, but have zero problems placing them on the headphones). Or go to your local drugstore, buy some ear plugs, cut them in half (to shorten their length and end up with a new pair of sleeves from a single plug), punch a hole in the center of each half and slip them onto the headphone stem for a fresh set of sleeves. Everytime I put on a fresh set of sleeves, it sounds and feels like I've put on a new pair of headphones.

With the foam sleeves installed, the difference between the Apple earbuds and the Shure E3c's is night and day. The E3c's do a great job of blocking out ambient noise, to the point that I rarely set the volume on my iPod above 50% (with the Apple earbuds, which are open to your environment, you can rarely get by at 50% volume, usually it's more in the range of 80%). I talked to an ear doctor about the safety of in-ear headphones - his reply: "It's the volume that does the most damage to your ears, so if you can reduce the volume of the source, you'll be doing the most to safeguard your hearing."

I listen to a wide range of music, from classical chamber/symphonic/vocal to rock music so I've always looked for headphones that do not exaggerate any part of the spectrum. The biggest challenge for most small driver based designs is getting the bottom end to come to life without jacking up the volume, and the Shure E3c's are no exception, they try but fail to deliver satisfying bass. The highs are crisp and the midrange is for the most part intact. If you find yourself in a dead quiet room, the sound is decent, but not astounding, but it goes downhill as the ambient noise increases. To be sure, the E3c's do a very good job at attenuating the ambient noise striking a good balance between shutting out the world around you and keeping you aware - to some extent - of what is going on around you. But the sonic delivery is below what I was hoping for.

A number of features attracted me to the Shure E3c's:

• thick cord - well above average for small headphones;
• rugged angled 1/8" plug - this solves the problem of either breaking the plug or breaking the audio port on your mp3 player or laptop because you snagged the cord that is unnecessarily jutting out - don't know why more manufacturers don't do this;
• small and lightweight form factor;
• over the ear placement of the cord with the cord running down your back - no more cord to get in the way when you're working;
• 2 year warranty - I did have to send them in when the left earphone stopped working and to Shure's credit they promptly replaced the defective pair with a new set.
  

If you've never worn in ear headphones and you'll be moving around, be aware that you will hear cord noise - the noise made by the cord rubbing against your clothing. Two things about cord noise 1) at first it's very distracting and annoying - but your mind has a great capacity to filter what you are perceiving, thus with time it becomes mush less noticeable (always there, but much less obtrusive) and, 2) the Shure E3c's heavy cord combined with a cinch on the cord serve to greatly reduce the cord noise (it used to be a lot worse in the Sony's mentioned above).

While the Shure E3c are not sonic nirvana, they are a solid set of headphones that I would recommend with reservations (as noted above). When these go south, I think I'll shop around.

http://www.shure.com