Shure e3c's

[chuckywang]

Right now, I am using AIWA HP-x222's found here:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de...00005NGQS/102-1184749-8867328?v=glance

However, it's getting old and worn out. I was thinking of going with Shure e3c's as my earphones, for both my computer and ipod. How good is the sound compared to normal over-the-ear headphones? For it's price, it had better be outstanding. Unfortunantly, I can't test it out.

 

[Gurck]

Audigy 2 & ipod aren't high enough quality sources to warrant the E3cs, you're better off with the E2cs.

 

[Taejin]

Bah Gurck.

You will notice a definite change if you're used to low-end headphones. I use e3c's with my iRiver H320. It's great . And the iPod's output is fine. A little bass shy, but that's only for the picky people who care. You might become one of them, you might be one of them, or you might not. Either way, only people who want their music absolutely perfect will mind.

 

[Gurck]

What? It's true... Audigys resample everything that goes through them to 48khz. It's still a good card, very clean and supports environmental audio and offloading sound processing from the CPU in games/apps that support it. I have one and am happy enough with it, but got a Chaintech av710 in addition to it for listening to music, since this is where the Audigy falls short. I'd get an M-Audio Revolution if I could go back, however, and am considering getting one regardless... And lack of bass is only half the story behind ipod sound quality; the cheap, noisy headphone jack circuitry is the other. Further yet, if he's like most people on this forum, his music is comprised mostly of 128bit mp3s downloaded from p2p networks, ripped by random people, most of whom had no clue what they were doing. The most budget pair (E2cs) would be fine in his situation, the 3s are overboard unless he plans to upgrade his sources.

 

[chuckywang]

What about the Etymotic ER6i? How does that compare to the Shure e2c's and the Shure e3c's?

 

[Taejin]

Originally posted by: Gurck
What? It's true... Audigys resample everything that goes through them to 48khz. It's still a good card, very clean and supports environmental audio and offloading sound processing from the CPU in games/apps that support it. I have one and am happy enough with it, but got a Chaintech av710 in addition to it for listening to music, since this is where the Audigy falls short. I'd get an M-Audio Revolution if I could go back, however, and am considering getting one regardless... And lack of bass is only half the story behind ipod sound quality; the cheap, noisy headphone jack circuitry is the other. Further yet, if he's like most people on this forum, his music is comprised mostly of 128bit mp3s downloaded from p2p networks, ripped by random people, most of whom had no clue what they were doing. The most budget pair (E2cs) would be fine in his situation, the 3s are overboard unless he plans to upgrade his sources.

Well, I had a lot of 128kbps mp3's, until I got the e3c's. I could hear a definite difference in quality in better ripped mp3's as well as just realizing that 128CBR of one song just sounded worse than 320CBR of another song. My shure e3c's have actually started me on the right path, since my music sounds noticeably better . I've used a couple iPods with my e3c's, and it's pretty much the same, except for a little bit on the low end. The iPods also sound a little bit drier, but my iRiver sounds more full and fun.


Also, this is TOTAL hearsay, chuckywang, but...
the er6i's are supposed to be on a similar level w/ the Shures. However, they're much more bass shy and analytical than the shure's. If you're looking for fun in your music, I would probably go e3c, but I have a totally different source than yours.

If you want more informed opinions contributing towards your decision, I would recommend taking a trip to www.head-fi.org and checking out the headphones section. It'll really open your eyes.

 

[csrx]

I've used sony EX71's, Shure E3c's and lately been using Shure E4c's.

Go with the E4c's, you wont regret it.

 

[masteraleph]

Gurck- I'd call the e5c (and possibly the e4c) too good to be coming straight out of an ipod, but e3c is definitely in an acceptable range. As for the Audigy 2- it's no Envy based card, but it's certainly no slouch either. Frankly, if you're so into listening to music out of your headphones, I'd suggest checking out the Emu line- 0404 for bright and punchy (think more Grado style) and 1212m for more analytical.

 

[Maluno]

Get them!!! They are Delicious (for your ears).