kwbarrett's Full Review: Shure E2C Consumer Headphones
I have had these for a few days now. Most of what I've read on them says it takes at least a week to get comfortable with them, so I'm going to stick with it for a bit. These earphones are of the canal variety meaning, you have to push them into the ear canal to get a good seal and sound isolation. I upgraded from Sony MDR EX51s which are similar but cost about half as much as the E2Cs. I'll start by saying I'm using these with a Sony NW-HD3 mp3 player and tracks in ATRAC3, ATRAC3+, and mp3 formats encoded at between 132-256Kbps. Many using this player complain of a hiss during quiet passages of music or speech and I noticed this too using the EX51s. The first thing I noticed with the E2Cs was the absence of the hiss. The EX51s are noted for their bass and after a year or two with them, I guess I had gotten used to extra, sometimes overpowering bass. Upon plugging in the E2Cs, I noticed much less bass. There was still bass, but it was not nearly as evident as the EX51s. I describe it as being more accurate, less overpowering bass. I listen to various kinds of music, from jazz to rock to hip hop, so neither the EX51 nor the E2C is perfect for all types of my music. One thing I did notice was much, much better noise cancellation properties in the E2Cs. I listen to music on the subway ride to work, as well as at home and at work. While the EX51s provide some noise cancellation/isolation, the E2Cs provide more. I can effectively block out the train noise with them. I have been testing them side-by-side to see if I'll keep them. This morning I had the EX51s in while on the train. I ended up putting in the E2Cs because the train noise was just too much. As soon as I got them in, I was in a world of my own. So far I would say that these earphones give improved, more accurate sound, and good noise cancellation/isolation. The jury is still out over whether the amount of improvement is justified in the price difference between the EX51 and E2C.
Because I've only had them 3 days, I'm trying to stay positive. If I had to complain, I would say that these are much, much harder to fit to the listener than the EX51s. I have experimented with the various cups and found some that work, but you really have to jam them up in there to get a good seal. The next thing you have to worry about is them slipping out or slipping loose. If the music is not playing yet, I can actually hear them slide out if I don't have a good seal. If you are use to just sticking in the earphones and going, these probably aren't for you. It takes a few minutes to get them seated right. But once they are in, you are rewarded with a quiet you may only get with true noise cancelling headphones, and great sound from your player.
Now lets talk about the construction. These have to be the best constructed earphones I've used. The earpieces and their interchangeable cups feel quite durable. The cord is also quite thick compared to most earphones. This is actually a good thing although it also makes them slightly less portable than others. There is a plastic tube that slides up to tighten the wires around your head so as to avoid them getting caught or snagged. It actually works very well for me when I have the phones in from behind my head. They can be worn 3 different ways, but so far I have found that behind the head and over the ears with the wire tightened for a snug fit to be best for me.
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