Shure E2C Consumer Headphones

After several pledging and begging to my parents for a year (they say I'm too young to have such expensive headphones(I'm 12)), I finally got to get these headphones.

The design

These headphones are special because:
-They incorporate a very different way to fit than traditional headphones
-They are expensive
-They sound very good

The headphones look very cool and futuristic to me. It was tricky at first to get these in my ears. These headphones are meant to have the cable over your ears, not under them like traditional earbuds. Shure took advantage of human ear's design and made the ears hold the headphones. The first time you wear them you might feel some discomfort, but after a while, you'll get used to them and they'll be confortable.

This headphone comes with 3 sizes of earbuds (small, medium, large). I personally use the small because it's more comfortable and it fits better. The cables on these headphone is very sturdy, nice and thick. It will definitely last. The cable's pretty long as well, measuring at 1.5 meters.

Another thing that make these headphones special is that they don't put the driver inside your ear, but they have them outside and angles the sound into your ear. I'm not sure if there's any advantages over this technique, but it works.

By the way, these headphones need a heavy break in to get them to sound their best. I recommend breaking them for at least 50 hours. 100 hours is needed to fully break them in.

A break in is a technique done to loosen the drivers and getting them to sound the best. Some drivers need just a quick 5 hour break in, some might need 300 hours to break in. Playing any music will be fine, but a sine wave is the best way to break a driver in. This review is describing the sound after a heavy break in.

The sound

Bass

I find the bass sounding very good. The bass was very tight, not boomy or muddy, and lots of articulation. Though some people might find them to be lacking in bass, but I think the amount of bass produced is almost perfect, they lack just a little, little bit. Listening to songs like Hotel California through these headphones are very enjoyable.

Midrange

I find the midrange very good, but there is a slight peak at 2Khz. The midrange is also full of articulation. What I don't like is that the e2c's lacked definition in the high mids, making some songs sound bad.

Treble

The treble is very smooth. The sound don't have the sibilance and doesn't sound bright, but natural. I find the lower treble lacked definition as well, making some songs sound bad. Otherwise the treble sounded very good. I've also noticed a treble roll off starting at around 5Khz. Most headphones have a roll off like that as well, so it really isn't a big issue.

Sound Isolation

The Shure's really isolate the sound around you. The booklet give many warnings about not using these headphone when you're driving, on the road, etc. In fact, these headphones isolate sound so well that once I almost got ran over by a car. I saw tire marks on the road, indicating a sudden use of break at a high speed. It scared the F*** out of me. Maybe I should listen to the warnings in the booklet.

Overall

Overall I find the headphones sounding very good and natural. The lack of definition in the high mids and low trebles are only noticable in some songs. The headphones don't sound as good as my Logitech Z-5500, nor the Z-2300, nor my reference system in my living room. Although expensive, but worth the price.

The headphone battle

So far I've only heard of the:
Shure e2c ($99)
Sennheiser CX-300 ($99)
Sony MDR-EX81($80)
Bose In Ear ($125)
Denon Reference In Ears ($199)

I"ll compare these headphones here.

Shure e2c vs Sennheiser CX-300

The Sennheiser easily won the sound quality comparison. I would of bought that headphone if I didn't buy the e2c's yet. I find the overall sound to be better than the e2c. I find the bass wasn't as good nor extended as deep as the e2c. I find them to be a little bass heavy. Since I'm a bass freak, I rather have a little bass heavy headphone than a little bit lacking bass headphone (e2c). The headphone is also extremely light, weighing at 4g. But the lightweight is achieved at the expense of really thin cables. I think I might accidentally tear it someday. The Sennheiser fit better than the e2c, but doesn't isolate as well.

Shure e2c vs Sony MDR-EX81

The Shure clearly won the sound quality test. The Sony's fit is very good, actually a little better than the e2c. I find the cables on these headphones are cheap and thin. I feel I can accidentally tear them ANYDAY. I also find the cables will disintegrate after like a year or so. Since most people are attracted to speakers/headphones that have strong bass and sharp treble, most people will think the Sony's sound better than the e2c, but actually Sony boosts the bass and the treble. Therefore these headphones are very bass heavy. The bass is boomy, not tight, and not as clear as the e2c. The Sony's don't sound as natural as the e2c. (obviously, they boosted the bass and the treble) The Sony did a good job isolating the sound.

Shure e2c vs Bose In Ear

There is no comparison, the e2c CLEARLY sounds better than the Bose. The first thing you'll realize when you listen to these headphones is that the bass is boosted so much that words can't really accurately describe it. If anybody tried using the bass boost function in a MP3 player, CD player, any device, you should know how much bass they boost. The bass on the Bose headphone is like having 5 bass boosts on the e2c. I am NOT kidding. I've never heard of a headphone with this much bass. (this is NOT a complement but a criticism) There is a constant boom, boom listening to these headphones. If there is a bass note, the Bose In Ears will boost it 5 times. Because of that HUGE bass boost, the midrange and the treble are completely drowned. I've never heard of how bass overpowers and drowns the midrange and treble. People say the Logitech Z-2300 and Z-5500 do, but I don't think so. Now I know how it sounds. The bass is boomy, "one noted", no articulation at all, not tight. The midrange and treble sounds very bad. The midrange and treble is just a little better than your iPod headphones. The construction is cheap. The earpieces will fall out anytime. It didn't want to stay in my ear. It also provided ABSOLUTELY NO SOUND ISOLATION. Worst headphone ever.

Shure e2c vs Denon Reference In Ears

First of all. The Denon's have the best fit I've ever worn(and probably will always be the best). They are EXTREMELY CONFORTABLE. Sound quality is almost the same except that the Denon's don't have that lack of definition in the high mids and low trebles. The build quality is very good. Although they are expensive. I don't think an extra $100 is worth having that super comfortable fit and the lack of definition in the high mid and low trebles.

Sound quality billboard(haha) (best to worst)

1.Sennheiser CX-300
2.Denon Reference In Ear
3.Shure e2c
4.Sony MDR-EX81
5.Bose In Ear

Fit billboard (best to worst)

1.Denon Reference In Ear
2.Sennheiser CX-300
3.Sony MDR-EX81
4.Shure e2c
5.Bose In Ear

Sound Isolation billboard (best to worst)

1.Shure e2c
2.Denon Reference In Ear
3.Sennheiser CX-300
4.Sony MDR-EX81
5.Bose In Ear

Value billboard (best to worst)

1.Sennheiser CX-300
2.Shure e2c
3.Sony MDR-EX81
4.Denon Reference In Ear
5.Bose In Ear

Build Quality (best to worst)

1.Shure e2c
2.Denon Reference In Ear
3.Sennheiser CX-300
4.Sony MDR-EX81
5.Bose In Ear

Overall

1.Sennheiser CX-300
2.Shure e2c
3.Denon Reference In Ear
4.Sony MDR-EX81
5.Bose In Ear
Rating (1 to 10)

Shure e2c: 8

I give it a 8 because it's expensive, the lack of definition in the high mids and low treble, and weird fit.

Sennheiser CX-300:8.5

I would of give it a 10, but the build quality and a little bit strong bass made me give an 8.5.

Denon Reference In Ear: 7.5

The Denon's are very good, but the expensive price made me give a 7.5

Sony MDR-EX81: 7

Because of the artificial boost, the sound isn't as natural. The sound quality is pretty good, but the build quality is just horrible.

Bose In Ear: 1

The only reason I gave it a 1 rather than a 0 is that they actually look pretty look. That's the only good point I can find. I don't know how does people find this headphone to sound great or give 5 star reviews. If they think the Bose sounds good, they certainly never heard of good sound. For goodness sakes, OPEN YOUR EARS!! Go to a big audio store and listen to some floorstanding speakers. Then you'll hear what you've been missing when you listen to your CD's through your TV. Just avoid this headphone.

The Shure e2c is an excellent pair of headphones. I'm sure it will serve you very well for a long time. Buy them, and you'll enjoy them.