Shure E3c Sound Isolating Earphones

First off, let me save certain people the trouble of reading the following review: If you've got to convince yourself that a pair of earphones could be worth what these cost, they probably aren't.

When I first put these on (with my correctly-fitting size of included ear adapters), I was comparing them with a $9 pair of Sony earbuds that I've been using for the past few years. I couldn't believe it, but I thought my crappy Sony earbuds sounded 100 times better. "Where's the bass?" I thought to myself when switching the '3's' back into my noggin for the second time and still not hearing it.

It took me about 5 minutes to finally figure out the trick that Sony, Panasonic and all of the other consumer-grade electronics manufacturers have been playing on me and you all along: they deceptively amplify the bass response from that of the musician's original intent to cover up the dismal sound quality and inaccurate reproduction of the music provided by their inferior wares. Yeah, that 'Mega-Bass' is more like a bunch of mega BULL.

The '3's do not overpower you with bass. They deliver your music to you as your favorite musicians intended for you to hear it. What you are paying for with these headphones is ACCURACY. Those tight, crisp high-hats bucketed in syncopated pockets of time that you may have not even heard before will elude you no longer, once you get the '3's. The slight tune-decay of those analog synth chords that you're supposed to hear just upon the release of the keys on your favorite 70's fusion recordings would send chills through any jazz/funk afficionado like myself, but you'll never hear 'em without these puppies. The raw, airy echo of live drums that manifests the musically intended mood of good music more than almost any other component or aspect, imho, will be kept from you no longer once you are down with the '3's.

I just got these today, I put them in my ears over two hours ago, and here it is, 10:20pm, I've got work early tomorrow morning, and I cannot even tear myself away from these. I'm hearing my music for the first time, as far as I'm concerned. These headphones literally bring me to tears.

What's your music collection worth to you? Mine's worth about $10K in monetary value, priceless in musical value. I look at it this way now: If I didn't get the '3's, I wouldn't have saved the cost of the headphones - I would have wasted the value of my entire musical collection.

BTW, I do not work for Shure and I have no connection with them, Sony, Panasonic or the like.

If you are one of those conspiratory-minded people that think that a review this strong on musical electronics could only come from someone looking to knock a corporate power off of its perch,

that's cool with me; you probably don't understand music very well or a thing I've said above if you have time to waste on such thoughts that you could be spending listening to music.

Not being an audiophile but just an ordinary listener, I decided to splurge and check these out as Shure has a return policy. Am not disappointed --- really pleased to have the quality of great sound. Clear and crisp as one had great speakers. Don't bother with looping the cord over the ears, they work fine the regular way and check out the various inserts for the best fit. I have Sony noise cancellation headphones for over 7 years now and use those too, as well as medium priced Koss headphones from Radio Shack but neither compare to the E3c --- so save your money by not buying all those other headphones that will sit and go with the Shure E3c!

I ordered my pair the day after thanksgiving. I was a bit hesitant, due to the price, but let me tell you they worth every penny. I have not tried the 5cs, but this pair is good enough. As other users said, when you hear a song you truly love and have heard for thousand times before, it's like you are listening for the very first time. They passed my Enigma; Sting; Lara St John, and Cher tests with flying colors. The music is deep, not distorted, and detailed as if you are in the music hall in the best seat. Excellent choise, don't be bothered by the price, since we are paying $300 plus for our ipods, they deserve the best headphones out there. An important note, make absolutely sure that the headphones are all the way inside your ear canal, otherwise you will be dissappointed. The earphones come with a fitting package that will accomodate almost anybody's ears. The key is that the earphones need to be all the way inside your ear canal.
One bit downside is the cord is a bit akward. I guess it will take some getting used to, but for $180, I think the company can do a bit better with cord management.

An additional comment regarding Bass;

What we have to keep in mind is that these earphones are reproducing the sound in its 'pure' form. In other words they take the sound with all its attributes and reproduce it. That means that you will not be overpowered by bass. A lot of low priced earphones overcompensate with the bass to cover up the lack of the other details of the sound reproduction. A good example is the MDR series from Sony which are also inside the ear design. The MDRs overcompensate in the bass, because they distort the other elements of the sound. I am an avid audiophile for Jazz and Classical music, some pop too; but jazz and contemporary classical are my favorite genres. I am attending live performances very frequently. My take away from the live performances is that there is no overpowering of bass. Bass is supposed to be complimentary adding tempo to the overall performance, not being the performance itself. Thus, it might take a while to get used to the reduced presense of bass in these earphones, but this absence does not mean they are not good earphones. The absence actually means that they work they way they are supposed to be working. As mentioned earlier, if you don't hear any bass, then you are not fitting the earphones into your ear canal per the instructions.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 184 reviews  4.0 out of 5 stars