Shure E2C alternatives?

simisker

simisker

simisker

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'lo all!

My E2Cs are on their last wires and I'm in the market for some similar canalphones. Criteria:

  • Durable
  • Soft foam 'mouldable' buds that can be replaced when required
  • Round-the-back wiring, like the E2Cs
  • Equivalent or better sound quality
  • £150 absolute stratospheric maximum
  • Non-microphonic

Any suggestions?
 
I recommend the Super.Fi 5 Pro earphones, i've got those and they're pretty good.

- Sound quality is in fact better (I believe, not entirely sure?)
- Cost less, around £130 ish I think
- Pretty damn durable, i've sat on them, dropped them. Though after wrapping the wire around my iPod for a year the wire broke internally but the actually earphones themselves can detach from the wire and managed to replace that.
- Passive noise cancelling, that makes them non-microphonic I think? Haha.

Hope the above helps. If not the Etymotic ER-6's are a good buy I do believe.
 
Westone UM1s (or if you really want to splash out then UM2s)

The best bar nothing in my experience, better (more flexible) cables and far better sound than anything shure produce.

About £100 or so...for UM1s. UM2s are dual driver and about £230, also slightly bigger but worth every penny.
 
bigredshark said:
The best bar nothing in my experience, better (more flexible) cables and far better sound than anything shure produce.
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Far better sound, I doubt that very, very much, you may prefer them mate, but you can't say they're far better than the Shures, especially my E500 PTH's and Shures as a whole are very highly rated by most people.
 
Thanks for your responses, guys :)

Well, with the usual suspects proposed, I did some research/review-reading at the usual places... and I very nearly persuaded myself to pony up the extra dough and get the Shure Se530s.

Don't look at me like that; you've all been there. This is OcUK, after all :p

Ultimately, though, the normally-ignored voice of reason staged a dirty protest in my mind's parliament; the upshot being that I won't be buying a pair of IEMs which are more expensive than my reference Beyer cans.

Which is why, all things considered, I'm going to give the UE Super.fi 5 Pros a go: good price for a two-driver system, supposedly good quality audio and a cable that's not as prone to cracking/splitting as the ones on the Shures seem to be [including my E2Cs]. Oh, and squidgy foamy goodness. "Mmm...", as my ears would say if they were also mouths.

Again, thanks guys.
 
Good choice on the sf5p, I've owned most of the top end iems up to e500 price band and in my totally unbiased opinion the sf5p are the best, at least for a non purest like me.

E500/se530 mids are definitely clearer and more detailed but imo the sf5p wins in all other areas.
Massive soundstage, they actually sound like proper cans.
Bigger bass.
Treble not rolled off half as much as the shures.
Very fun sounding.
 
Love my SF5Ps :D Just bought a new iPod to replace my broken one and still sound just as good. Also got a mini headphone amp that clarifies the sound a little. Good choice!
 
i'm using some E500's with a Xin Supermicro IV amp and they're a great portable combo.

as far as the SF 5 Pro i didn't like them tbh and that's just a personal preference, they don't suck but i like my E500 much better.

any of these IEM's we're talking about are a massive step up from EC2 so either way you'll be impressed.
 
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Big Kev said:
Far better sound, I doubt that very, very much, you may prefer them mate, but you can't say they're far better than the Shures, especially my E500 PTH's and Shures as a whole are very highly rated by most people.
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Shure's aren't brilliant, I had a pair of E5Cs before I got my UM2s and they're both better and cheaper. Bass is tighter and better controlled than shure. Treble is better defined too I feel.

Maybe it's personal preference, but I prefer the listening experience and all the technical reviews I've seen show the UM2s as have more accurate sound reproduction than equivilent shures.

E500s are discontinued now, nothing really to replace them unfortunately, the line-up has gone a lot more commercial. Also the cables on my shure's kept breaking and having to be replaced, UM2 cables have never been a problem - they're also more flexible and comfortable to wear for me.

Lastly, the new shure's in particular are very big compared to most of the competition and I don't find them terribly comfortable.
 
Bit of an obscure one here but there are plenty of happy users on Head Fi;

Future Sonics Atrio M5.

They are what I'm getting when I eventually have the cash (hifi system comes first!)
 
bigredshark said:
Shure's aren't brilliant, I had a pair of E5Cs before I got my UM2s and they're both better and cheaper. Bass is tighter and better controlled than shure. Treble is better defined too I feel.

Maybe it's personal preference, but I prefer the listening experience and all the technical reviews I've seen show the UM2s as have more accurate sound reproduction than equivilent shures.

E500s are discontinued now, nothing really to replace them unfortunately, the line-up has gone a lot more commercial. Also the cables on my shure's kept breaking and having to be replaced, UM2 cables have never been a problem - they're also more flexible and comfortable to wear for me.

Lastly, the new shure's in particular are very big compared to most of the competition and I don't find them terribly comfortable.
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you're comparing the flagship Westone's to the older Shure model ;) have you listened to the E500's even? they're a big step up from the E5C that's for sure (no pun intended) - much tigher & defined bass, richer mids/highs.

i haven't listened to the UM2's and i know they're highly rated, i just don't want to get on the trying 5 pairs of headphones carousel anymore :) that hobby sucks more money than a PC obsession ever will.
 
marscay said:
you're comparing the flagship Westone's to the older Shure model ;) have you listened to the E500's even? they're a big step up from the E5C that's for sure (no pun intended) - much tigher & defined bass, richer mids/highs.

i haven't listened to the UM2's and i know they're highly rated, i just don't want to get on the trying 5 pairs of headphones carousel anymore :) that hobby sucks more money than a PC obsession ever will.
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When I bought my UM2s, the E5Cs were shure's top end product. I haven't been bothered enough since to do another comparison because I'm happy with the westone's.

To be honest I've started wearing my UM1s on the tube again, as they're smaller and more comfortable have the same clarity as the UM2s but not the bass. and they're £100 as opposed to £250, which matters as I go through a pair or two a year...
 
Slightly offtopic but a superior set of headphones for cheaper than the Shure E2C's are Sennheiser CX300's.

Much better in my experience, I had 2 pairs of Shure E2C's and the fact they cost double of my CX300's annoyed me greatly, they don't compare the Sennheisers trample them.
 
A quick review of the SF5 Pros after a week or so's use:

Audio quality: Without doubt better than the E2Cs; more definition throughout the frequency range, a wider soundstage and boy, are they loud. The most obvious improvement was when listening to drum-heavy 80s pop [Japan's excellent 'Tin Drum', if you're interested], where the percussion sounded snappy, punchy and had much more body than drums produced in the Eighties have any right to be. These are obviously IEMs with a fast response and a high-mid bias. I get the feeling with these phones that they can handle anything I care to put through them. Like I say, better in every aspect.

Living with them: Not so good. Cable length is nearly a foot shorter than that on the E2Cs, which makes the way I listen to music only just doable. I chose the black ones, which was a mistake as the cable is clear no matter which 'colour' enclosures you opt for; I wish I'd known beforehand. They're slightly less comfortable, as the design means that the cables from the enclosures are further away from the side of the head so don't 'flow' over the ear as nicely as the old phones, and believe it or not the spongy foam tips - comprised merely of cheap tubes of plastic and sponge as they are - somehow manage to be more badly constructed than the ones for the Shures. I've broken two already, which is ridiculous. On the plus side, the cable doesn't look like it's going to crack or split any time soon, and the Y-tightener is a much more robust affair - as, it has to be said, are the enclosures themselves.

So upgrading from E2Cs to SF5 Pros, then: sacrificing a bit of practicality and comfort for a significant improvement in sound quality. I'm pleased rather than overjoyed with my purchase.
 
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Have you tried swapping the drivers round? and with the foam tips, remember to compress them between your thumb and your first two fingers before putting them in your ears :).
 
Phnom_Penh said:
Have you tried swapping the drivers round? and with the foam tips, remember to compress them between your thumb and your first two fingers before putting them in your ears :).
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Heh, I can't forget to compress them; I have smaller-than-usual ear canals, it would appear. I'll try the driver-swap now... nope, the same feeling that they're there; they simply don't 'become part of me' as much the Shures did.

Interestingly, I've just A/Bed these with my Beyer DT880s [through an amp, naturally], and surprisingly there's much more low-mid solidity with the SFs. Less clinical/neutral reproduction, obviously [something the 880s are renowned for], and a clear second when it comes to handling transients, but still... I'm almost tempted to say that I'd prefer these for everyday casual listening!

Although again, I'm sitting here with the headphone amp only just out of reach... and the bloody cable is nearly taut. It strikes me that for anything other than a battery-driven portable mp3 player these would be completely impractical without an extension. Amazing the difference a foot makes, etc.
 
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I have a pair of UM2's and they are superb, and a little better than the SFpro5's and can be had for £150 imported from the USA.

But do have a look at the SONY EX90's. Clingfilm modded (using my guide on headfi) they sound almost as good as the UM2's. For £55 they are a steal.
 
Vegetarian... sfp5 are half that price imported from the states (infact I paid £150 for e500's!) and its up for debate as to whether there better, being an ex um2 owner I would personally say they aren't.

Simisker, with a bit of messing you can fit shure tips on the sf5p, I used to use the shure black olive foam tips on mine.

Also, the westone ES cable will fit them, gives better sound, longer length (they sell them at multiple lengths) and is more flexible than the ultimate ears cable.

I actually found the living with the sf5pro easier than my e500's, the memory wire meant I can whip them in and out better getting them over the ear etc...
 
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