Will Shure e4's be loud enough

[vetinry]

Hello all

A friend is about to buy some Shure E2c's, but I have decided that it presents me with an opportunity for a win win, to sell him mine, and to upgrade my E3c's to E4's. A quick look on the Shure web site shows the sensitivity of the E3's at 115db / mw, compared to 109 db's for the E4's. Doesn't every 3db increase mean that the sound output appears twice as loud? My E3's are loud enough with my ipod, but when travelling, I already have the volume reasonably high sometimes and I'm just worried that the E4's won't hack it?

Also, other than the colour and length of cord, are there any differences between the E4's and the E4g's (the gaming edition). They are both the same price, so I'm guessing not.

Thanks very much

Steve

[Ed Selley]

Can't speak with regards to use with an Ipod but my E4's are capable of going far higher than I'll ever need. They don't seem any less sensitive than my old E2's

[Reano]

Not sure if 3db or 6db don't have the books to hand but here is what you need to do. Go into itunes and select all your files then in options set the volume to +70% or even +100% (But they tend to sound a bit clipped if played through itunes at 100%). Then update your ipod with your songs again (could take a while depending how many songs you got) on a full 60gb photo it takes about 4 hours to update ... If set to 100% (basically undoing the european setting) and you try through the ipod I think you will find it very difficult to get the volume on the Ipod above half way without serious ear damage So thats it problem solved .... (experiment between +50 and +100%. It shouldn't distort. I have tried it on the 4g and it works fine.

[vetinry]

Thanks Reano

I'll definitely do that.

Just one final question. On the Shure web site, it says that the E4g's have been optomised for use with Sony PSP, but the specs look identical to the standard E4's, other than the cord length.

Can I assume that this is marketing B***ocks?

I'd like to get them ordered today if possible

Thanks very much

Steve

[spl23]

I contacted Shure when I recently bought a pair of E3s, to ask what the difference between the E3c and E3g was. They assured me that they were identical in terms of sound quality - the only differences were the colour and the length of the cable. That was for the E3, but I suspect the E4c and E4g differ in the same cosmetic fashion. Usefully, the E3g is 15-20 quid cheaper than the E3c, and I wanted them in black anyway...

[Spinning Plates]

I think the headphone plug on the G series isn't as bulky making for a better fit for the PSP.

[Stewtheking]

If you're ANYWHERE NEAR the maximum volume on an ipod with the shure line you are listening much too high a volume. The isolation means you don't need to, and you are killing your ears!
Seriously, you only have one pair, treat them well!

Stew

[kazino21]

I had previously owned a pair of etymotic er4p's and just bought the shure e4's, I have spent hours running htem in and tried different ear fitting bits and they still sound horrible, with no low end extension whcih was the problem with the etymotics but the shure's are even worse. Not so shure about recommending them to be honest.

[orrelljet]

Originally Posted by vetinry

Hello all

A friend is about to buy some Shure E2c's, but I have decided that it presents me with an opportunity for a win win, to sell him mine, and to upgrade my E3c's to E4's. A quick look on the Shure web site shows the sensitivity of the E3's at 115db / mw, compared to 109 db's for the E4's. Doesn't every 3db increase mean that the sound output appears twice as loud? My E3's are loud enough with my ipod, but when travelling, I already have the volume reasonably high sometimes and I'm just worried that the E4's won't hack it?

Also, other than the colour and length of cord, are there any differences between the E4's and the E4g's (the gaming edition). They are both the same price, so I'm guessing not.

Thanks very much

Steve

Hi,

I have a 30GB ipod photo (gen 4) and also own a pair of shure E4s - as far as I know the E4c, E4 and E4g are all the same, so buy whichever you like. I never take mine above 35% volume in normal use and even on a longhaul flight they were just over halfway - they are plenty loud enough.

As far as low end punch is concerned, I would however have to agree that they don't "feel" anywhere near as bassy as the Sony EX71s they replaced but the clarity is so good it really doesn't matter to me - bass is crisp and not boomy. The problem actually lies with the ipod, not the shures; the newer ipods are apparently improved in the headphone amplification department, so that's a plus but it may be worth your while auditioning the ultimate ears super fi 5 pro, or simlar, if you're a basshead.

The headFi forums are a great place to pick up on opinions of others but, personally, I wouldn't swap mine for the world. Build quality is superb and, once you have a good seal, the quality of the sound they produce is staggering, considering the size.