[grd2]

Has anyone carried out a direct comparison between the Shure E2c and Sennheiser's MX500?

The reason I ask is that I have just received my E2cs and I have tried them with my USB MP3 player and, quite frankly, they sound exceedingly weak, almost tinny, certainly compared with the MX500.

In fact they sound so weak that I suspect either they are faulty, although I find it hard to believe that both earpieces are faulty, or I am not wearing them correctly and that appears to be an art in itself.

I shall try them with my CDs later but any comments would be appreciated.

[huwg]

Hi,
I too have only just taken ownership of some E2C's and I agree that there is an art to wearing them.
It sounds to me as though you don't have them correctly inserted, they should feel as though you have your fingers in your ears in that all external noises are very muffled.
I am still experimenting with the sleeve options and have found the super soft black tips to be the easiest to fit and create a seal and are more comfortable to boot (imo) - I use the small size. The foam ones I find tend to stay in better - they are my current choice. The clear tips look and feel like torture devices.

Have you read the fitting tips pdf on the Shure website? It gives more detailed instructions on how to fit them (pull your ear up and out to straighten the canal).
You should know you have a good fit as your ears will feel blocked, and the bass should be greatly improved.

Soundwise, they are quite different from other phones I've tried. I've found the soundstage seems narrower, but as external sounds are excluded, you get a consistently good sound wherever you use them. At the moment the jury is still out, but I'm warming to them. I'd like a more open and detailed treble, but I suppose that comes with the ones higher up in the range. They don't sound as good as full size cans of the same price (eg Grado SR60), but they are a different type of product and certainly don't leak as much sound, so are much more friendly to fellow commuters.

I have no experience of the Sennheisers, so cannot comment on those.

[Reano]

I have the e5c and the mx500 so not a fair comparison but the sony 21's will beat the mx500 comfortably. Shure's are mainly about the fit. Get a nice snug fit and the sound will improve. The yellow foam are comfortable but a pain to clean. I go for the dark grey soft pads. The clear ones I agree are made to hurt

[spl23]

I recently bought a set of the Shure E3g (which are the same as the E3c, but in black) and I was initially hugely disappointed with them. I bought them to replace some Sony MDR-EX70s, and compared to the Sonys, the Shures sounded thin, shrill and completely lacking in bass - in no way worth their £100 price tag.

However - all is not lost. First, make sure they are fitting properly - the foam sleeves are much better than the rubber ones for achieving a good seal with your ears, and they helped mine a lot in the early days. I say "in the early days" for a reason - of all the audio components I've ever owned, the Shures are the one that most needed to be "broken in". Took about a week of listening to them for an hour or two a day, and the bass gradually appeared. After a week or so, I junked the foam sleeves and went back to the rubber ones, and I'd now say they are amongst the best headphones I've ever heard, and well worth the money.

Try plugging them into your hi-fi, setting it at a comfortable listening volume and just playing music through them constantly for a day or two, even while you aren't wearing them - they may well loosen up in the same way as the E3s do.

[grd2]

Cheers guys, I will persevere.

Thanks for the heads up on the Shure pdf.