Shure E2C VS Sennheiser CX300

[ferrari700]

well my shure e2c's have broken, so i am thinking, should i buy another pair or try something else like the cx300's which i have heard good things about.

defo one positive regarding the cx300's is that they are considerably cheaper.

these are the main factors i wish to know about

which earphone has best sound isolation
which earphone leaks less sound
which has better bass
which has better overall sound quality

cheers guys.

(obviously its cool if you want to recommend another pair of headphones entirely)

[LFC_SL]

The CX300 are considerably cheaper as they are canal phones, whereas your E2C are an entry level IEM

Did you have sound leakage and isolation problems prior to them breaking?

[IanW]

The only thing that I would say is the CX300 Mk1 have a VERY nice sound the bass is great, but the cable rub noise is very annoying! Not sure what the CX300 Mk2 are like. I am hoping that they have sorted this as I am thinking of replacing my Mk1.

Ian.

[LFC_SL]

I have yet to read about canals that do not suffer from microphonics one way or another. At the price point though I guess there is little incentive for a manufacturer to do as they would for a higher priced product

[willykatie]

Sorry to jump in, but what's the difference between canal and IEM?

[The-One]

Originally Posted by willykatie

Sorry to jump in, but what's the difference between canal and IEM?

No difference. It's just happens that more expensive canal phones are called IEMs, since they were originally used on stage as In Ear Monitors and marketed as such by the companies.

[Tomahawk]

Owning both I have to say they do offer very different sounds, and it will depend what sort of music you are listening to and what you're looking for. The e2c's, as you know, give a good quality sound that will pick out details that the cx300s simply cannot, but are a tad bass shy. The CX300s are weighted more towards the bass notes, which a lot of people seem to prefer, and it does suit heavier rock/dance tracks, whilst leaving something to be desired for classical and acoustic. I think a good litmus test is how loud do you crank your subwoofer (if you have one)?
For what it's worth, I'd take a good look in the opposite direction at the new Shure SE210 which has the same driver as the more expensive SE310, and are well worth the outlay. Shure build quality is almost unrivaled, needless to say the CX300s in my draw are my second pair.
Oh a quick note on noise isolation as you asked- Shure definitely win there.

Hope my rambling on helps!

[LFC_SL]

Originally Posted by The-One

No difference. It's just happens that more expensive canal phones are called IEMs, since they were originally used on stage as In Ear Monitors and marketed as such by the companies.

There's a massive difference

IEMs come iwth a fit kit of tips so you get a proper insert and [passive] isolation (think ear plugs)

Canal phones sit only at the entrance of your ear canal (hence the name), come with only 3 standard sized tips and are prone to fall out if you break walking pace

IEMs have superior driver technology and design, and infinitely better sound

[HacKage]

I don't know about anyone elses experiences with the CX300s, but I've went through 6 sets in around 8 months, every single pair ending up having problems with the left earphone which just dies.Wrote to Sennheiser and got no response back, so if I were you I'd probably pay the wee bit extra for the E2Cs rather than paying less for a set that will probably fail.I dont know if I am just unlucky, but 6 sets dying is just too much "bad luck" if you get me

[Zigster]

Funnily enough, I found the E2Cs were pretty flaky quality. I had two pairs which suffered the same problem: the cable seemed to break - one near the headphone jack and the other near the left earpiece. With the second pair, I returned them to Shure's UK distributors who (good customer service experience for me) replaced them with a pair of SE110s.

The SE110s seemed great but unfortunately have disappeared (along with my iPod) so I'm in the market for a new pair of IEM 'phones. I did think about the CX300s as they get some good reviews but I'm probably going to get another pair of SE110s - I'm just putting it off because it galls me to have to buy a new paid when my current pair were just fine.

[eL-ZilCHo!]

Originally Posted by Zigster

Funnily enough, I found the E2Cs were pretty flaky quality. I had two pairs which suffered the same problem: the cable seemed to break - one near the headphone jack and the other near the left earpiece. With the second pair, I returned them to Shure's UK distributors who (good customer service experience for me) replaced them with a pair of SE110s.

Not just me then. My second pair seem to be going the same way as my first pair with a broken cable near the plug end.

First were E2Cs second/ current pair are SE110s (I think)

I wouldn''t be too bothered but its not as though they are heavily used... never mind. Shame, they sounded good too - if a bit bass light.

I think I'll try a different brand this time.

Sennheiser CX300, I use these in the gym. They are OK for what they are. Consider them like one of those 'hi-fis' they sell at large electronic stores, loud and brash with zero subtelty. They sound alright though, much better than freebies.

They do sound completly different so its difficult to compare them. The senns are fun but the shures are of a higher sound quality - if a bit brittle in their constuction.

[ABC1]

Breaking around the plug end seems to be a common problems for many brands of phone, personally experience it with some skullcandys, that lasted only several months before going. One thing that does seem to stop this happening is where the plug entry point is at 90 degrees to the cable (CX300 like this, as are some Ultimate Ears) this does seem to stop the cable breaking up.
I suspect this happens because we all have a habit of wrapping the cable around the mp3 player when not in use, putting a strain on the cable entry point in to the plug. Hence the benefit of the 90 degree entry point.

[Drubbing]

I really don't get why the CX300 is such a big seller and gets great feedback; I had mine 2 years and thought they were awful.

I guess it comes down to providing a bass centred sound that people expect, but I want more from my phones than just reasonable bass, it's only one ingredient.

But their sound is all bass/treble. Bmmm tssh. There's no midrange there, and so no warmth. So for me, no matter how good it's bass is, it lacks balance.

[dsw182]

I had some CX300s for a couple of years and personally couldn't particularly fault them. A month or two ago the left phone stopped working so I bought a new pair of CX300-IIs.

While the sound is still fine for me, the build quality appears to have declined. The parts where the cable attaches to the phones and the plug are really quite flimsy - I don't expect the plug to last very long.

They did only cost me a tenner, so perhaps I shouldn't have expected so much, but the original CX300 were rather good.