soundberry Shure E3

Ok, gals and boys! Get ready! I just got the Shure E3c (white) on 1/9/04, and they just sent me the first Shure E3 (grey version compared to white E3c) this afternoon (1/12/04) to compare to the E3c. Yep, they're the same exact product! Same beautifull sound! Call me crazy, but the grey looks cooler! If you like flashy, then get the white E3c. Some may think the white E3c to be a better match for the iPod (color wise), however since you wear the earphones in your ear and not next to the iPod, I found the white to be really too flashy against any skin color. In my opinion, you would want something more invisible in your ear and not draw to much attention to it.

The engineers at Shure had told me that the E3 should give a bit more punch on the low end. Well, after popping in Sting's Nothing Like The Sun CD, I could not wipe the smile off my face and couldn't stop thinking "nothing like this Shure E3". It's that good. First thing I noticed was actually a fuller sound experience starting with the high frequencies. The 3-D experience is simply too difficult to put in words. The sound is inside your head. Amazingly, as I stated before, headphones will give me a headache after 20-30 minutes, but these are so subtle. There’s no pressure, nothing. There is just the beautiful sound of many instruments and many voices dancing inside your head. Once you try the Shure E3, you will see that each and EVERY one hundred seventy nine dollar bills are so well worth (no wonder it’s got a 30 day money back on these earphones -- Also note that MicrophoneSolutions.com will beat any lower price you find on these earphones, including Shure’s own website prices and any other Shure Authorized dealers -- see details on MicrophoneSolutions.com website under "Lower Price Guarantee" and on the earphone pages). One has to enjoy music, quality and experience these in order to understand what I'm saying.

Comfort: There were no issues such as I had sometimes with the E1 due to the hard edges of the enclosures. The Shure E3c did not tire any spot on my ear cartilage. It seems like the Shure E3 was made after my ear shape and size. The Shure E2c always felt too bulky for me. The E1 size was great but there would always be some marks left on my ear after some time wearing them and eventually it would hurt until I re-accommodate them. The Shure E5 sat ok but the hardwire kind of kept pulling the earphones outwards and the enclosure felt a bit on the bigger side. The E3 earphones are the perfect size for me. There was no discomfort after an hour or so (there was always some discomfort with the E1 after some time). The round edges work like a charm. The edge shape is very important because depending on your ear shape and size, you will more than likely have to rely on these to rest against your ear cartilage, helping the earphones stay in place. This is not always necessary. Some people will feel that the earphones will stay in place just because of the sleeves (bigger ears) and some will want to have the back (white) part to rest a bit twisted outwards (smaller ears).

Ok, ok, ok. What I didn’t like: the cable exit on the earphones end pointing upwards in a 90 degree angle. I whish that cable could have been routed forward instead, like the Shure E2 (look at the picture). For my specific anatomy, with the cable going up like that, it ends up going over my ear instead of forward and then back around the back of the ear. It’s still too soon and I will also try the small grey sleeves which may place the E3 more inward bringing that cable exit to a good position for the loop around the ear. This minor thing doesn’t affect my verdict: hands down, BEST earphones I used.

Shure emphasizes on the package: Studio Sound Quality. I can testify to that. I have handled, used and dealt with all the professional Sony line for studios: the MDR Series (7506, etc.). I have used the Bose headphones; the most expensive Sennheiser headphones (HD600, HD580) and I have used the $500 Shure E5. If were given a choice to pick any of these for FREE, you would find me grabbing the new E3 box. That’s how good it is. Overall experience is so much better than a Sony MDR or than any other professional headphones for that matter, that it’s in a different class altogether. I could not compare them. Of course some people will always prefer that over this or this over that, but here in my review, you know where my money is going. Like I said on the comparison of December, it took almost a week to find the correct spot with the in-ear earphones where I maximized comfort and performance. As I also mentioned on that comparison, if it doesn't sound really good, you have an isolation issue that needs to be fixed by trying different kinds and sizes of sleeves. The isolation plays a MAJOR role on a in-ear earphone. You need that in order to have the bass delivered. Without a proper isolation the in-ear earphones will sound thin. For me the only sleeves that accomplished that were the yellow foam ones. So make sure you try, try and try until you get it right. For first time users, routing that cable out of the way can also be a bit of a pain. Sometimes when you get the cable right, the earphone will pop out, and sometimes when you get the earphone right you will find the cable in the middle of the way. I have to say, this was an easier task with the E1s, but Shure wanted to improve the shielding of the E3 cable so they had to make it thicker. I'm sure the E3 will be a boom in the US market as well as in Europe and Japan (country where some say, the professional earphone mania invaded the MP3 universe).

About a week and a half later here I am. Listening to Creed's Weathered CD, Bullets, Dire Straits' Down To The Waterline, Water Of Love, and lastly some awesome Brazilian music: Bebel Gilberto and Jorge Ben Jor. Boy, I'm happy! Today I tried the stock earphone that comes with the Rio Karma. Do you know that story about the 2 cars that will take you to the same place? One will cost you $900. It will be a rough ride, no ac, but it will get you there. The other (say a Mercedes) will cost you $95,000 and it will take you to the same exact spot but with much more comfort (and let's say more pleasure). Here I can't say the story is the same, because the E3 takes me to a place VERY different than the other earphones and headphones. Some instruments are coming from left, some are coming from right and some vocals and percussion are coming from different center sections of my head. A CatScan would show a party going inside my head. WOW! Maybe I shouldn't write a review while listening to my iPod with these E3 plugged on it. I might get too carried away.

Anyhow, this update is to let you know that I've tried the earphones today upside down and also with the cables going straight down instead of around the ear. It's faster to do it this way. In some situations it's also better. For example when you are sitting down or laying down this way works just fine. For when I'm riding my bike or jogging then I prefer to take the extra time to accomodate the cables behind the ears. The sound got better. I'm sure it has to do with practice and perhaps some accomodation of the foams. The yellow foams are definetely my favorites. Isolation is better, bass, mids, comfort, everything. Again, this will vary depending on your ears size and shape, so make sure you try all the sleeves.

Sound isolating earphones were originally developed to allow musicians to hear their own performance in loud onstage environments. Sound isolating earphones work by using soft, pliable sleeves to seal out background noise, allowing small, high-performance speakers to deliver incredibly precise sound directly to the ear. Shure now makes these professional-quality earphones available for use with portable audio or video devices such as CD, MP3 and DVD players.

The primary difference is their listening position — where they are worn in relation to your ear. Headphones generally enclose your ear or rest on top of it. Regular earphones (like the earbuds often packaged with CD players) sit on the outside of the ear. Sound isolating earphones are different. They are designed to fit inside your ear canal, where they create the isolated listening area responsible for their unique acoustic properties.

In ear isolation makes it possible to hear greater detail at a lower volume than is possible with earbuds or most headphones intended for portable use. Lower-volume listening means less fatigue over extended periods, and is safer than trying to overcome background noise by turning up the volume. This makes isolating in ear earphones the ideal choice for commuting, travel, exercise, study, or work — any activity where you desire portable, hi-fidelity sound.

The isolating seal created by an in ear earphone physically blocks most frequencies of background noise. Active noise cancellation "headphones" are generally larger, heavier and battery-driven. The active cancellation process negates selected frequencies through a complex process that can even introduce unwanted artifacts into the resulting audio. The natural sound isolation properties of a properly fitted in ear earphone can rival or exceed the performance of even the most expensive active noise cancellation alternatives.

d) Because you bought from us and we ARE SHURE AUTHORIZED DEALERS, you have 2 Year Warranty, meaning that the E3s will be replaced at no charge for a brand new unit within 2 years by Shure (800-516-2525 – no hassle replacements or repairs). If repairs or replacement are ever needed and if you lost your invoice, you can always call us or email us a year and a half from now (or whenever) and we will be glad to reprint your invoice so that you can send a copy to Shure along with your earphones.

Last week my peace of mind was saved by audio technology. I was sitting in a barber chair and a three-year old got into the one next to me. From the way this little bugger screamed, you would have thought he was getting a tooth pulled without Novocain. Two people left the shop in disgust. I didn’t. I donned my Etymotic Research ER-4 MicroPro earphones, jamming them so far into my ears the triple-flange eartips tickled, and played Frank Zappa’s Roxy And Elsewhere on my SanDisk Sansa MP3 player. I smiled as I sat in the chair next to this pint-sized caterwauler. I could hear nothing but “Penguin in Bondage.” “We cannot bid the ear be still,” says Wordsworth, but now we can certainly choose what goes in. We can sound-isolate.

Two earphone sets are leaders in this field and both surpass the default earphones that come with the Sensa and the iPod. First, the ER-4s. They are a good choice for the relatively new field of sound isolation. Etymotic’s marketing literature talks a lot about “transparency” and “reference quality” when it describes them. The mid and high tones are excellent. Gershwin’s Piano Concerto came through with such pristine tones I could hear the percussion more vividly than through my large Grado SR 225 headphones connected to my home theater. Alas, the bass response leaves something to be desired. [When I reviewed the Etymotics some years ago I found they had much greater bass response than the Grados or any standard headphones - if inserted tightly into the ears. However, I had a clicking in one ear for several days after a plane flight with them...Ed. ]

Their external noise exclusion -- 35 dB with triple-flange eartips, 42 dB with foam eartips – is quite impressive. Some may find the triple-flange eartips hard to get used to. I did, so I switched to the ones that came with the Shure E3s, not included of course in the original package but readily available on the Internet. I find them more ear-canal-friendly. The cables leading from the ER-4 phones are somewhat too thin, so they transmit noise more easily than most. I use them more as sitting-still computer headsets than as walking-around MP3 player earphones. If you do, note that the green splitter is heavy, so use them with the provided clothing clip. Unlike other earphones, you can’t loop them easily around your ears to reduce weight drag. Use the clip.

The set comes with an impressive case containing spare foam and triple-flange eartips. It even has a cleaning tool and filter changer, two items you may not need much if you keep your ear canals clean. (Don’t use Q-tips--purchase an over-the-counter liquid or mix 50/50 solution of white vinegar and rubbing alcohol.) The Shure E3 earphones were a pleasant surprise. At about $50 cheaper than the ER-4s you’d expect them to be deficient in some way? Not so. They come in two colors, the E3c (white) and the E3 (gray), which I tested. The box is quite a struggle to open, so get some strong scissors and find a good storage case for the accouterments, because you will destroy the case. The earphones weigh less than an ounce and come with a sturdy, reinforced carrying case, but no clothing clip. Normally inferior headphones give me a headache after forty minutes, but these, like the ER-4s, didn’t. They also are packaged with more comfortable sleeves. The soft edges of the gray ones seem to accommodate my tender ear canals better than the triple flanges that come with the ER4s.

Note that these sleeves are easy to change. For example, I removed the ER-4's triple flanges and replaced them with the transparent semi-hard enclosures that also came with the E3s. They aren’t as sound-isolating as the triple flanges, which in turn aren’t as isolating as the foam sleeves. The earphone is also bent forward at an angle, so it not only stays securely in the ear canal, it also allows you to wrap the wire around your ear. Some have reported success with this configuration, but I found the wire kept unwrapping unless I held it in place with my wire rimmed glasses.

The sound is superb. They seem to have more punch both at the low end and in the midtones than the ER-4's. This makes them excellent choices for those ultra-compact MP3 players that compromise some sound for miniaturization, like the diminutive SanDisk Sansa. On the Apple 20 GB iPod M9282LL/A the sound was more transparent and clear. For classical music like the new Universal recording of Benjamin Britten’s Cello Sonata (Opus 65), the instruments came through as if I was listening with my Grado SR-225’s (actually at bit better). I kept finding new details, particular in the piano accompaniment. I got similar results listening through my Dell computer. Don’t expect sizzling highs and booming bass, though. You’ll need over-the-ear models for that. With both of these earphone, note that it takes about seven days of wearing them to get the best seal. You will get better results with the foam sleeves, but they stiffen with age and must be replaced more often than you’d like. These earphones go in deeply, so keep your ears clean of wax, or you’ll end up having to dismantle and clean them often. [The popular stipulation against using cotton swabs is a bit extreme to my thinking; just use them to carefully clean the sides of the ear canal and don’t push them in...Ed.]