Customer Reviews

Shure EA306 Triple Flange Sleeves for E3c, E3g, E4c, E4g, E5c, I3, I4c, E3c-n and E4c-n models

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

They isolate you much better than the standard sleeves for the E3c's. Itookthemon an airplane yesterday, and barely even heard the roar of the engines, even when I turned my iPod off. My only complaint is thatthey donotmake a black version of them, because after a few weeks of use, they start to discolor, due to earwax.

I don't know why Shure doesn't provide at least 1 pair of the EA306 triple-flange sleeves with their products. In short, they provide the most comfortable fit and best sound isolation. We own a pair of E3C's and E5C's. I would recommend them more for the E5C's than the E3Cs and I'll tell you why. The E5C is much larger in your ear and the stem that comes out from them is proportionatly shorter than the stem comming out of the E3Cs. I liked the foam inserts for the E3C. With the E5C, the triple flange provides a more comfortable fit and a better seal in the ear which means better sound! I had to really take a chance when I bought these - being that I paid over $500 for the E5Cs, I was reluctant to spend the $10 for the sleeves but am glad that I did. They do what they are designed to do. I was very pleased with the isolation and greater sound. Before, I used the foam sleeves with the E5Cs and found myself trying to push them further in my ears to hear the sound better! These give the E5cs a better, more stable fit in the ear which is also more comfortable. I was a bit disappointed with the E5C ear buds until I purchased these sleeves. I highly recommend them and wish Shure would consider adding a pair of these to the 12 ear pieces that come with the E5Cs.

The Shure Triple Flange Sleves, when used with the E3c ear phone and an mp3 player work exactly as advertised. I use them on a motorcycle and they completely block wind noise while still allowing me to hear traffic sounds. I can enjoy music at reduced volume levels without damage to my hearing. Great product at a reasonable price !

I own a pair of SE530's and I've been playing around with all the different Shure sleeves. I have found these to be the best all around fit. When I first tried these they were just WAY to big... felt like they were tickling my eardrums so I put them to the side and tried out the other sleeves for a few weeks. I wasn't satisfied with the single rubber flanges so I then went to the black foam ones. They were okay but I decided to crack open the package again and give these another shot except this time I grabbed some scissors and trimmed down the sleeve part. After experimenting with a few snips of the scissor, I found the perfect size and all I can say is WOW! They fit perfectly and feel rock solid in my ears. Forget about falling out... I can dive off the Empire State and they'll still be in my ears when they pick up the pieces. You can also forget about having a conversation with anyone when you have these on so use an inline mic or learn sign language.
Don't make the same mistake I did and just stick them in and rip 'em right out... buy the package of 3 and start cutting to get the right fit. The other reviewers who were complaining about the fit didn't take Shures advice and trim them to fit their ears. Give 'em a shot... You might be surprised as well!

Like most people who purchased Shure headphones (I have the E3C), I tried all the sleeves: The translucent ones were too hard and kept falling out; the grey flex sleeves were great for about half an hour (I tried them several times) but seemed to fall out because of perspiration from my ear canal; the foam ones probably gave me the best bass, but I got frustrated with them hardening after a week or two so, and with having to take them out and re-roll and insert them when someone wanted to talk to me at work. So, I purchased these. Except for the slight edge in the bass that the foam sleeves provide, I'm very happy with the sound quality of these. They stay in my ears, are easy to insert and remove, and can be cleaned and reused (unlike the foam).

One issue I have--everyone's ears are different....--is that my left ear canal is a bit narrower than my right one. These sleeves seem to handle this situation the best of all the sleeves. A second issue is that these sleeves seem to accentuate the treble and midrange at the expense of the bass. I still use the foam sleeves for music that is more bass heavy (No, I'm not a bass head) but as an all-around sleeve, I probably prefer these.

As someone else pointed out, Shure really ought to include these sleeves with all their headphones. Perhaps they make a fortune selling them separately.

First of all, please remember that different people have different ears that fit different sizes and shapes of plugs, so please do not judge the product based on the very subjective matter of ear compatibility.

The sleeves themselves provide very good sound isolation. Even with the music off, they can reduce the deafening rattle of the subway to a lulling hum. Put the music on, and you're cut off from the world! That can be good and bad. When you do want to be cut off, it's great; but I wouldn't recommend walking in traffic with these things in your ears - you may get run over. Also, if people are talking to you, don't expect to hear them.

I absolutely love these things except for one detail. They don't last long. They will come clean and white, but the rubber will deteriorate with time and turn hard and yellow whether or not you've ever put them in your ears. They come three pairs at a time; one I used, the other two I kept spare, and within just a few months all pairs were an ugly yellow. The ones I hadn't used also turned hard and inflexible. The one I used got too soft and slimy, and even after I scrubbed them with soap inside and out, the plugs just wouldn't stay on the earphone tips anymore, but slide off and fall.

For the sound quality and isolation, these are definitely worth getting. I'd just recommend buying one pair at a time, or if not (like these come three pairs together) then changing them often, before they have hit their expiration date.


p.s. I use them on my Westone earphones, which they are compatible with.

They work well, not only increasing the pleasure of listening, but also cutting almost all of the outside noise out.

They are difficult to get into your ear, but once there they will not fall out. They are perfect at blocking all sound and I found them to be very comfortable.

Only complaint, they start to turn yellow from ear wax, so make sure to wash them every couple of weeks or once a month.

I did not realize when I bought these that there were three pair in the package (as well as the earwax removal tool). I've been seeing how much sound these block in my "average" ears. So far, I've found it to be a lot. With music on at a mid-volume, I can't hear myself clap directly in front of my face. It's like a new pair of headphones.

I got the Shure E3's a little over a month and a half ago, and I haven't been satisfied. One ear came with a Large sized silicon fitting, and one was Medium. The large was too big for my ears (in fact, it kept coming off of the actual earphone and staying embedded in my ear, that's how tight it was!), and the medium was about right. These blow them out of the water. It's like a new pair of headphones.

If you have Shure E3s, I recommend at least trying them. Sure, they go deep into your ears, but they're triple-flange. That means there's basically 3x the sound isolation of the ones Shure includes. I figured they'd be worth it at $9 a pair, but at a third of that they're a steal.

When I first tried these I hated them. I had been using the gray and foam ones for over a year before getting these. I couldn't get these to seal my ears which resulted in terrible base.

On the advice of another review I put a little bit of water into my ears which allowed them to slide better into the ears.

You need to try a different angle than with the other pairs of sleeves. They go in deeper and thus need a sharper angle. I wasn't able to get them to go in until after I used the water.

I also trimmed the excess off of the long stems which made the profile smaller and brought the speakers closer to my ear drums.

Hope this helps!