Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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54 of 55 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Incredible, May 10, 2006
Having owned an Ipod for over a year but I've never been pleased with the fit and sound, mainly the fit. Reading Sports Illustrated Shane Battier was talking about essentials needed for constant travel in the NBA. This item was one of his.
What a great purchase! Sound is incredible. Now admittedly I'm not a stereo freak so people on a higher plane than me may search for something better. But the improved sound is incredible to me. Some songs I liked before have a whole new meaning as you hear background noise or lyrics much better.
There is one more benefit/distraction. They feel great in your ear after two days getting used to them. They do bother you a little till then. The new benefit is because they are snug, you can't hear the outside world hardly at all. That's a positive for hearing good music and drowning out the sound of an airplane engine. It's not a positive if you are sitting in the doctor's office and they continue to call you name and you can't hear them.
Overall, I am extremely happy and strongly recommend these plugs. One of my best purchases in the last few years.
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33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great sound isolation, amazing sound reproduction, May 2, 2006
I've used three different brands of noise-cancelling headphones, including the current Bose models, and the E3c is the best choice for airplane flights.
Besides being much smaller than the active headphones, it provides better sound isolation. The earphones I got included a small zippered case that you wind the wire around a bobbin to keep things need. The Bose owners with their bulky travel case look at me jealously when I pull out my little kit and install my ear pieces.
The noise reduction with the sponge foam ear pieces is great, and yet you can still hear close conversations (I just pull the plug on my iPod when I want to order a drink or hear the announcements). The sound quality is excellent, rivaling studio monitors in clarity and accuracy.
If you use the sponge foam ear pieces, you'll need to order replacements, as they're good for about 10 extended uses before they start to lose their resiliancy. Besides, they get a bit grungy with time. You can get 10 pair for about 25 bucks on Amazon. Well worth it!
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Sounding though the accessories are a bit pricey!, August 19, 2006
Just picked these up today, bought them online from an authorized Shure Retailer after visiting the Shure Website and reading the warning about purchases made from Ebay and other sites not being covered under warranty. Spending this kind of money for a quality product, a large part of the price is the warranty and company standing behind the product. So you might have to spend a little more (though when shopping, I found them for $179.99 with a $50 price reducing coupon and free shipping so $129.99 wasn't all that bad).
The good: Sound is excellent. I've read people complaining about not receiving enough bass. I tried a couple of different ear flang sizes, (I also own a pair of Etoymic ER6i which I love and found the three stage silicon flanges worked best for my ears. I also written a review on the ER6i's pointing out there strength and weaknesses)finally settled upon the yellow foam for the E3. I've found the tone on these to be rich, picking up some subtle differences in tried and true songs from Dire Straits, Mark Knopfler, and Eric Clapton from those heard with the ER6i's. The wires on the E3 are also thicker which has reduced some noises associated with movement on the ER6i's. However the thickness in wire does add to the bulk in your pocket which unless you are using the IPOD NANO, shouldn't be a big deal. All and all, I'm very satisfied with the price, quality and sound of the E3.
The bad: As I've decided to go with the foam ear pieces, this adds a considerable ongoing "FEE" for using the E3 over the ER6i. Granted you can get 20 pack (10 pairs) of the foam replacements which retail for $21.50 (not including shipping and handling) for a reduced price if you shop around. But when you add the shipping and handling, they start to get pricey. I'll be interested to see how long a pair last. The E3 only included 1 pair in the original package, which seems kind of cheezy as they do recommend frequent replacment. Granted I could use the 3 stage silicon flange, (which by the way run over $12.00 a pair and none are included with the E3)as I've done with the ER6i. I do think Shure should have included a pair of them with the E3 for I am loath to spend $12.00 plus shipping and handling to try them. I still have some for the ER6i, I might try to see if they will fit.
All in all, I can recommend the sound of the E3 and as audio fidelity is different for each of us, I can't say that the ER6i are better or worse then the E3. Each have their strengths and weaknesses. I expect I'll continue to use both in different situatons. I will be flying at the end of the month, and will bring the E3 along for their maiden voyage. The ER6i's have always performed well for me in air travel, and I expect the E3 will as well.
After using the E3's for a long time, I decided I preferred them over the ER6i's (which I'd had to send back for warranty work when one side went out). I figured with the thicker cords, I'd never have that problem with the E3's. Wrong. After a few months, the right side of the E3 cut out.
Both Shure and Etymoic give great customer support. Just make certain you keep your original receipt and I recommend scanning it into your computer as well just in case you lose it.
Anyway, while the E3's went back for replacement,(yes, they sent an entire new packaged set, in a retail box) I switched back to the ER6i. I don't know if Etyomic's replacement units are better than the original units but I was suddenly re-impressed with the tone quality of the ER6i's. And with a Nano, their thinner cord and lighter weight is a big plus.
I've not gone back to the E3's as yet. They are still sitting on the unopened retail box. Maybe, if I ever pull out my 60 gig IPOD, I'll try the E3's again. But for now, I'm surprisingly happier with my ER6i's.
But like I've said before, everyone's audio preferences are different.
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