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| Date Reviewed: 04/16/2006 |
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Strengths: Superior sound quality. Easily listen to each and every instrument. Bass is good, you just need a tight fit. This is the key to any IEM. No false bass boost like cheap headphones.
Weaknesses: I have to upgrade most of my MP3s from 128 kbps to 192 kbps. You can actually tell when you have a lower quality recording with these IEMs.
No other weaknesses that I have found.
Summary: CUSTOM FIT:
This may help present owners with the fit. I didn't like the stock angle of the headphones. They have filters inside of them with a little tab to prevent you from rotating them. I cut the tab off the filter(replaceable) and rotated just a tiny bit for my own ears with more comfort.
INSTALLATION:
There is a slight learning curve to installing these, but in the beginning it helps to reach one hand over your head to pull your ear straight up then insert into ear with your other hand. The ear canal actually goes up and in not just straight in. Lifting your ear will help get the IEM where it needs to be. It makes a HUGE differance in sound quality so play with the fit before you return them.
VOLUME:
On another note: I use them with my Nano and whoever is complaining about not having the power to driver them is insane. I only listen at about 25-30% power from Ipod. 50% volume is about concert loudness and should not be listened to for long periods of time or risk hearing damage. I also tried with a shuffle and my old 3rd gen Ipod and they are about the same. Any Ipod or MP3 player will driver these very well because they don't need very much power.
 91% of People (32/35) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 12/18/2005 |
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Strengths: Sound isolating (vs. noise canceling - big difference!). Excellent sound across the spectrum. Are you kidding me? This kind of sound out of these itty-bitty things?
Weaknesses: Envious looks from the person next to me on the airplane with his big clunky noise canceling headphones.
Summary: It is obvious Shure develops their consumer earphones from the roots of the pro-musician line, whereas others I tried are coming at it from the mass consumer market. The sound is amazing and it blocks out enough noise in loud environments to enjoy incredible detail. I used these on a recent 15 hour flight to Asia and it was unbelievable how quick the trip seemed to go because I could actually enjoy music and sleep with them in my ears. (Try laying on your side on a pillow with clunky headphones).
These are definitely worth the price. My next pair will be an upgrade to the E5's (Bono & the rest of U2 wear the E5's on stage and on the private jet). I can't help but think that the very few negative reviews are from people who either can't distinguish pro-level sound or don't read the instructions for the custom fit. I like the fact that Shure builds pro quality products for the consumer market. I wouldn't think of leaving the house without my E4's.
87% of People (41/47) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 07/30/2005 |
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Strengths: Improved bass over the E2c
Excellent sounding high-mid range sounds
Comfortable ear pieces
Multiple ear piece options
Weaknesses: Bass still lacking
Summary: I loved the E2Cs so much that I had to upgrade to a better model. I find these headphones sound amazing, although its tough for in-ear headphones to replica bass.
If you use headphones a lot, I would consider this a great purchase, especially if you travel or commute long hours.
85% of People (33/39) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 02/07/2006 |
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Strengths: Excellent sound isolation, nice looking earbuds that are not too bulky, very articulate mid and high freq reproduction.
Weaknesses: Tricky fit, bass not great
Summary: Not the near-perfection I would expect for the $300 retail price, but pretty good for the $180 selling price. These are very nice looking earbuds whose industrial design goes great with my iPod. The sound isolation on a properly fitted pair is pretty amazing too (although I've only tried them out in noisy gym situations), allowing you to listen to your music at much lower volumes rather than cranking it up to drown out the noise.
Weaknessness include a cord that is about 6" too long for my use (black version has shorter cord), poor fit in that they don't seem to stay in place very well while I run or even just do weights. I keep finding myself pushing them back into the ear every 10 min.
The biggest complaint that I had initally was that these buds seem to produce hardly any bass at all. Upon reading up a bit on the web, I tried breaking them by playing music through them overnight at moderate volumes. That defintely helped the bass... but it's still not as strong and autoritative as I'd like. My old pair of Grado SR80 headphones are MUCH better than my E4c's... but then again those are not exactly portable.
So overall, they look great and work pretty well at all frequencies once "seasoned" a bit, but the bass-hounds need to look elsewhere for their fix.
85% of People (23/27) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 12/04/2005 |
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Strengths: Sound isolating, even frequency response, Shure quality of craftmanship, custom fit with various earpiece sizes. I have comfortably used the silicon types for over 12 hours a day.
Weaknesses: None. The weak bass response comments are not a valid. These are designed to offer a flat frequency response across the spectrum. They don't give a fake bass boost common in consumer products.
Summary: The Shure line of products is handsdown the best on the market. Shure has been dealing with audio since 1925. There is no gimmicks involved and they are worth every penny. The imaging is nothing short of amazing. These headphone are more a professional grade and are used by many musicians as personal monitors on stage. If you are serious about sound then the Shure headphones are the only way to go. I personally would never settle for anything less. These headphones will reveal many things in recordings that you many not of ever heard before. They may just change your perspective on audio in general. If something sounds "off" in them it is more likely to be the recording or the source you are listening to, not the headphones. Yes, they are that good. Shure is the industry standard for professionals for good reason.
84% of People (32/38) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 10/10/2005 |
- mipinn
from TX
- Member Since:
Oct 2005
View Member's:
Reviews
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 Shure E4Cs Strengths: Great sound, good noise isolation
Weaknesses: Speaker driver has blown twice in 4 months needing warranty replacement
Summary: I am very happy with the sound produced by these headphones, but am very concerned that they have failed twice in 4 months, needing warranty replacement. Each time, they failed after 2 months. At this rate I will have to get 6 warranty replacements by the end of the warranty period and will then have to kiss them goodbye! I do not listen to music very loud at all (I'm an older geezer), so that can't be the reason.
84% of People (27/32) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 11/30/2005 |
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Strengths: Great sound, isolation, decent bass
Weaknesses: NA
Summary: I replaced my old headphones and I LOVE these. Great build (nice cable with support where you need it). I like the compact carrying case which is included and the numerous earbuds to choose from.
The sound is crisp and the noise is very well blocked (I've used them on the DC subway and only heard very minor background noise even with the volume at mid-level). Bass is better than I expected and much better than the headphones I replaced.
One minor annoyance (due to the fact that they are so thoroughly placed within your ear) is when you have the headset volume muted you hear the chaffing noise from the headset cord on your shirt which propagates to the headset. I don't notice it when there is music.
83% of People (25/30) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 02/24/2006 |
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Strengths: Sound quality, although a bit tinny with some music, Very comfortable earbuds
Weaknesses: Cord to thick and to long, should be made adjustable
Summary: Excellent for professionals, but portable use difficult due to cord thickness and length. Numerous earbud choices make phones very comfortable and rarely fall out of ears. Would definitely buy again
83% of People (24/29) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 12/29/2005 |
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Strengths: Great sound, attractive, tangle-free, low-profile
Weaknesses: very tight fit required for great sound
Summary: The Shure E4C sound isolating earphones are worth every penny if you appreciate great sound and you want to block outside noise. They produce a sound so crystal clear, that you will hear notes and instruments which you never heard before. The clarity is fabulous. You must insert these ear phones inside your ear so that you obtain a tight fit. When you pull the phones out, you should hear a pop sound. Shure provides a variety of ear sleeves and sizes so that you get a personal fit. The foam sleeves are most comfortable but I found the soft flex sleeves provide a snugger fit. If the fit is loose, you will lose the bass and the great sound. Shure E4C earphones come in a neutral color and will match any of the new players. The phones are low profile; and as a result, do not stick far out from your ear. The earphones are designed so that you can wrap the wire around the ear which is better for exercising. The earphones come with a tasteful carrying case. I have wound and unwound the E4C’s, and I find the wires to be sturdy and almost tangle-free. The earphones are designed to provide a great sound for classical as well as pop or dance music. A minor adjustment on your player, and the earphones will provide all the bass you will need. I highly recommend these earphones.
83% of People (24/29) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 12/13/2005 |
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Strengths: Great earplugs with excellent sound quality, sturdy construction and excellent noise isolation. Must have Ipod companion. Apple earbuds sound like crap compared to this
Weaknesses: The accompanying case could use the cable management like the E3C case. Bass response is Average.
Summary: Shure e4c's are some of the best earplugs you can buy for your portable mp3 player. Highly recommended and this is the only way to listen to your IPod. Best balance for price/performance compared to the E5c. Sound quality is very good. Overall, great earcanal headphones!!!
83% of People (24/29) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 11/19/2005 |
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Strengths: great bass and highs
Weaknesses: Got to have clean ears!
Summary: These are great! I have e3c model also and love them, but I thought that the bass was lacking a little bit, so I got these. I can say that even after having it for just one day it produces excellent sound without any break-in. You know right away that sound stage is vastly improved, and you can easily separate instruments in the band. Nice.
83% of People (24/29) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 09/24/2005 |
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Strengths: noise blocking, sound quality,diversity accessories
Weaknesses: NA
Summary: It's one of the best sound isolating phone on the market. The sound quality is superb. And you can hardly hear anything surrounded you. So it's a good choice if you want music in a noisy enviourment. Plus, the package of the item includes enough accessories for different ear size and others.
81% of People (25/31) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 08/20/2005 |
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Strengths: strong, rich sound, low profile (strength?), thick cables, lots of ear fittings.
Weaknesses: the included ear fittings do not block out sound very well, the foam fitting works the best for me. I've heard that etymotic er6i blocks out sound better.
Summary: after using the earphones for a week, I can say that they are a definite improvement over the stock ipod earbuds. However, the 170 dollars I paid is a bit much. If these shures had better sound isolation I'd be a bit more satisfied. But overall, I'm impressed with the sound quality esp. in classical music and contemporary recordings (music recorded in the 60s i.e. beatles, dylan, beach boys, sound like crap)
I recommend the shures, but definitely ask your audiophile friends about etymotic and try them before you bank $170 on the e4c.
78% of People (28/36) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 07/08/2005 |
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 Shure E4Cs Strengths: Amazing sound isolation
Very clear mids and highs
Weaknesses: bass is virtually absent
Summary: 2005-07-08 05:36:35 I tried these for a week and ended up returning them. On a plane they were spectacular in reducing engine noise. They had excellent, almost too sparkling highs, the deep bass was so lacking that there was nothing to boost with an equalizer. I had the sense that the vanishing point was about 120 HZ.
78% of People (28/36) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 10/04/2005 |
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Strengths: size, color sound and build quality
Weaknesses: bass could be better, not the best synergy with ipods
Summary: I have owned my E4 for 2 weeks not. I am extremely happy with this product. At $189 it was an excellent deal and while bass could be a little better, I am very happy with the sound. It works better with my iriver H320 than my daughter's ipod.
75% of People (24/32) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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