Reviews for Shure E3c Sound Isolating Earphone

You'll love them or you'll hate them

Strengths: Sound clarity, fit, design, quality

Weakness: Even though several fit options are available, some users may find the design intrusive or uncomfortable.

I love music. I'm a DJ but my studio headphones are just too immense to carry around if I'm on the subway or even at the office. Enter the Shure E3C. Let me preface this by saying that I first purchased the Shure E2Cs and had to return them because I couldn't get them to fit right (yes, there are some significant differences between the E2C and E3C when it comes to fit, no matter which fitting you use).

The E3Cs are a lot lighter than the E2cs to the point that you can barely notice that you are wearing them once they are in properly.

The sound is everything you want it to be. I listen to everything from House to Reggae, Top 40 and Rock. The E3Cs are hard to beat in my opinion. Clarity of sound is second to none and I find the bass response to be more than adequate, even for some of the driving basslines that house music is known for (I know some reviewers found them to be lacking in the bottom end).

Still, I would not recommend buying these from any store that doesn't have a 100% money-back guarantee. Reason for this is simple: Either you'll love them and never look back or you'll hate them because of the feeling of having something jammed in your ear.

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Shure E3c Sound Isolating Earphone

Strengths: noise isolation, accurate response, no cord noise when it brushes up against clothing

Weakness: expensive, make sure you clean your ears well.

I work in an open office environment, being constantly distracted by people talking or walking by. I needed to do something. I had some cheap earphones that came with a small radio that I purchased. They helped but weren't enough, and the frequency response was terrible. I found these E3C earphones by Shure, and thought that I'd give them a try.

They certainly provide enough noise isolation. The first week, someone came up to me, and stood next to me for a minute before I realized that they were there. I didn't hear them at all. Using the Shure E3Cs really helped me to concentrate on my work.

I've listened with them with a good stereo, and they have very accurate frequency response. You can hear nuances in the music that you didn't even know were there. I've listened to some MP3 music on my Palm Tungsten T2 as well. The bass response leaves a little to be desired, but I think that was the Palm, and not the earphones.

Another important factor is that when the cord brushes up against your clothing, it doesn't make a sound that you can hear through the earphones. Some other headphone and earphone cords transmit the sound which is quite annoying.

The earphones also come with a variety of earphone sleeves so you can be sure to find one that will fit your ear perfectly.

All in all, the earphones did what I wanted them to do extremely well.

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Shure E3c Sound Isolating Earphone

Strengths: quality sound; small; might look "cool"; no "cord rubbin' on the shirt" static; fair price for what you get; nice case and accessories;

Weakness: Hmmm...maybe make the cord black instead of grey?

These are very portable, and have balanced sound. Using a
frequency generator on my computer, I can hear from 18Hz to
about 18.5 KHz with these earbuds. My ears are not perfect,
but being a musician, I feel the response is smooth.


Bass--this can be extremely fatiguing for in-ear monitors,
so it is a little on the low side given a proper seal (a good
thing). When the sound is EQ'd, the bass responds with as much as you want, but I only turn it on for a song because
of possible ear wear and tear.


Detail is great compared to other stuff I've used ($40 sony
open ear headphones, $30 Altec Lansing 3-piece computer
speakers) I have listened to $1000+ stereos, and can say
that with the isolation these provide, so much more detail
is heard. So I either wanted to buy a house in a quiet area
or spend $150 on these...hard choice. Do yourself a favor
and get these.

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Shure E3c Sound Isolating Earphone

Strengths: Audio Quality

Weakness: "Learning Curve"

Make no mistake, these little jewls are some of the single greatest audio sources money can buy, almost regardless of the price. The clarity afforded by the drivers allows you to hears each serperate track (vocals, drums, guitar, ect.) individually. Each source is sperate and unambiguous. If you still have some vinyl lying around because you know that the quality is just better, this is the personal audio source for you. If your mantra is "the louder, the better," however, this may not be what you want. The phones are very loud and efficient, and one must put the volume down to the minimal setting so as to not go deaf, but other headphones are loud as well. Your spending the money for unadultrated quaility when you buy these. Realize, however, that quality comes at a price, both monitary and otherwise. The otherwise it fit. It is absolutly essential that they fit correctly to work. If they don't, there will be next to no bass, and limited quality. The foam sleeves are the best right off the bat, but the soft silicone sleeves are my favorite. Once you learn the correct position to orientate the drivers, the quaility is great. The next step is to make sure that the thing is far enough into your ear. Some suction issues come into play here, and this is uncomfortable if not done correctly. I actually push on the side of the sleeve as I put them in my ears so air can escape. After a couple of weeks, you'll get it, don't worry. Then they stay in your ear very securely and discretely for hours in complete comfort. After a while, it is no problem to use them, but it takes some effort at first. I am really happy with the purchase, and highly recomend these to people who don't comprimise on quality. There are, however, better alternatives for those looking for something else.

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Shure E3c Sound Isolating Earphone

Strengths: small, easy to carry, great sound quality.

Weakness: too long of a cord for portable listening.

I've owned a few pairs of in the ear type headphones and these are the best so far! Once you get them fit to you, its like ear plugs with speakers. There is almost no outside noise. There are two recomendations I have. First, you have to experiment with placement in your ear to get the sound you want. The deeper in the ear, the less highs and more bass. The further out of your ear, more highs and less bass. And the second, to have an equalizer in any portable player you may be using. If you plan to use these for working out, I noticed with sweat they seem to work their way out of your ear and slip out.

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Live in oblivion of the world around.....

Strengths: Performance exceeded expectations. sound isolating, clear highs and lows, bass response not quite as strong. low profile 3.5 mm jack with reinforced sheath, no wire noise

Weakness: the case could have a little different design to better accomodate the earphones and the jack, perhaps a little extra storage for a second set of ear plugs

Absolutely pleased. I inaugurated my earphones while cutting the lawn. Previously with my factory ipod earphones, I had to turn the volume up to maximum and would have great difficulty hearing the music. With the E3c, I had the volume barely up one third and the sound was crytal clear. And very comfortable in my ears. I haven't as yet tried the optional ear plugs as the factory installed ones work pretty well, but I will soon try them on my cross country flight. Would highly recommend these. I'm by no means an audiophile, but I can definitely appreciate quality and clarity, and these fit the bill without any issues. I would, however, caution runners while using these headphones, as you can't hear the world around you, especially if you are prone to running on the street.

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Shure E3c Sound Isolating Earphone

Strengths: Great sound, compact size, very comfortable to wear. (What else is there, after all?)

Weakness: High price might daunt some, still not a replacement for (some) full-size headphones, sealed headphones may make yawning slightly difficult.

I was ecstatic after finally receiving my Shure E3cs. They were replacing my Bang & Olfsen A8 headphones (the little ones you may have seen with adjustable ear pieces), which I'd had for about a year and had seen enough wear and tear to merit the purchase; and complementing my Sony MDR-7506s which I've had for about four years and never had a problem with, except that they're not exactly pocket-sized.

Immediately, I plugged them into my Nomad Zen and plopped a few mp3s and wav files onto the device for testing. What I found surprised me, but generally made me happy.

The first thing I noticed after opening the package was the spiffy carrying case provided. It, unlike my A8s' carrying case, was hard and zippered with a clear design for storage of the earbuds. This impressed me outright. Furthermore, the build quality of the buds themselves seems top-notch. The cabling is thick and sturdy. When I finally put the buds in my ears, the first thing I noticed was the sheer reduction of noise from my computer, fan and air conditioner in my room (all three in a group right by where I sit). In fact, while listening to music, the only indication I had that my air conditioner (which was in power-save mode and turned on and off sporadically) had activated was that I felt a cool breeze -- there WAS no noise. I don't think one can really GET better noise isolation. Furthermore, the earbuds come with a fitting kit to provide the buyer with the most comfortable, best possible seal and sound for their ears. In my case, I found the large, soft sleeves the best option, but every ear is different and it's important to remember that unless you're willing to put up the patience to fit the buds for your ears, you may not get the best sound.

The sound is marvelous. Compared to my A8s, the E3cs provide a MUCH richer, clearer sound, full of bass. At the time I got my A8s, I truly believed them to have ridiculously good quality sound for their size, but the E3cs EASILY beat them. Compared to my MDR-7506s, though, the bass was still lacking -- there was some deep richness in a few of my songs which was simply missing on the E3cs. HOWEVER, the highs were very nearly of the same quality and timbre -- very impressive indeed. There seems to be a slight tendency of the buds towards the higher end of sound on rim shots and the like, but replicating the sound and response of these larger headphones is not something I would expect out of earbuds period. I have a hard time imagining that anyone moving from, say, the apple ipod earbuds will not notice a drastic improvement in quality so long as they have a good fit.

As far as downsides are concerned past what I've already mentioned, the fact that the buds seal inside your ear may be a bit uncomfortable for some, and may provide one with some difficulty yawning or equalizing pressure in planes (I was noticing this a bit). And as always, you may not feel comfortable sticking something down your ear canal.

In conclusion, I have to say that these are some very impressive earbuds. I don't know that they're the best on the market right now, but I can almost certainly say they're VERY close. I adore the sound out of them, the comfort they provide, the noise reduction, and last but certainly not least, the fact that they seem built well enough to easily last at least the two year warranty provided.

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Shure E3c Sound Isolating Earphone

Strengths: best sound, no noise, you can hear nothing when having it in your ears

Weakness: a little uncomfortablity, expensive

It was very nice headphone although it is in-ear type. The sound quality was better than other large headphone. But you should be careful when you are walking in the street because it blocks all the sound.

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Shure E3c Sound Isolating Earphone

Strengths: Best sound I've heard in a pair of earbud headphones, blocks out most outside noise, great for use on a plane

Weakness: uncomfortable first couple times you use them, blocks out most outside noise (watch out when you're running w/ them on!), super expensive

These headphones are by far the best pair I've ever used, and they sound amazing. They have a driver that accurately reproduces sound and brings out the bass and treble frequences like no other pair of headphones I've tried. The E3Cs put the cheap headphones that came with my iPod to shame.

They work by sitting in your ear canal and blocking out all noise. The headphones are a bit uncomfortable at first to put on, as they expand into your ear to form a tight seal. After a couple of days though, you get used to them, and the sound quality you get from these headphones is awesome. I tried using my cheap white ipod headphones after a couple of days of using the E3Cs and was disgusted at the bad sound from the ipod headphones.

Did i mention that these headphones are great on a plane? I purchased a pair for a trip i took recently and they blocked out all noise. I fell asleep like a baby.

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Shure E3c Sound Isolating Earphone

Strengths: crystal clear sound

Weakness: none

This is one of the best headphones I have ever owned. it has awesome sound and one of the best I have ever heard out of headphones. I would tell anyone that these go great with you ipods.

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Shure E3c Sound Isolating Earphone

Strengths: sound quality,comfort, price,durability

Weakness: absolutely none

All I can say is wow. Bought to replace the std white piece that camew ith theIPOD and now I'm in a whole different world. Songs sound new, and much better as if I nver had heard them before. The music detail, clarity and comfort is absolutely amazing. Buy one today!

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I love it.

Strengths: Nice and quiet. Sound quality is great for my taste. Use low volume in my loud office with no problem. Happy with it.

Weakness: A little too expensive for this simple concept. Nothing else... i think.

It uses a very easy concept of ear-plug without noise reduction or any complicate equipment. However, the result is impressive. I used to try Bose noise reduction products once at the store and I believe this one perform better in isolating environmental sound. I have never be able to listen to my walkman at low-volume in my office before.

This earphone works great. I can barely hear anything except for my music. By the way, I use the foam piece (the yellow one) which, in my opinion, the most comfortable and the most quiet one.

The sound is quite great. The base isn't the best at high volume, but it's more than ok for my taste. A wire is a bit too thick in comparison to my tiny sony NW-E507, but I can live with this.

Becareful when you use it when walking on the street or riding a bike. You will barely hear anything else.

Highly recommend!! Hope it is cheaper such an easy concept. But... welll.. it works great and I think it's worth the price tag.

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Shure E3c Sound Isolating Earphone

Strengths: small easy to use, sounds good

Weakness: non

This is one of the greatest sounding headphones I have ever listened too. these are so small with big sound coming out of them. I would tell anyone to buy these as they are well worth the money.

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Shure E3c Sound Isolating Earphone

Strengths: Best sound. Small.

Weakness: None, so far.

It's the best sounding earphone I've known considering its compact size. Wished it were not that expensive.
I use this earphone with the Nomad Zen xtra 30GB i had just purchased. They go very well together.
Can't wait to use it while travelling.

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Shure E3c Sound Isolating Earphone

Strengths: Sound quality, bass responce

Weakness: None

Tried many headset, most are disappointing. Used these headsets once on a demo at the airport and will never by any other. Allot of sound for the investment.

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Great

Strengths: Amazing sound

Weakness: None

Carrying case is top notch in design

Ear buds have never fit properly in my ear but the design of these are flawless(once you find proper attachment)

Sound is loud and clear

If you want to hear the detail of fine music these are for you

I already want to upgrade

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Shure E3c Sound Isolating Earphone

Strengths: Great isolation, bass and clarity

Weakness: none

I owned an e2c and I thought it was one of the best. I upgraded to this earphone and it was just amazing. The isolation is very good. The sound is very clear and bass is very deep and clear.

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Shure E3c Sound Isolating Earphone

Strengths: Small and Light.. Comfortable on my ears

Weakness: Price... but worth it

I feel these are the best heasdphones I have ever used, but I am also comparing these with older ones that were bout $20. I have used them for about 35 hours in the last 6 days, I and I am very satisfied with them. Price is very high though. But, I guess the sound quality makes up for it. Will write more later if my opinion changes..

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Shure E3c Sound Isolating Earphone

Strengths: Very clear sounds, several different size ear bud adaptors for fit, ear wax cleaner included.

Weakness: Pricey, sound is somewhat tinny at lower volume, excellent without distortion at high volumes, not much bass compared to standard Ipod ear buds.

I purchased the Shure E3C after viewing very favorable ratings. I am somewhat disappointed after trying it with a new Ipod G4 20Gb and a new Creative Nomad Muvo2 4 Gb. The sound is very clear with the Shure E3C, but there is not much bass transmitted. The sound quality seems tinny at lower volumes, instead of the richer tones that I get with the standard ear buds. But, the sound quality is excellent and without distortion at higher volumes . Also, as others have noted, the ear bud fit is not easy initially. Overall, these ear buds are very high priced for not much of an improvement over the standard mp3 player ear buds.

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exelent

Strengths: VERY CONFORTABLE,THE CORD GO TO THE BACK OF THE EAR AND THEN IS MUCH BETTER

Weakness: IS NOT COMPLETLY THE SOUND ISOLATION,I CAN HEAR LITLTE THE BACKGROUND NOISE AND VERY EXPENSISE

IT'S THE BEST HEADPHONE I FIND,VERY GOOD SOUND,LIGHT WEIGTH
RESISTANT CORD AND PLUG,THE CASE IS BIG,A LOT OF KINDS FOAMS ,THE ASSESSORIES AVALUABLE BUT EXPENSIVE

Headset Shure Advantages :


1. It the best fits in the ear
2. Block outside noise not 100% but a lot, and don’t need battery.
3. Strong, last long or 2 years warranty
4. Can change the sizes and material from
5 Very small headset you can use in any place
6. Wire goes outside fits better
7. very health, not dangerous to the ears, opposite its health because instead to need higher volume you just hear good in the lowest volume because you don’t hear the noise outside.
8. is not a lot for $120 its worth a lot

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Shure E3c Sound Isolating Earphone

Strengths: obviously very compact and good quality sound and attractive design

Weakness: The apparent need to constantly clean for earwax- its almost like having a new pet.And what happens when you lose the one tiny plastic wax cleaner they supply?

These plugs represent what seems like a tendancy to over design.In the name of impressing you they make things too complex.Too many potential ear attachments, and too sensitive a mechnism to apparent blockage by earwax. For the price one wants performace, durabilty and convenience. They apprantly have got the first but don't understand the need for the second or the desirabilty for the the third.(Or think complexity helps high price marketing).

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Shure E3c Sound Isolating Earphone

Strengths: Well designed product

Weakness: Not designed for use with an iPod.

High frequency range (treble) very loud. Probably good for listening to audio books. Low frequency range (bass) close to absent. If you like a lot of treble and almost no bass in your music you may like these.

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E3c Noise Isolating Headphones

Strengths: Great sound

Weakness: Size of the earbuds

Although the earbuds come with a variety of sleeves, I found that my small ears still need something smaller than provided. Also, the process of figuring out how to insert the earbuds requires a learning curve. I find that my ears get sore after a couple of hours of wear.
The sound that comes out of the earphones is great! I found that most of outside noise is removed, but not all. Which is OK for safety-sake; such as out walking. My husband and I both use these products and would highly recommend them.

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Very good as long as you can handle ear plugs

Strengths: Awesome sound. Best earphones for non-sweaty workout activities. Great for commuting.

Weakness: Not good for people who are uncomfortable wearing ear plugs.

All in all, a very good product at the price. Blocks out external noises almost completely. Not very high bass, but probably a good thing. Recommend using foam inserts during sweaty activities.

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High quality and comfortable earphones

Strengths: Lightweight. Great sound clarity and range. Fits just about anyone comfortably thanks to a choice of plug adapters. Great noise cancellation.

I really like having a choice of multiple ear plug adapters that account not only for a range of sizes but also for rigidity of the material. I can use a more rigid material for shorter, noisier trips and the softer ones for when I have longer trips. I have worn them for about 6 hours out of a work day in addition to the one hour commute in each direction and not had any discomfort (using the softer material) a number of times and had little to no discomfort, which surprised me.

The clarity and quality of the sound is beyond what I expected for such small earphones. I was probably most surprised by the bass, which was easily distinguishable even when it was a relatively quiet background sound.

If you enjoy the quality of your music, then this is a fantastic choice to make.

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Shure E3C

Testseek.com has collected 14 expert reviews for Shure E3C and the average expert rating is 77 of 100. The average score reflects the expert community’s view on this product. Click below and use Testseek.com to see all ratings, product awards and conclusions.

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