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Be Shure about your sound
By Sean Carruthers, posted 3/4/2004 12:56:46 PM

Shure has been a trusted name among professional musicians for quite some time, with its extensive line of microphones, mixers, phonographic cartridges, and more. With the introduction of its E Series Sound Isolating Earphones, Shure is offering its high-quality audio reproduction technology to the wider consumer market.

There are three models in the series: the entry-level E2c; the E3c, with improved frequency response; and the high-end E5c, which has the best frequency response of the series. All three are designed to sit right inside the ear canal -- much like a set of earplugs -- in order to block out unwanted ambient noise. This means cleaner reproduction, as well as the ability to listen to music at a much lower volume, which has less potential to damage your hearing.

We got our ears on a set of the E3c Sound Isolating Earphones, which provides the best balance between quality and (relative) affordability.

If you're switching to in-ear isolating headphones from sta ndard earbuds or a set of headphones, you'll need a short period of adjustment. The experience of putting the earpiece inside your ear canal can be a bit unsettling, and may take some practice to make sure you're correctly seating the headphones for a proper seal. As with earplugs, you might find it a bit uncomfortable, or even disorienting, at first.

Thankfully, Shure has included multiple interchangeable ear tips in both silicone and foam. The earpieces are also designed so they can be oriented in two different directions: with the wire pointing down or going up and over the top of the ear. The set comes with a small zip-up case that can hold both the headphones and replacement tips. (Personally, I find the foam tips more comfortable but, as you'd expect for something you place into your ear, they can get a bit grungy with use so you'll probably want to buy replacements, about $29 for 10 pairs. The silicone tips, known as "Flex Sleeves," are about $17 for five pairs. (All are available for purchase at www.shure.com.)

Most headphones designed for portable audio are pretty cheaply constructed and their prices are fittingly low. Users will pay a premium for the Shure headphones, but they are designed to last: the connector tips are gold-plated, for better sound and, probably more important, the wires are thicker and well-protected so you won't damage them just because you weren't paying attention while zipping up your jacket. The sets each weigh in at only 30 g (about 1 oz.).

During our testing, we found that the mid-range E3c set worked extraordinarily well, providing crisp audio playback both on the street and on the subway. Most of our MP3 files were encoded at 192 kbps and up, and you could certainly tell the difference when you switched from a 128 kbps file to the higher-resolution files. If you usually listen to files encoded at 128 kbps, you'll probably get along fine with the more affordable E2c set, which also come with the protective case, extra tips, and a gold-plated connector.

If you really feel like splurging, you can pick up the E5c set, the frequency response of which is definitely amazing. However, unless you're incredibly discerning about audio quality, you probably won't get much more out of these than the E3c set, especially if you're listening to compressed audio files.