Which brand of sound-isolation earphones should I get?

[davemakesway]

Hi, I plan to buy sound isolation earphones, and I am at a lost on which one to get...

For any of you with any experience on buying in-ears, what would you recommend?

Shure,Sensaphonics, or Esymotics Research?
Which is the most value for money?
Should I start out with the cheapest in the market:Shure E2c's?

 

[davemakesway]

As a drummer

Yeah,in addition, I would like one to be advantageous to a drummer.

 

[shred5]

There's a Vic Firth isolation Headphones at Swee Lee costing ard $40.. Idon't know if its still there due to the Sale..

Can try and check it out..

 

[exxtreme]

I presume you plan to use this on stage for IEM? I would suggest the Shure E3C for starters. Its sound pretty good for it price. The jump from E2c to E3c is pretty big, e3c having a much better bass respond and "big" body feel. The cheapest actually is e1c but shure phased it out.

Just be aware that monitoring thru IEM is very different from a stage wedge. Your ambience is lost. For most ppl that started out, they feel very lost without the surround sound of the stage, crowd, etc. A simple way to solve this would probably to use a condenser mic to pickup the ambience sound and feed it to ur iem.

 

[markztan]

Go for Shure E5c. Very good bass response considering its size.. but pay the premium..

 

[amoslu]

Not to sure about the other brands, but for shure, they are made for iem use. The cable runs down your back, and not the front, so they don't get in the way of your playing. The etymotic ones run down the front, so you might get tangled up in them.

 

[redname]

Esymotics Research







only if u got the money of cos, the low end model also cost $260

 

[amoslu]

Shure not much cheaper lah, low end one $170...

But bear in mind that you would probaly have to use the foamies, sillicone and soft flex sleeves are a pain in the ass...and foamies last about 1 month a pair, depending on ur usage, and 5 pairs cost $20+, so must factor in that cost as well...

Using e2c now, but my one gone case liao, almost 3 years old, and connection loose, so prolly geting my e4 soon...

Anyway, the high end etymotics look disgusting, like some $2 pasar malam earphones...hehe...

 

[redname]

$90 diff & u say not much? boy, u must be rich

 

[amoslu]

As in relative to the rest of the IEM market, e5 are $800+ IIRC. Custom ones can cost more...

anyway, the etymotic er6 is more in line with the e3c rather than the e2, so when you compare, actually not much different...depends on your ergonomic and sonic preferences...

 

[davemakesway]

Where's a good place to buy them?

Online or stores here?

 

[markztan]

Buy online.. Its alot cheaper..

 

[Kiyoharu]

davemakesway it depends on your budget and the type of music you listen to.

Shure E2c S$170 | E3c S$300 | E4c S$500 | E5c S$840
Etymotic ER6 S$235 | ER4 $555
Note: Prices here is just a rough guide. You can find out more at Hung brothers at Sim Lim Square 3rd storey just beside the escalator.

If you listen to pop/rock, i would suggest a shure as the sound characteristic is more 'lively', you'll be able to feel the great 'ambience' in the music as well.

For classical/orchestral, etymotics will be more suitable. The clarity of orchestra instruments will be unbelievably superior.

I personally own the shure e2c. The flex sleeves material is too hard and the smallest size is actually too big for my ears. I guess it's for american size you see. It's painful to wear so i never use that after trying for 1 time. So i'm using the foam sleeves which is very comfortable. You don't have to throw away the sleeves when it gets dirty after sometime. I've actually press a few drops of dove into a small cup of water and wash it. It became clean again so i can reuse. I've ordered a packet of 10 foam sleeves from america it'll last for a very long time. (last time hung brothers didn't carry the sleeves but now they do you see) The correct way to wear the shures is actually to sling the cable behind your ears before you wear them which is quite unconvenient and uncomfortable, especially if you have long hair that crossover your ears, but you can choose to wear it the normal way like other earphones. The bass response on the E2c is quite weak. So if you're really into bass or you play the bass and wanted to listen to it clearly it's better for you to fork out some more money to get the E3c. I can tell you that the money will be worth it. If one day my E2c is stolen or spoilt, i would definitely get the E3c. Lastly the shures comes with thick cables it should be fairly durable.