Shure E2C Headphones

I'm going to start this review by telling you that I love music…and I've always wanted to take my music with me. I was one of the first in my neighborhood to own a cassette player in the early 70s…I worked up and through the Walkmans and Discmans (Walkmen? Discmen?) . They were ultimately bulky and unsatisfactory…there had to be something more.

Ye verily, yonder cometh the iPod! Well, I wanted more than is presently possible with those models (real computer functionality, for one)…after much research I chose an HP iPAQ rx3715. Adding a 2GB SD storage card or two or three would be enough for me…for now anyway.

But, this review isn't about any of that. It's about what pushed this whole experience to a stratospheric level…these truly superb—AMAZING even—Shure E2-c earbuds! See, the ones that come standard with the iPaq aren't the best…so I went out and got some $20 Sony ones. These were hard plastic and hurt my ears after a time; and weren't the best listening experience either. I didn't want the "over the ear" variety, as in my job I work as a vendor, providing products to grocery stores…I wanted something more surreptitious and not so obvious. So I did more research…and came to this web page. After reading all that was written here I made my decision, went online to find which store had the best deal. The next day I went out and paid $99 at Best Buy (just because they were closest). Now, I could've bought through eBay or Amazon.com or whatever. But I figured, I'll get them at Best Buy…I can "try them out" there. If I really like them I can always return them and get them cheaper online. Only thing is…now that I've experienced what they can do, I don't want to give them up, even for the $30 savings I'd probably get online!

Much of which I could say has already been written by those that have posted before me…and if you've scrolled down to this point you've probably already read some or all of that. I'll just state the basics.

>You WANT…no, NEED these! I've been listening to music with them now for about the last five hours…I'm listening with them now. I've listened to everything I've put on the iPaq 2GB storage card. I went to my CD rack and pulled out 20 more CDs to upload/sync/add to it. THEY ARE AMAZING! You will hear things you have NEVER heard in your music before! Even though some of the material is more than 30 years old ("Exile on Main Street") and I've listened to it many times, I've heard parts I did not know even EXISTED! In fact, I honestly don't know how much I'm going to want to play music through my premium rack stereo AGAIN, unless I listen through these! I've also listened to the Clash, Muddy Waters, Tears for Fears, the Beatles, Jackson Browne, Led Zeppelin, Mae Moore, Nirvana, Johnny Cash…all for what seems to be the first time.

>Fit is VERY important. I was lucky in that the standard pvc "sleeves" (medium) fit my ears pretty well (Shure supplies three different types of sleeves in three different sizes—S, M, L). As a test, I also tried the black ones made from a soft rubber compound; and the foam ones, made from about the same material found in swimming earplugs and those that OSHA uses for industry. Both in my opinion performed about the same…I ultimately chose the black rubber ones, as the foam were more likely to get soiled and/or damaged (Shure supplies extras of all the different sleeves, available through their website… http://www.shurestore.com/earphones/eseries_accessories.html ). But without the proper fit, you might as well go to your local discount store and buy $10 ones…I could not believe the difference! If they don't fit snugly, all you get is treble and not much bass. WITH the proper fit I've had to turn down the volume to 50% to listen comfortably…some music's bass will literally cause your jaw to hum if it's too high.

>And it is true…once the earplugs begin to "break in" the music does "warm up" after you've listened awhile. While it never sounded mechanical or "electronic", it does develop a better "feel". I don't understand exactly how that's possible…but it is.

>As another reviewer stated, you will become more aware of your existence with these…you might hear yourself actually breathing for the first time, or sniffling if you have a cold (and maybe understand why anyone close to you might complain about all the noise you make!). I've actually heard the noises my shoes and feet make internally when I walk! You become more acutely aware of these sounds because the outside world is cut off. As such, I would advise caution in wearing these in environments where it's kind of important that you pay attention to outside sounds…like driving or riding a bicycle, or rollerblading. You're going to have to pay more close attention to your surroundings to make up for that.

>The cords are sturdy and well-made, not like some of the Sony ones that appear fragile and weak. Shure's design is first-rate as well…Sony and others have adopted the Japanese model, which has the right ear cord much longer than the left one, They claim that this is because most people wear their iPod/MP3 player on the left side…well, I don't. I tried a midpriced Sony pair just prior to these Shure ones, and they featured the longer right cord. I couldn't get it to work satisfactorily with the way I wore my iPaq, on the right side. In fact, the only premium brand I saw on the Internet that offered an "equilateral" cord was the Shure E2c. Yet another reason to give these a look!

In closing all I can say is…you have to try these. If you liked music before, be prepared to start liking it all over again.