Big Picture Big Sound

The Ears Have It

I guess you can say music is my life. I basically eat, sleep and breathe music day in and day out. I know, I know. It sounds so cliché... But actually it's not. You see... I'm a DJ. And more often than not, when I listen to music, it's on headphones, not speakers.

I've been exposed to many different styles and models of headphones from low-end earbuds to high-end professional surround-the-ear models. In terms of in-ear canal models like these E2cs, my only previous experience has been with Sony's Fontopia model which were very unimpressive to me, and with and their Grooveplug Bass Shaped model which I have found more acceptable. But I had heard good things about the Shure 'phones so I thought I'd give them a shot.

My main reason for trying out the E2cs was I had heard that, not only did they sound great, but they were very good at reducing outside noise, which means I wouldn't have to crank up the volume just to drown out external noise. As a DJ/Producer, I spend a significant amount of time listening to music - in my studio, in record stores, loud nightclubs, and of course to and from everywhere I go (can't live without my tunes). My ears are extremely valuable to me so I am ever vigilant about keeping the volume at a safe level whenever possible. At the same time, I don't like sacrificing sound quality so I figured if these badboys lived up to their hype, I'd be one happy camper.

Just a side note (because we at Big Picture Big Sound care about our readers): many people are unaware of the damage they are doing to their hearing by turning up the volume to overpower outside noise. Just in case ya didn't know, your ears cannot heal themselves. Once the damage is done, it's done. Oh! By the way, that ringing you get in your ears sometimes after leaving a loud concert or club... Bad! Very Bad! That ringing means your ears have pretty much been temporarily traumatized. It usually goes away after a couple of hours or even days, but yes indeed, your hearing has been permanently damaged. I have to say it really amazes me when I'm in a noisy environment and can still hear what people are listening to in their headphones, because they're set so loud. Hearing aid? Eh? What did you say?

Keeping the volume at a safe level and still being able to hear the music clearly can be very difficult at times, especially if you live in New York City like myself. I'm constantly getting pummeled by an aural barrage of car horns, fire sirens, soapbox preachers, and the occasional drunken mating call. Of course none of that compares to the onslaught of noise you experience once you've entered New York City's illustrious subway system. You're hit with everything from music by aspiring musicians (some with serious delusions of grandeur) to the screech of the steel wheels on the tracks, which can give the feeling of someone jamming an ice pick in your ear. No, seriously... It hurts. At times I swear I'm listening to a really bad soundtrack of a low budget war movie.

With the E2cs I found that when you get a good seal in the ear (more on that later), the outside noise is reduced significantly. Of course you won't be able to block out all the external noise, but even on the subway, I'm still able to get quality sound without having to increase the volume too much.


Hey, How'd They Do That?

Simple yet effective, the E2cs use sound isolation to block out background/environmental noise. This is not to be confused with active noise cancellation, which uses electronics to sample the external noise then invert the waveform thus canceling out the noise. An example of active noise cancellation 'phones are the Bose Quiet Comfort headphones, which I hear (pun intended), aren't all they're cracked up to be. Basically you can think of the E2cs as a set of earplugs with built in speakers. As with earplugs, the outside noise is prevented from entering the ear canal due to a snug seal between the plugs and the ear canal itself.

So far, so good. We know how they work... But how do they sound?

For a DJ/Producer, there is nothing worse than music that just doesn't sound good or is lacking in a certain frequency range. I need to hear the full range of frequencies, from the low bass up to the highest highs, as clearly as possible as well as the separation of instruments in the mix. I guess I'm kind of anal, or shall we say, aural retentive when it comes to appreciating music. FYI, I'm the guy that feels compelled to tweak the EQ on your home or car stereo until it sounds just the way it should. I am irritated when a track (DJ term for song) is poorly produced, or worse yet, when a well-produced track sounds bad due to less-than-ideal speakers or headphones.

Now I'm not going to go as far as to say that the Shures will be replacing my studio headphones or the phones I use when I DJ, but I will go as far as to say... "Hot damn, these things sound good!" My previous experiences with earbuds and in-ear phones have been disappointing, with my worst being with Sony's Fontopia model. Talk about lack of frequencies... there was little bass and the midrange seemed to be missing completely. Of course, they only cost $40, but I could tolerate them for only two weeks before reverting to my old standby $20 Groove plugs (also made by Sony), which blew the Fontopias away in sound quality. For $20 - $25 the Groove plugs are a killer deal, but they offer minimal noise isolation.

As for the Shure E2Cs, I found that they provide not only phenomenal isolation form outside noise, but also excellent sound quality throughout the entire frequency spectrum. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to E2c 'phones for Jazz, Rock, Classical, and other styles of music. My only "complaint" would be that their neutrality in the lowest bass ranges left me wanting a bit more in the bottom end, but only when listening to dance music (my first love). For dance music, I like a little extra bump in my mix... Ya know?

But this is a matter of personal preference, and is easily corrected if your portable player has an adjustable EQ (as my Creative Labs Zen Micro has). Preset EQs are OK, but adjustable EQs, where you have individual control over specific frequencies are best because you can boost just the lowest bass without affecting the rest of the frequencies in the mix. Remember, I'm the annoying, aural retentive guy who has to tweak things until they sound perfect (to me). And if I'm able to get these 'phones to sound great on all types of music (with a little extra bass on the dance music), then chances are very good that the rest of you will be quite satisfied with the sound of the E2cs, even without EQ.

The E2cs also provide excellent separation of the instruments in the overall mix, as well as capturing the natural (or artificial) sense of space and ambience embedded in the recording. These nuances tend to get lost with inferior headphones. So what does this mean? Basically, you can hear everything the original artist or producer intended you to hear, the way they intended you to hear it. You can hear all the individual instruments and vocals clearly as well as picking up on many subtleties you would never hear with lower end 'phones. Hell, they even make my unmastered original productions sound great. Gotta love that!

OK, So They Sound Great, and Block Out the Noise... But Are They Wearable?

Well... sticking anything in your ear is never entirely comfortable, at least not at first. The E2cs may take some getting used to since they need to be inserted further into the ear canal than normal earbuds in order to effectively block the external noise. Fortunately, they come with a number of inserts or "ear cushions" that vary in size and shape so you can find the most comfortable, snuggest fit for your particular ears.


You get 3 sets of rubber cushions and 3 sets of foam cushions. You may need to experiment a bit to find the ones that best fit your ears but then you're good to go. The cushions were a bit difficult to remove from the 'phones once they were attached, but this is actually a good thing, since you don't want them detaching in your ear canal when you pull them out of your ear. The rubber cushion will last for months with occasional cleaning, but if you select the foam inserts, then keep in mind that these should be changed more frequently in order to retain their proper expansion properties. You can find replacement cushions on Shure's web site as well as at other online and brick-and-mortar Shure dealers.

Once I found the set of cushions that fit me best, it still took me a few days to get used to them in my ears. If you've never used earbuds before, these may cause more discomfort than usual, but just stick it out and you'll be OK. After the initial adjustment period, they felt fine. In fact, I sometimes forgot they were there. I did quickly notice however that these probably aren't the 'phones I want to take to the gym or take jogging. During normal activity they stayed snug in my ears, but when I was on the treadmill they would slowly slip out and I had to push them back in every few minutes. This is my main (and only) complaint in using these particular 'phones.


Overall, I'm extremely pleased with the E2cs - they definitely live up to the hype. Granted they come with a relatively steep price tag (MSRP $109), but for me that's a small price to pay for great sounding earphones with excellent noise reduction properties. I no longer worry about having the volume too loud, and I get to hear my music the way I like to hear it. If you want high quality sound and the ability to keep volume levels safe at all times, then I suggest you take a serious listen to the Shure E2cs.

Where to Buy:
° Shure e2c-n (black) on Amazon.com
° Shure e2c (transparent) on Amazon.com
° Shure e2c accessories (including replacement ear cushions) on Amazon.com
° Shure e2c (transparent) on eCost

Product Specs (from manufacturer):
° MSRP: $109
° Available Colors: clear housing with black cable or black housing with black cable
° Sound Isolating Design
° Speaker Type: Dynamic MicroDrivers
° Sensitivity (at 1kHz): 105dB SPL/mW
° Impedance (at 1kHz): 16 Ohm
° Cable Length: E2c: 1.57m (62 inches), E2c (in black): 1.45m (56 inches)
° Net Weight: 30g (1 oz)
° Input Connector: 3.5 mm (1/8") gold-plated stereo plug
° Warranty: 2 Years

What's in the box:
° Shure e2c earphones
° 3 pairs (small, medium, large) of disposable foam sleeves
° 3 pairs (small, medium, large) of "flex sleeves"
° Carrying case and cable spool

Manufacturer's Contact Information:
Shure Incorporated
5800 West Touhy Avenue
Niles, IL 60714-4608

Web site: www.shure.com
Telephone: +1(847)600-2000
U.S. only: +1(800)25-SHURE
Fax: +1(847)600-1212
E-mail: info@shure.com