Apologies, it's : ERWINCOMP.COM

The Shure E500 PTH are the best IEM under $1000. Read all the reviews. The only general complaint is the price. The PTH function works well. The sound is absolutely amazing. I have Bose QC2, ER6i's (lost them), ER-4P's and none compare to the E500's. Well worth the money if you have it to spare.

Just got some E500PTH for my wife today and have only listened to them for a short time but they are amazing! I have the QC2s and QC3s and just bought the E5Cs a couple of weeks ago. I haven't listened to the E5Cs that much since I haven't traveled but I can hear a difference. I fly BUR-SFO-HKG-MNL on Wednesday so I'll have a good chance to listen to them for an extended time.

I have had intermittent problems with my E5Cs and am working on returning them. I got a good price of $354 but I will wait until this is resolved to see if I will recommend the company to others.

If all goes well, I'll post the website for others to order...

If you aren't the type to listen for details, the E3s are probably more than enough for your purposes. I'd pair them up with yellow foamies for best results, but your mileage may vary. FYI, you can find the E3s for ~$110 shipped these days if you look hard enough.

Glad to hear you're happy with your purchase!

There's a clip that comes with the PTH module. If you find the PTH device a little too clunky for travel (as I did), be sure to take the clip off and bring it with you just in case you find the E500's wiring on the cumbersome side. It depends on the person, of course, but the cabling is rather heavy in comparison to most of the other IEMs on market -- if you start to notice that it pulls down on your ears, clipping the wire to your back does wonders. I've personally found the clip especially indispensable while walking/running.

i can only drool about those.. can't muster $499 for them... got the e4c's and love them.. the E500PTH's are beauties.... saw them at the MSP airport for the first time and almost pulled the trigger..

LAChargers,
If you bought these for your wife but she is unhappy with them, is the supplier understanding enough to arrange a return on that basis? Perhaps in consideration for your purchase of the E500?

I'd like to hear your comparison of E5 v E500 in home, car and flight conditions. What are you appreciating most?

Thanks. :cool:

Erwin and I have a second chance. Apple has the E3C on backorder. I noticed that the Erwin site says that the E4C is non-returnable and non-exchangeable. What happens if they send me a lemon or it gets damaged in transit? I'm a bit concerned as I've never heard of this merchant before.

I have used Erwin twice. Both times with good result. You might query them as to warranty, but I imagine that manufacturers warranty applies. Mine E4's came with warranty card from Shure.

As to damaged in transit, inspect the box before signing for delivery.

Good idea but I'm having them shipped to my mother as they don't ship overseas. Anyway, I have a few days to fret over this. :(

I've used both the isolation (Shure EC-2) and electronic noise cancelling (Bose QCII) phones and can attest that isolation rules. I use the soft orange foam "sleeves" and get a great, comfortable seal.

If you ever decide to move up the ladder, the E500s can be found for $385 :)

I appreciate theE500 the most in the car. They completely block out the constant sound of honking horns in HCMC.

I have a pair of the E4's as well and absolutely love them ^

You can find the E4's for the same price as the E3's

Bay Area CompUSA Stores
 

I was having the same debate as the OP and decided to go with the E3c. Cheapest price I found on line was $149+ shipping, but C-NET had this link to "buy it local" and it showed that SF Bay area Comp USA stores had them at $119! I didn't believe it as their own website was selling them for in-store pick ups at $179. Went to the store and sure enough $119 it was, not advertised, no special tags, nothing, just a low price.

Not sure if it is a glitch or limited to Bay Area stores, but might be worth checking out if you are in the market and have a comp usa store nearby. Incidently the were selling the E2c's for $100...Crazy!

Looking forward to trying these babies on my trip to LHR next week.

Shure makes retailers sign a contract or pledge that they won't advertise prices below the MSRP. But maybe Shure doesn't (or can't) prevent retailers from selling at low unadvertised prices.

I have had the Shure E2c for awhile but have just ordered the E4c from Erwin (should arrive next week). I initially had some issues with the comfort and fit on the E2c but have worked that out and find the noise isolation is wonderful. I do like the QC2's handed out in business on AA, and can sleep with them on, but since I have gotten used to being able to stick my earphones in my shirt pocket it would be hard to go back. I just hope these E4c's are as much of an improvement as I have read, in both isolation fit and sound quality.

worth it
 

I have been on the fence for awhile for the Bose QC3. I am able to get a new set for 261.75. Do you think it is worth it or is a good deal?

A pretty good deal for Bose. Have you checked out the in-the-ear sound isolating phones? If you don't mind the in-the-ear design, you can get way better sound, way better sound isolation, and a much smaller unit to lug around for FAR less money.

Shure E4 update/review
 

I've had my Shure E4's for 1 month and have flown about 20K miles and I LOVE them. Buy extra yellow foamies ( I find they are the most comfy and have the best isolation/comfort factor) and be sure to change them fairly frequently otherwise the seal quality suffers. I almost exclusively fly transcon's and find them to be extremely comfortable and much easier to sleep in compared to the Bose Q2's or Q3's. The sound isolation is superior and I like the sound quality of the shure's over the Bose. The compact size works well for me too!

what about when not listening to music?
 

So much of what I have read is about how great the music is (or lots of complaints about the E4C's lack of bass when listening to music). How about just making the roar of the plane disappear without listening to music?

I'm looking at the E4Cs regarless of the whining I hear about the bass. I'm not that finicky about the music (unless that sound is really bad, then I notice too) but I'm really looking for peace and quiet mostly. I have such a hard time sleeping on planes.

I have to fly across the u.s. and back this coming week, so it will be a perfect time to try them out.

Thanks for the great thread.

First off, why would you want to drown out the harmonic turbine engines? ;) If you want to just drown out the noise, why not get ear plugs? Otherwise, if you want high fidelity portable earphones, the E4C's will not dissappoint. I've had mine for over 2 years and use them extensively.

I guess I wasn't clear. I want to listen to my ipod but I *also* want to just have some peace and quiet. Can I do both with earphones? Or are you saying "use the earphones to listen to music without the engines and then take them out and shove earplugs in when you just want a quieter flight"? I thought I read something in a Bose QC2/3 salespitch that said something about turning them on but not plugging them into anything to just drown out the engine noise....

Try the demo for Shure at this link: http://www.shure.com/PersonalAudio/P...0_pth_content#

I find that the Shure's without music block and the Bose without music block about the same amount of noise with the edge going to the Shure's. I made this comparison several times while flying when I had both kinds of units with me.

Earplugs of a good quality beat both. You can find earplugs with clearly marked ratings of how db's of reduction they provide in most drugstores and certainly online.

So if you just want to block the noise, earplugs. If you want good music reproduction and good sound reduction: Shure or Ety's.

I'm a happy E4C customer - and they are bass-shy until "broken in" which takes around 5-10 hours. Also, if the seal isn't quite right, bass will virtually disappear. The Shure's audio quality resembles real music, which unfortunately isn't the case for the Bose QCs.

If you want the best noise reduction, buy a small pack of industrial "foamies" - I always keep a few of these on hand for the times when I want to stretch out to sleep on that great QF Skybed...