Shure E3c, E4c or Bose QC3?
 

Having flown almost 100K BIS miles so far this year with 50 dollar in ear Sony's, I think it's time to give my ears a break. I've heard great things about the Shure E3's & 4's. Whats the difference between the two besides the price (approx. $179 & $299)? If I'm not an audiophile, does it make sense to pay the extra $$ for the E4's or will I even notice the difference?

Finally, how do the QC 3's stack up against the Shures keeping in mind that I do not find in-ears uncomfortable at all?

Thanks!

I think the E3s are terrific. I can compare them only with the E2s, and the E3s are much superior to those. I have a hearing loss and can tell the difference between the E2s and E3s, but I doubt that the E4s would be worth the price to me.

I've tried the QC 3s, and the noise cancelling doesn't stack up remotely close to what I get from the E3s with foam tips or, better yet, my custom plugs from http://www.britears.com/. With either the foam or custom plugs, I am effectively deaf. Someone usually has to tell me when the "put away your toys" announcement comes around.

I've tried (head to head; my head, same music, same flight) Etymotic ER-4P versus Bose QC2. I found that I got better sound quality and better noise isolation from the Etys rather than Bose. I suspect the same would be true for the Shures. The key, as the previous post indicated, is to get a good seal.

There are many more choices than Shure. Useful review here:
http://www.earphonesolutions.com/beeaforip.html

Certainly not the Bose. Any of the in-ear 'phones are superior, IMHO, as long as you don't find in-ears uncomfortable.

I've tried the various Shures, and find them better than my previous long-time favorites from Etymotics. The only other one I would look at, and I haven't tried them, is the Ultimate Ears 5pro - splits the price difference between the two.

Between these, it's a matter of personal preference. Audiophiles who are passionate about sound reproduction will spend big $ for small incremental improvements. "Normal" folks have a much lower break even point. I have spent more than I care to admit on home audio, but have been satisfied with the E3c's for a while now. A factor in my decision was the reality of losing headphones this small through the rigors of travel. I'm on my third set, about one a year.

Bose in the ear
 

Anyone tried these yet. If i recall the price point of 99 sure seems right(for a change)

Don't bother getting the Bose in-ears. I think they're on par with earphones half that price. They just sorta sit on the outer bowl of your ear, so there really isn't any noise isolation like the Shures or the Etymotics. And for the price, I would step up to the E3s over the E2s. Even to an untrained ear, the difference is enough. But unless you are an audiophile, the E3s are more than sufficient.

Before I can recommend anything; are you comfortable putting anything in your ear canal? That's what you have to do to get proper seal so that the Shure/Etymotic/Ultimate Ears, etc type 'phones will work. When using the proper tips to get the best seal, they're significantly more invasive than the 'earbud' type 'phones you may be used to. That said, they'll perform better than any active noise cancelling headphone made. Nothing beats actual isolation!

With the Shure 'phones, a middle ground exists. Some of the eartips will rest over the canal and provide a decent seal and good cancellation. These are the ones I use (soft grey). They aren't an absolute seal but provide enough reduction that i'm happy and are comfortable enough for hour on hour use as you'll get on a longhaul. DEFINITELY skip the Bose earbuds. Nothing special for far too much money.

Failing the in-ear option, the best on-ear I've heard are the Bose QC2. The QC3 are not circum-aural (meaning they don't surround the ear) and aren't nearly as effective. But if you don't mind earbuds, go with the Sure '3cs. They're the most readily available and a very good price/performance tradeoff. Just make sure to get eartips that fit you best. The E5s come with a fitment kit, not sure about the E3. Or you can go nuts and get custom earmolds. :D

The yellow foam tips are by far the best for isolation, IMHO (barring custom molds, of course). Roll them up like earplug, pull you ear pinnae up and back with your opposite hand from over your head, insert the foam and let it expand to fill the ear canal. For a super fit, open your mouth/jaw at the same time.

Thank you
 

Thank you for the recommendations and advice. Looks like I will go with either the Shure E3C's or the Ultimate Ears 5pro. Both seem more than adequate for my needs and have a bearable price point.

Love the Shures. I am about to upgrade from the E2's to the 4's or 5's.

I had the original Bose, then the QC2's. Decided to try the Shures since I did not really like the sound quality on the Bose ... and they are bulky. Shure was selling direct then and had a no fuss return policy. Tried the QC2's and E2c's head to head and sold the QC2's without a second thought.

Keep in mind that the price difference between the E3 and E4 are not that much.

At Amazon, the E3 are around $130 and the E4 is around $212. I am seriously contemplating upgrading my E3 to E4, since E4 are also available on Ebay for $180 shipped brand new (Buy It Now item)

Just ordered a new E4c to replace my E2c from Erwin computer.

$178.00.

They are a Yahoo! Shopping affiliate.

Thought about the 5's but decided the 4's would do.

I will order the PTH (push to hear) device directly from Shure. Putting this in-line between the sound source and the earphones lets you push a button to activate a microphone so that you can hear someone speaking to you without removing the earpieces. This has always been a minor annoyance when flying especially with the deep insertion of the Shure earpieces.

i've got the e3c's and e4c's, can tell a huge difference between the 4's and the 3's. the 3's offer a good sound, but the 4's take it to a new level. i love the 5's but $500 for a pair is too steep..

and if you just can't get enough info/review time in before you buy
check out HEAR

did learn that the Altec Lansing IM716 might be a winner
quite plain

I've been happy with my ER-6s for years for $79.

I've had the QC2's for over 2 years now and love them. I ran out of the little cards Bose provided to give out to other passengers on my third flight.

I used to dislike in-ear headphones but became a convert with the Etymotic ER6i. Great noise isolation and sound quality.

I upgraded from the Shure e3 to the e4 (after I left the e3 on a flight. I got off of a flight late at night and got on the same hardware at the same gate early the next morning and they were gone and the Lost and Found for UAL didn't have them...my fault, oh well) I really enjoyted the e3's but love the e4's I tink it is worth the extra $ for the e4

I've had the QC2s for about 2 years and had no complaints but I also don't like the bulkiness. It keeps me from losing them but they aren't convenient for carrying around. I was actually considering buying the QC3s.

I sat next to a guy who had the E4cs and he loved them and I had read other discussions about them. I decided to just get the E5cs for $355 + shipping. I don't know what happened but when I received them, I listened to them for about 10 minutes and loved it but when I went to use them again, the right headphone was blown.

A replacement is on the way but I really wanted to take them with me on my last transpac flight.

I don't know the difference between the E4c and E5c but I loved the E5c. Should get my new ones next week--I hope this was a fluke and not a common occurance.

I would like to buy some active noise cancelling non ear plug headphones but my better half is unhappy at the price of the Bose range.

I am not after the worlds best headphone but would like something that is value for money and is flexible in attaching to my laptop or airline sockets .

Is there some compromise available out there?

Just used my new E4's SFO - DFW - ZRH yesterday/today. They are great!

The triple flange ear piece alone is worth the upgrade from the E3's. Although the compressible foam on the E3's never gave me any trouble, the triple flanges were totally comfortable for that 15+ hours of use.

Both the sound and the sound isolation seem better to me.

I also bought the PTH. I liked how it works, but the extra wires in my lap were a bit of a pain. Oh, 30 no question return direct from Shure on that bit, so I'll see how it goes on my return.

Since you're interested in non ear plug, then consider the Sennheiser pxc250 or the more expensive pxc300. I tried the pxc250 on a recent Aus-USA trip and they were great. Excellent noise reduction on the internal UA flights. Both models fold down into a small package. The less expensive pxc150 I don't think is collapsable.
They don't remove all the noise, but do a great job at minimising, and it makes watching movies and listening to music on my mp3 player so much poor enjoyable (without the risk of damaging my hearing even more).

Compared with Bose, no idea, but Bose in Aus are really expensive

Based on the on-going discussion, I have just purchased the E4 via e-bay. About $160. I've got the Bose QC2 and do like them but they are bulky and make the ears quite warm after a while and it's very difficult to sleep with them on. Going to test the two on a mr next week -- 9k miles with one and 9k with the other. Thanks for all the input.

Who did you buy them from on Ebay? That's a great price!

Although I am sure most are authentic Shure products, there are a lot of fake everything on ebay. Even the shure website has warnings about purchasing from unauthorized distributors.

After buying $200 Oakley sunglasses for $90 and finding out they were fake, I figure it is better to pay the $100 or so more and have a warranty and deal with a reputable store.

I am looking for earbuds with the least sound leakage- are they pretty much the same at this level or is one superior to the others?

Which ones are you referring to? If you're comparing the Shure E3s and E4s, yes there's really not that much difference. Most of the difference is for trained audiophile ears. The E4s get the triple-flange sleeve for best noise isolation. Here's a comparison chart: http://shure.com/PersonalAudio/Compa...char_earphones

As for the Bose, they use an active noise cancelling algorithm so it requires a battery. And it's far bulkier than the Shures. Also it's an on-the-ear type of headphone, which means there will definitely be some noise leaking in no matter what.

Hope that helps.

I was thinking about Shure, Westonve, or Ultimate Ears- by sound leakage I didn't mean isolating outside noises I meant what phones are best if I am listening with a high volume and don't want the sound to leak out to fellow passengers. For instance standard Ipod phones leak tons of noise if I have max volume the person next to me can even tell what song I'm listening to so I want earphones where that won't happen. I'm open to any brand really.

I read the reviews including those on www.earphonesolutions.com where they say Westonve UM2 and Shure e500 tied for first place, but none of them bring up this this type of leakage. Grateful for any tips.

I can't speak for the other brands, but I have the Bose QC1, Bang & Olufsen A8s, and Shure E3 headphones.

They don't make the Bose QC1s anymore, so that's irrelevant. The B&O aren't designed for sound isolation and there's a lot of noise leakage, but the sound quality is fantastic for its size. Lastly, when using my 5G iPod, the Shures sound great, even at very low levels. Which may be ideal for you since you'll probably blow your ears out before othe people can hear what song you're playing. Hope that helps.

I think I've decided on the EC3 but I'm now seeing that they don't have a kit for using them on a plane's audio system and also the PTH device is another $60. Ouch!

Do you think I could find them cheaper in HKG or BKK? They are going for $140 on Apple's store for Black Friday.

deleted: completely misread the post I was replying to. :D

I would sincerely suggest the E4's over the E3's. I found them through Amazon at Irwin Computer for not much more than the $140 you mention.

And the E4's include the sound attenuator for aircraft IFEs.

I bought the PTH directly from Shure, but returned it as I was disappointed. The extra wires in one's lap and the (very) poor quality of the sound pick-up through the device made it more trouble than it was worth to me, at least. Buying directly from Shure allows a 30 day no questions return.

Actually what I meant was a kit that lets me connect it to different types of sockets on planes (1 plug, 2 plug, 3 plug). Thanks for the advice though, it does look like i can get the E4s for the same price although they don't ship international.

The "Only" adapter I'm aware of needing for a plane is from 2 males(to plug into the plane) to 1 one female(to plug the phones into

You can pick this up just about anywhere for 5 bucks or so-radio shack, most any news store at an airport

LY C uses a three-pronged adaptor for their noise-cancelling headphones.

Really? The PTH had poor quality? I was looking to buy it for my trip next week.

I was even thinking of buying the E500PTH as a 3rd headphone just for the PTH. Can anyone tell me the difference between the E5Cs and E500PTHs? Does the PTH work any better on the E500s?

Maybe I'm nuts but even though I just orderedthe E2C on Apple's Store for $140 I am having a heck of a time justifying the cost to myself. Then I see how many of you are dropping money at levels above that a 2nd and 3rd time. I can't wait to get mine and be enlightened.

I looked at the merchants on Amazon who were selling the E3C for a similar price but the reviews of these merchants indicated more potential problems than I have the ability to absorb. (I'm having them sent to my mother in the US who will then send them to me in Israel since neither Amazon nor Apple will ship them outside the US)

You should have bought the E4c's from ERWINCOMP.com for 178. I LOVE mine and find the yellow foam adaptors to be perfect for the plane.

Couldn't find Irwincom.com on Amazon and when I looked for Irwin Computer I got to some web design company. *shrug*