My iPod gets a lot of use; at work, at the gym, when I travel, and when in bed. I recently went through two pairs of the earbuds ($40) that come with the iPod. Each time they grew full of static, as if the speaker inside had blown. After that, I tried Sony's earbuds ($42, MDREX71SL). Didn't like the way they fit in my ears, and the sound was less than stellar. Finally, I decided, maybe it was time to step up, and get a nice pair of buds. After doing some research, I was left trying to decide between Shure's E2C ($100) and their E3C ($180). Both are considered "sound isolating". They create a snug fit in your ear, and make it difficult for outside noise to interfere with your music. Since I had no idea how I would like them (sound, comfort, etc.), I decided to buy them from a store with a liberal return policy. I bought the E2Cs. Amazing sound, but I found the heavy chord and the size of the bud (comes with 7 different in-ear attachments) a bit uncomfortable. After three weeks, I returned them. Yesterday I picked the E3Cs. Awesome. Their sound is only a little better than the E2Cs, but they fit in my ears better and the lighter cord more enjoyable.
The sound is amazing. Because they block out all outside noise, I found that I had the volume at less than half what it was with my Apple earbuds. One of the things that many of the reviewers said was, that you'll hear things in your music with Shure's earbuds that you've never heard in your music. They weren't lying. It's amazing to hear all the little nuances that come to the front when listening through these earbuds.
I've heard it said that the difference between the E3Cs (and the E2Cs) and average earbuds is the difference between looking through an open window as opposed to looking through a dirty window. For those who travel, a lot of the reviews I read spoke about Shure's sound isolation completely blocking out airplane engine noise.
Zod
The sound is amazing. Because they block out all outside noise, I found that I had the volume at less than half what it was with my Apple earbuds. One of the things that many of the reviewers said was, that you'll hear things in your music with Shure's earbuds that you've never heard in your music. They weren't lying. It's amazing to hear all the little nuances that come to the front when listening through these earbuds.
I've heard it said that the difference between the E3Cs (and the E2Cs) and average earbuds is the difference between looking through an open window as opposed to looking through a dirty window. For those who travel, a lot of the reviews I read spoke about Shure's sound isolation completely blocking out airplane engine noise.
Zod
