Shure E4c Sound Isolating Earphones

Summary: I formerly owned a pair of Etymotic ER6s, used them for over a year. I positively loved them, then I lost them... So I upgraded (?) to the new Shure E4Cs.

Quick Starter Notes: 1) Equipment used: I listen/use the e4cs on my computer via Soundblaster's superb Audigy2 ZS 24bit PC card and Jet Audio's music player, and via my trusty iRiver H140. 2) e4c Construction: excellent. Cord is thick, joined nicely with earphone. Earphones feel rugged and meant to last.

Sound: Compared to my Etys, the e4cs sound more lush and more full. Music feels more filled-in. That said, I have to note that the ety's still provide more detail (detail, to me, is the ability to isolate and "drill into" various sounds; to zoom in on the specific features of sounds. Detail = clarity). Next, bass: the bass on the e4cs is more present and has more overtones than bass on the etys. However, if you're a bass junky, the e4cs will disappoint: you still don't get that thumpy driving bass that you get with over-ear phones (When I use the e4cs I often turn up the lowest frequency bass setting on my eq by about 30%; I turned it up about 50% on the etys). Still, bass is extremely good for canalphones. YET: the bass on the ER6's, though weaker, is Tighterr than the bass on the Shures. Again, I'm quite surprised by this. Shure's new "tuned port" approach enables more bass, deeper overtones, and more lush sound overall, but it comes with a bit of a cost: slightly less detail than Ety, and slightly muddier bass. (tho don't get me wrong: the bass ISN'T muddy, it's louder and more full, but just not quite as tight as the etys. Similarly, the Shure's produce exquisite detail, more so than you're likely accostomed to; just not quite as much as the etys).

In sum: sound is clear, repectably detailed, lush (for a canalphone), and bass is decent. My quibbles: Bass could be tighter, detail could be greater.

Recommendation: If you listen to a lot of Hip hop, heavy metal, heavy rock, the sound of the e4c's trumps my old Ety's and may be good for you. However, if you listen to Jazz, instrumental/guitar, piano sonatas, the detail of the Ety's is superior. For orchestral: toss up.

Next: fit, function. Here's where I have some specific issues with the Shures. First, sound isolation. The entire point of a pair of canalphones is to block sounds; really, they're earplugs that produce music! Which is great, far superior to carrying bulky active "noise cancelling" headphones (ala Bose or Sony (ok, sony makes both kinds, but I've tried sony's in-ear: they suk)). the e4c's come with several canal types: foam, triple-flanged rubber, and the "defaul" rubber bells. I tried them all. without question, none of them isolate sound as well as my Etymotics did (the ER6 comes with a double-flanged silicon plug that takes some time to get the hang of, but once you do, it's FANTASTIC at blocking ambient sound). In the end, I find that the default rubber bells are best, and they were surprisiginly easy to get a snug fit with. However, I'm seriously disappointed that Shure's sound isolation does't at least match Etymotics. I'm a frequent flyer, at least once a week (no kidding). I use these on airplanes. Sound isolation matters A LOT to me. I think CNET should have called out this disppointment; I don't think they used them in real-world situations like airplanes.
On to another issue (one CNET did correctly call out): No shirt clip for the cord??? This may seem trivial, but it isn't. These things are heavy (much larger/heavier than the Etymotics). You feel the weight of them in your ear. That's fine when you're sitting, not moving. But once you stand, start walking, the nicely thick cords are pulling the earphone around... BAD. You clearly feel the weight of the cords pulling at the earphone, sometimes breaking the fit. It boggles the mind that the Shure didn't include a shirt clip to manage cord weight and pull! Sure, you can jimmy-rig something (I'm using one of those black metal paper binder/clip dealies). If you plan to be mobile while you're wearing these: this WILL matter.

In Sum: nice sound, but clear room for improvment in fit and usability. For me, decent, but a bit of a disappointment.