7 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
Shure-ly You Will Like These
Date of Review: Oct 29, 2006
The Bottom Line: Works for most people in most situations. Only consider if you like clean, pure sound.
Running tech for loud concerts, been there. Airplane rides (cause I am a traveling salesman), done that. Different situation require a different headphone until now. The Shure E2s fit in with most need in most situations. They have clean highs and mids, snug noise blocking fit, and good sensitivity to give you the sound levels sometimes needed. The only down sides to them is earache over extended use and weaker bass response.
There is no question in my mind that the highs and mids of the E2s is the sound most of us look for. While listening to almost every kind of music, there is a constant separation and definition of sound due to the high-end materials used for the micro drivers (the tiny speakers in the headphones). No matter the music type (I am extremely eclectic) rap to classical, the sound is how the artist intended.
I have reviewed the Bose in ear headphones earlier and I had talked about comfort. The Bose are by far the most conformable that I have ever had but the E2s give the best snug fit. This allows the sound in the outside world to be blocked out extremely well. As an example, I was at the Renaissance Hotel in Atlanta on my balcony listening to music. That may not seem like much, until you realize that the airport literally buts up to the property for the Renaissance and the balconies are on the side facing the airport. Planes were landing about 200 yards from me and I could close my eyes and feel like I was at the concert. This makes it the best for noise canceling that I have ever heard!
A lot of the time when you are looking at a pair of headphones you have no real way to know how good they are until you buy them and try them. There are some things you should look for though that will help guide you. The biggest one for me is sensitivity. The Shure E2 is rated at 105db (as rated by shure.com). This is actually on the high end for headphones. What this really means to you that at lower volumes, the headphones can perform well but it also means that they can get as loud as a chain saw if you want them too. If you are going to spend the money, you want to make sure you get over 100 db or it is just no worth it.
I did not give the E2s a 5 star rating only because with extended use, my ears started to hurt. Not my eardrums but the ear canal. The snug fit that is great for sound isolating can make your ears sore over time. Also, the bass response is not as good as it could be. It is still there; you just need to crank up the bass on your EQ to get a better, more full sound.
The bottom line on these is a very good earphone for almost every situation whether you are in a loud, noise environment or a calm library. The E2s will make you a believer in listening to music the way the artist intended you to!
