Anyone has experience w/Shure E3C or E5C

Go to headfi.com and you can find lots of threads and full-featured reviews comparing these "canalphones". General consensus seems to be that the Etys are more neutral and the Shures more "exciting". I have only tried the Ety 6s which are quite nice w/my minidisk player.

I have the E3's and like them. Haven't compared them with any other. It takes a while to figure out how to get them in your ear correctly but after that it's a way different experience then headphones. I use them with a walkman and can guarantee you'll here sounds on your cd's that you never heard before, It's pretty cool. Just lay off the volume as much as you can. These puppies are a direct connect to your brain and it would be easy to blow an ear drum if your not careful.

I have the E5Cs and they are great sounding (especially with a good headphone amp). The wiring is stiff and can transmit vibrations if bumped around. They work well in a noisy environment.

For the E3's, it'll take a *lot of experimentation with the various flanges and plugs to get them to sound decent. Otherwise, zero bass. These are isolating, which is a bit uncomfortable in most circumstances. Forget about chewing on, or eating anything whilst wearing. It'll sound like Godzilla chewing gravel in your head.

Very clean sound, though.

E3 is awesome under circumstances where it's ok to block out outside sound, totally. Very nuanced, tight clean bass, natural highs. Have not tried Ety.
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