Gary Sheynkman
05-07-2004, 06:00 PM
<img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/e5c_big1.jpg" /><br /><br /><b>Product Category:</b> Earphones<br /><b>Manufacturer:</b> <a href="http://www.shure.com/">Shure Incorporated</a> <br /><b>Where to Buy:</b> <a href="http://pocketpcthoughts.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php?masterid=690039&ut=180c9c00c5d3bdf5&found=2&search=Shure%20E5c">Price Grabber (affiliate link)</a> <br /><b>Price:</b> $499.99 USD<br /><b>System Requirements:</b> A 3.5mm (1/8 inch) headphone jack<br /><b>Specifications:</b> Speaker Type: Dual Low Mass/High Energy Micro-Speakers; Sensitivity (at 1kHz): 122dB SPL/mW; Impedance (at 1kHz): 110 ohms; Cable Length: 1.55m (62 inches); Net Weight: 31g (1.1oz); Input Connector: 3.5 mm (1/8") gold-plated stereo plug<br /><br /><b>Pros:</b><li>CDs never sounded better;<br /><li>It gets spookily quiet when you put them on;<br /><li>Extensive fit kit.<b>Cons:</b><li>Just don’t listen to LPs in them;<br /><li>Some might not like the CIA agent look;<br /><li>You will have to sell a kidney to buy them.<b>Summary:</b><br />If you consider yourself an audiophile on the go, look no further for the best portable sound reproduction this side of half a grand. <br /><br />Read on for the full review!<!><br /><PAGEBREAK><br /><span><b>The Prelude</b></span><br />You consider yourself an audiophile. You snicker at the daft idea of lousy audio codecs such as MP3s and WMAs. You spend hours hovering around your finely tuned HIFI audio system that sports some coveted record player that fetches thousands of dollars on ebay. CDs never sounded as good anyway right? <br /> <br />So what happens when Mr. Audiophile goes on the road? The Shure E5cs - that’s what. Despite their diminutive size, these earphones will provide the clearest, most isolated sound ever to come out of your mobile hardware. <br /><br /><span><b>Just Look At Them!</b></span><br />Before we delve deep into the quality of sound that these ‘phones put out, we must look at the sheer brilliance of the packaging. The E5cs are carefully packaged in a metal cube that slides apart to reveal the phones in a foam enclosure under which lies the manual, ear wax cleaner (which is a plastic stick with a metal loop that allows you to scoop out your ear wax...ewe), a level attenuator, and several inserts/plugs/sleeves that will fit just about anyone (See Figure 1). Shure's Web site states that the E5cs come with “a pair of triple-flange sleeves, three pairs (small, medium, large) of flex sleeves, and three pairs (small, medium, large) ultra-soft flex sleeves to ensure a personalized fit.” The box I received was an older model that did not include the ultra-soft sleeves since it's a new addition to the line up. All this means that Shure is working hard at providing the best possible fit for the end user.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/e5c2.JPG"><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/Thumbnail%202.jpg" /></a> <br /><i>Figure 1: The packaging is superb. All this came with my set and recently Shure added several other sleeves that they ship with the E5cs. Click on the image for the full size. (473KB)</i><br /><br />Upon examination you will find an odd shaped fixture just before the wire splits. Amazingly there is a tweeter and a subwoofer installed in these headphones. There is an actual crossover (Figure 2) that sends the optimum frequency range to your ears. This is a very intelligent solution to a problem that plagues most earphones: lack of frequency range.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/e5c1.JPG "><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/Thumbnail%201.jpg" /></a> <br /><i>Figure 2: The oval shaped device is the crossover for the dual drivers. Click on the image for the full size. (417KB)</i><br /><br /><span><b>The Name Is Bond, James Bond</b></span><br />Once you take these babies out of their resting place you have to figure out a way to put them on. The manual does a decent job at instructing you, but the easy way to think of it is this: you want to look like an FBI agent when you have them on (See Figure 3). If you venture over to Shure’s Web site you will find a handy <a href="http://www.shure.com/earphones/howto.asp#">flash tutorial</a> (click on “Click here”) that will show you the proper way to put your Shures in. <br /><br />The real reason behind the design is that Shure never meant to get into the consumer earphone market. Shure has been providing professional earphones for use on stage for years. Michelle Branch, Five for Fighting, John Mayer and Nickel Creek are some of the musicians who use Shure’s professional equipment. <br /><br />There is a section of wire prior to the buds themselves that bends and stays in that position. There is also a plastic cylinder where the wire splits in two and adjust up and down for ultimate comfort. Repeating the process is very easy and you will get used to putting them on in no time. Since sound isolation is one of the biggest appeals of these headphones, choosing the correct sleeves is vital. I prefer the foam sleeves that you compress by rolling between your thumb and forefinger and then insert into your ear. After a few seconds the foam expands providing a very comfortable and truly isolating fit. You may find the other sleeves more comfortable hence the reason Shure provides so many of them! I took them on a flight across the Atlantic and kept them on through the entire flight in order to get some peace and quiet during the eight hour journey.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/howto_pic1.jpg" /> <br /><i>Figure 3: This is how you are supposed to look with them on. Put on a black suit and join the Secret Service.</i><br /><PAGEBREAK><br /><span><b>Go, Go Gadget Attenuator</b></span><br />Speaking of planes, the E5cs are so sensitive that they come with a special level attenuator (Figure 4) that allows you to control volume with a wheel as opposed to a button that takes leaps across the volume spectrum. All you have to do is plug the Shures into one end of the black ergonomic device and plug the attenuator into the outlet of your plane or tour bus. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/E5c3.JPG"><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/thumbnail%203.jpg" /></a> <br /><i>Figure 4: This is the level attenuator. It's a breeze to use and is quite handy. Click on the image for the full size. (282KB)</i><br /><br /><span><b>Can You Hear Me Now? Good!</b></span><br />So how do they sound? In order to answer this question properly I performed a series of tests that would help me come to a decent conclusion. When you buy a car you have to drive carefully for the first 1500 miles. In the audio world you have to perform a burn-in. This can be done with a simple sinusoid generator set to do a 10 Hz to 40 KHz sweep. Although the perfect human ear can only hear 20 Hz to 20 KHz, this procedure makes sure that your Shures will operate to their maximum. Just because we can't hear some waves does not mean they are not there, but more on that later. After a nice burn-in at a low volume, the earphones are ready for listening and my first test song was "Hey You" by Pink Floyd. <br /><br />Slowly but surely an ear to ear smile formed on my face. I did not know my crummy old CD player could produce such bliss. This experience was passed on to my audiophile friend who is now thinking about pulling out his piggy bank to buy these. CDs never sounded so great. In the last stages of my temporary ownership I tested them on HIFI equipment and found that they sounded even better when a proper CD player was hooked up to a Pioneer or an AKAI amplifier. Every resonating effect of instruments in the recording room was clear and crisp. So sensitive are the headphones that you will likely never exceed their ability. Elitist audiophiles believe in using a portable amplifier such as the Porta Corda II to get the most out of your headphones. However, most of us do not want to carry a nearly CD-player sized amplifier just to get clearer sound on the subway to work or school. The joy did not end there though. I previously stated that these ‘phones provided great isolation. Even at very low volumes you will not hear the person next to you speak at all, such is the extent of the awesome design of these earphones. <br /><br /><span><b>Can You Hear Me Now? Not So Good...</b></span><br />For some listeners they just might be perfect, but there are a few who will scoff at the E5cs. It is true that these earphones bring out the best out of any CD, but what if you want to go outside that envelope? What if you want to listen to something outside the midrange frequencies of 1024 bit encoded CDs? When combined with proper amplification and speakers, nothing can beat the sound of an LP. Armed with a Pioneer 9900 amplifier as well some other HIFI toys (such as an AKAI 747 reel-reel and various record players) I discovered that the E5cs did not sound as good with better equipment. Although we cannot hear sound waves outside our ears' frequency ranges, we do hear the effects of those waves overlaying the lower frequency ones. It seemed almost as though the Shures could not cope with the sound they were receiving. As opposed to the booming sound from the speakers (no subwoofers will find home near HIFI equipment) the Shures only provided a healthy midrange. At low output volumes you could make out a significant amount of noise that you will not hear from a good set of speakers. Removing the 16 KHz to 32 KHz from the output completely did not affect the sound at all and neither did sliding the 10 Hz to 32 Hz to the off position either. Fortunately for us, modern CD encoding processes exclude those frequency ranges in order to conserve space on the well known medium we call the CD-R.<br /><br /><span><b>Wrapping It All Up</b></span><br />Does this mean that the E5cs are not worthy of a true audiophiles ears? No. A connoisseur of music will not sit on a couch and listen to his or her collection through a pair of earphones. Obviously the portability and sound isolation qualities will appeal to audiophiles on the go and since you cannot take your record player with you, you will be stuck with a CD player anyway. Yes it is a shame that the Shures are not perfect in every way but they do not need to be. You will be hard pressed to find a better sounding portable solution (Grado RS1s are not portable people) for the money. <br /><br />The question lingering in everyone’s mind is whether or not they are worth the money. If you spend a lot of time on the road and praise sound quality and hate outside noise, then these are the earphones for you. They are a hefty investment but deliver on their promise of quality sound on the go.