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View Full Version : PocketPCReviews: Future Sonic EARS EM3 "Earphones" Reviewed


Pat Logsdon
05-25-2004, 08:00 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.pocketpcreviews.net/reviews/052004/ears.htm' target='_blank'>http://www.pocketpcreviews.net/revi...052004/ears.htm</a><br /><br /></div><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/logsdon_20040525_earsem3.jpg" /> "Would you pay some $160 dollars for a set of earphones? No, not for headphones but “just” for in-canal type earphones that you can use on your iPod or Digital Audio Player <i>[or Pocket PC - PL].</i> While that may sound like a lot of money it may well be worthwhile if you can really hear the difference. We’re testing (very subjectively, I might add) the EARS EM3 Universal Fit Monitor Earphones from Future Sonics (FSI)...<br /> <br />Future Sonics is a crowd that caters to the professionals with their custom-moulded ear monitors as well as these EM3 universal fit “personal monitors” (in this league you can’t just call them ear buds or earphones any more…) Just check their very extensive list of clients, from Celine Dion to U2 and Cirque du Soleil and hundreds more. They must be onto something good here…"<br /><br />Generally speaking, I'm not a big fan of celebrity endorsements, much less plugs from screeching divas and freaky bizarro clown-type things. While not exactly my cup of tea, I do realize that the diva in question is the <i>pinnacle</i> of screeching diva-ness, and the clown-things are probably the TOP clown-things in the clown-thing field. That being said, I'm willing to look objectively at these "ear monitors". :mrgreen: As an owner and fan of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000092YQW/ref=pd_sbs_e_1/104-8288217-6344728?v=glance&amp;s=electronics">Sony's in-ear phones,</a> I'm curious as to how these stack up against lesser headphones (like mine), and something like <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0001FI51U/qid=1085509579/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl23/104-8288217-6344728?v=glance&amp;s=electronics&amp;n=507846">Shure E3cs</a> or <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0001DW0YA/104-8288217-6344728">Etymotic Er-6s.</a> Has anyone used these or any other in-ear headphones? What's your verdict?

dmy
05-25-2004, 08:25 PM
I'd like to listen to these...... but they'd have a hard time beating my Shure E3's. Note I traded up from a set of E2's to my E3's.... a small difference, but an audible one.

From the specs the E3's and EM3's seem pretty comparable, although the Shures get into the low frequencies a bit further. The Shures are also lower impedance.... meaning that it's easier for your device to drive them (reducing the need for an external amp and/or better sound response in those quiet passages).

The case that comes with the Shures is far better, and you can tell from the photographs. Nice little pouch for the EM3... but the Shure is a smaller HARD case. I love it for travel because I can toss the headphones in my laptop bag or suitcase and not worry about the headphones getting damaged or wire kinked. Also, not that with the EM3 you only have foam sleeves in two sizes.... the C3's come with three different types of sleeves in three sizes.... you can also get a 4th type or fitted sleeves if you want to order them, and replacements are cheaper from the price-list. The sound isolation is all about the sleeves.... the comfort is all about the sleeves. I can wear my Shure E3's on a long trip (10-12 hours including layovers, connections, etc) comfortably, and can seat them so I can hear announcements in the airport or carry on a conversation while still listening.... or press them a little further in and not even hear a whisper of the jet engines.

I also wonder what the EM3's warranty/repair policy is. Shure's policy is that if it's covered by warranty, send it in and you get a new pair. If the damage (or time) says it's not a warranty repair, $75 gets you a new set. Doesn't matter what the problem is or if it's the $160 E3's or the $500 E5's.... $75 gets you cared for in short order.

As for the music? Well, I've alluded to the fact that the E3's are more easily driven by a pocket device. I have a few pieces I listen to where I can actually FEEL the bass vibrating my head (much like my $1200 Velodyne Subwoofer does at home on the same passages). I find them perfect for all the types of music I listen to (including Classical and Jazz as well as the little bit of Rock I listen to.... yeah... a little metal mixed in on rare occasions). YMMV.

If anyone wants to loan me a set of the EM3's for a week or two, I'd be glad to give a more detailed comparison :lol:

Cheers,
D.

mhynek
05-25-2004, 08:26 PM
Bang and Olufsen also sell a pair of earphones for $160. Needless to say they sound INCREDIBLE!

http://www.bang-olufsen.com/sw1613.asp?Layer=4

Jon Westfall
05-25-2004, 08:31 PM
I'll wait until these come down in price... then I can be amazed while you guys are already blown away by newer technology. Its all relative. If I listen to music on my $10 headphones, these things will be a wonderful suprise in a few years.

Kacey Green
05-25-2004, 08:35 PM
how do ultrasonic speakers compare to these (the ones where you have to be in a really small cone to here the sound at all)

Rob Borek
05-25-2004, 08:45 PM
I destroy headphones on a regular basis. You'll never catch me buying expensive ones for that reason.

Brad Adrian
05-25-2004, 08:49 PM
I'll never be able to justify spending $160 for earbuds..at least not to my wife. For my money, the Sony MDREX71SL Fontopia In-Ear Portable Headphones are great! I only wish there were an easy way to get replacement "sleeves."

I've also tried some Koss earbuds with the foam sleeves. My problem was that I'd squish them like you're supposed to, but they un-squished too quickly for me to get them into my ears.

bjornkeizers
05-25-2004, 09:06 PM
I destroy headphones on a regular basis. You'll never catch me buying expensive ones for that reason.

I have to buy a new set every three months. Cheapos, expnsive, sony, philips - doesnt matter. Ive resorted to buying two pair since i really hate being without them. I now have two pair of good philips in-ear type.

Can you really tell the difference with that kind of heaphone compared to say, top of the line sony? I doubt it makes much of a difference when listening to 128kbps MP3'S on my laptop

rob_ocelot
05-25-2004, 09:35 PM
I destroy headphones on a regular basis. You'll never catch me buying expensive ones for that reason.

I have to buy a new set every three months. Cheapos, expnsive, sony, philips - doesnt matter. Ive resorted to buying two pair since i really hate being without them. I now have two pair of good philips in-ear type.

Can you really tell the difference with that kind of heaphone compared to say, top of the line sony? I doubt it makes much of a difference when listening to 128kbps MP3'S on my laptop

I used to be notorious for destroying headphones and earbuds. The Sony ex70's (an in-ear canal type like the e3's) are bulletproof in that respect, I had a pair for 2 years and they never died. I lost my set and ended up replacing them with the newest iteration of the design -- the ex71L. The new version comes with a hard case in addition to the smaller 'bullet' case. I've never had wires fray inside the cord (a real PITA to fix) no matter how much I kink them.

Quite a few people have found the ex70's to be too bassy with a muddy midrange. Someone discovered that by plugging the air vents with some blu-tac you can dramatically improve the sound. I did the modification and was somewhat impressed. For the money they are a decent value.

The one thing I will say about the E3's they need to have some colours other than flesh tone. I can imagine people thinking they are a hearing air or even a small radio links that the FBI use. I get strange looks from people with the Sonys on when I'm listening to music and doing work with the Ipaq, like I'm up to something. Then again, it seems EVERYONE is wearing these huge earmuffs now that were considered geeky even 5 years ago.

Iznot Gold
05-25-2004, 11:02 PM
When I tried the B & O headphones which looks so good, I was deeply dissappointed. I should have known better as B & O does re-use so many re-engineered much cheaper Philips products.

David

Jereboam
05-25-2004, 11:28 PM
I have a pair of the Etymotic ER-4P's and the clarity is superb. The isolation they offer is also fantastic - forget noise intruding on your listening pleasure - and conversely forget bothering others, useful if you don't sleep alone. Many people here are fans of using Pocket PC's for reading in bed without disturbing their partner, this is the same deal for music. Great for aircraft as well.

But I have to say I like my bass, and the (in comparison) cheap Sennheiser PX-100's I have blow the Etys away in that respect.

Nothing can touch my Sennheiser HD-590's for the ultimate in listening still able to be driven by portable devices. Anything more requires spending a ton on a headphone amp.

J'bm

dmy
05-26-2004, 01:32 AM
Can you really tell the difference with that kind of heaphone compared to say, top of the line sony? I doubt it makes much of a difference when listening to 128kbps MP3'S on my laptop

So I was on one of my frequent business trips... and I had my "top of the line Sony". I was passing by one of those booths in the airport where you rent DVD's and players for your trip, and was looking at the Bose Noise cancelling headsets.... I wanted to block out more of the airplane noise. The guy working there suggested I try a pair of the Shure E2's... and put a set of new foam sleaves so I could try em out standing there, plugged into my own iPAQ/PocketPlayer, and my own music.

Heh.... Yeah.... you can tell the difference. You'd be amazed.

D.

tanalasta
05-26-2004, 04:45 AM
My darn Sony EX-71SL's broke for the second time in &lt;2/52. :evil: This time round, the left headphone spontaneously stopped working. They're under warranty so I'll take them back (very little hope of getting a refund) for an exchange. Grrrr! Suspect the cord has frayed again.

Getting replacement sleeves is possible through Sony parts - I lost my usual size. They cost about A$20 each + postage so I lived with it until my headphone stopepd working and i got a replacement unit.

On topic: Guess I'll go shopping for a new pair of earphones anyway :) I'm not sure whether I have that much money to spend on the earphones reviewed here. Maybe a set of E2's :P They're on ebay for A$155 - anybody suggest some alternatives?

jeffmd
05-26-2004, 05:38 AM
anyone able to compare these with grado 60/80's? Aside from the blocking of most noise. Does the bass response actually match that of hq headphones like the grados?

dmy
05-26-2004, 07:01 AM
Maybe a set of E2's :P They're on ebay for A$155 - anybody suggest some alternatives?

Hmmm..... A$155 = USD$105 (as of 6pm Eastern Time 26 May 2004), and Shure E2's are going for $70USD at the expensive places in the states.

Again, if you're going to invest and have the money (and availablility) Consider the Shure E3's.... but really you can't go wrong with either.

D.

popabawa
05-26-2004, 08:55 AM
I have a pair of the Etymotic ER-4P's and the clarity is superb.

My ER-4P's are one of my favourite posessions. I balked at the price but now I've lived with them for a year or so, I'm more than happy with them. Double thumbs up from me.

But I have to say I like my bass, and the (in comparison) cheap Sennheiser PX-100's I have blow the Etys away in that respect.

I guess this is down to personal preference but using my Ety's on my home Hi-Fi (admittedly not very convenient due to the length of the cable!), I prefer them to everything else I've heard with a fabulous tonal response, and very well balanced across the range.

Iain.

Jereboam
05-26-2004, 11:17 AM
Yeah the price was hard to swallow but they are worth it...amazing quality.

I agree that the tonal balance is unmatched with the Ety's but I still find the bass end lacking, and it starts to break up with some of my favourite tunes. I haven't used a headphone amp for them yet, or tried the 4S conversion cable but...we'll see.

J'bm

jamuka
05-26-2004, 12:41 PM
My band has used these. They break easily. I don't recommend them. We had our ears molded--a much more durable and comfortable solution. I think that if you want the ultimate in clarity and comfort, find a company that makes custom molded ear monitors. That said, the isolation is so complete when you're wearing these that you could really endanger yourself and others by wearing these in certain situations. We had our molds cast and the monitors made for about 150 apiece.

bjornkeizers
05-26-2004, 02:08 PM
That said, the isolation is so complete when you're wearing these that you could really endanger yourself and others by wearing these in certain situations. We had our molds cast and the monitors made for about 150 apiece.

Hm. As much as I'd like complete isolation, it's just not practical. And could indeed be dangerous. They also stop any sound coming out? If there's one thing I hate, it's people with cheap headsets set to max volume with that ****ty ... whatever they call it. The music with lots of thumping and bass. Or just as annoying, people listening in on my music.

Jonathon Watkins
05-26-2004, 08:12 PM
My band has used these. They break easily. I don't recommend them. We had our ears molded--a much more durable and comfortable solution.

Thanks for that Jamuka and welcome. 8) What is your band by the way?

I too am a bit nervous about the complete isolation. I'm jumpy at the best of times. :worried: :lol:

bjornkeizers
05-27-2004, 06:45 AM
Same here. I was sitting at my desk, wearing my philips in ear at a slightly louder volume then usual, and suddenly I feel a hand on my shoulder. I damn near got a heart attack! :D (My mother brought in the paper, in case you're wondering)

dmy
05-27-2004, 05:32 PM
Hm. As much as I'd like complete isolation, it's just not practical. And could indeed be dangerous.

That's what I like about the Silicone sleeves that are on the Shure E3's. You can seat them lightly and hear around them.... or press them in a little more and seal out *everything*. Either way they're comfortable.

D.

Jereboam
05-27-2004, 07:29 PM
Yeah I wouldn't go wandering around the streets with them, you wouldn't hear the warnings about falling pianos, renegade sheep, etc... ;)

(My mother brought in the paper, in case you're wondering)

Isn't a well trained mother a wonderful thing? :)

Even though I have a family of my own now, I love going home to see my mother, home-cooked food, laundry done, cups of tea brought...can't be beaten...

J'bm

Pixelnose
05-27-2004, 10:59 PM
Bang and Olufsen also sell a pair of earphones for $160. Needless to say they sound INCREDIBLE!

http://www.bang-olufsen.com/sw1613.asp?Layer=4

Dude, do yourself a favor and get something better. Even a pair of Sennheiser mx500's are better than the B&O a8s. And no, it's not just B&O bashing. I've actually owned a pair. They're the king of the cheap earbuds.. at 160 bucks. :roll:

Also, http://www.audiocubes.com has some cool-looking Audio Technica earbuds. They'll look as cool as the a8s and from what I've read, offer better sound.

As for me and canalphones. I'm not too impressed with Future Sonic, but that's just my gut feeling. Certainly with a PDA as a source it's overkill. I have the ety 4p w/ s-cable, the ety er6, and I've tried out the Shure e3c. Of these three, the etys are superior, and the 4p is best of the bunch.

The Shure e3c's are like the Grado sr60 of the canal phone world. They're forward. At first you're impressed, but it ultimately prooves too fatiguing (ipod as source here, it'd be worse with my 2210), too grating. The midbass hump sounds groovy at first, but while the midrange of course is forward, reminisent of that warm Grado sound, the midbass hump makes it feel as if the midrange is instead recessed! I think my ears get tired trying to figure it out. ;)

But with in-ear phones, it's time for me to take that next step and get serious with some in-ear monitors like something from Ultimate Ears or Sensaphonics.

I'd think for a PDA that the Shure e2 would be the best bet, but I'm only guessing.

dmy
05-28-2004, 12:49 AM
The Shure e3c's are like the Grado sr60 of the canal phone world. They're forward. At first you're impressed, but it ultimately prooves too fatiguing (ipod as source here, it'd be worse with my 2210), too grating. The midbass hump sounds groovy at first, but while the midrange of course is forward, reminisent of that warm Grado sound, the midbass hump makes it feel as if the midrange is instead recessed! I think my ears get tired trying to figure it out. ;)

Well... I guess you and I will agree to disagree on the Shure E3's... I was unimpressed with the er6's, and while the ety 4P's were closer to my liking, I still don't hear the rich bass (no.... not the midbass hump you mention.... deeper) or the overall dynamic range that I hear on the E3's. I also listen on a 2210.... but here's an interesting thought (** footnote below):

I gave up on Media Player/WMA after less than a minute because frankly the compression sucks and the results sound like crap to me. It just totally screws up the music.

MP3 at the standard 128Kbps was FAR FAR FAR better.... but frankly I could still do better. The clipping and artifacts on some passages are just too much to take. The LAME implementation is better than most, but still....

AAC (read that: iTunes/iPOD) is pretty close to LAME @ 128.... but I'll admit there's less artifacting in quiet passages.

I finally settled on Ogg/Vorbis compression with Pocket Player ... and at Q2 (about 92Kbps) the sound, better than LAME at 128Kbps, is still solid and a more-than acceptable tradeoff for the small file size.... Q3 is close enough to transparent with the right implementation and is still smaller sizes than standard MP3. Hell... even the reference implementation is good, but the aoTuV implementation is tops (at this date).

At home I listen to FLAC..... Can't get more transparent than that except on my home theater system.

I've found that both the compression method and the implementation of that compression really make a difference, and what some people attribute to the headphones are really the compression.... (not saying that it's this in your case specifically, just pointing it out).


But with in-ear phones, it's time for me to take that next step and get serious with some in-ear monitors like something from Ultimate Ears or Sensaphonics.

Looked at a set of Shure E5's???? I'd love to own a set.... 2 tuned drivers in each ear and a good integrated crossover. I got to listen to those a few times on several different sources and types of music. The E3's are good, but the E5's are *really* good. Frequency response smoother than the skin on the most notable centerfold, the richness of Bill Gates' bank account... well... you get the idea. But worth the $599??? I'm not sure that the bang-for-the-buck is really there over the E3's (it is over the E2's and ety's) and so I don't own a set, but they are about as sweet as they come.

Cheers,
D.

** Side-note: I seem to have sensitive hearing.... Back in the late 70's and early 80's I worked on DEC's and DG minicomputers with those big CDC hard disk drives. I could hear a head crash coming on one of those things (a moderately frequent occurance) early enough to save my work to another drive before the entire system died. When the 386's first came out and I was doing BIOS and driver programming, I could literally hear the CPU working... it would faintly squeek from small tempurature fluctuations as it processed... was great for knowing for sure that the system had hung during POST or while it was loading the OS.

Pixelnose
05-28-2004, 04:21 PM
Yeah, I've heard the Shure e5's and frankly they're not for me. By all accounts a custom in-ear monitor from UE or Senephonics is going to sound better. I think that's where I need to go. No more fiddling around to get the best seal! ;)

Yeah, I'm ultra-sensitive to sounds as well, which is why I have to use heavy duty SNR 33 earplugs at night. What usually gets me with headphones is the dreaded sibilance. With the ipod unamped, sure it can be a problem with ety 4p's, but it was worse with the Shures. I'm not sure why. Most people haven't complained of sibilance. I know I had a good seal. I guess me and the Shure house sound don't get along.

dmy
05-28-2004, 06:58 PM
Yeah, I've heard the Shure e5's and frankly they're not for me. By all accounts a custom in-ear monitor from UE or Senephonics is going to sound better. I think that's where I need to go. No more fiddling around to get the best seal! ;)

Yeah, I'm ultra-sensitive to sounds as well, which is why I have to use heavy duty SNR 33 earplugs at night. What usually gets me with headphones is the dreaded sibilance. With the ipod unamped, sure it can be a problem with ety 4p's, but it was worse with the Shures. I'm not sure why. Most people haven't complained of sibilance. I know I had a good seal. I guess me and the Shure house sound don't get along.

I can understand that..... ear-seals will vary from person to person even with the sizes that the manufacturers give. The small silicone earseals that came with the E2's and E5's were OK for me..... couldn't deal with the foams in eather case. On the other hand, the new-style Silicone's (the softer grey ones) that come with the E3 are the best for me (the E3's come with old-style single-flanged silicone, foam, and new-style grey silicones.... you can order 3 flanged silicones or custom moulded earseals). With any of your headsets, have you tried different earseals?

D.

Wiggin
05-28-2004, 08:20 PM
Wow and Wow! :shocked!:

I must admit, I am weak!
- I read the posts in this thread
- I got inspired by a few comments (espc DMY, ty)
- I did 30 mins of research on the web
- I pulled the trigger and bought a pair of Shure E2c earphones
W?BIC! :mrgreen:

For quite some time, I’ve been itching to get a set of high end, sound isolating earphones, but was hesitant to spend the extra money on something I had not used or even held in my hand. I have been buying standard ear bud models for the past few years ($10-$30 units from Sony, Phillips, Panasonic, etc.) looking for that one set which really impressed me with sound, fit, etc. I did not find a pair that I felt really hit the mark. But this thread inspired me, and I want to share some initial reactions to the E2c. There are plenty of opinions already offered in the thread about the Shure E2, E3 (again, ty DMY), but I'll just pile on anyway.

The box arrived (overnight delivery… I am a very impatient buyer when it comes to gadgets :roll: ) and I was immediately impressed with the excellent packaging. It started to dawn on me that Shure is not just a little earphone company. They make serious items for serious customers, and their packaging reflects that fact.

What’s Inside
The contents include the earphones, three sizes (s, m, l) of ear canal inserts in both foam and rubber formats, a very impressive case, a detailed instruction manual in six languages, and the warranty card. The warranty is two full years on materials and workmanship (which indicates how these stack up against the standard ear-bud crop, which typically offers 30 days). :deal:

The Fit
At 6’3”, 210 lbs, my ears are kinda large (:oops:) No problem for the E2! Turns out that I’m a large in the right ear, a medium in the left ear, and a small in both ears if I do not want full isolation (for safety reasons!) Those of you with small ears may want to think twice about the E2, and opt for the E3, or another brand which are smaller. The E2 ear bud may cause challenges for very small outer ears (the ear canal is not a concern … the inserts address all sizes just fine).

Style
The wire is an “over-the-ear and down the back” style, which keeps the wire out of the way and is perfect for my life style. And these puppies stay put!!! This is going to dramatically alter my attitude about doing yard work… now I can attack a dead tree, swing an axe, and not worry about flailing cords or ear buds popping out.
An added benefit… the earphones have Ear Wax protectors (6 sets) which you use to cover the opening to the inner workings of the ear bud. They are super micro screens which prevent wax from getting into the ear bud, and fit inside the ear canal insert … very impressive.

And of course, the most important factor…The Sound
The clarity and depth of the E2 absolutely destroys the standard ear-bud competition. I had no idea how big of a difference sound isolation was going to make… and the extra cost is now FULLY justified. If I add up the money I’ve spent over the past few years on various $20 units trying to find better sound quality, richer base, tighter fit, etc., I far exceed the cost of one set of E2c’s.
Caution! The sound is so pure and focused, too much sound volume could do some serious damage to the ear drums. But, it is such a pleasure to be able to listen to portable music at normal volume levels, versus having to turn the volume way up to overcome ambient noise and loose ear fittings.

Conclusion:
The best $100 I’ve spent on tech toys in quite a while (and this is their low end model… I am now very curious how the E3 and E5 models match up… that W?BIC factor is still causing an itch!) I think I'll enjoy the new-found sound enjoyment for a bit before contemplating the E3... and the E5 at ~$600 is probably below the next VGA PPC on the priority list... :D

Cheers
:way to go: