While the quality of the sound output will vary depending on the source material and the device used to play it, the most critical part of the listening experience is where the audio comes out to your ears.  The earphone, headphone, or speaker is also where the listener has the greatest level of choice when it comes to deciding on the quality of the audio reproduction.  So if you are interested in getting more than $5 of quality from your $300 iPod, then you should consider upgrading your “stock” earphones.

In this series of reviews, I will be taking a look at a few mid to high range earphones and headphones from some of the most popular and respected headphone manufacturers.  With a focus on mobile use, all of the models reviewed are small, compact, and portable.

For my listening experience, a number of different devices were used including 3 different MP3 players, CD and DVD audio from my notebook computer, the Mobinote DVX-POD personal media player, and a Sony PSP.  All source materials were either optical or digital and in the case of MP3s, were encoded at a variety of bit rates from 128 to 320 kbps.  The material included DVD movies, PSP Games, and music.  Music genres that were used included Rock, Jazz, Pop, and Classical.  The same EQ levels were used for listening to all earphones.

From phonograph cartridges to wireless audio systems, from audio mixers to microphones, Shure has been in the audio business for over 80 years.  As one of the top audio equipment companies, Shure products are used by audio professionals all over the world.  Shure Personal Audio now brings their expertise to the mobile earphone market.  With a range of products from boom and inline mobile phone headsets to music/mobile hybrid models to the impressive “E” series earphones,  Shure has an earphone to fit your needs.  The “E” series has been very popular with many well-known musicians and audio engineers.

All Shure earphones are sound isolating earphones.  Each comes with a fit kit that contains three pairs (small, medium, large) of flex sleeves which are firm rubber, three pairs (small, medium, large) of soft flex sleeves which are soft rubber, one pair of disposable foam sleeve, and one pair of triple flange sleeve which have multiple, flexible layers of rubber.  Each style of sleeve or ear cushion is designed to give a different feeling of comfort and secure fit for different size ear canals.  In order to get the best performance from a Shure earphone, proper fit is essential.  For more information regarding how to select a sleeve and the proper way to insert the earphone into the ear and wear the earphone, check out the Shure Flash Animation at the following link:

http://www.shurestore.com/earphones/howto.html#

Shure i4c Music+Mobile Headphone
Price: $329.00

If you like using hands-free earphones for your mobile phone as well as a set of high quality earphones for your Apple iPod, but hate the struggle to change earphones every time a call comes in, now there is a solution.  The Shure i4c is the top model of the Music+Mobile line of products.  Based on the E4c model, it is comprised of a pair of high-quality earphones, inline microphone, control module, and two connector cables.  The two connector cables are designed to plug into a mobile phone and an audio device such as an MP3 player.  By using the control module, you can control the volume and switch the audio between the two connected devices.  Now you can have one set of earphones for both your mobile phone and audio device.

The 3.25” control module is inline between the earphone cable and the two connector cables.  It features a belt clip, volume dial, mute button for the microphone in phone mode, and a sliding control to switch between the phone and audio player.  From the control module, there is an 11” cable for the mobile phone, 28.5” cable for the audio player, and 42” cable for the earphones.  This is more than enough cable length for almost any situation.  For me personally, it is too much cable as it makes it a hassle to manage when I am not using the i4c.  The VoicePort Inline microphone is on the right earphone line and is acoustically tuned to filter out background noise and minimize wind noise during telephone calls.  The Shure i4c features a gold-plated, 3.5mm, right-angled plug for connecting to an audio player and a 2.5mm, gold-plated right-angled plug for connecting to a mobile phone.  Any mobile phone that uses a 2.5mm, 3 conductor plug for a hands-free headset should be compatible.

Choosing the appropriate ear sleeve and wearing the Shure i4c properly is the key to getting the best audio performance.  The audio quality of the i4c is amazing.  Using High-Definition Drivers with the Shure Tuned Port Technology, the i4c has 111 dB SPL/mW sensitivity and 29 Ohm impedance at 1 kHz which delivers very natural, dynamic sound for both your music and telephone calls.  The Shure Tuned Port Technology improves the airflow around the drivers in each ear to deliver professional quality sound with an extended bass response.  The low frequency range is good with a very solid, rich bass reproduction.  The mid range quality is excellent with a very good high range of crisp, responsive sound.  The i4c has remarkable sound quality, but when combined with its sound isolating design, it delivers an amazing listening environment.  The sound isolating nature of the Shure i4c can reduce the outside noise by 30-37 dB, so hearing your telephone calls or listening to your music with no distraction or audio degradation is never a problem.  Even in the loudest environments, I can clearly hear the person I am talking to on the phone or every nuance of the music.  The i4c is even great on airplanes if I want to get some sleep.  The sound isolating range is better than most generic ear plugs.  Remember to never wear the i4c in an environment where you need to hear the outside noise, such as when driving a car.  The sound isolation work so well, that you will always need to remove the earphones when someone wants to talk to you.

The only thing I found annoying about the Shure i4c is talking on the phone and not hearing my own voice.  In any conversation, you are used to hearing your own voice.  This becomes a natural sensation, but when using the i4c, the sound isolation of the earphones prevents you from hearing your own voice in a natural way, although you do hear some of your voice that comes from the throat through the head.  A feature that would have made the i4c better would have been the ability to mix a low volume of the outgoing voice back into the earphones so that you could clearly hear what you are saying.  Although this would unfortunately mix in some of the noise in your environment, I think it would make for a more natural sounding conversation.  The Inline Microphone does an excellent job of reducing background and wind noise.  Everyone that I have talked to using the i4c says that the sound is clear with almost no significant noise.  Of course you will need to keep your phone in “vibration” mode since the sound isolation will prevent you from hearing it ring.  An auto switching mode would make the i4c much more user friendly.

The Shure i4c comes with a hard shell case, fitting kit, and cleaning tool plus a 2 year warranty.  If you are looking for one set of earphones to use with your mobile phone and audio player, the Shure i4c is worth checking out.  The combination of high quality audio, sound isolation and multi-purpose flexibility makes it a great choice.  Although the price is high, the Shure i4c will certainly be the best sounding hands-free headset you have ever used with your mobile phone.

Shure E4g “Gaming” Earphone
Price: $319.00

Let me start by saying the Shure E4g is a really nice sounding earphone.  Similar to the E4c model, the “g” or gaming edition is designed with slightly better bass response for gaming use on computers, console game systems, and especially handheld game systems like the Sony PSP.  It also works very well for any other audio device like an MP3 player if you want enhanced bass response in your music.  The E4g uses the Shure sound isolating design, is lightweight at only 31 grams, and uses High-Definition Drivers with Tuned Port Technology to allow air to circulate around the drivers and provides the enhanced bass.  The sound isolation of the E4g blocks out most external noise so that you can enjoy the pure sound of your music or game.

The audio performance of the Shure E4g is very similar to the i4c, so the following information will be very familiar.  Choosing the appropriate ear sleeve and wearing the Shure E4g properly is the key to getting the best audio performance.  I sometimes found it difficult to keep a secure fit of the earphones in my ears. So it may take time to get used to the E4g before you are comfortable and secure with wearing them, but the effort will reward you with amazing sound.  Using High-Definition Drivers with the Shure Tuned Port Technology, the E4g has 109 dB SPL/mW sensitivity and 29 Ohm impedance at 1 kHz which delivers very dynamic, deep sound for both your music and games.  The Shure Tuned Port Technology improves the airflow around the drivers in each ear to deliver professional quality sound with an extended bass response.  The low frequency range is very good with a very powerful solid, rich bass reproduction.  The mid range quality is excellent with a very good high range of crisp, responsive sound.  The E4g has remarkable sound quality, but when combined with its sound isolating design, it delivers an amazing listening environment.  The sound isolating nature of the Shure E4g can reduce the outside noise by 30-37 dB, so listening to your music with no distraction or audio degradation is never a problem.  Even in the loudest environments, I can clearly hear every nuance of the music.  The E4g is even great on airplanes if I want to get some sleep.  The sound isolating range is better than most generic ear plugs.  Remember to never wear the E4g in an environment where you need to hear the outside noise, such as when driving a car.  The sound isolation work so well, that you will always need to remove the earphones when someone wants to talk to you.

The Shure E4g features a 52” cable, a 3.5mm gold-plated plug, on a right-angled connector, hard shell case, and the standard fit kit with cleaning tool.  A nice addition to the included E4g accessories is a Level Attenuator which allows the user to reduction in the volume range for comfortable listening.  This is very useful when using a high-output audio source, such as an airplane entertainment system.  Anyone who has watched a movie while flying on an airplane knows what it is like when the pilot or flight attendant comes on the system to make an announcement.  The quiet listening volume you set to watch the movie suddenly turns into an announcement system at full volume loud enough to shock anyone.  I have also found the Level Attenuator useful for the Apple iPod as I accidentally brush my finger against the click wheel and shoot the volume up to a painful level.

The Shure E4g delivers great sound with deep bass for music or gaming.  Priced in the mid range for high performance earphones, the Shure E4g delivers professional quality sound reproduction in a well designed and stylish package.

Shure E5c Earphone
Price: $549.00

When I first saw the Shure E5c earphone, I had two thoughts.  One, this is certainly a much different design than the other Shure Products.  Two, can an earphone be worth $549?  Obviously that depends on how much your audio quality is worth to you.  The E5c is very popular with professional audio engineers and musicians.  I recently saw a music video from one of my favorite bands.  Two of the band members were wearing the E5c.

Unlike other earphones, the Shure E5c contains two drivers for each ear, one low-mid range driver and one high range driver.  Combined with an inline crossover, the E5c can reproduce professional reference quality audio.  The highs are clean and precise, mids very strong and natural, and the bass is rich and powerful.  The overall sound qualities of all frequency ranges are excellent.  Combined with Shure’s sound isolating design, you get a fantastic music experience with little external noise.  I had a chance to show the E5c to one of the top audio designer / engineers in Asia.  He was amazed and commented that the sound quality was “excellent” and “the reproduction quality for vocal frequency is better than many reference loudspeakers”.

Using Dual Live Performance Drivers, the E5c has 122 dB SPL/mW sensitivity and 110 Ohm impedance at 1 kHz which delivers very dynamic, realistic sound.  The sound isolating design of the Shure E5c can reduce the outside noise by 30-39 dB, so listening to your music with no distraction or audio degradation is never a problem.  Even in the loudest environments, I can clearly hear every nuance of the music.  I use the E5c on airplanes when I want to get some sleep.  The sound isolation work so well, that you will always need to remove the earphones when someone wants to talk to you.  The E5c is very power efficient, so always make sure to turn down the volume before inserting the earphones in your ears.

The design of the E5c is very different from the other Shure products.  The ear sleeves are the same, but the way you insert them into the ear and wear the E5c is different.  The cable near the earphone is designed with a memory-fit feature so that it retains the shape you bend into them.  This makes it easier to get a secure fit.  The cable is also professionally shielded and stronger than other earphones that I have tried.  The 3.5mm plug is gold-plated on a right-angled connector.  I found the Shure E5c easier to wear than the other Shure models and it maintains a comfortable and secure fit for extended periods of use.

The Shure E5c features a long 62” memory-fit cable and the same accessory package as the E4g.  The standard protective case is disappointing for the E5c.  The E5c has a longer and thicker cable that the other Shure earphones.  So when you roll up the E5c and “cram” it into the same case, the stiffer, longer cable will get tangled up inside the case making it more difficult to get it ready for use quickly.  A better case design with a cable management system would have been nice.

So is the Shure E5c worth the high price.  Again, it depends on how important audio quality is to you.  Do you want to hear music the way your favorite musician listens to it?  Do you want to have true and realistic reproduction of your music?  Do you want an amazing music experience that will change the way you enjoy your music?  If you answered yes to all those questions, then you should give the Shure E5c a try.  I was amazed the first time I heard them.

Reviewed by Harvey Lee,
Senior Technology Editor

Product:  Shure i4c, E4g, and E5c Headphones
Manufacturer:  Shure Inc.
Web Site:  http://www.shure.com
Category:  Mobile / Audio Hardware