| | WHICH IN-EAR HEADPHONES ARE THE BEST?![Which in-ear headphones are the best?]() Copyrighted MaterialEarphone Solutions is the legal owner of these articles, and if you want to copy, reproduce or distribute these articles, you must have a written Authorization from us. Parts or the totality of these articles cannot be reproduced, copied or distributed without our written authorization. Please stick to this rule, under the penalties of the US Copyright Law.
Which in ear headphone is the best?Due to so many new models coming to the market in record numbers, the following link will take you to our most up to date ranking:
Most current ranking for the best in-ear headphones.
Updated September 16 2005:
Westone UM2 Dual Driver In-Ear Earphones with Passive Crossover
NEW Editor's Choice
"The UM2 are the BEST earphones I have tried so far and this is the one I use on a daily basis. I own all of the earphones that we offer on our website and the UM2 is the best sound wise, comfort wise, sound detail, warmth, cable design, earbud design, extremely musical with a fuller sound and a perfectly balanced output. Not too harsh, not too soft. I get the best fit and seal with comfort using the short ComplyTips"
Flavio T. Customer Service Manager for EarphoneSolutions.com
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We get this question a lot. I’d say about a hundred times every day. With all the technical information we have gathered, our own expertise and, especially, the feedback we get from our customers, we feel very confident on our rankings. Nevertheless, this is, of course, my personal opinion and I have seen customers that prefer other products to my choices. Some even say, for instance, this one has more bass than that one when I think exactly the opposite. Despite that, I would say that most customers agree with me.
Just keep in mind, when you read this article, that the Shure earphones have a distinct sound difference when compared to the Etymotic earphones.
First I will group them in price range and sound quality:
Shure E5c vs. Etymotic ER4P
The Shure E5c has a stronger bass and mid range, and it is better built. The cables are thicker, hence less microphonics (the sound that gets transmitted to your ear when rubbing the cables against your shirt or the wind, for instance). Because the cables are thicker they need to be dealt with. They seem to be always in your way, so you need to route them around the back of your ears and then to the back of your head. They provide a secure fit that way, however they take longer to put in. This is not much of an issue if you are not using the foam sleeves (my favorite ones). Still, if you are going to be interrupted here and there, the task could amount to a bit of a hassle.
Sound is very rich. For some songs it’s too rich and your ears get tired quicker. In comparison, I think it is because of the enhanced bass/mid range, the sound may come out a bit muddier than the ER4P. If you are young, enjoy mostly rock, and have a strong bank account this might be it.
The Etymotic ER4P has a good sound. Some of our customers think it lacks bass and we have to agree. The cables are thinner hence more prone to “microphonics”, however Etymotic includes a shirt clip that makes all the difference. If you clip it to the right spot you will be able to avoid the rubbing against the shirt and eliminate the problem (when the music is playing this is not much of an issue). I think that if you are looking for punch you want the E5c. The main problems of the ER4P are its design, fit and comfort.
Shure E3c vs. Etymotic 6i:
After 2 years, in this category my clear favorite is the E3c. The construction quality and customer support from Shure are hard to beat. The Shure E3c is an excellent product that, in comparison, enhances mainly the mid-range.Despite the fact that the earphones themselves are about the same size, once I had the ear tip installed it made the 6i hang out off my ears (and I believe of many users).
Cables on both Etymotic models are very light and very thin. They lack built quality. Microphonics from thinner cables are always a problem. The E3c comes with an excellent hassle free 2 year warranty where Shure will replace or repair the earphones at no cost to you (of course if you run your car over it don’t expect a free replacement). The Etymotic ones come with a 1 year warranty after you register online.
The E3c has stronger bass (I’ve read some posts in forums stating the opposite and I strongly believe it’s due to the user not getting a good fit with one and getting a good fit with the other). Remember, NO SEAL = NO BASS, WEAK SEAL = WEAK BASS. The seal quality being equal, the E3c outputs stronger mid and low end. It’s nice and clean, but with punch. The Etymotic sounds weaker.
I believe that most customers that have the chance to try both products will prefer the E3c.
As an authorized Shure dealer we cannot advertise Shure earphones bellow the Minimum Advertised Price stipulated by Shure at the risk of having our shipments suspended from the factory, however we will be glad to beat any lower prices you may find from non-authorized dealers that don’t adhere to this policy. When beating a price, we take into consideration the cost of the order plus the shipping cost charged by the competition since we offer FREE shipping. Just e-mail us: LowerPrice@EarphoneSolutions.com
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