Shure E3c Sound Isolating Stereo Earphones

If you enjoy listening to your audio/home theater system with headphones, but tire of standard stereo headphone bulkiness, then check out the Shure E-series earphones, especially the E3c. Although expensive ($179), you will not be disappointed. Several benefits to the listener include: extremely compact size, high-energy drivers for high output, great sonic definition at all frequencies, and low distortion compared to similar products.

In using the E3c, I found that mid-range vocals showed great presence, and the highs and lows were very well-balanced. The E3c performed well on challenging music tracks, such as Nora Jones's outstanding breathy vocals on "Sunrise", Medeski, Martin, and Wood's "Uninvisible", and Heart's "Magic Man" (in which E3c exhibited a slight bottom roll off at the famous deep bass slide - which is common even for "better" headphones and loudspeakers).

While the stereo performance was definitely better than expected, using these headphones in conjunction with Yamaha's Silent Cinema headphone surround DSP on DVD material, was even more exciting. The E3c accurately presented a well-defined surround sound audio image from cuts such as the ship-to-ship battle scene in "Pirates of the Caribbean" and the wall breach scene in "Lord Of The Rings - The Two Towers".

The E3c comes with custom disposable and reusable ear moldings and a compact carrying case for mobile use, but you need to buy a 1/4" headphone adapter to use them with a home audio/theater system. The E3c sounds great with any music or DVD source.

In conclusion, the Shure E3c mini-stereo earphones are a great alternative to traditional large bulky studio-type headphones, providing audio performance rivaling its larger cousins. In fact, with their light weight and compact design, you may forget that you are listening to earphones at all. Just think of the E3c as a great set of loudspeakers that just happen to fit in your ears.