Sure E2G vs. UE Super.fi 3

[Jags]

I'm finally breaking down and buying IEMs. I love my old Sportapros, but I need something less cumbersome for local travel (subway, train) and flights.

I don't want to break the bank, and I've got it narrowed down to these two. I've been to the headphone enthusiast sites and forums, but they tend to base their comparisons on cans that run hundreds of dollars. So I wanted to get some feedback from you guys, since we've got similar DAPs and mobile audio needs.

My main concerns are comfort and durability. I know they both sound good, so I need something comfortable that won't fall out a lot or break too easily.

Any info you can provide is appreciated.

EDIT: Spelling Shure wrong was a great way to start this off, huh?

[dfkt]

Usually Ultimate Ears are more comfortable than Shure's... sound-wise they're both good for $100,-.

Durability is also better in the UE's, since they have a replaceable cable.

[Konechiwa]

you can get the shures for 60 bucks @ earphonesolutions.com (coupon code: select30).

I don't know about uE, but shures are really nice. Their really comfortable.

[Homer_SS]

From what ive heard from Headfi. Shure has the better durability and much better customer support. There warranty is pretty much 2 year exchange with most of the time no questions asked as long as you have proof of purchase.

The superfi's might have replacable cords but the shures are much thicker and much more durable.

[siempre fresco]

after 6 months of normal usage the wire on my e2c's have begun to crack, so I say stay away from em, go with the UE, they have replaceable cables.

[Homer_SS]

after 6 months of normal usage the wire on my e2c's have begun to crack, so I say stay away from em, go with the UE, they have replaceable cables.

Why dont you return them to Shure? Your still in your 2 year warranty period. You'd be throwing away money if you bought new headphones (unless you wanna upgrade).

[lingenfr]

Headphone.com does not give many 5/5 ratings. They like the UE

http://www.headphone.com/guide/by-application/our-10-best-headphones/ultimate-ears-superfi-3-studio-white.php

I just ordered a pair from here for $81.99 plus $6.95 shipping

http://www.supplysale.com/Item.aspx?sku=G46939IM&sgd=330d309d319d309d314

The CAMFs at garrett smart home were out of stock and cancelled my order. Gosh that chaps my butt. Oh well.

[tonysunshine]

Might also wanna look at the Westone UM1. Same pricerange(I think) but its SQ is compared to much more expensive IEM's. I think the Super Fi. 3's won't offer as much isolation as they sit on the edge of the ear canal while the shure's go farther in. Also, make sure you know how the UE's fit in your ear, as they say they stick out has deterred many people from buying them.

[goblue]

I bought the E2C 4 months ago (now for sale on E-Bay) and bought the SF-E3s last week. they easily beat up the E2C in both comfort and sound. Now I'm greedy and have done a ton of research....I purchased the SF-E5 PROS on earphonesolutions.com and they should be in by the end of the week.

I definitely recommned the super.fi line. they are most comfortable of the one's I've tried.

[Homer_SS]

Um1 > SuperFi.3 > E2

[dfkt]

Um1 > SuperFi.3 > E2

On what facts is that based?

[zoeae]

Can someone post about the comfort of the UM-1s? From this picture (http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showpost.php?p=1821366&postcount=31) it is clear that they don't stick out at all, unlike what I've heard about the super.fi 3s. But are they as comfortable as those IEMs are reputed to be?

[Homer_SS]

On what facts is that based?

Im sorry i should have added thats my oppinion, not to mention a alot of headfi'ers.

The UM1 is quite ALOT better than both the super fi and e2. But between the E2 and superfi its really close. The bass for the super fi was a little lacking compared to the e2's but i found it was more accurate. The highs were a little clearer as well.
For me here in canada the e2's were 100bucks and everywhere i looked the superfi was 30-50 dollars more. I couldn't justify spending the extra cash. Plus the e2's (for me anyways) isolated alot more than the superfi's (yes i tried all different sleeves).

[dfkt]

Thanks for the answer Homer_SS. Yes I heard that the UM1's are awesome for the price range they're in. Unfortunately they're not available in Europe, so I could never try them. (I'd be more interested in the UM2's, tho' - the head-fiers tend to like them a lot, too.)

[Homer_SS]

Thanks for the answer Homer_SS. Yes I heard that the UM1's are awesome for the price range they're in. Unfortunately they're not available in Europe, so I could never try them. (I'd be more interested in the UM2's, tho' - the head-fiers tend to like them a lot, too.)

There pretty much the original Shure E5's. Westone used to make the E5's before shure moved manufacturing to some other country (mexico maybe?).
So you get E5 sound for 299 bucks which is a killer deal.

[Getwired]

Hey all. I know the thread title is "Shure E2G vs. UE super.fi 3", but I've got to add my $.02 wrt the super.fi product. I bought a pair of super.fi 5 Pro's a few weeks ago (same exact physical dimensions as the 3 Studio, but 2 drivers with a passive crossover instead of just 1 driver). I absolutely LOVE them. VERY comfortable, incredible and accurate sound, and the included accessories are really nice. With the 5 Pro's, you get a metal case which really protects them well; however, with the 3 Studio you get just the leather case, which is also pretty nice, but soft (duh).

The foam tips are the best in terms of comfort and isolation, but generally get really nasty after a short time. For long use, I find that the smallest silicone tips work best for me, and are quite comfortable.

I did my research on the forums at www.head-fi.org and numerous other "can" review sites, and I am not sorry at all that I totally skipped Shure, Westone, and Etymotic and picked up the super.fi 5 Pro's.

All that said, I really have no idea how well the super.fi 3 Studio's stack up against the 5 Pro's but I'll bet they're not too far off the mark, and that even the 3 Studio's blow away the other single driver buds in their price range. Not trying to start a religious or philosophical discussion here gang...it all still seems somewhat subjective to me, BUT I do LOVE my 5 Pro's!!!!

Best current price I could find on the 3 Studios: http://www.thenerds.net/index.php?page=productpage&affid=8&pn=IPP3SSB000202
$79.91, in stock.

Best current price I could find on the 5 Pros was here:
http://www.datavis.com/webapp/commerce/command/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=455554&prmenbr=2000
$189.99, in stock

Noteworthy Reviews:
3 Studio -> http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1863932,00.asp
5 Pro -> http://gear.ign.com/articles/671/671883p1.html

Just Google It.

:jamming:

[dfkt]

X5 60GB w/ firmware v2.07e - v2.1x is for LAMERS and MS Rump Rangers who love Media Player

You are mistaken, lad. Up to 2.10b5 there is no DRM included. It started with 2.10b6.

2.10b5 has several improvements, about which you can inform yourself here: http://eng.iaudio.com/zeroboard/zboard.php?id=C08&page=1&sn1=&divpage=1&bmenu=download&category=12&sn=off&ss=on&sc=on&select_arrange=subject&bmenu=download&desc=desc&no=162&bmenu=download

[Homer_SS]

Hey all. I know the thread title is "Shure E2G vs. UE super.fi 3", but I've got to add my $.02 wrt the super.fi product. I bought a pair of super.fi 5 Pro's a few weeks ago (same exact physical dimensions as the 3 Studio, but 2 drivers with a passive crossover instead of just 1 driver). I absolutely LOVE them. VERY comfortable, incredible and accurate sound, and the included accessories are really nice. With the 5 Pro's, you get a metal case which really protects them well; however, with the 3 Studio you get just the leather case, which is also pretty nice, but soft (duh).

The foam tips are the best in terms of comfort and isolation, but generally get really nasty after a short time. For long use, I find that the smallest silicone tips work best for me, and are quite comfortable.

I did my research on the forums at www.head-fi.org and numerous other "can" review sites, and I am not sorry at all that I totally skipped Shure, Westone, and Etymotic and picked up the super.fi 5 Pro's.

All that said, I really have no idea how well the super.fi 3 Studio's stack up against the 5 Pro's but I'll bet they're not too far off the mark, and that even the 3 Studio's blow away the other single driver buds in their price range. Not trying to start a religious or philosophical discussion here gang...it all still seems somewhat subjective to me, BUT I do LOVE my 5 Pro's!!!!

Best current price I could find on the 3 Studios: http://www.thenerds.net/index.php?page=productpage&affid=8&pn=IPP3SSB000202
$79.91, in stock.

Best current price I could find on the 5 Pros was here:
http://www.datavis.com/webapp/commerce/command/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=455554&prmenbr=2000
$189.99, in stock

Noteworthy Reviews:
3 Studio -> http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1863932,00.asp
5 Pro -> http://gear.ign.com/articles/671/671883p1.html

Just Google It.

:jamming:

Not to sound like a dick ...........but what do the Super.Fi 5pros have anything to do with the fi 3's? Your really just hyping up the brand.....
Granted superfi is an amazing brand but its irrelevent here... if you talked about customer support or build quality i could understand but your not.

To tell him to ignore other brands is ignorant. Especially when the other brands carry better products at his price point.

[Getwired]

You are mistaken, lad. Up to 2.10b5 there is no DRM included. It started with 2.10b6.

2.10b5 has several improvements, about which you can inform yourself here: http://eng.iaudio.com/zeroboard/zboard.php?id=C08&page=1&sn1=&divpage=1&bmenu=download&category=12&sn=off&ss=on&sc=on&select_arrange=subject&bmenu=download&desc=desc&no=162&bmenu=download

Thanks for the tip! You're right -- I didn't realize that DRM was new as of 2.10b6. I don't think I've even seen that version on any of the sites... Anyway -- but I'll surely check out 2.10b5 and update my sig. I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I learn something new every day...

Regards!

[Getwired]

Not to sound like a dick ...........but what do the Super.Fi 5pros have anything to do with the fi 3's? Your really just hyping up the brand.....
Granted superfi is an amazing brand but its irrelevent here... if you talked about customer support or build quality i could understand but your not.

To tell him to ignore other brands is ignorant. Especially when the other brands carry better products at his price point.
Not trying to hijack Jags' thread here for an argument, but this is his/her thread and they were looking for an opinion, which you also offered earlier in the thread. If you re-read my post, you'll see that I did not tell him to ignore the other brands. I said that I did. I would not presume to tell another member what they should do -- they can make up their own mind. I offered an opinion (mine), and that was all.

You are correct on your other point -- they did ask how they stack up with regard to build quality -- "durability".

One of the reasons I bought into the super.fi brand is because of cord durability issues I've had with my Sony MDR-EX71SL's, and I will not be buying another pair of those again. I checked out many reviews for Shure, Etymotic, and Westone before I plonked down my hard-earned money. Excluding sound quality, the simple fact that the super.fi cord is pretty easily replaceable was a major factor in my decision.

The "memory wires" that hold them over your ears are great too -- as long as you have them properly adjusted, your IEMs should not pop out by them selves.

Haven't had to call customer service at UE for anything yet, but the 2 year warranty has me covered. I'm sure something better will be out by then anyway, right?

super.fi quality = excellent
super.fi durability = excellent
super.fi 5 Pro sound = incredible
super.fi 3 Studio sound = your call, ymmv

Have a nice day.

P.S. -- Homer_SS, you did sound like a dick.