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09 May 2006
I’ve used a pair of Sony Fontopia earbuds for my iPod for many years. In-ear earbuds are very much a matter of taste, but I really like them for the passive sound isolation they provide, and for the full sound with rich bass. However, my old Sony phones parted company with the mini-jack plug, so I was looking around for a replacement. I probably would have just settled for another pair of the Sony earbuds, but I had some money for my birthday and felt like treating myself. I’d listened to the Shure E2c phones at the MacExpo, and was very impressed by the clarity and warmth of the sound. Yes, they are a lot more expensive than the Sonys, but they sound a great deal better too, so I feel like I’ve got good value for money.
I’ve been using them for a while now, and I’m really pleased with them. As with any in-ear phones, the fit is very important. Shure provides three different types of sleeve: foam, soft rubber and firm rubber, and each is provided in three sizes. It’s well worth spending some time experimenting with the different sleeves to find which suits you, because the sleeve needs to be slightly compressed in your ear canal to provide rich bass and proper sound isolation. It took me a while, but I ended up using the soft flex sleeves which are quite similar to the ones provided with the Sony earbuds.
The other slightly odd thing about the Shure phones is that you wear them with the cable going over the top of your ear and tucking behind it, rather than with the cable dangling down, which is more usual. A plastic sleeve on the cable can be slid up to hold the cable taut against the back of your neck or under the chin. A word of warning—-don’t wear the cable under your chin, because you’ll look like an idiot. Inserting and adjusting them takes a little practice, but once you’ve got them secured, they are very comfortable. The isolation is really excellent, and even on a noisy train I can have the volume quite low and still feel enveloped by music.
They do have another quirk, however. The body of the earbud containing the driver is slightly pointed, and I do sometimes feel like an exponentially less glamorous and beautiful version of Lt. Uhura. I have to fight the urge to press my finger to the earbud and say, “Captain, we’re being hailed by the Romulans!â€Â. That, along with wearing the cables under my chin, would not be cool.
2
Yeah, well, I tried them too. They sound great but... they hurt! I don't know if it's me having ears smaller than the rest of the music-listening humanity but I have yet to find an earbud that doesn't hurt my ears...
So I spent a small fortune on those earbuds, thinking they would be better than the iPod standard ones, but I ended up selling them to a colleague at a fraction of their price because I just couldn't wear them.
Happy you if they suit you! 
3
Hmmm
I use fontopia for my iPod, and tried the Sony 'in-ear' ones (they too come with three different sized 'rubbers'). However I think my ears are a funny shape or something as I could never get them to stay in... went back to the old fontopias.
4
You know, I disagree with you on the Lt Uhura thing: I think doing that would be profoundly cool.
Wearing the cables under your chin, though: yes.
by Martin McCallion @ 10/05/2006 12:06 pm • Permalink •
5
Hey bsag- good taste in buds! 
I just love my E2c's.. just wait for the day you misplace them. :( Not fun! I was freakin' for around 3 days until I emptied my black-bottomed bag, to find the case roll out. I placed a Stuffbak label inside mine in the hopes that if they get lost they'll find their way back.
I use the e2c's exclusively now, and may also be working on a patch-box for on-stage use in the future. Beautiful neutral tone-response takes classical music as well as jazz and ensemble music perfectly... gotta love 'em.
Best part? I found them at an Apple fire-sale, still all packed up, a bit of cleaning on the supplied earpieces, and I was good to go, cheaper than I can find them still today.
6
The new Sony Fontopia headphones are much more poorly made than the older ones. I had my first pair for six years, but the ones I got in March have already been broken through light usage.
I'd advise people to avoid them.
7
I bought some of the Sony noise cancelling earphones on my last trip here. They work fairly well, but then they are a fraction of the cost of others. I also found you have to play about with the buds, smallest ones for me. Can no-one make customisable inserts like the H&S ones in factories?
by Julian @ 12/05/2006 5:06 am • Permalink •
8
All: In-ear phones certainly don't suit everyone, and for some people, they just are painful, even if you try out all of the sleeves available. It must be something to do with the size and shape of the ear canal, I suppose. Personally, I find them comfortable.
Just to clarify, my Sonys were the in-ear type, rather than the usual kind of earbuds. I thought that they were called fontopia, but I could well be wrong.
Julian: I think that you can actually get customised rubber inserts made, moulded to the shape of your ears (there's a limited amount of information on Shure's site, but it's probably very expensive.
9
Sigh a woman who likes cats, in ear headphones and efficient engines. Wow. Do you at least look horrible?
10
I too broke my in-ear Fontopia's after many years of good service. I was a bit miffed because the newer ones are cheaper - and not as good. I debated on the Etymotic's and Shure, and went with the Etymotic. Bad idea - I couldn't get a better sound out of them than the basic white iPod earphones - mostly down to fit, I think, but my wife found them no better than her Sony's. We even tried it on a noisy street to compare sound isolation.
I was thinking about trying the Ultimate Ears ones, but then spotted the new Sony MDR-EX90LP. I can't really make any comparison to the Shure or Ultimate Ears, but these are great - an improvement on the last set, with really clear bass, and I rarely have my iPod above 50% volume, even on public transport.
by JulesLt @ 15/05/2006 7:05 pm • Permalink •
11
To update.. I went ahead and purchased some E2c buds from Amazon the other day (partially based off this post, and talking to a few other people.) They just arrived, and I'm thrilled with them so far!
by Ryan Christensen @ 18/05/2006 2:05 am • Permalink •
12
The new Sony Fontopias are incredibly poorly made. After less than three months of delicate usage, they fell apart.
I agree that they sounded good out of the package, but I am still seeking something durable, with comparable acoustic properties.
13
I've had the Shure E2c ear buds for around 1 year now. I love them. I've never had ear buds before them. So it took a little time to get used to wearing them.
I use them for my DJ remixing, at the gym or when riding my bike and ice skating.
The sound is excellent. Won't buy any other make now.
by DJ Kav @ 10/06/2006 9:06 am • Permalink •
1
I'm glad to hear your comments on the E2c buds. I've actually been debating the purchase of a pair for myself (or possibly the E3c's).. and have been searching high and low for some real-life-experiences outside of Amazon.com reviews, and yours is greatly appreciated.
Thanks again!
by Ryan Christensen @ 09/05/2006 5:06 pm • Permalink •