A while back I had asked for recommendations for good quality earphones for my iPod and other personal listening needs. Several people recommended that we check out Shures. I bought a few different cheaper pairs but ended up getting exactly what I paid for – poor sound quality, cheap construction, and painful to wear for longer than ten minutes at a time. Finally, before we went to Florida, I bit the one-hundred-dollar-bullet and bought 2 pair of E2c Sound Isolating Earphones; one for me and one for :Jer.

He tested his out before we left, but my first experience with mine was on the airplane. We were sitting right by the engine and after a brief setup process we popped them in and settled in to watch a DVD. The earphones were amazing! I could barely hear the rumble of the engine and I may as well have been deaf when the flight attendant came over to ask us if we’d like a beverage. I couldn’t hear her at all and had to pluck one side out to keep her from continuing to shout at us in attempt to break through our earphones – which would so obviously not happen!

I have wanted to blog about these earphones for sometime now. Mainly because anytime anyone wants to purchase something as expensive as this, they’d like to hear every pro and con before they make their decision – at least that’s how I work. So here is a list of what I love, and what I might kinda sorta maybe consider a con.

Let’s start with the good…

1. These E2c’s are lightweight. When they are in I barely realize I’m wearing them. In fact, I watched an entire movie without once noticing my earphones.
2. They have a handy little carry case. And it’s not a cheesy one either. It’s a round hard case with a center storage area for the earphones. I feel comfortable throwing it in my bag and know that they are safe.
3. As for sound isolation these ROCK! You expect this from the big DJ headphones that cup your entire ear, but these are tiny little ear buds man! Once properly in, I couldn’t hear much outside noise at all.
4. A nifty two year warranty will enshure that your investment is protected.
5. They are great for the gym, blocking out all the loud noises and still oh so comfy to wear for hours!

Now for a few of the kinda bad…

1. The cord isn’t extremely long therefore I find myself pulling them now and again.
2. They are slightly difficult to put in. Because they go behind the ear and then over the top, I find it a little tedious to put them in quickly and properly. This also leads to #3.
3. If not properly put in your ear (with the proper fitting ear cushions) the sound suffers. You’ll know they aren’t in correctly when the volume seems low and there is a lack of bass.
4. At about $100 a pair, these are a little steep in pricing and I know I can’t afford to replace them if they are lost or stolen.
5. Because of the sound isolation being so good, it’s sometimes a pain to wear them around other people. For example, at work when your co-worker starts talking to you over the cube wall you’ll have to pluck them out to hear… even lowering the volume or muting doesn’t do the trick. And if you have someone frequently talking to you off and on, you’ll find yourself annoyed with the complexity of taking them out and putting them back in properly each time. (That’s what I get for living in a friendly community!)

All in all, you’ll be happy if you purchase these earphones, especially if you use them when you travel, workout, or to block out work noise in your cube farm.