OT: in-ear monitor: Shure vs Bose

[jazzbo jim]

I would like to get a set of earbuds that double as iPod and stage monitors.
I've been considering Bose Triport (?) or Shure E2C. Both are priced the same.
Any advice/suggestions? I'm open to other cost effective alternatives.
Thanks

 

[tommyindelaware]

try the apple ones !!!!! i lended mine to our singer one night last year when he broke his buds.....& couldn't get them back. he was ravin about them. & they are alot cheaper than the shures. & giggin..they get broke often enough that price matters.

 

[Mick]

I´m using custom fitted Shure e5 onstage and use them for hifi purpose too.
So they sound ok since they are 2 way but I can´t speak for the e2.

Since the ultimate ear stuff is not so expensive in the states as in germany, maybe you take that in consideration too.
That would have been my first choice but way too expensive over here.
would have cost me a grand in €s.

The e5 are half the price and our monitor guy is top notch AAA so.....

Hope that helps a bit. Try them all and take the one you personally like.

 

[adouglas]

I've heard that one of the points of the Bose design is that they sit very lightly in the ear canal rather than being jammed in tight. That makes them really comfortable.

While that's probably good for hearing ambient sound in addition to your monitor mix, I'd be concerned about having them fall out.

If you don't mind having something visible on your ears, I've used the really cheap (about ten bucks) Sony headphones that hook over your ear. They're super-comfortable because they're not jammed into your ear canal, sound just fine, allow some ambient to come in and are so cheap that you won't worry about messing them up.

 

[greenwizard]

^^+1. Those things are very comfortable and practical. You can get higher quality buds in the same style from bose and a couple other companies.

 

[jazzbo jim]

Green wiz,
Which ones are you taliking about? Is there a model number?
I don't mind putting out the cash if they sound great and are gig worthy.

 

[jagged]

I'm an audiophile, and a frequent poster over at head-fi.org.

Here's the general consensus between my fellow audiophiles over there.

We do not touch anything Bose with a 10 foot pole.

To break it down for you, here's what you should be looking at before purchasing...

Comfort.

Each company has different characteristics, for example, some companies tend to lean on very neutral sounds, some are bassheads, and some are very bright in nature. You really have to try them out. In short, here are the best IEM's for the different price rangers. ALl of them are highly regarded by my audiophile community.

Sub $100 USD
Westone UM1

Sub $200 USD
Ultimate Ears Super.Fi 5 Pro

Sub $250 USD
Shure E4
Westone UM2

Sub $500 USD
Ultimate Ears Triple.Fi 10
Westone UM3

Anything over $500. you are getting custome fit.

PM me if you have any questions.

 

[adouglas]

We do not touch anything Bose with a 10 foot pole.

Opinions, experiences and successes differ. All of my band's PA, monitors, backline amps, equipment racks, etc. etc. etc. have been replaced by the three Bose L1s you see in this photograph.

We've never sounded better. And I'll never have to carry a heavy, bulky bass cabinet again. I tried...really hard...not to like this gear because it cost so much, but the sound and the audience reaction could not be argued with.

You're entitled to your own opinion, of course.

What always amuses me is how people can make blanket absolutist judgments about a company's entire product range without ever actually seeing, trying or hearing the equipment in question.

Is your estimation of the Bose in-ear headphones based on anything other than preconceived notions about the name? I assume that you've never seen or heard them, since you won't touch anything from Bose with a ten-foot pole.

Is your estimation of the headphones you recommend based on actual experience, or on reputation?

I don't claim that all Bose gear is great. That would be just as silly IMHO as saying that none of it is any good at all. I like to base judgmental statements on actual first-hand experience, not hearsay.

Just my $0.02

 

[jagged]

Opinions, experiences and successes differ. All of my band's PA, monitors, backline amps, equipment racks, etc. etc. etc. have been replaced by the three Bose L1s you see in this photograph.

We've never sounded better. And I'll never have to carry a heavy, bulky bass cabinet again. I tried...really hard...not to like this gear because it cost so much, but the sound and the audience reaction could not be argued with.

You're entitled to your own opinion, of course.

What always amuses me is how people can make blanket absolutist judgments about a company's entire product range without ever actually seeing, trying or hearing the equipment in question.

Is your estimation of the Bose in-ear headphones based on anything other than preconceived notions about the name? I assume that you've never seen or heard them, since you won't touch anything from Bose with a ten-foot pole.

Is your estimation of the headphones you recommend based on actual experience, or on reputation?

I don't claim that all Bose gear is great. That would be just as silly IMHO as saying that none of it is any good at all. I like to base judgmental statements on actual first-hand experience, not hearsay.

Just my $0.02

Heya...

I have used many Bose products, and the Tri Port line is something I was testing while I was shopping for headphones and in ear monitors.They certainly sounded great the first time I put them on. As I tried more and more different products (AKG, Audio Technica, Grado), the products in the same price range were better in my opinion than the Tri-Ports. I have had the opportunity to try Shure, Westone, and Etyomic Research, IEM products, and I've found that they produce more detail than the Bose's. I've been able to try almost all models (except for the custom fit ones, and the triple driver models) and I figure I've done enough research in this area to say something about it. I currently have the UE Super.Fi 5 Pros and it took me about 2 years to buy them not because of money, but because I gave several other IEMs a test drive.

I guess the reason why I referred to the community over there, because a lot of times a general consensus may be more useful than one person's opinion. Everyone I've encountered that was a Bose fan was blown away by some of these other brands. My biggest beef with a lot of Bose fans (and I'm not saying you) is that they are fans of Bose because of the reputation they carry and not because they've done their reserach. To compare, here in Canada, the Bose Tri-Port headphones are $200 cdn, where as the Sennheiser HD-555's are $139. The HD-555's are much more detailed than the Bose's. You can hear a guitar's pick scraching the string even when there's heavy distortion.

Jazzbo, if you want to try the Tri-Ports, you can go to Best Buy and pick up a pair... try them, then return them if you don't like it. Best Buy also carry's Shures. It will be difficult to find anything else though. Just a note, IEM's typically need about 60-80 hours of burn in time before they start sounding great.

 

[adouglas]

Excellent. That's what I like to hear...someone who's done their homework and decided based on merit. That's a long, long way from a blanket statement like "I wouldn't touch anything Bose with a ten-foot pole."

The beef you have with Bose fans is the exact same beef I have with Bose bashers.

My biggest beef with a lot of Bose fans (and I'm not saying you) is that they are fans of Bose because of the reputation they carry and not because they've done their reserach.

My biggest beef with a lot of Bose bashers (and I'm not saying you) is that they are critics of Bose because of the reputation they carry and not because they've done their reserach.

Two sides of the same coin.

Try the product and choose or reject it based on merit, not hearsay.