A couple of weeks back I received my shipment of Shure E3 in-ear monitors after having suffered with Apple’s crappy iPod buds. After the initial test phase of trying the different tips I originally settled on the largest size of silicone tips. I’m an audiophile though, and in the last couple of weeks I’ve experimented with the others and have come to some conclusions.
To begin with, IEMs work by creating a seal in the ear canal, trapping a small bubble of air through which the sound waves from the IEMs bounce. This seal is critical to the unit’s performance as any gap in the seal that allows trapped air to escape reduces their performance dramatically. Without the seal you might as well be listening to music over your cell’s speakerphone as it is incapable of transmitting low frequencies directly to your ear. That pocket of air essentially functions as a woofer cone. It’s a rather ingenious design, really, but as I am discovering, it is not without its flaws. So I’ve evaluated the various pros and cons of each of the tips the Shure IEMs come with.
Soft Silicone Tips
I initially selected these to use as my every-day tips because they seemed to be the most capable of forming a tight seal. They were soft and flexible enough to conform well to the shape of the ear canal. Furthermore because they could dynamically shape themselves as the IEMs were positioned in the ear, they were capable of allowing you to place a bit of pressure on the air pocket, which resulted in deep, rich bass – akin to a nice firm woofer cone capable of delivering warm, defined lows below 50Hz. One problem here though is that – as disgusting as this may sound – you have to kind of maintain a certain, very minor level of ear wax in your ears. Too much and they slip out of place too easily. Too clean, and the tips have more difficulty creating and maintaining a seal. Ear wax in this case – a small amount, anyway – can help act as a kind of adhesive which allows the soft tips to stick to the canal walls. This helps them both maintain their seal and stay more securely in place. This is not an ideal solution however, as prolonged use can cause your ears to sweat a little which makes the tips a little slippery, which can cause them to slip just enough out of place to weaken or break the seal. Furthermore, the seals created by each phone can be inconsistent, requiring you to fiddle incessantly with them to maintain a proper balance between the ears. If you can find that “sweet spot” where the sound is perfect without completely plugging your ears and they stay in place then great. This may not last however because movement of the head and jaws can alter the pressure of the air pocket resulting in inconsistent sound when your head is moved or face is contorted into a position not jiving with the normal listening position. It isn’t excessively annoying but it is enough so to be less than ideal. Finally, one problem with thin silicone like this is that it can lose some of what little rigidity it has over time which can make it increasingly difficult to create that critical seal. They essentially become a little floppier with use. A bit disappointing to say the least.
Pros:
- Creates a solid seal
- Can exert pressure on air pocket for deeper bass
- Comfortable
- Easily cleaned
Cons:
- Head and jaw movement can disturb pressure and seal
- Often requires a lot of adjustment to find the “sweet spot”
- Less effective with too little or too much ear wax
- Silicone loses resiliency over time
Firm Silicone Tips
These are the translucent tips that come with the Fit Kit. They come in three sizes just as the soft tips do, but each size is a little bigger than its softer counterpart. The main benefit of these tips is that their firmness allows them to retain their resiliency and almost forcibly attempt to create a seal. Because of this you can use them in clean ears and they can stay put quite solidly. Their thickness also provides the best noise isolation from the outside world – assuming you can find the seal. The main problem however is that this is also exactly the reason it is almost incapable of actually forming a seal. Being thick and firm they are far less capable of conforming to the shape of the ear canal. If you can find a spot where they do form a seal and provide consistent sound in both ears however, they still suffer from some of the problems of the soft tips – mainly head and jaw movement can disturb or even break the seal and pressure on the air pocket. Of the three types of tips provided here, these are the least preferable.
Pros:
- Best used with clean ears
- Stay in place better
- Maintain resiliency much longer
- Best noise isolation
Cons:
- Inferior ability to conform to the shape of the canal
- Difficult to create a seal
- Less comfortable
Foam Tips
These are a pair of thick, disc-shaped foam tips that are very much like industrial ear plugs. My initial reaction to these was that they provided the worst noise isolation of the three tips. That’s not to say that they’re horrible, but where the best case with any of these tips was a reduction of about 35dB in outside noise, these provided maybe 25-30dB at best. These might have worked better if the tips were a little thicker, extending slightly outside the ear canal. Not a deal breaker, though. The best part about these tips is that you compress them prior to inserting them into your ear; like industrial ear plugs they expand slowly, so you have time to insert them in your ear and allow them to take the shape of your ear canal. Once inserted they stay in place no matter how you move your head or face. This was a tremendous bonus in my opinion as with the other tips you tended to be loathe to move around freely for fear of breaking the seal. The down side was that you can’t put pressure on the air pocket with these which means that while the bass isn’t at all horrible, it doesn’t pack that little extra depth and warmth that the other tips can provide. These were also the least comfortable of the three tips, though that doesn’t mean they were uncomfortable. You don’t need to adjust these once they’re in place so the rougher texture doesn’t play much of a factor. Cleaning is also an issue here; foam just doesn’t clean well, so you must make sure that your ears are nice and clean if you want to get the longest use out of these. Fortunately, extra tips can be had pretty cheaply off eBay.
Pros:
- Most secure fit
- Stable, consistent seal
- Works best with clean ears
Cons:
- Least comfortable
- Unable to exert pressure on air pocket
- Can’t be cleaned effectively
- Inferior noise isolation
I have yet to try the flanged tips – they didn’t come with this fit kit but I may pick up a set just try, and while I’m at it pick up a pack of foam tips. Just the same, it makes me wonder if there’s something I’m doing wrong – or not doing – to extract the most performance out of the tips that I have. Anyone use IEMs with similar “fit kits” with similar experiences have any tips to share?