Digital Trends

Shure E3G

January 1st, 2006 | by Brandon King

Design and Features

Canalphones have seen a steady climb in popularity. The few companies that have honed these unique headphones over the last few years have been especially attentive to the concerns of customers—and have paved the way for a number of knockoffs that frankly aren't worth the bandwidth to review. Shure is one of those pioneering companies that have been in the business for a while and have seen canalphones move from a niche market to relative popularity.

As mentioned in earlier reviews, canalphones are similar to the ear buds that come with many portable audio devices. The main difference is that they actually fit into the ear canal and seal the ear canal, isolating the listener from the outside world almost entirely. This is a double-edged sword, though. In most casual listening situations, you'll enjoy some of the clearest sound with the fewest interruptions. But in social situations and in situations where the listener needs to be aware of their environment, they can be dangerous. We never suggest jogging and cycling with canalphones, since the wearer would be totally oblivious to traffic and other hazards.

The Shure E3g is the middle-of-the-line offering in the new gaming line of headphones. These cans are meant to compliment the company's C series, aimed at general consumer use. We previously reviewed the E2C and E3C and thoroughly enjoyed both. We noted the relatively weak bass in the E3Cs, and at the risk of spoiling our evaluation of the E3g, that issue has been addressed.

The first thing we noticed was the refined appearance. Sure, these are going to be jammed so far in your ear that wiggling them will tickle your brain, but the build quality is a step above the competition and even Shure's previous offerings. The drivers are contained within a black, glossy housing. The casing is big enough to easily grasp when inserting and removing, which may not sound like a big deal, but removing a competing canalphone made us feel like we were trying to pick a penny off a wet glass floor. The cord length is average, and all the joints feel secure. The cord itself is thicker than average, which reduces the microvibrations that can be transmitted up the wires when they rub or bump against clothing or obstacles.

In the box, you'll find the headphones, a carrying case, and several varieties of sleeves of differing sizes. The array of options is the same as that of the E3C. There are three sizes of firm rubber sleeves:  Three gray, soft rubber sleeves, and one set of spongy form-fitting sleeves (similar to what you get at the pharmacy sleep aid aisle). The interchangeable sleeves fit into the ear so that only the body is outside the ear canal. The degree of comfort, durability, sound isolation, fit, and sound clarity varies with each.

The spongy sleeves, though the least durable, happen to offer the best fit, comfort, isolation and bass response. The soft rubber sleeves offered the worst sound quality (though still quite good), the toughest fit, and middle-of-the-road sound isolation. But, we found we could wear them for long periods of time without any discomfort. The stiffer rubber sleeves offer the second best sound quality and isolation, but become uncomfortable with prolonged use and have the worst fit of the three. They are also the most durable, but since they are light color, they can become discolored after a while. Despite our immaculate ear grooming, our E2C had this problem after a couple of months. The Etymotic ER-6is required nearly daily cleaning to remain even presentable. The sad fact is that your ears will release more wax as a protective measure against louder sounds, so while the topic is slightly gross, be aware that it is unavoidable. In the end, we found ourselves using the gray, soft rubber sleeves because they offered the best balance between comfort and performance.

Accessories that come with the E3g's