Shure SCL2 - Clear

Philip Blake
April 24, 2009

Rating: 4/10

Surprisingly. I\\\\\\\'m not happy with these headphones.

I didn\\\\\\\'t actually buy them from dolphin, but i\\\\\\\'ve used shure headphones for the past 5 years or so. In those 5 years, i\\\\\\\'ve had 5 pairs.

Each pair has gone wrong.

Two of them unglued themselves. As in, the seem you see between the ear valve and the bulky bit just came undone

All the others, well... the right ear just stopped working. They would slowly cut out until it just stopped working. This also happened on the newer versions, and the E3s i had.

I managed to persuade Shure to replace around 3 sets, bought on separate occasions, because they will only replace them in the year warranty of the purchased pair.

Sound quality, i have no quarms with, until they break, this is the only reason i gave them 4, and nothing less.

Don\\\\\\\'t want to sound too angsty and \\\\\\\'i hate shure\\\\\\\' cus their mics are lush, but these just do not stand up to everyday use, and i don\\\\\\\'t trust them now to deliver.

Cans are better anyway, and they don\\\\\\\'t actually damage your ears ;)

Tim
April 7, 2008

Rating: 10/10

well at first i thought they were going to be naff as in-ear monitors on stage, but boy are they great! not only can i control what I want to hear, but i can control what i DONT want to hear. they block out the noisy wedges and provide a clear quiet signal, it feels like im just practising in my room on super low levels.

must buy for musicians and stereo enthusiasts :)

Brian Towell
January 14, 2008

Rating: 9/10

These headphones are a phenomenal buy - especially at this price (£59.00).

Why? For the following reasons.

Dynamic transparency is excellent, and the headphones will run loud. Although for use with mobile players (i-pod/mp3 etc) I tested them with a 1/4 inch adapter in my Bryston-powered stereo, with vinyl and CD source material. All I can say is WOW!.

With the i-pod, they are excellent, not so much for volume, but for the amazing standard of isolation the earpiece provides, which allows high quality listening at pain free levels.

The other notable complement to make is the sheer choice of ear fittings that are included; whether hard wearing (but comfortable) clear plastic, softer, more comfortable rubber fittings, or (even more comfortable) 'memory foam' fittings that expand to your ear canal for a perfect fit.

All in 3 sizes, small/medium/large.

The cable is soft and flexible, and fitting/inserting the phones is straightforward once you know left from right (right channel has a 2-tone casing).

Highly recommended.

Colin Hendrick Ward
February 24, 2007

Rating: 10/10

I RECENTLY PURCHASED THE SHURE E2C ISOLATING EARPHONES, MAINLY FOR USE IN THE GYM, I CAN LISTEN TO MY OWN PERSONAL MUSIC WITHOUT INTERRUPTION FROM BACKGROUND MUSIC, WHICH IS INVARIABLY PLAYED AND NOT TO MY TASTE. THE SOUND QUALITY IS EXCELLENT AND I CAN LISTEN ON VOLUME 5 IN PERFECT CLARITY INSTEAD OF VOLUME 12 AS PREVIOUSLY. ADDITIONALLY THE EARPHONES DO NOT FALL OUT DURING EXCERCISING, I JUST WISH I HAD DONE IT SOONER, GREAT PRODUCT, EASY TO USE AND VERY COMFORTABLE WITH SIZES TO FIT EVEN THE SMALLEST EAR CANALS, WHICH I HAVE.

Jill Raine
June 22, 2006

Rating: 8/10

I ordered the E2c Sound Isolating Earphones. Thank you, everything is good, I am very happy with these, my only regret is that I did not buy these ages ago.

I would have saved a fortune from buying all sorts of the other headphones which have not been comfortable! I must have spent over the years well over £200 plus for earphones, all of which bear no comparison to these Shure E2c ones which are very comfortable. I must have funny ears or something as I have been on quest to find the right pair for some time now. I have tried over the ears, in the ears, on the ears headphones. I read the article in the What Hi Fi mag (the summary article in the back of the magazine showing you **** rated earphones and thought I must get a pair.) However I was very reluctant to spend yet more money on something I was beginning to get very frustrated by! However when I did a google search and your website came up for the cheapest for the Shure E2C earphones, (even though they are dear by normal headphones standards), I am more than happy with them. Just think, if I had gone for the best earlier on, I would have saved money and time! Hey ho!

Israel Butler
May 17, 2006

Rating: 8/10

I purchased these headphones principally as an alternative to monitors for recording my own music on garageband, though I also use them for general headphone purposes.

My previous headphones were Sennheiser PXC 200s, which I have had for 18 months and which replaced some £20 Sony in-ear headphones. I would say that buying better headphones is a bit like cleaning your glasses, in that you don't notice what it is you're missing until you upgrade to something better. I found that the the Sennheiser PX200s at around £30 were a good investment, and a definite improvement on my previous phones. I was able to pick out sounds in music that I had not noticed before, and found that I was actively 'listening' more and getting more enjoyment out of it. On the downside the PX 200s have a bit of an inflated bass. This is fine if you like your music with a bit of thump.

Having switched to the Shure E2Cs I find that the exaggerated base, while giving the music a 'rich' sound, was drowning out many subtleties in the music I was listening to. It was also difficult using the PX 200s to record music, because obviously I was equalising everything to them, so my music didn't sound as 'balanced' on other speakers/headphones. The Shure E2Cs offer clarity and balance. Again, like when I upgraded to the PX 200s, I'm getting a lot more out of the music I am listening to. At the same time, I don't think that if you love listening to music only for the catchy tune or thumping beats, you would really appreciate this difference. Unless you're an enthusiast, stick with something like the PX 200s. If you really love music, then the Shures are an excellent buy at £50, considering that they were retailing for over £100 a few years ago. The adjustable ear-pieces allow you to fit them to your ear, and you don't have to play them anywhere near as loud. Plus they offer you sound isolation, so listening to music on the bus doesn't require you to burst your ear drums in an effort to block out the noise!

For me the real added value is that I am recording music at home, and so would eventually need some monitor speakers. Given that bottom of the range monitors begin at around £70, I would much rather take these Shures at £50 especially given that a set of monitor speakers of equivalent quality would probably set me back a few hundred pounds.

For the music purist or budding composer, these headphones are perfect.

Alex Wooldridge
November 19, 2004

Rating: 9/10

I bought a pair of these E2C's having been dissapointed with the headphones that came free with my mp3 player. I hesitated to spend so much on headphones but I shouldn't have because the sound quality is awesome! They sound far better than the £60 full size (ie ear warming) headphones I borrowed from a friend. The detail and clarity in the mid-range and treble is spine-tingling. And the bass is generous and tight.
Once you get used to fitting the ear buds into your ear canal (took a few hours) you're laughing!

Paul Massey
August 18, 2004

Rating: 10/10

I bought these the other week for my lengthy (and noisy) train journeys to and from work. Plugged into my Creative Jukebox I can hardly hear the outside world before I even hit play - these really do block out the sound.

On a comfort note I thought these would become uncomfortable after a while like regular in-ear headphones do but no, the design is very nice indeed and I can wear them for ages without any discomfort.

So - how do these sound? Well, I have a pair of Alesis studio monitors at home and they rock, these earphones plugged into my PowerBook make me feel like I'm almost in the studio - seriously, if you've ever worn the in-ear headphones and kinda pressed them into your ears to get better bass - these are already inside your ear canal and the bass really does come through - the sound quality is amazing due to their small size, I can only imagine what the better models must be like!