Noise cancellation versus Sound Isolation
Shure originally made its name in the microphone business and has been around since 1925. In fact, according to their website, their SM57 and SM58 are still the world’s top selling microphone since their introduction in the ‘70s. But enough of the past, certainly Shure’s pedigree is one to be proud of, but how do their earphones hold up against the competition?
Click for larger imageNow, you may have noticed me banging on at the start of the previous page about noise cancelling headphones and probably wondered what the hell I was going on about. The thing is, headphone and earphone manufacturers are always striving to get better sound quality with the minimum of noise intrusion from the outside world. Initially, noise cancelling headphones appeared to be the way forward and where there’s a constant level of background noise, such as on an aircraft, these headphones work pretty well. The problem is that we’re not always on a plane, and the headphones themselves often need a power source, plus they’re a bit bulky for everyday use… so for the commuter run into London, the better, top end headphones are a bit of a no-no.
This is where Shure's Sound Isolation technology comes in and, to be honest, it’s so simple you have to wonder why more manufacturers aren’t doing it. The trick is simple. Rather have ‘in the ear’ earphones that actually sit in the cup of your ear just above the earlobe, Shure’s earphones are proper in the ear phones… Yep, you actually shove these things right into your earhole, right in where the doctor says your shouldn’t be ramming that cotton bud.
Now, fear not, unless you have really shallow ears and bang the E2g earphones in with a hammer, you’re not going to damage yourself but the idea is to get a really snug fit between the earphones and the inside of your ear canal, thus excluding external noise. To get an idea of how this works jam your fingers in your ears right now and see how quiet it is… and that’s the principal behind all of Shure’s Sound Isolation earphones.
I’ve been lucky enough to try out all of Shure’s earphone range, from the E2g earphones right up to the rather spanky professional E5c earphones which are favoured by the stars for live performances. Sadly, the E5c earphones come with a suitably professional price tag… which is why the E2g earphones are more appealing to the average gamer.
Click for larger imageThe E2g earphones are aimed at the ‘mobile’ market place, being designed for those of us with a handheld console such as the PSP or DS… or perhaps a mobile video player. What separates the E2g from the E2c, besides the black colour is the shorter cable. This is intended to let you have your PSP in your hands in front of you without having bags of excess cable to get tangled up in passing commuters feet and folding bikes… Of course, there’s nothing to stop you plugging them into your iPod Shuffle but the shorter cable might limit your options of where to tuck the Shuffle.
