• Superior sound quality for your Black ipod Nano or other black MP3 or Sony PSP.
• Sound Isolating in-ear design provides exception clarity - you hear only what you want to hear - prevents outside noise from interfering with the music
• Studio grade, low mass, high energy micro-speakers employ balanced armature technology for more efficient output and extended high frequencies.
• Compatible for use with 1/8 inch (3.5 mm) audio output ports
• Form-fitting earpieces that stay securely inside the ear without uncomfortable headbands - includes personal fit kit with alternate sizes, styles.

Originally developed for professional musicians, the E3c combines WideBand MicroDriver technology with a sound isolating design to deliver rich, detailed sound with improved high end while blocking outside noise - ideal for optimizing your listening experience with portable MP3, DVD, and CD players as well as all other audio sources.The E3c's in ear design works like an earplug to block background noise naturally. This enables you to listen comfortably at lower volumes-even in loud environments. And unlike bulky headphones utilizing active noise cancellation technology, no artifacts are introduced into your listening experience. Sound isolating earphones are also much smaller and don't require batteries.The E3c's speakers are constructed with studio-grade components to produce exceptional audio clarity, delivering detailed highs and enhanced bass that allows you to hear parts of your music you've never heard before.Because every ear is different, E3c Earphones come with a pair of disposable Foam Sleeves, three pairs (small, medium, large) of Flex Sleeves, and three pairs of Soft Flex Sleeves (small, medium, large) to ensure the ideal personalized fit.

I started out thinking about getting the Bose ear buds. I didn't buy them because of the fact they don't seal off in your ear to block out other sounds. I found this set and did a lot of reading reviews and found this set to be the best value at around $110. For the money, the sound is excellent. Very clear sound that doesn't over-do treble or bass. If you want A LOT of bass, don't buy these, get one of the other cheaper sets that emphasize bass or step up to the full headphone (and more expensive) that Bose sells. The sound is very well balanced and clear. I've used these while in flight using the yellow foam ear pieces playing from my iPhone and they really shut out everything and sound clear. I couldn't use any of the other ear pieces because you really need a good seal to appreciate these headphones. I read some other reviews where people were talking about going through those yellow foam ear pieces but I've used mine now for a couple of months and I'm just now starting to get around to ordering some new ones. I just placed an order on replacements for 10 pieces for $20 on Amazon's website. I use these also while mowing the lawn and they do well for this too because they are so durable. The cables are thick and do not tangle up. Don't fool around waist your money with the cheap headphones that will eventually break and have cable problems and not sound as good. The only fuss I have about these is the time it takes getting the headphones into my ear and sealed off good. Also, they recommend wrapping the headset wire around over and behind the ear and this takes a little extra time too but the wires stay out of the way coming down your back. If you need to take these off and on alot, you're going to get frustrated with the yellow foam ear pieces. So, I would put them on when you plan on leaving them on for a while. I can't complain too much because this is going to be the case for any ear bud style headset and the extra time is well worth the sound quality.

I was torn between these and the new SE210s. I used to own a pair of these and loved them. And that first pair was $200, and well worth it. Also owned a pair of e2-c's. Always preferred the sound and the feel of these over the e2-c. At present Amazon prices, the cost of these e3-cs are about the same as the old cost of the e2-c's, so the value is there.

When comparing these to the SE210s, I opted for these for two reasons:
1. These were familiar to me
2. The new SE210s have a short cord and an extension cord

The short cord is ideal if you place your mp3 player around your arm at the gym. I don't do that with my iPod classic, so I didn't want to deal with a second cord connection.

Also, it should be noted that these e3-c's are shipping under their new name, SCL3. I ordered these e3-c and received a SCL3. They are the same headphones. Reading message boards I've discovered that the SCL3s have one new set of foam earbuds that the e3-c's didn't, so rest assured if you buy some e3-c's and get an SLC3 instead.

Have had these buds for a couple ears now. The sound is very clear but lacks some bass. Had a chance to try out some e530's, which put these to shame (expected given the price differential).

I had to send back my original pair b/c of a fraying wire. Shure has some unbelievable customer service. They sent me a new pair immediately after receiving my old ones.

These are my second set of Shure e3's. My first pair lasted over 2 years before I forgot them on an airplane :/

The fit in my ears is great. The sound-isolating properties are key to the performance. I am so very happy with this purchase. The earphones bring a smile to my face when I listen to my music through them.

Okay, so let me preface this review by saying that for the last month I have been doing a significant amount of research in preparation for buying a new pair of headphones. I was looking to get a pair of around ear or on ear headphones, and spend no more than $150. So the headphones I was looking at included the Audio Technica quietpoint noise canceling headphones, Bose triport around ear headphones, Sennheiser noise canceling headphones, and the likes.

I made a trip over to the apple store in order to try out a few of these different pairs. I tried the Bose triport headphones first. Extremely comfortable, very stylish, and fairly decent sound. I next tried the Audio Technica quietpoint headphones. Comfortable as well, terrific sound with noise cancelling on (better than the Bose triport), and also stylish, although they stick out a little farther off your head than the Bose triport do. I also tried the Bose quietcomfort 2 and 3 (although they were out of my price range). These were very comfortable and had great sound, but to tell you the truth, I found little different between the Audio Technica quietpoint and the Bose quietcomfort. The Bose may have been slightly more comfortable, but is that extra comfort worth twice the price of the audio technicas?

Anyways, after trying the various headphones, I asked some of the apples workers if they could tell me anything about the various headphones I was looking at. They knew very little, and weren't too helpful. They actually knew less than I did about the headphones, because I had been reading so many reviews and info about the headphones. However one of the apple workers showed me the Shure earphones that they carried. I had not considered in-ear headphones, and had actually never heard of Shure. This one worker knew a whole lot about the Shure earphones, he owned a pair and absolutely loved them. Another worker came up and said he owned a pair as well and also loved them. So I went home and did a little research on shure, and read a bunch of reviews.

The sounded like great headphones, got decent reviews, and I liked the idea of being able to block out noise with this tiny little earphones. So I went ahead and ordered the SCL3 (same as the E3c). After much anticipation, they arrived in the mail. I opened them up, laid out all the accessories that came in the box. Bag of different sleeves, earphones themselves, and a nice little case. I began by trying out all the different sleeves that it came with. Let me say that the silicon rubber ones are absolutely useless. Although they come in small, medium, and large, and I could not find any of them to fit or even stay in my ear for more than 10 seconds. The black foam ones were slightly better, also came in s, m, and l, but were not that tight of a seal or that comfortable. The best sleeves for me turned out to be the yellow foam ones. These are quite cool, you roll them between your fingers, place them in your ears and allow them to expand making a perfect seal.

The first thing I noticed upon putting these in, was their ability to block out all noise. I put them in without any music at first, and was just amazing at how all noise was blocked out. No buzzing of the refrigerator, no more birds chirping. They're essentially earplugs. I then put some music on. The sound was really incredible. I normally listen to my ipod at about 50-70% volume, but with these, I only needed my ipod at 30-35% volume max, and the sound was truly phenomenal. It sounds as if the music is in your head. I listened to some grateful dead, rolling stones, biggie, Beethoven, wu tang, Neil Young...a little of everything. The sound was great, especially when listening to live music.

HOWEVER: My gripe was the fit of the earphones. Maybe it is because I have small ears, but I found these earphones to not be that comfortable. Almost none of the sleeves fit except for the yellow sleeves, and even these were a hassle to put in and out and would fall out if the cord is tugged on even somewhat lightly. I also didn't like the feeling of having these earphones jammed deep in my ear for a long period. It was almost like a claustrophobic type of feeling (if that makes any sense). I was really disappointed that these headphones were uncomfortable and didn't stay in because the sound was truly great. Keep in mind, that I believe I have small ears, so it may be different for you.

I was pretty dissatisfied, since I had spent $125 bucks on these little guys. And I was even more disappointed when I learned I could not return them because it was apparently unsanitary since I had already tried them on. So I wound up selling them on Ebay for $100, and buying a pair of the Audio Technica quietpoint headphones, which I absolutely love! Great sound, great comfort, sleak looking, nice case.

All in all, I would not recommend the Shure earphones. I know plenty of people who absolutely love them (I have read so many headphone reviews over the past month), but they are not for me. Despite their great sound and incredible ability to cancel out noise, they weren't too comfortable (if they would even stay in at all).