Shure SE310 vs. Etymotic ER6 with a catch.

December 25, 2007 1:21 PM

I've been given a pair of Shure SE310 earphones for Christmas. This is fantastic. However, Etymotic makes the ER6s which can be fitted into custom earplug molds. I happen to already have the custom earplug molds for my musician's earplugs. Should I keep the Shures or exchange them for ER6s?

The impression I'm under is that the Shures are probably superior earphones. Also, my musician's earplugs are kind of offset. By that I mean that the tunnel from the attenuators to the inside of my ear isn't straight, they extend outside the ear canal and fit into the upper part of my ear lobe. Will that have an effect on how the sound travels to my inner ear? (If you can't make sense of that description I can supply pictures.)

I would appreciate any input on this, thanks.

posted by Evstar to Technology (3 answers total)

compare to the Etymotic ER-4 series not the er-6's i think if your custom plugs fit the 6 they should fit the 4...

why do you want to use your custom plugs? audiophiles go for the custom plugs to insure predictable and maximal frequency range from the mini-phones... the er-6, though accurate, isn't really an audiophile product.
posted by geos at 1:51 PM on December 25, 2007

Response by poster: I use the custom plugs right now because I play the drums and I'm trying to keep my tinitus at bay. I thought it would be nice to use them with earphones for comfort, a possibly increase in sound quality, and because it's a nifty $200 accessory I already own.
posted by Evstar at 2:04 PM on December 25, 2007

iirc, the labs that make custom plugs for IEMs can make them for Shure earphones. I'm not sure if they will fit them for the SE310, since it's a "consumer" model, but you could exchange them for the E3 or E4 "pro" models if the earpiece connector is different and you want to stick with Shure.
posted by zachlipton at 12:45 AM on December 26, 2007