FUNKOMETER RATING: 2

So, tired of listening to your tunes with all that background noise going on?  Want to use your noise cancelling headphone while you ride your bike, but they keep falling off your head?  Well then, Shure may have the answer for you.  I took the E2c model of the Shure earphones for a spin, and let me tell you, the hundred dollar price tag is worth it (I'm sure some online deals may be better). 

The Shure earphones come with 3 different styles of "sleeves" you can use for comfort in your ear.  If you're like me, this is a big bonus since I can't stand the "one size fits all" earphones that come with many of the consumer electronics available today.  Each sleeve style comes in 3 different sizes to help fit snuggly in your ear canal.  Like many earphones, you'll notice them in your ear at first but after about five minutes you'll get so use to them you'll forgot they're there.  One odd thing about these earphones is that they wrap around the ear.  Not usually a big deal, but they might get in the way of glasses/sun glasses. 

Noise cancellation is the big seller for these earphones, and they do a pretty good job of it.  Without sound coming through the earphones, they cancel about 70% of sound.  Throw on some music and you pretty much can't hear anything other than what you're playing.  These are easily the best way to drown out those pesky co-workers annoying about petty things like work.  More practically they can help cancel out commuter train noise (though honestly I can't say that I tested this, since there's no commuter trains where I live), plane noise, or annoying people on the bus. 

"Oh sure, they cancel noise and fit well, but they must sound like crap."  If you're saying that, you're WRONG!!  These earphones sound great.  Even my crappily encoded (56kps) mp3's sound good, well as good as they can.  Now true "audiophiles" will probably think the quality isn't that great, but these are the same people that spend $500+ dollars on headphones.  So if you're a true "audiophile" then these aren't for you because they're way below the amount of money you're willing to spend for "the best audio quality".  For the rest of us, they sound damn good.  I can't really explain how good they sound (I lost my thesaurus).  My only regret is that I don't have the cash to buy the higher end Shure earphones to test out. 

So, if I think they're so great, why do they only get a 2 on the FUNKOMETER?  Well, I had to take some points off for the over the ear thing.  I wear glasses and it can be a little bothersome.  Also, the foam sleeves kind of got smushed in the box, so I really couldn't make use of them, minor packaging problem.  Finally, this only my third review, I can't be handing out 0 FUNKOMETER ratings this soon. 

The end result:  Nice earphones, great sound, cancel pretty much all background noise, nice fit.