I've never tried the e2c but I've got a pair of e3c and I wasn't overyly impressed. Despite having good bass and warm mids, they were completely lacking in highs. They're good for rock music but anything that requires a clear high-range, jazz for example, wasn't worth listening to. I also found that there was a definite resonance in the mid-range which badly effected female vocals (although thats common for in-ear phones apparently).
In the end I shelled out a bit more cash and went for the etymotic e4p and I absolutely love them, the sound across the whole frequency spectrum is lush. My only fault would be with the design which isn't as convenient as the Shures.
In your price range the etymotic equivalent is the er-6i. I've never used them, although from what I've heard their very similar to the er4p in terms of frequency response. However I've heard the bass response isn't quite as good
One word of warning, for in ear phones to work well, both Shure and the Etys, you need to get a good fit so the phones need to be right in the ear, this can be uncomfortable, although I've gotten used to it. Don't be surprised if when you first try them you wonder what the fuss is about. Until you've gotten the fit right, and that does take practice, they won't sound much cop.