Suggestions required for a comparison between Shure SE215 and Bose IE2

Before I begin, I know most people in (most) communities hate the Bose. I have read a few places trying to understand (as a newbie to this community) why people hate Bose. It is overpriced, I agree. But I have my reasons for putting it up against the Shure, where, for most people, it doesn't below. So please hear me out.

I haven't tried the Shure SE215 but for a price of ~100 USD, it seems like a great buy. If you have better suggestions, please feel free to provide them. It's got good sound for the most part though I've read there are a few not so perfect things.

The reason why I put the Bose IE2 against it is simple. Comfort. I have tried them out and they are comfortable to use. They stay in place and give me decent sound. I was in a quiet environment (at work) when I used them and the sound was good. I know it doesn't provide noise isolation as well (because it really isn't meant to) but that really isn't my primary concern.

From all I've heard (and read), the SE215 would decimate the IE2. But the fact is, I haven't worn them. I had tried IEMs ages ago (very very cheap ones) and they kept popping out of my ear or caused me discomfort. I'm not sure how the SE215 would feel in my ears and I can't try them out anywhere because they aren't sold in India. I have a friend bringing me a pair from the US (so if I don't like it (in terms of comfort), it's a few months wait not to mention 100 USD wasted).

I'm not an audiophile. I don't understand the many of the technicalities but I know I like sound which is "rich and warm" (if that makes sense..). I need some bass, but not too much of it. I do not like bass being muddy.. I don't like it over powering lyrics. But I don't like lack of bass either (I'm fine with having to EQ my player to give some bass). I like a good balance between bass and treble and clear vocals.

So, you now know my requirements and the conditions I'm under (I'd like some noise isolation but not at the cost of comfort and Shure's aren't available in India, Bose is). I seek assistance from those far more knowledgeable about this than I am (for now, hopefully).

I'm free to answer any questions (to the best of my abilities) you might have to help me make my decision..

Thanks guys!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cakensaur 

Shure SE215 will blow them out of the water in literally everything.

 

i have owned the Bose in ears (at a time long ago, but ive learned now)

I also currently own the bigger brother of the SE215, the SE315, but have auditioned the SE215 aswell.

The bass on the SE215 is heavy, but not overpowering, it has very good impact without distorting the mids, the treble is sweet, clear yet not at all fatiguing. mids are a tad recessed i found in my half hour.

 

The bose in ears are decent, but i found that after a while they found to be pretty distorted in the higher frequencys and bass was bloated without impact.

 

The fit:

 

what was important to you.

when you first buy the shures, they are a bit fiddly to put in. they take a fair while to figure out what tips to use, and how to get them to fit.

i spent about 45 mins doing this.

 

BUT! once you have the correct size tips, and correct fit, i never have any problem with these coming out, even when running or cycling.

they are a fantastic fit and i found the bose in ears to fall out while running.

 

if it was my money id go for the shures.

 

+ the cables are replaceable and have MUCH better sound iso on the Shures.

 

Which was nice.. as i found the Bose build quality to be horrible and i went through two sets in 8 months, both wire problems.

 

 

 

ooh. also, welcome to Head-Fi, sorry about your wallet.

Thanks for you reply! Pretty well written. Just one question, did you have the Bose IE or the IE2 cause the IE had a lot of the problems you mentioned while the IE2 was better (at least at the not popping out part). I know 1 person who owns an IE and one who owns an IE2 and the former broke his cable. Sad, really.

Speaking about wires, does the wire on the SE215 being detachable cause a problem over time by getting lose or something (contact issues)? I know you don't own a 215 but I'm guessing the 315 also has detachable cables. Also, the cables cost around 40 USD, right? (I'm considering buying extra buds considering it would take 2 months for someone I know to hand deliver another package for me in case something happens to these ones.. or a decent charge in shipping)

I knew my wallet would be hit 8 months ago when I knew I needed a good pair of buds. I didn't get one for this while cause I had a lot of other things (gadgets mostly) higher on my shopping list. :p

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zenesis 

I have the se425, not sure if it's slightly bigger than se215 or anything, but when worn with olives - it gives great fit and it's very very comfortable. 

 

Here is a page with people's comments on se215 from EarphoneSolutions, a quick Ctrl+F with comfort shows that most people say it is comfortable, with about 1-2 people saying it wasn't.

 

http://www.earphonesolutions.com/shure-se215.html

Good point ;)

Follow up question, 92 USD for the SE215 (http://www.amazon.com/Shure-SE215-K-Sound-Monitor-Black/dp/B004PNZFZ8) or 150 USD for the SE315 (http://www.amazon.com/Shure-SE315-K-Isolating-Earphone-Hi-Definition/dp/B00426DND4). ~50 USD worth the upgrade? I can't see reviews/rankings for the SE315 on http://www.head-fi.org/products/category/in-ear (yeah, well, I'm still learning to navigate around head-fi 8-))

What about the 120 USD Etymotic HF5 (http://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-Hands-Free-Microphone-Compatible/dp/B002KQ5MAK)?

Earphone solutions says (and I've read this on all their Shure pages) that if you buy Shures from ebay or Amazon, you need to make sure they are from an authorized reseller. For $150, the Amazon deal looks good but I'm not sure about the warranty. Earphone solutions charges $200 for it but will get me warranty for sure.

$50 upgrade seems worth it (even though it's a 50% increase in price, I could justify it). A $100 upgrade.. I'm not so sure I can reason myself into getting :P

Any ideas how I can check if the Amazon reseller will not have issues with warranty?

So if the TF-10s fit (and I hope I got the link to the correct TF-10 you guys were talking about), they are definitely better than the SE315? They are in the same price range but as I stated earlier, my real query grouse is with the comfort.

I hope if I get the TF-10 and it doesn't work well for me, I can sell it to a friend of mine (who is looking for an upgrade).

When I went to bed last night, the SE315 was priced $150 and I was ready to buy them. When I got up, they were $174 but I was willing to get them too. When I was about to place the order, I was told by a friend that the Denon AH-C560R is available for almost free because I have gift vouchers for a store that I haven't used for ages and this store that has the Denons for sale so I don't have to pay for the earphones. If I don't use the vouchers, they go to waste anyway so I'm thinking I should get them. If I don't like them, I can get the SE215/SE315 in a few months.

Sadly, I couldn't find reviews on Head-Fi though quite a few reviews on Amazon say they are good. Then again, Denon seems like another one of those brands costs a bit but the earphones don't seem like good value for money. So would I pay $100 for it? No. Would I get them for nearly $0, quite probably unless they are definitely terrible in which case I'd try finding something else to do with my vouchers.. :p

Does anyone have any experience with Denon AH-C560R or Denon as a brand in general?