This is my first review here on Headfi, so I'd like to apologize in advance if I make any mistakes or unwillingly break any rules with this post.
I am not going to do a very thorough review of my SE215, just wanted to give anybody who's interested my impressions on these IEMs after roughly three years of use, now that I am letting them go for something (hopefully) which better suits my taste (Sennheiser IE80).
I came to buy these IEMs essentially because of Headfi, and because of the very good reputation they have among audo-specialized websites and youtube channels. It has not been my first pair of good IEMs, as I came from a pair of Beyerdynamic DTX 101 ie, which I loved and broke too soon for my taste. I've also owned a number of good quality headphones (Shure SRH440, Philips Phidelio, Beyerdynamic DT 770 pro, Sony MDR 7506). I listen to many kinds of music, ranging from hard rock to classical, from acid jazz to blues, from instrumental (mostly acoustic guitar) to pop. My main sources are my smartphone (currently a One Plus 3) and my PC (no special audio device here, just a Fiio Olympus 2 to help driving my DT 770 pro).
My overall experience with the Shure SE215 can be called positive, with some flaws. Here are my impressions, divided in sections.
Comfort (and Design)
This is one of the main reasons (together with the fatigue, read below) for which I've finally decided to move on and replace the SE215. Right from the start I've had issues with the fit of these IEM into my ears. The fit problems were not so much related to the eartips, as after an initial period of experiments I've found the M-size silicon tips to be the best choice for me. What has put me off right from the beginning with these IEMs is the actual shape of the earpiece. They are in fact just a tad too big for my ears, which means that they constantly press against the outer cartilage when I'm using them. This has limited my listening sessions to no more than 45-60 minutes each, as I had to remove the earpieces to let my ears rest from the (slight) pain every time. I'm well aware that this issue can be virtually non-existent for someone else, but I wanted to give you my eperience nevertheless.
Another slightly annoying feature of these IEMs are the memory-foam parts of the cable, the ones which go over your ears, just to be clear. Not one time in these three years I could put the SE215 on without having to adjust the cable, being it just a bit or completely. No deal breaker here, but to me there's room for improvement.
Build Quality
Nothing much to say here, other than the fact that these SE215 are built like a tank. Simply put, you cannot break them with normal (and even a bit careless) use, and it looks like they won't fail on their own, at least for a very very long time.
Sound Quality
Some good and bad here for me. I am no proper expert, so bear with me if I don't use the correct terms. The sound from the SE215 is overall pleasing enough, with very flattering mids, enough bass (a bit muddy and slow, though), and present trebles. The treble itself is where I've found weakness on these, as to me they tend to sound a little bit too harsh sometimes, making me turn the volume one notch down, and sometimes making me take a pause from listening, as my ears felt a bit fatigued after a while. Equalizing them is out of the question for me. I like to listen to my headphones and IEM as-they-are-made.
Other than that, soundstage appears to be quite narrow. You can of course distinguish the various instruments pretty well, but it's very difficult to locate them in space, and the SE215 sound comes from inside your head, if you know what I mean. I'm aware that the construction of these earbuds makes them prone to low soundtsage, but that's my impression from them anyway.
Hope this is of some help to someone.
I am not going to do a very thorough review of my SE215, just wanted to give anybody who's interested my impressions on these IEMs after roughly three years of use, now that I am letting them go for something (hopefully) which better suits my taste (Sennheiser IE80).
I came to buy these IEMs essentially because of Headfi, and because of the very good reputation they have among audo-specialized websites and youtube channels. It has not been my first pair of good IEMs, as I came from a pair of Beyerdynamic DTX 101 ie, which I loved and broke too soon for my taste. I've also owned a number of good quality headphones (Shure SRH440, Philips Phidelio, Beyerdynamic DT 770 pro, Sony MDR 7506). I listen to many kinds of music, ranging from hard rock to classical, from acid jazz to blues, from instrumental (mostly acoustic guitar) to pop. My main sources are my smartphone (currently a One Plus 3) and my PC (no special audio device here, just a Fiio Olympus 2 to help driving my DT 770 pro).
My overall experience with the Shure SE215 can be called positive, with some flaws. Here are my impressions, divided in sections.
Comfort (and Design)
This is one of the main reasons (together with the fatigue, read below) for which I've finally decided to move on and replace the SE215. Right from the start I've had issues with the fit of these IEM into my ears. The fit problems were not so much related to the eartips, as after an initial period of experiments I've found the M-size silicon tips to be the best choice for me. What has put me off right from the beginning with these IEMs is the actual shape of the earpiece. They are in fact just a tad too big for my ears, which means that they constantly press against the outer cartilage when I'm using them. This has limited my listening sessions to no more than 45-60 minutes each, as I had to remove the earpieces to let my ears rest from the (slight) pain every time. I'm well aware that this issue can be virtually non-existent for someone else, but I wanted to give you my eperience nevertheless.
Another slightly annoying feature of these IEMs are the memory-foam parts of the cable, the ones which go over your ears, just to be clear. Not one time in these three years I could put the SE215 on without having to adjust the cable, being it just a bit or completely. No deal breaker here, but to me there's room for improvement.
Build Quality
Nothing much to say here, other than the fact that these SE215 are built like a tank. Simply put, you cannot break them with normal (and even a bit careless) use, and it looks like they won't fail on their own, at least for a very very long time.
Sound Quality
Some good and bad here for me. I am no proper expert, so bear with me if I don't use the correct terms. The sound from the SE215 is overall pleasing enough, with very flattering mids, enough bass (a bit muddy and slow, though), and present trebles. The treble itself is where I've found weakness on these, as to me they tend to sound a little bit too harsh sometimes, making me turn the volume one notch down, and sometimes making me take a pause from listening, as my ears felt a bit fatigued after a while. Equalizing them is out of the question for me. I like to listen to my headphones and IEM as-they-are-made.
Other than that, soundstage appears to be quite narrow. You can of course distinguish the various instruments pretty well, but it's very difficult to locate them in space, and the SE215 sound comes from inside your head, if you know what I mean. I'm aware that the construction of these earbuds makes them prone to low soundtsage, but that's my impression from them anyway.
Hope this is of some help to someone.
Plug it in to something like Chord Mojo and now the bass becomes fast/tight and deep, treble fuller sound without being harsh, mids sound even sweeter and faster.