Introduction
 
For the Sennheiser HD598, or any of the HD series for that matter, there’s almost no need for introductions. Asking an audio enthusiast if they’ve heard of any of the Sennheiser open back series, from the beginner-friendly HD518 to the legendary HD800, is like asking anyone on the street if they’ve heard of Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga or Madonna – they’ll look at you funny and ask you, “Are you crazy?”

Of course you’ve heard of the HD598, it’s one of the most popular headphones on Head-Fi for a reason – people love this headphone.
“So Josh,” I hear you ask, “what the hell are you writing this for?”
Simple. I’m here to add my two cents and answer the question you might have – Is the Sennheiser HD598 worth buying?
Despite what some people might tell you, the answer shouldn’t always be “YES”.
 
Notes:
1)      I got my HD598 used in a trade for one of my mechanical keyboards. Other than the headphone, the trader had given me the Sennheiser 3 metre cable and the ¼ inch to 3.5 mm jack. The headphones were, and still are, in perfect working order.
2)      When using the headphone, I used the 1.2 metre straight cable that came with the Audio Technica ATH-M50x.
3)      All testing was carried out either using my iPhone 5S or through Foobar2000 w/ Wasapi Event > Fiio Q1 as a source.
 

Sennheiser HD598
 
Comfort
It shouldn’t come to you as a surprise for me to tell you that the HD598 is pretty darn comfortable. All of the HD series headphones are. The velour pads in particular are just right for the price, soft and breathable but certainly not comparable to pads that, for example, you might find for $60 a pair from Shure or Audeze.
The HD598’s clamp is relatively light and the headphone itself is rather light in weight too. The only gripes I have with the HD598’s comfort lies in the pads being on the shallow side, so your ears might press against the inside of the ear cup or pads. The headband’s thickness also means the headphone tends to press on the top of my head just a little, a somewhat noticeable reminder that I’m wearing headphones – it never quite feels like there’s nothing there.
That said, I’ve worn the HD598 for hours and hours with minimal complaints, so most people shouldn’t have terribly major issues either, just some minor gripes.
 
Build
What Sennheiser would tell their customers is the HD598 was designed to be as light as possible. “With the right combination of strong yet light plastics, the HD598 were fashioned to be as light and comfortable as technology would allow.” … Or something like that.
What I think is more likely to be the case is that Sennheiser wanted to blow their profit margins through the roof, which is why you don’t see so much as a single gram of metal in the build whatsoever. The HD598 is entirely made of plastic and in my opinion, it feels flimsy, insubstantial, and even a little cheap for its price.
 

The HD598’s plastic ear cups
 
For one, I’m almost certain the ear cups would sport some nasty splits and cracks if you sit on or drop the headphones. The ear cup’s swivel mechanism also makes a squeaky noise when adjusting the cups, but thankfully this doesn’t persist once the headphones are adjusted properly on the head.
The headband also doesn’t inspire much confidence in me. I’m fairly certain it’s not metal (certainly doesn’t feel like it), and while you most probably will never have to stretch the headband very wide given the HD598’s very accomodating shape, it’s just the principle of the thing – it would’ve been nice if the headband at least were a flexible metal of sorts.
While I can’t say I expected top notch build given the street prices, especially from Sennheiser and their extraordinary markups, I can also safely say the build was far from blowing me away. Simply put, the build of the HD598 was rather underwhelming, especially when I sat it side by side with the similarly priced Audio Technica ATH-M50x. There’s no contesting it, the M50x kick the living hell out of the HD598 in the build department.
In short, if you own a pair of the HD598, you’re probably going to want to be a little careful with where you place it or how you treat it.
Quick note on the cable, I can’t say it’s poorly built, but the ¼ inch plug definitely makes it a hassle. The provided ¼ inch to 3.5 mm adapter also seems to affect the sound, with what I perceive to be detail muffling and loss when the adapter is used. For this reason, I used the 1.2 metre straight cable provided with the Audio Technica ATH-M50x, which actually fit, much to my surprise.
 

The HD598 with the 1.2 m Audio Technica cable (a much neater solution)
 
Buying a new pair of the HD598 Limited Edition, if I’m not mistaken, would also now get you a shorter straight cable that ends in a 3.5 mm jack, so that’s nice to see Sennheiser adding that small touch.
Overall, the HD598’s build isn’t the end of the world or a deal-breaker, but Sennheiser certainly could do better. Improvements in build would definitely be something I’ll be looking out for should the HD598 ever get a proper successor of any kind in the future.
 
Sound
Some people say the HD598 gives beginners the “true audiophile” experience, especially if they make a significant enough jump from something that was much worse. Truthfully, this statement isn’t exactly wrong, but there are several reasons why a “true audiophile” experience like the one the HD598 offers wouldn’t be the type some people might be looking for.
Bass
Most notably, the HD598 has very little bass quantity, rolling off very severely and sharply from the mid-bass onwards. Though roll-off in the sub-bass is common on open headphones, the HD598’s lacking bass extension is comparatively drastic, even taking into account other bass-shy open headphones. If you’re coming from any typical set of headphones, or even Sennheiser’s lower-end HD518 or HD558, the lack of bass will be extremely apparent, even jarring for some.
Some people interpret the lack of bass to be “tight” bass, but I think I have to say, very respectfully, that I don’t think that’s a very helpful way to put it. The simple truth is that the HD598 has extraordinarily shy mid-bass and pretty much no sub-bass, which means it’s not that the bass can’t really be “tight”, because it’s essentially not even there.
In other words, having very little in quantity of something does not mean it is of a “higher quality”.
That said, there is a decent amount of upper bass, which means male vocalists aren’t anemic sounding and electronic beats, drums and the like can still be heard and sometimes felt, depending on their extension and pitch. Kick drums and deep synth bass, however, would be examples of sounds that tended to be missing from the equation, often needing the bass boost on my Fiio Q1 to come to life and be present in any significant capacity.
In practice, this bass presentation means the HD598 doesn’t have punchy, rumbly or, dare I say, accurate bass. It’s the kind of low-end you can hear and, on particularly powerful bass notes, there’s a little bit of umph to be felt, but the HD598 really is the quintessential Basshead’s nightmare. You hear the bass notes when they come and go, but it lacks presence. It’s really not quite ‘there’, if that makes any sense.
Personally, I don’t mind the lacking bass quantity. To some degree, it’s what makes the HD598 what it is. However, I do wish the bass didn’t roll off so quickly, very much wishing it would’ve extended evenly into the mid-bass at least. I’m not an audio engineer, so I can’t begin to tell you if it’s the housing or the driver design, but something is at fault here and I wish it just had some deeper-digging (not necessarily pronounced) bass to keep things sounding grounded.
Mids
There’s not much to say other than the HD598’s mids are pretty much as close to top-notch as you’re probably going to get at the price. Vocals, guitars, and anything in the mid band is extremely well-articulated and very even, creating a detailed yet smooth experience.
For my preferences, the HD598’s mids are a tiny touch thinner than I’d like, since I prefer more lushness, color and/or energy to my mids. For instance, the HD598’s mids are just a bit thinner than my E-MU Walnut’s, which is, at the moment, the headphone I own that I find produces the most natural sounding vocals. That said, both the HD598 and Walnut produce equally detailed and enjoyable mids, I just have a slight preference for the more bodied and lush E-MU Walnut’s rendition.
With all that in mind, there’s practically nothing to complain about, just some splashiness on poorly mastered tracks. Other than that minor hiccup, the mids on the HD598 are really nothing short of great in its technical ability.
Treble
A lot of HD598 users gush about this headphone’s detail and clarity. I’d have to say their feedback, in this instance, is no lie.
The HD598 strike a very good balance between crisp and detailed, yet not being sharp or painful. The treble is mostly very smooth, with some hotter tracks sometimes producing marginally startling peaks at louder volumes, but nothing close to being tizzy or painful.
The HD598’s treble extension and clarity means detail is very much discernable but never harsh or uncontrolled, a feat some headphones that try to go for detail at this price point like the Grado SR125 and AKG K612 aren’t quite able to do.
The HD598’s treble also means separation is pretty excellent – instruments are very well-blended and easy to discern with well-mastered tracks. Again, with very hotly mastered tracks, separation can get a little smeared, but it’s nothing I think a US $150 headphone should be yelled at for.
Sound Stage
We come back to things I find misleading – some people say the HD598 has a “wide sound stage” and I have to respectfully disagree.
Sure, the AKG K612, when I tried it, produced a wide sound stage. The Fedilio X2, K7xx and *insert other headphones I haven’t heard* might have wide sound stages. The HD598 does not.
Instead, the HD598’s sound stage isn’t very wide, never ‘extending’ beyond the cups, but it does have a height I find very unique – certainly haven’t encountered anything similar in other headphones. This means imaging, for me at least, is confined to a sort of square box, kind of like a picture on Instagram.
In practice, elements in a track, in my experience, sound quite a bit larger than they normally would on headphones of this size. Vocals close to a mic, for example, sound like they’re coming from a mouth stretched vertically. For me, this sounded kind of strange at first but it didn’t take me very long to get used to it. The sort of weird sound staging does not, however, affect positioning. Like I said, instruments are very easily picked out and imaged, just that recordings would perceptually seem to have slightly different dimensions when compared to some other headphones.
Overall Sound
The HD598, despite my waffling about on each component of the sound, is truthfully not difficult to describe as a whole.
The HD598’s goal is to focus on clarity, clarity, clarity. Separation is great, detail retrieval is effortless, instrument placement and playback is very well articulated and never strident, sibilant or harsh – the HD598 is just very nice for painless critical listening. Everything’s transparent, even and defined, reminding me quite often of the audio equivalent of a tastefully detailed pencil sketch.
That said, the sacrifice obviously comes with the bass. While upper bass is sufficiently present, with a decent amount of heft and meat, mid and sub bass is very lacking. To get the most out of electronic music, dubstep, or even some bass heavy rock tracks, the HD598 simply does not cut it without an EQ or bass boost. And even with the bass brought up, it’s not a perfect solution, since I’ve noticed the bass boost on my Q1 with the HD598 can make some (not all) tracks sound just a bit wonky and loose, sometimes producing a strange reverb, trembling sound. The HD598 without EQ lacks warmth and color, again, similar in concept to a pencil sketch.
In short, the HD598’s bass isn’t very good. That would turn a lot of people off, but for those left, the HD598 could still be a very attractive option, taking into account the headphone as a whole.
 
The Target – Who is the HD598 for?
The HD598, for one, excels at comfort. While the HD598 may be considered a step back in comfort from the HD518 and HD558 due to its overly thick headband padding, it still is more than acceptable for long hour usage.
It’s traditional headband design also means it’s going to be less fussy than AKG’s and Audio Technica’s auto-adjust systems on the K612 and AD900x respectively. Both are similarly priced competitors to the HD598 that I found rather clumsy to put on, given my small-ish head size. So, if comfort is important to you, that’s a point for the HD598 over its competition.
Another point in the HD598’s favor is the Sennheiser name. Being a brand with global distribution, obtaining the HD598 at retail and getting warranty would not be a challenge for most. For those who want major convenience, that’s another score for the HD598.
Finally, the HD598 is just a good sounding headphone for detail freaks. This is a headphone I’d strongly recommend for people to demo first, because people have varied reactions to the lack of bass and detailed presentation. Some people don’t mind it at all, many clearly love it, while I bet a sizable number of people would not find it to their liking one bit.
Is this headphone’s sound for everyone? No, but that’s why it’s kinda cool and kinda special.
 
Conclusion
The HD598’s sound I felt was quite the unique experience. It wasn’t neutral (if you disagree, sue me), it wasn’t quite lean like an AKG, it wasn’t quite tizzy like practically every Grado, it wasn’t warm and relaxed, and it certainly wasn’t the V-shape signature that most people love.
It was, based on my experience, uniquely HD598.
Zeos of Z Reviews, when describing audio purchases, puts it best, sometimes, you just want something different. And the HD598, for all its minor flaws, is still a worthy headphone in my book.
A more than good option for those who want a crisp, clear but non-piercing or harsh sound, the HD598 is, and probably will be, still a great, easily obtained option for many an audiophile to come.
 
About Me, Josh Tseng:
A self-proclaimed “boring person”, I’m interested in audio gear, music, current events and having thought-provoking conversations with people I meet. Right now, SoundTown is a personal passion project of mine to improve my writing skills while being able to explore all things audio. I also happen to be visually impaired, which is why music has, for me, eventually become one of the most important forms of media I can consume.
If you want to talk to me, feel free to email me at soundtownmail@gmail.com or you can also find me on Twitter at @JoshSoundTown. PMs on Head-Fi, for now, would be rather challenging for me to access so that’ll have to be something I’ll have to work on. Oh and by the way, all feedback on my writing would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for reading and happy listening!

Introduction
Panasonic has ridiculously stupid naming schemes for their budget audio products, there’s seemingly no getting around that. When I was snooping around Head-Fi for some cheap over-ear cans that sounded good yet were comfy, the Panasonic RP-HTF600-S were highly intriguing, but I could never remember its model number for more than a week to save my life.
That said, I did eventually buy them and it’s now one of my most used audio products. One that I would whole-heartedly recommend despite the stupid model name, due to its very low price and very likable performance.
 

The Panasonic RP-HTF600-S Headphones
 
Quick Note
The Panasonic RP-HTF600-S, which I would be referring to as the HTF600 from now on, are budget headphones. On Amazon.com, you’ll find them for anywhere between USD $25 to $30. In fact, the Beyerdynamic EDT250V velour pads I bought to accompany the HTF600 were around USD $28 when I got them here (currently USD $24) while the headphones themselves I got for USD $25. It’s not exactly unusual, but it is comical to think that the headphones I’m wearing right now cost less than the pads they have on them.
 
Packaging & Accessories
For your money, you get a bare bones plastic box with the headphones inside and a 3.5 mm to ¼ inch adapter. That’s it, probably the shortest Packaging & Accessories section I’ll ever have to write.
 
 
The headphones and the 1/4 inch adapter it comes with
 
Build
The headphone is made of a cheap, fragile feeling plastic that doesn’t seem like it’ll hold up to a high drop or a careless sitting on. For that reason, I usually avoid placing my HTF600 at the edge of my table or at similarly precarious positions.
The single-sided cable only comes out of the left ear cup and  surprisingly, it’s pretty good. It’s soft, supple and is great for the price except for the fact that it is a gob smacking 9.8 feet long. I know other brands like Fostex and AKG have headphones that have 10 feet long non-detachable cables too, but why any company would want to do such a thing simply baffles me. To keep my cables manageable, I tie it up with a twist tie. Alternatively, you can braid the cable but I’m too lazy to get that done.

 
The insane cable on the HTF600, having to be tied up like a wild animal
 
Also, the cable is not detachable so some users have modded their HTF600 to include a 3.5 mm socket. Again, if you’re a lazy consumer like me, just live with it.
To end this section, just a quick note on the headband adjustment mechanism. The HTF600 come with two buttons on each side that are supposedly to help you adjust the headphones properly, but I find them utterly useless. Just adjust them as you would any other headphone. Note that the click adjustments are rather loose, so the headphones have a tendency to slide down when off your head and rattled a bit. In practice, this means you’ll have to readjust it if you take the HTF600 off and want to put it back on. They don’t slide down when they’re on your head though, so don’t worry about that.
Overall, build is acceptable, but not outstanding in any sense of the word. For your money, you essentially are getting what you paid for.
 
Comfort
Stock, the HTF600 are comfortable enough but do get rather warm and sweaty after around 1 to 2 hours. Keep in mind though that I live in the very hot tropical island of Singapore, which has humidity and heat that other non South East Asian countries may find isn’t quite the norm.
The HTF600 stock are fitted with over-ear pleather pads that aren’t exactly the softest in the world, but are surprisingly comfortable considering the price you pay. For reference, they are less soft and plush than the pads on the Audio Technica ATH-M50x but are definitely miles ahead in terms of comfort compared to Grado’s frankly horrid foam pads. I do not own the popular Brainwavz HM5 pads but I wouldn’t be surprised if the stock HTF600 pleather pads are comparable to the standard pleather HM5 ones.
With the Beyerdynamic velour pads I got, comfort is improved dramatically. It’s much less prone to getting stuffy and sweaty, which is very important to me given where I live.

 
The velour pads (Left) and the stock pleather (Right)
 
The headband is relatively thick and soft, much better than what you’ll find on many other headphones of similar prices. For reference, I have a Sony on-ear I got for free somewhere that used to retail for around SGD $30+ and all it has for a headband is a single piece of plastic. Despite the padding though, I do get a sore spot on the top of my head after around 3 hours.
I’ve been on Skype group calls wearing the HTF600 with the velour pads and would usually notice my head and ears getting slightly sore after around 3 hours or more. However, by then, I’m probably in dire need of a good stretching and walking around anyway, so it works for me.
In short, the HTF600 is quite comfortable, but isn’t anything like a Beyerdynamic DT880 or HD600 for long hour usage. They’re good enough but do still have their clear limitations, as expected at the price.
 
Isolation
Noise isolation is rather poor, due to the large ports on the sides of the ear cups. I have had entire conversations with people while the HTF600 were on and no, I’m not talking about Skype conversations. Noise isolation decreases further when you’re using velour pads like I do. In the end, despite these being stated as closed headphones, they’re basically semi-open, so you should treat them as such.
 
Amplification
The HTF600 are rated to have a 56 ohms impedance and a 100 dB/mW sensitivity. In simple terms, these do not require an amplifier to use and would get pretty loud plugged into a laptop or smartphone. I’m able to use the HTF600 plugged into my iPhone 5S, which has a relatively good internal sound card for a smartphone and my VAIO Pro 13, which has one of the crummiest on-board sounds I’ve heard. Both are able to push the HTF600 pretty well. That said, I now mostly use the HTF600 with my Fiio Q1 Dac-amp.
 
Sound
If comfort and/or the price are the reasons one would be interested in the HTF600, the sound signature at the price would be why one would bother spending the extra pocket change on these headphones. There is even an entire Head-Fi thread here that discusses how the HTF600 is “more fun” than the legendary Sennheiser HD650. Yes, really, this thread exists.
While very amusing and definitely all in good fun, such hyperbolic comments can be very confusing for potential buyers. A $30 plastic fantastic headphone, no matter how fabulous, can’t be “better” than the venerable decades old $450 legend right? So to clear things up, that’s what I’m here to do, ruin the party. Sorry, I mean provide useful information.
Note that the Beyerdynamic velour pads do in fact change the HTF600’s sound so I’ll be describing the HTF600’s sound for both the pleather and velour pads in each section.
Bass
The bass, as most owners of the HTF600 would tell you, is virtually the star of the HTF600’s sound. With what I perceive to be a slight mid-bass hump, the bass is thick and meaty while not being overly Bloated or uncontrolled, creating a rich, dark and fun sound.
Comparing to some other bass heavy gear, I don’t think the bass extends as deep as something like the Audio Technica ATH-M50x or the Future Sonics Atrio (MG7) earphones, both of which I also own. The HTF600 also has the least pronounced bass of the 3, which is probably why the lowest end of the spectrum is much less noticeable. In my opinion, the HTF600 has bass that would be the least aggressive and is the most relaxed sounding overall. The M50x can be a little headache-inducing with its aggressive bass and treble, while the Atrio can be a bit of a one-trick pony IEM with the strong bass not exactly working for some genres. In this regard, the HTF600 is more versatile, not to mention it is also the cheapest of the 3 mentioned products.
With the velour pads, bass is slightly more tame and diffused, having decreased body and impact. In other words, I’d say the bass is flatter with the velours. That said, bass is still very much noticeable with the velour pads and not much of the fun factor in the low-end is lost in my opinion.
Mids
If the bass is the star of the HTF600 show, the mids would be the planet that revolves around it. The mids are intimate, rich and very smooth, having very few harsh peaks I can discern.
Male and female vocals, unlike many other headphones and earphones I’ve both owned and demoed, have an equal opportunity to shine. Male vocals are sometimes bled into by the upper bass, and female vocals can be very slightly peaky especially with hotly mastered tracks, but both genders have vocals represented in a forward and generally smooth manner.
I did notice that brass instruments in particular sometimes sounded a little undetailed and blunted, due to what I guess is the smoothed over frequency response in the mids and upper treble. I don’t personally find this to be a problem, since my rather sensitive hearing means I get physically uncomfortable when headphones are overly brassy or peaky in sound. With that in mind, I personally would rather have a duller sound most of the time over a sound signature that is too energetic or lively with brass instruments hurting my ears, but that’s just my opinion. As with all things audio, your mileage may vary depending on your preferences.
Comparing the pads again, with the pleather pads, the mids, to my ears, are more lush and rich. With the velour pads, the mids, like the bass, becomes more tame, diffused and has decreased body and weight.
Treble
The HTF600 have treble that I feel is veiled and rolled-off. There is an overall slight haze to the sound, but is not muddy or unclear by any means.
Due to the general lack of high frequency emphasis, the HTF600 loses out on having micro-detailing and an analytical sound, but that, as I will discuss later, isn’t always a bad thing.
With the velour pads, the sound is a little less crisp as it is with the pleathers. Detail is slightly lost with the velours and there is slightly less shimmer to the sound. Treble overall is slightly tamer and is less pronounced.
Verdict on Pads
Above, I’ve mentioned how the stock pleather and Beyerdynamic velour pads affect each chunck of the sound signature, but looking at the sound as a whole is when you’ll get the big picture of the differences between the two.
With the stock pleather pads, the sound is darker and richer while also retaining more detail and shimmer to the sound. Vocals are lush, bass is impactful with a fair amount of heft yet being controlled and the high frequencies are present but are far from being aggressive. Basically, the sound signature is slightly U-shaped, with more emphasis on bass, and the mids not being anywhere as recessed as other more aggressively U or V-shaped signature headphones.
On the other hand, the velour pads flatten the general sound signature and make the whole sound more diffused and decreased in weight. The sound is not as lively or energetic, but what you get in return is a much more spacious sound that takes full advantage of the angled driver placement in the headphones. While not as wide and jaw-droppingly precise like the Beyerdynamic T90 for example (for obvious reasons), the HTF600 with velour pads sounds airy and light, for a lack of a better description. You don’t get pin-point accuracy in imaging, but what you get is a very relaxed, mellow and enveloping sound stage that is easy to kick back and chill to.
To settle the differences between the pads, I personally like the pleathers more for most of my music due to their more engaging and fun representation of the sound. However, for long-term comfort, the velours win. On top of that, the velour pads work better for audio that requires a more spacious and airy sound, like orchestral tracks or movies and TV shows.
With all the users online that tell you to just get velour pads without providing much explanation, I hope this comparison would be helpful in your decision regarding whether to spend the extra on pads or not. There is a significant difference in sound, so my description would hopefully help you make a slightly better informed purchase.
With that out of the way, let’s finally wrap things up!
Overall Sound
In summary, the HTF600 can be described to be on the darker side of headphones, with an intimate presentation that is mellow yet fun. The HTF600 is also quite the all-rounder, being able to provide a very pleasant and unoffensive rendition of many different musical genres.
However, for detail freaks, this is not going to be the headphone of choice due to the lack of treble emphasis. The HTF600 is not for everyone or for every situation. But if you want to have a relaxing, non-fatiguing pair of headphones to return home to and don’t have the dosh for something like the Sennheiser HD650 or the Sony MDR-MA900, I believe the HTF600 would make the budget conscious consumer rather happy with the sound it produces at its significantly more affordable price.
Are they as good or God forbid, better, than the HD650? Hell no. Compared to the HTF600, the HD650 is much more detailed in the mids and highs (it’s not even close really), has bass that’s much better in technical performance and the HD650 is a significant number of steps, hops and leaps ahead in comfort.
However, for their respective prices, which is easier to justify? While the HD650 is a fantastic headphone, it is considerably more expensive and it’s no contest, the HTF600, cheaper by literal hundreds of dollars, is the much easier recommendation for the money.
 

 
The Panasonic RP-HTF600-S Headphones
 
Conclusion
In one sentence, the HTF600 is engaging, relaxed, has the potential to be quite comfortable and is a good overall package at its wallet-friendly price.
With the stock pleather pads, it’s great for many different genres of music. Stick on the velours and you get a very comfortable headphone for long listening sessions and a spacious sound that is great for movies and TV shows. All in a package that only costs around USD $60 in total, $30 or less if you don’t want the velour pads.
I don’t think every person in the world needs a HTF600, because really there is no such product that everyone needs other than refrigerators or similarly mundane necessities like that. However, the HTF600 is a very easy product to recommend for many people and at its USD $28 price, it’s a no brainer for many who at the very least just want to give something new a try.
Being very affordable, easy to drive and pleasant to listen to for most genres, it’s also a very easy recommendation for beginners to headphones who aren’t concerned about looks and want a solid sounding yet cheap headphone to start with.
A great budget option that ticks a lot of boxes, the Panasonic RP-HTF600-S is not the “best headphone ever” or a “giant killer”, but is good enough to satisfy most people, if only its model name were easier to remember.
 
About Me, Josh Tseng:
A self-proclaimed “boring person”, I’m interested in audio gear, music, current events and having thought-provoking conversations with people I meet. Right now, SoundTown is a personal passion project of mine to improve my writing skills while being able to explore all things audio. I also happen to be visually impaired, which is why music has, for me, eventually become one of the most important forms of media I can consume.
If you want to talk to me, feel free to email me at soundtownmail@gmail.com or you can also find me on Twitter at @JoshSoundTown. PMs on Head-Fi, for now, would be rather challenging for me to access so that’ll have to be something I’ll have to work on. Oh and by the way, all feedback on my writing would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for reading and happy listening! 

Introduction
I wouldn’t use the word hate (it’s a rather strong word) but I can definitely say that I used to have a heavy dislike for the Shure SE215.
At its price, I’ve always felt it simply underperformed in terms of sound. The Audio-Technica ATH-IM70, ATH-E40, Vsonic VSD3S v2, OneMore Triple Driver, the list goes on – what all the mentioned earphones have in common is that subjectively, in my humble opinion, they all sounded leagues ahead of the underwhelming SE215.
Simply put, I felt the SE215 sucked for audio enthusiasts. I thought it was only a safe option for beginners and/or people looking for a gift for non-audiophiles.
And then I, self-proclaimed headphone nut, received the SE215 as a present myself.
I couldn’t sell it or give it away, so I thought, “What the heck. Let’s keep an open mind, first impressions from demos be damned, I’ll try this.”
Now, it’s the earphone I use on the train every morning when I’m off to work.
How did this happen? Let’s take a look.
 
Edit Notes: this used to be a review of the Shure SE215 Special Edition that was not only posted to the wrong product page, but I later realised my SE215 Spe, while very close to the real deal, was likely not authentic. Since receiving the standard SE215 as a gift, I have re-purposed this review to reflect both the correct model and thoughts on the authentic product. Apologies for past and future confusion – I was very new to audio and Head-Fi when I first posted the original review. Since I can’t delete reviews, I hope this effort to edit my past mistake would suffice. Cheers!
 
Packaging & Accessories
Within a standard windowed cardboard box, you get the SE215 with a pair of foam tips along with 3 Shure olive silicon tips. You also get a soft zip case with a clip, and I really wish the case were stiffer or more substantial but otherwise, the accessories are pretty fair in my opinion. More foam tips would’ve also been nice too.
 
Build
One of the championing characteristics of the SE215, many owners will tell you the build on the SE215 is great. Not gonna lie, I feel the same way too.
I could go on and on to describe what hundreds of others have already, or I could give you a succinct summary – the SE215 isn’t flashy or even particularly pretty, but it’s practical, its proven to be durable for a majority of users, and I generally like its construction quality.
One notable weakness lies in the thin earphone nozzle, which some users have noted to have had snapped off on them. All I can tell you is to be careful when swapping out tips. Also, I personally would not use this earphone at the gym if you’re looking for absolute longevity, since sweat and watery wax could clog up those same thin nozzles. In short, ymmv.
 
Isolation and Comfort
Another Key plus on the SE215, isolation is pretty good. Hands down, I cannot name any other IEM at and below the SE215’s price point that has equal or better isolation. I’m sure there’s some floating around here and there, but certainly not from the big boy brands *ahem Sennheiser Momentum and its giant ass vents*.
Also, the earphones conform rather well to my ear, though some reports from owners have suggested that the ear pieces were a little too thick to fit in their ear comfortably. I will admit that Shure did improve the fit and comfort on the SE215 Special Edition models, but in general, I’d still say the standard SE215 is pretty solid in the comfort department.
With good isolation and decent fit, I don’t think it’s hard to imagine why the SE215 is my preference while commuting – it works, end of story.
 
Sound
Since the SE215 are often touted as “good value” because of a solid combination of rugged build, good comfort, strong isolation, and great sound performance–and the earphones have been doing good so far–the sound is what’ll make or break this highly regarded earphone here.
Bass
For a $100 earphone, the SE215’s bass digs surprisingly deep, deeper than my handful of first impressions from demos at various stores would’ve suggested to me personally. Sure, sub-bass is slightly rolled off from the comparatively meaty mid-bass, but lo and behold, this earphone does actually have some sub-bass rumble and authority. Emphasis on the word “some”, due to the slight roll-off mentioned earlier. Still, the deep bass is a definite plus.
Moving up in frequencies, the mid-bass and upper-bass are not overbearing or muddy, actually being very controlled in quantity. Managed, but present, thick and meaty, but not wild or flabby. The only gripe I’d have is that it’s a little wooly and lacking resolution, but it’s still what I’d call defined, controlled, and absolutely acceptable – there are definitely worse at this price and beyond. The flabby low-end of the Sony XBA-N1 comes to mind.
As a result of good bass presence, the SE215 fares quite well when it comes to bass guitars, drumming impact, and even the thumping beat on some synth-pop, but I wouldn’t say the resolution of the bass nor the sub-bass authority would make it jaw-dropping enough for fast, hardcore EDM. My personal preference would be for more defined bass, even if it had to come at the cost of lower quantities, but of course, this is just my opinion.
Mids
Many proclaim that the Shure “house sound” is liquid smooth and clear mids. Though “clear” is most definitely up for debate when referring to the Shure product line-up in its entirety, it’s very fair to say that the SE215’s mid detail presentation is incredibly smooth, even forgiving.
While not quite muffled or unclear, the SE215 does have a distinct lack of sparkle or presence in the upper mids section, creating a mild sense of mutedness to the sound. I have stated that this is what I find much more preferable to blare or splashy-ness in my Panasonic RP-HTF600-S review, and this still holds true here.
Especially when commuting, when the volume does need to be louder, this is a very favourable signature. Electric guitars, brass instruments, and other mid-band instruments lose quite a bit of bite when compared to something like the MEE Audio M6 Pro or the much more expensive Etymotic EX4XR, and vocals can sound a tad dull. That said, when outdoors, this is a small compromise when considering the alternative is losing my sense of hearing.
Treble
Similarly, the treble on the SE215 is noticeably rolled off, though I wouldn’t quite say the SE215 is undetailed. Sure, strings, cymbals, harmonicas and other shrill/sharp-sounding instruments can sound relatively clear though a little distant and blunted, but again, the lack of piercing highs is favourable when listening outdoors.
Sound Stage and Separation
Both the width and separation of the sound is pretty much in line with the price competition, neither being compressed or tiny in image, but not impressing with outstanding performance either. Imaging and positioning is similarly fair, and I never got the sense that I couldn’t place instruments – that said, it’s not anything that’ll floor me like the Sony XBA N3, for example.
Overall Sound
The SE215 is flat, a tad hazy, almost dull and boring sounding. These, however, aren’t necessarily bad traits.
Critics would say the SE215 is “undetailed”, “not worth the money”, and “over-rated”, pointing their fingers towards other options like the Vsonic GR07 and the OneMore Triple Driver as better value propositions that present more excitement and detail.
Fans of the SE215 will say this is “balanced”, “low distortion”, and “safe”, the latter point referring not only to sound, but the build, accessories, Shure’s renowned customer service, and overall product likability – yes, people like safe products, and the SE215 is likable because it’s super super safe.
I personally think both have a point, so this is what I personally tell most people who send me inquiries of the SE215: it’s a good earphone, a tad expensive – a good overall package that isn’t the best absolute value. It’s safe, it’ll please the majority of people, but for some, this sound signature would simply not do. Ultimately, sound is highly subjective, so give as many earphones as you can the chance to demo and decide for yourself.
 
Alternatives
There’s plenty of new entries at and below the SE215’s price point that have been threatening its position as “king of value”. I’ve mentioned a few at the start of the review, and have, in fact, owned some of these supposed SE215-killers.
On the other hand, the SE215 remains a good balance of alright sound, good build, nice comfort, solid isolation, and excellent retail distribution. This is why even today, the SE215 still comes recommended.
And yes, I’d recommend this IEM now. Time with it has slowly changed my mind.
I definitely have gripes with the SE215–it’s not perfect-sounding in any stretch of the imagination–but would consider the sound good enough to pass, especially given it’s a clear winner in other categories.
 
Conclusion
Not the most resolving, competition-defying, or even awe-inspiring sounding IEM, it’s easy to see why some people, past me included, would abstain from recommending this product. Simply put, it doesn’t sound very impressive against the other excellent sounding alternatives these days.
 That said, the SE215 still does have a unique selling point – it’s uniquely still the only IEM that ticks every single box handily in sound, comfort, isolation, price, and availability. This is why the SE215 persists in popularity, and this is why it is a great product.
Are there better values? Absolutely. Will sound improve dramatically if you pay more (or less)? Yes, I’d say so. Plenty of other IEMs sound much better.
That said, the SE215 is practical, easily obtained, and doesn’t really make a fuss, which is why despite its questionable value, it’s still a great overall package that’d make most people happy.
So, Shure, I hope you’re working on an entire refresh of the SE line, because if you want to retain this position, you’ve got to work for it. Competition is catching up.
But for now, the SE215 is what many will continue to enthusiastically or begrudgingly recommend, and it’ll be what many–like me–will simply live with.