Shure PTH Push To Hear Control for Sound Isolating Earphones

maverickronin

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: Long battery life
Cons: Switch is too stiff, odd design
If you're tired of removing your IEMs to talk to someone, then this product is probably for you, despite its quirks. I wear my SE530s all day at the office and conduct most quick conversations through my PTH. The microphone is surprisingly good, even letting you conduct a conversation when it's pointed backwards. A few background noises like printers, scanners, or a fan pointed straight at it will overwhelm the mic though. I've been using it for about 9 months now and I'm still on the original battery as well. I've seen some people complain about the volume control. It's very stiff and recessed and you'll probably have to turn it with your fingernail. I think It's a good thing though, because it's very unlikely to turn accidentally, and you should only have to dial it in once, to match the sensitivity of your 'phones. As far as I can tell it doesn't effect sound quality in any way, and the switch is electrically quiet and smooth. The PTH isn't quite perfect though. The design is a little awkward, with a long cable running to and from the switch. It leaves you with a lot of extra cable if you want to clip it to your shirt pocket. I think it's intended to clip to your belt but that doesn't work very well if your sitting at a desk and hooking it up to something on the desk, as opposed to a portable player. I would much prefer a small extension lead with a solid nugget of electronics in the middle, like any number of inline volume controls. The switch is also very stiff and is hard to flip without the whole thing coming off of whatever you clipped it to. These problems aren't showstoppers though. Overall It performs as advertised and I'd recommend it to anyone who spends too much time removing and reinserting their IEMs.
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