Shure SE215 Special Edition

CK Moustache

100+ Head-Fier
Link to my review and measurement index thread where one can also find a full review overview, more information about myself as well as my general-ish audio and review manifesto: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/956208/




I only give full stars. My ranking/scoring system does not necessarily follow the norm and is about as follows:

5 stars: The product is very good and received the "highly recommended" award from me.

4 stars: The product is very good and received the "recommended" award from me.

3 stars: The product is good/very good, but not outstanding/special enough to get any of my two awards. ["Thumbs Up"]

2 stars: The product is only about average or even somewhat below that and somewhat flawed/flawed in some areas. [neither "Thumbs Up" nor "Thumbs Down"]

1 star: The product is bad/severely flawed to outright bad. ["Thumbs Down"]





Shure SE215m+SPE


Source:

Personal unit.


Miscellaneous:

One could definitely call the Shure SE215 true modern classics when it comes to single dynamic driver in-ears.

Honestly, the white shell colour was definitely a major factor for why I bought the SE215m+SPE.

Decent unboxing experience but rather simple compared to my SE425 and SE846.

Carrying case included and protective against moisture and dirt as well as dust, but quite soft and therefore not nearly as protective as that of my SE425.

I love the white shell colour with grey logos.
Typical Shure design and ergonomics.
Shells flatter than those of my SE425 and more rounded in the front.
Build quality seems decent although the finish is somewhat below that of the SE425.

Removable cable with MMCX connectors.
The cable is quite a disappointment – it is clearly of lesser quality than the SE425s’ and doesn’t feel nearly as robust; the only thing they have in common is the y-splitter. The SE215m+SPEs’ cable is definitely thinner, the 3.5 mm plug is straight instead of angled and has got a minimalistic, fragile appearing strain relief.
At least a chin-slider is still present despite the three-button remote control unit. Speaking of which, the mic-remote unit is fairly large, nonetheless the buttons are unnecessarily close to each other, although easy to distinguish from each other; the accentuation force is a tad too high.

As the shells are closed, noise isolation is very high.




Sound:

Largest included silicone ear tips.

Tonality:

Very warm with strong bass boost; relaxed treble.

At about 800 Hz, the bass’ level begins to rise slowly and reaches its climax at about 60 Hz and can be maintained practically down to 20 Hz without any roll-off. The strongest emphasis here is about 11 dB compared to in-ears like the Etymotic ER-4S/SR which are tuned close to the diffuse-field target in the bass.

Since the upper bass is already not really all that much less emphasised, however, it gives the in-ears a powerful, punchy upper bass character.

Even though the SE215m+SPEs’ bass is undoubtedly quite prominent, it doesn’t tend to bloom too much and the sound isn’t too bass-heavy (in the price range around 100€, where the Shure fit in, there are definitely many in-ears with an even stronger bass focus). Nonetheless the lows have got an ample amount of warmth, and undeniably radiate into the lower mids, although the midrange is not overshadowed by the lows.

As voices are not masked too much by the bass despite being clearly warm, the midrange tuning is done quite well, with a correct to just slightly recessed/dark upper midrange, which is the reason for the mids still having enough presence and proximity in the mix without drowning in the ample warmth and bass.

Above 3 kHz, the level is slightly in the background just to form a peak at 5 kHz when listening to sine sweeps, but to my ears it just barely, if even at all, crosses the neutral baseline wherefore it is neither annoying nor does it lead to any sort of metallicness/reduced realism, although it ultimately leads to cymbals gaining a minimally metallic impact/edge, wherefore they are ultimately not 100% accurately reproduced in timbre.
Above that, the highs are in the background and therefore inoffensively relaxed and sloping down, wherefore hi-hats/cymbals are actually softened and never sharp, but not lacking either.
Thankfully the SE215m+SPE don’t really appear muffled, although one could argue that they perhaps lack some “air”/”snap”.

Frequency Response:


ER-4S-Compensation

To my ears, the 5 kHz lift is less present even to the point of being pretty much somewhere around neutral in quantity, wherefore the actually perceived treble response is darker than on the graph.


ProPhile 8-Compensation

Resolution:

In terms of resolution/details, the Shures’ delivery is definitely solid and worth the price for single dynamic driver in-ears, although they are not the “best” in their field and ultimately outperformed by offerings such as the Etymotic ER2XR, Moondrop Starfield, Fidue A65 and iBasso IT01/IT01v2, especially when it comes to midrange and treble micro details, while the SE215m+SPEs’ bass quality is ultimately among the better/best for similarly-priced dynamic driver and hybrid in-ears.

The bass is quite a positive surprise – it is, despite the strong elevation, nicely fast, tight, punchy and maintains high control. Softness is avoided nicely. While the lows surely don’t reach the speed and tightness of the iBasso IT03, IT02, Fostex TE-02 or most in-ears with Balanced Armature woofers, the Shure don’t appear stressed in most situations, and especially avoid muddiness. Solely very fast material leads to single bass notes’ being reproduced mushier, although they still distinguishable from each other.

Midrange resolution and speech intelligibility are decent, but one shouldn’t expect the performance of higher-priced dynamic driver or single-BA in-ears, as there is a bit of grain in the mids’ details.

Basically the same as for the midrange also applies to the highs.

Soundstage:

To my ears, the stage is rather wide, which is somewhat of a surprise compared to Shure’s multi-BA in-ears.
Expansion is quite exactly from my left ear to my right one, without really exceeding that base; there is not much spatial depth and the soundstage appears fairly flat to minimally elliptical.

Instrument separation is fairly precise for this price range and doesn’t suffer too much even when more demanding tracks are played, although the “empty” room between tonal elements isn’t perceived as fully but with a little bit of bleed instead.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Comparisons:

ORIVETI BASIC:

The BASICs’ bass is slightly more lifted in the sub-bass whereas their fundamental range and upper bass are elevated slightly less wherefore their lows radiate somewhat less into the lower midrange.
The Shures’ vocal reproduction is warmer whereas the ORIVETIs’ is darker due to somewhat less level in the presence range.
The reble response is fairly similar with the BASIC only being slightly brighter. Above 10 kHz, though, the ORIVETI are more present wherefore they appear “airier” and offer more subtle sparbke.

The BASIC are somewhat softer and slower in the lows.
Resolution, on the other hand is a little higher on the ORIVETI.

The BASICs’ stage is somewhat larger to my ears (slightly wider but especially somewhat deeper). Both are about even when it comes to imaging precision.

ADVANCED Model 3 (wired Use):

The Model 3s’ bass boost is even stronger and they feature an even warmer fundamental range that radiates more into the midrange than the Shures’.
The ADVANCEDs’ mids are brighter and consequently more “balanced” sounding due to the upper midrange boost compensating for the lower midrange warmth.
Their upper treble is also clearly brighter, with cymbals not being dampened, while extension past 10 kHz is about the same.

The Model 3 are clearly slower and softer in the lows and audibly muddier. When it comes to midrange and treble resolution, the Shure are ahead as well.

The ADVANCEDs’ stage is narrower but deeper.
Instrument separation is somewhat better on the Shure.

iBasso IT01:

The Shure sound warmer, thicker and darker whereas sub-bass quantity is comparable.
Mids are closer in the mix on the SE215m+SPE.
Their treble response is also noticeably darer and more relaxed.

In terms of resolution, the iBasso are ahead, and are one of those rare cases that outperform the Shure when it comes to bass quality.
Even though the Shure have got a nicely tight, fast and punchy bass for dynamic driver in-ears, the IT01 manage to be even a bit tighter and faster in the lows. But it definitely doesn’t stop here, since their definition and details are also on a higher level in the lows.
Generally, separation and resolution are cleaner on the IT01.

When it comes to soundstage, the Shures’ is slightly wider while depth is comparable (perhaps a tad deeper on the iBasso, but the difference is fairly negligible). Instrument separation and imaging precision are somewhat superior on the iBasso.

NuForce HEM Dynamic:

Below 400 Hz, the Dynamic rise stronger towards the sub-bass and have no less than around 8 dB more quantity in the true sub-bass than the Shure.

Otherwise, their midrange and lower midrange is fairly close, although due to their stronger lower fundamental range and midbass, the NuForce appear to be more bloated.
Treble response is remarkably comparable, with the exception being that the HEM Dyamic do not cross the border of neutrality around 5 kHz but are relaxed here, wherefore their treble response is ultimately smoother and more realistic than the Shures’.

When it comes to technical presentation, though, the NuForce are a fair bit below the Shure and sound much softer, boomier and slower, and not even remotely close when it comes to control – in fact, they seem to reach their limit very early, even with rather slow to normally-paced music, and become muddy very soon.

Westone UM Pro 10:

The Shure are tuned considerably bassier and warmer, with the fuller presentation in comparison.
Vocals on the SE215m+SPE are more intimate.
The Shure sound a bit darker in the upper highs (cymbals) but extend a bit further above 10 kHz.

While the Shure have got a quite tight and quick bass for dynamic driver standards and are among the better models in this regard, the single-BA driver used in the Westone is nonetheless a bit superior when it comes to tightness, and also slightly when it comes to speed. Therefore the Shure have got more of the typically recognisable dynamic driver slam and texture in comparison, while being ultimately not as controlled or detailed in the bass as the Westone when more complex and faster tracks are being played.
Overall the UM Pro 10 sound just a bit cleaner than the Shure, but not by that much, however they definitely remain better controlled with more complex music material; altogether they are the slightly more refined appearing in-ears when it comes to technical presentation.

The Shures’ soundstage is overall somewhat wider and sounds a bit more open.




Conclusion:

Recommended.

Bassy-warm, inoffensively dark tuning that is executed well. Punchy, fast and tight bass response. Resolution decent for dynamic driver in-ears in this price range, and while not among the very best, still reasonably good.
The cable doesn’t seem very durable, though, and should be treated with care.


Photos:







434497

New Head-Fier
Pros: Splendid Bass, Amazing Isolation.
Cons: The amount of time it takes to put these on, especially with the memory foams.
I decided to purchase these earphones as I was looking for one to replace my other sets that had been broken a while back.
 
I took my time to look around for some earphones that fit around the price range of $100-$150 and found that these are the way to go.
 
I do recommend these to the people who really listen to music that are bass-heavy or look for good sound quality in earphones. The bass is very controlled and does not affect the highs and the mids at all.
 
The only issue I really had with these earphones was the fact that it takes some time to actually put them on. The way to fix this problem is using another tip (gray silicone tip) if you want to save yourself some time of sorting out the memory foam and putting it in your ear.
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ineed911

New Head-Fier
Pros: Relatively low cost. Good build quality. Excellent value.
Cons: Cable length might be frustrating.
Let me start by saying that this is the first pair of decent pair of headphones that I have ever purchased. I have had very good equipment for home, but always got by with OEM headphones from portable MP3 players and mobile phones. I have been craving a better music experience lately, and started researching portable players (Ibasso, etc) however decided that I am happy with my HTC One M8. The only component that I felt was worthy of an upgrade was the OEM headphones that came with the phone. 
 
I have not tested the other headphones I had considered (DN1000/2000, IE80, XBA-H3, A83), but chose these because the reviews I read made me think they would work best for my listening preferences. I also started to realize that there is too much to know about "good" headphones for someone like me to make a ~$300 purchase. So, for $130, these seemed like a safe bet. 
 
I am very pleased with this purchase. So far, this was money easily and well spent. I can also say that this will probably be the first of several headphone purchases, for me. Not because I am dissatisfied, but because my eyes are starting to open. Through all of my research, I have judged others for statements like, "You can hear things you never heard before." Well, these headphones have alerted me to two things, quickly:
 
1. Good headphones make a very significant difference. Listening to Eulogy, by Tool, I truly can hear parts of the song that I have never heard before. The beginning of the song is quite different than I ever remember it. I will need a good amount of time to get used to the new sound. I keep listening to them and realizing how much different these are from my OEM headphones.  
 
2. Tips matter a LOT. I have tried four different size/material combinations. Some are clearly better than others, but I have still not settled on one yet. I can see now where this plays a significant role also in the overall sound from any headphones. 
 
All-in-all, I am very pleased. I think this was a very good spend for what I feel I am getting - with my sample set of 1 headphone, I can say that these are perfect for me.
 
My listening so far has ranged from Tool to Rush to Mobb Deep to Dave Brubeck to Porcupine Tree. Everything has sounded MUCH better. 
 
I am planning on wearing these to the gym, so time will tell how well these work in that environment. I think that the shorter cable will be good for working out, but would likely be very frustrating as a dedicated length in my home. As a mobile application, it works for me.

LeoTheAwesome

100+ Head-Fier
Pros: fun sound, great bass response, detachable cable, looks awesome, comfortable, good sound isolation
Cons: sound is not for everyone, do not expect this to sound “as recorded”, not that easy to put on and take off.
Overall Impressions
 
The struggle
 
Firs and foremost do not expect this earphones to sound as accurate and truth to the recording. They add ALOT OF CHARACTER to the sound, if you don't try to fight against its natural response and accept that those blue devils have a mind of their own, you will love them. (at least i did)
 
Just a little background on my experiences. I came from a Shure SRH840 as my music listening headphones, i owned some philips reference headphones before as well. Also I have some M-audio Studio monitors in my bedroom setup. I also studied sound engineering and i was always surrounded by reference monitors and everything sounding as “correct” as it could be. Therefore I am used to all of my media to sound as true to its recording as I can afford. In the sense that there is very title coloration to my audio experience. 
 
I was not expecting this headphones to be as colorful as they are, for about a week a hated them. Than I started to give up on trying to “fix” them with EQs and such. Pretty much just cave in to their true selves. 
 
Just give in 
 
They make music sound so much fun. They add a lot of bass and a “dark” sound to the audio without giving up on precision. Their are a special type of IEMs in the sense that they will add their version of the audio and you will either love it or hate it. 
 
Don’t take me wrong, I love the fact that i can get my SRH840, and listen to a true representation of the music. But as a on the go, listen to music while walking in campus and doing your shopping. You cant go wrong, they make for a enjoyable experience. And because the highs are not poking you in your ear hole you can listen to them for ours without getting tired. 
 
I even started appreciating the overwhelming bass that they provide. Sometimes its so surprisingly out of proportion on songs that you haven't heard on those IEMS before, that I just LOL like a little kid that just found the first boner by mistake!
 
Build quality 
 
Solid build quality. I don't mind falling a sleep on them at all. Did it a couple of times and not a single thing went wrong. Some say that the tips can be a point of weakness, true that, but the plastic is solid even at it’s most vulnerable part. Same design and material as their $500 se535, so we are probably ok. Also they are design to take the punch of live musicians, those MF can get rough!
 
Cable is also good, same as the se535. They are shorter than the clear or black se215, not a issue if you use with your iphone/ipod. But if you are a musician it may be a problem. But Shure on their infinite wisdom made cables detachable, so you may do as you please.
 
Sound Quality
 
This is what you are really here for anyway. 
 
Bass
    In your face! Imagine that you where a rapper and had a 4x4 with a massive sub, and you just happen to be on a beach road. YAH, this intense.
 
Mids
    Accurate and surprisingly crisp. But Shure is well know for its mids, They lack abit of speed.
 
Highs
    Rolled off highs. Don't think this is a bad thing by a second. Its only its sound characteristics.
 
Sound Stage
    The rolled off highs do degrade the sense of space on these IEMs. But the accurate mids make up for the absence of the “tss”. So its not bad at all, not great either. ummm… Up to interpretation, grey area here. (sorry guys)
 
Sound Characteristic
    Aimed to be your chill pill headphones. Not in your face, does not lack anything import. It however puts a big fat slime on your face! 
 
Verdict 
 
Love it! Buy it, they are not that expensive in any case. 
 
I can describe this IEM as a sports car. You wont use it all the time because they are for special occasions. But when you do use them, you will be smiling away. 
 
They sound really freaking cool if you just accept the color it adds to the sound and that they have a mind of their own. But if you are looking for a flat response you better stay away from these.
IMG_3056.jpg
 
Any questions on the review, please let me know and I'll reply to the best of my ability. Thanks
LeoTheAwesome
LeoTheAwesome
Wow, I would imagine that the SE215 is a substantial downgrade from the UE900. But if he's a Beats by Dre kind of guy the se215LTD is what he wants. 
Jensenchua
Jensenchua
Hahaha, is really a big downgrade for him.....but he needs something that is cheap and can drives his R&B song while the UE900 will drives his classical songs~~ I am sure the SE215 will sound way better than Beats by Dre right??
LeoTheAwesome
LeoTheAwesome
The Shure is a refined grown up kind of sound. It adds loads of bass, yes; it provides color, definitively. But within be bounds of reason. It keeps the mids and sound image intact while it does so.
 
I only heard one Beats by Dre (some wireless model, not sure what tho) and it was just bass bass bass, without any apparent reason, also there was very little clarity specially on cymbals and high frequencies.
 
They look good tho, but they are fashion statements, and everyone knows that you spent cash on them. Like driving a Mini... Yeah, looks good. But you could have invested in quality over looks.

JoeDoe

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: Fun signature, value, design, style
Cons: Availability
Many moons ago, early in my head-fi journey, I had the SE215 and thought pretty highly of it. Very good all-around sound, nice form factor, under $100, and removable cables. What wasn't to like?! Those guys served me very well for yardwork and gym-time for a few months before I moved onto something else. Now I'm back with the 215 LTDs and I think they're to be a staple in my lineup.
 
These guys look great. The aquamarine color is gorgeous. The color reminds me of some nice CIEMs I've seen before so that's cool. The size/shape of the housing fits well inside my ear and the proprietary cable pin is also pretty low-profile. Cable is nice and sturdy without excessive microphonics. 
 
Sound is great for my purposes. These are my work-in-the-yard, take-to-the-gym, ride-the-bus, walk-the-dog IEMs which are usually paired with my cell phone or Sansa Clip. They have a very fun signature that still performs well with regards to separation, soundstage, and detail retrieval. Are they an end-all for treble extension and texture? No. But their price tag doesn't suggest it either. Hard rock, hip hop, and jazz all fair very well with the LTDs. Surprisingly they also handle classical well - ya know, on the rare occasion I need to hear some Holst while using the weedwhacker... The only genres I've tried that don't work so well are any that require a great deal of speed or excessive separation i.e. speed metal and the like. The extra depth in the low end is great and makes these very fun with most popular genres but it can be slow and congested when you need more separation in the mid to lower end. Luckily for me, there isn't much in my gym playlist like that. 
 
Speaking of the bass, I'll drop a note or two about it. Some have said that the bass on the LTDs is excessive, boomy, or muddled. I respectfully disagree. It's still very clear and textured. There is more than the normal 215s, especially sub-bass extension, but to me, it rarely intrudes on the mids or loses quality.
 
If you're looking for an IEM that has a shallow V-shaped signature with good lows and non-offensive treble, this is a serious option to consider.
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TherryK13

New Head-Fier
Pros: Good bass, perfect mids, great built quality, nice fitting
Cons: Could use a bit more high, took time to get used to the fitting
This is the first item that dragged me into the world of audiophile, having started as noob with this great cans I must say that Shure SE215 Special Edition is cans for everybody, all things considered. I used this cans for travelling, on the go commuting, and basically anytime i wanted to hear music.

It comes with nice packed up box with all the bits and pieces needed, 3 pairs of silicon tips and 3 pairs of Shure Oil Foam, carrying zipper pouch.

Soundwise it has a great sound with nice bass and a magnificent mids, but it lacks the high needed to compliment the other, the fitting is nice once you get used to it, and the best of all is it's isolation whice really like.

All in all, great cans.
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NShinryu

New Head-Fier
Pros: Great bass reponse and isolation, fatiguing sound, robust build quality, detachable cable.
Cons: Bass is a bit overwhelming at times, difficult to get used to fit, rolled off treble not for everyone.
As I'm looking to move up in the world of IEMs, I'm taking a look back at one of my first big steps in audio. 
 
Having burned through multiple pairs of Skullcandys and Sennheiser CX300-500s and having got a taste for high end audio from my first full sized cans, I set out to get a pair of IEMs with durability as priority number one while also sounding great.
 
The SE215LTDs absolutely deliver on both fronts. Built like tanks, these things have survived serious beatings and have been used for running and have been slept on. 
The inclusion of a detachable cable in their design means that to truly break them you'd have to break the earpieces themselves. Short of jumping directly on the nozzle, that isn't going to happen. 
 
Slightly better than the original 215s with smoother mids and highs with a more controlled but slightly more powerful bass end, the sound of these things is fantastic.
 
While out and about, I tend to look for a fun signature to my sound that I can listen to for a long time without getting fatigue. This is something that the signature of these IEMs match perfectly. Mildly accentuated bass, decent mids and rolled off highs work perfectly for that purpose. 
 
However, for analytical listening and audio purists, the bass response will be over-present in many genres, which is not for everybody. In addition, the rolled off high end costs them some of the sparkle you'd expect from high end phones. The body of the earpiece is also large, sitting flush with the edges of the pinna of my average sized ears, they may not fit everyone. 
 
If you know what you want, and it's a fun sounding, robust, non-fatiguing in-ear for a good price, these are absolutely perfect. 

HeretixAevum

100+ Head-Fier
Pros: Basshead sound that's actually articulate!, Well built, Secure fit, Awesome colour, Removable cable, Great isolation, Accessories
Cons: Tips are annoying to fit and remove, Fit is finicky until you get used to it
As an upgrade to my portable setup, I decided that I would buy my first pair of proper IEMs. My only prior experience with IEMs were with freebies that came with phones and the like, which were needless to say, awful. I honestly wasn't quite shure (Sorry about that, had to get the obligatory Shure pun out the way) what to expect in terms of performance level, but I was very pleased indeed!
 
The SE215 Special Editions come well accessorised. Included is a small zip-up carry pouch with room for the IEMS and spare ear tips to fit nice and snug. 6 pairs of tips are included, 3 foam (the famous shure 'olive' tips) and 3 silicone in S, M and L sizes, as well as a wax removal tool. I found myself liking the M size foam tips the best, they were the most comfortable for me and provided a great seal. I also think they look much better than the grey silicone. 
 
The build is quite solid. The IEMs are made of plastic but it's very sturdy and doesn't seem to have any give to them. The cable is the perfect length and girth (the more juvenile readers should be sniggering at this point) for portable use (at least for me), and is terminated in a right angle jack. From my understanding, the cable on the normal version is 50cm longer. The cables are removable, which is great for replacement or aftermarket upgrades. The special edition is in blue, as opposed to the transparent or black options of the regular. This colour looks really amazing in the sunlight, a great aesthetic choice for sure.
 
As for sound, I'm damn impressed, for two major reasons. Firstly, I didn't realise IEMs sounded this good. I now totally understand why they're taken very seriously in the audio community. They sound so much better than you would think given their size. The other major reason I'm impressed is that these IEMs have BASS. Tight, punchy, BIG bass that kicks ass and takes names, but at the same time, sounds surprisingly articulate and even handed. I have absolutely no reservations about using these for genres outside of Hip Hop and EDM, despite their well endowed bottom end. Now, to keep things subjective, it's worth mentioning that I'm probably what I'd describe as a lite-Basshead, but a "Warm-head" is probably the best term for it. What I mean by that is my ideal sound signature is non-rolled off bass in moderately generous proportions (2-3+ db over the midrange is pretty nice) with a strong, un-recessed midrange and an unfatiguing, maybe slightly dark treble. Now, these do have more bass than what I'd consider perfect, but it's within my tolerance levels, which is not something I expected given the way they look in graphs.
 
As I said, the bass goes low, stays tight, hits hard (when it's supposed to) and has good authority. I wouldn't say these are particularly fast or slow, they sound fairly natural actually, surprisingly so given the level of bass they have. These really suit basshead needs, and do so with flying colours. The midrange is very present, with a little bit of grain maybe, but nothing disastrous. It doesn't sound thin to me either, though I wouldn't say it qualified to be called lush or thick. It's seldomly meddled with by the bass response, which given how strong that is and the price of these IEMs, is not a common feat. The treble response is definitely dark, but again, no where near as much as the graphs appear to indicate. Remains totally fatigue free, which earns a big thumbs up from me. My tastes certainly have refined quite a bit from my Grado owning days when I was convinced that I was a treble-head. Despite being dark, things like cymbals are clearly audible and are separated very nicely. On top of all this, the SE215 SE image surprisingly well, possessing way more depth and width than I expected. Now, don't let your imagination go crazy. They're not going to image like an open circumaural, but it's like having a mini version of that in your head, it's really quite pleasant. 
 
Really, the only flaws of this IEM are minor. The tips are pretty annoying to remove and fit onto the actual stem (please excuse my terminology), and the over ear design of the memory cable feels strange at first until you learn how to fit it properly. After that, it's a very secure fit (comfort will really depend entirely on the tip and your ears).
 
With everything taken into consideration, I highly recommend these IEMs. They're simply fantastic. Now that I know that IEMs don't suck, I'm going to be trading these off towards some Denon AH-D2000s (which I'm giddy with excitement to get). I'm going to save up for something more high end in the IEM world for my portable use, something more neutral to suit my tastes better. Given my excellent experience with these, the SE535 (and if I'm lucky enough to get the special edition) is probably what I'll end up with.
 
But, probably the most interesting thing I've learnt from these IEMs is that graphs really don't always give a good indication of how things sound. I considered these IEMs a few times but kept writing them off because the graphs made them look like they'd have bloated bass, beats by dre style, but I was wrong. If you've stopped yourself from getting the SE215s for the same reason, you should give them a try, you might be pleasantly surprised!

Landon Watson

New Head-Fier
Pros: flashy look, good bass
Cons: can be a bit pricy (160+/-)
Good solid bass, not very impactful, definitely not for bassheads. Has a warmer feel, and is not very laid back. Also less colored than I would expect. Overall good, as I paid around 120 for them, but in the price range theryre at now, I would hesitate.
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