Shure SE215

Darkeye999H

Head-Fier
Shure SE215
Pros: Present and detailed midrange
Strong sub-bass response
Non-fatiguing treble
Incredible fit and comfort
Decent isolation
No sound leak
Cons: Severe lack of treble response
Lifeless and distant sound across most of the spectrum
Occasionally annoying 1K peak
Narrow soundstage
Bloated and muddy sub-bass and lows response during fast and busier tracks
Weak mid-bass presentation and punch
Cable can deteriorate fast
Not so easy to drive
Driver: Dynamic
Frequency Range: 22 Hz to 17.5 kHz Impedance: 17 Ohms
Sensitivity: 107 dB
Cable type and dimensions: 3.5mm output, 5.3' / 1.6 m, detachable
Weight: 1.05 oz / 30 g

Shure SE215 has nothing special to write about. Well, they are good to use while on bed.

Lows: 6,5
Mid-bass: 5,0
Mids: 6,5
Treble: 4,0
Separation: 5,5
Soundstage: 5,5
Fit and comfort: 8,5
Build quality: 7,0
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macleod782

New Head-Fier
Great Sound, Suspect build
Pros: Good controlled bass, nice mids good isolation with soft squishy ear buds.
Cons: Treble could be crisper, condensed soundscape (not unusual for the type) issues with squishy earbuds, needed replaced (Shure replaced free) see through cable brittle and splits, headphone jack prone to breaking.
I bought these headphones, at a much reduced price. With happy knowledge that a previous set (bought from HMV, which I lost) had great abilities in sound. So I shouldn’t be disappointed and, I mostly wasn’t.

I squished them in my ears, whichtook a bit of getting used too, even though I’d used this type before. Then plugged them into my iPod Classic. The sound was immediately clean and tight, which warmed a little after some use. The Mids aren’t overly prominent, sitting nicely in the middle. The treble is nice but, I felt it didn’t sparkle like I thought; Which I felt rounded off the sound, robbing the bass of the contrast needed, sounding rounder than it probably was.

My impression of the type of music that suits these would be, not to overly layed and not live bands. I feel the soundstage is to compressed and this means these types of music suffer sounding congested and cluttered. Warm vocals, with simple arrangements or electronic music produced in a way that suits the sound staging.

One last thing build... I feel it’s not great. The housing for the drivers is good, with nice feeling plastics but, the cable, which was see through on mine after not that much use; started to split. Not sure if it was sun damage, weakening the rubber/plastic material but it split it a couple of places. Also the headphone jack, this has also went a little; in the cable saver area, quite unusual.

overall... great, potty about the build.

FloEisX

New Head-Fier
Pros: Warm Mids, Ok Bass, Build-Quality mostly good, Price
Cons: Bad Cable, Bad Highs, Narrow Sound
Hello!

Altough I am fairly new to the whole Audio-Community-and altough most of you may not trust my review- I still made the desicion to post my experiences with my Shure SE-215 In-Ears here, hoping that some of you at least appreciate my effort. Furthermore I don't speak english as my first language, so if some of the sentences sound bad, or if there are mistakes concerning my grammar or anything, please don't hate me.

I am using my Headphones ONLY on my Smartphone (Huawei P20 Lite) and my Computer. Why am I posting on an audiophile platform then, you may ask yourself now. I bought those headphones for exactly that- Listening to music in better quality than with the standard airpod ripoffs.

Since those headphones weren't expensive, and I only heard good things about them, I decided to give them a try.

NOTE: I would have bought nicer headphones, more expensive ones, but since Im going to school my budget is very limited.

They cost around 100€ a year ago, in the box were a pouch to store the InEars (which i sadly lost), Silicone-Eartips in different sizes as well as Foamtips in 3 different sizes and a Cleaning-Tool.
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Build-Quality (Extras)

The pouch was pretty good, soft but well built, it had an extra compartment for the eartips or really any extras you have. The only real problems I had with it was firstly that it wasn't very protective against pressure or anything (for example if you accidentally sat on it it wouldn't have protected much), so if you travel a lot with your headphones and maybe want to have them as long as possible, get yourself a nice travel case made out of hard plastic for 10 bucks off of AliExpress. But, if you just want your InEars to be protected from dust or water, or not just leave them in your pocket, then this pouch is good enough.

The silicone eartips are pretty good quality, the inside of my ears are huge, so I was a bit worried that they wouldn't fit my ears, but the biggest eartips fit me perfectly, so i recon that theres at least one pair of eartips that would fit most of the people out there. The foamtips on the other hand didn't really convince me. The isolation was quite horrible with most of them, the biggest ones fit me, and still the isolation wasn't as you'd expect it. I used them for a quarter of a year and suddenly the foam didn't "work" anymore, I could squish them as much as I want but the foam would go back to full size in an instant, so I stopped using the foamtips and just used the silicones, better fit, better sound, but not as comfortable sadly.
I know that that's maybe useless criticism for most but I still want to show you every aspect of the InEars.

Not losing too many words on the cleaning tool, it works, it's made out of plastic, nice to have and easy to use.

Build-Quality (In Ears)

Now onto the part that matters most, the In Ears themselves. I will start with the build quality, then the sound and my impressions with it.

The build quality is amazing, at least the build quality of the InEars themselves. They are made out of hardplastic, mine are black, but you can get them in clear and white as well I believe. The case is a 2 part construction, on the inside its hollow with the driver in them, so they are VERY light, I bet you would even notice them without a cable. On the inside, the words "SE 215" are printed on the case (obviously the name of the InEars) on the outside the name "Shure" is printed on, both in a silverish color, on the top, so nearly where the connector for the detatcheable cable is, and depending on the side, theres either a "L" or "R" printed on a molded letter, which is my only complaint about the case, the R, as well as the L, both wore off after 2 months, which is a little bit dissapointing, maybe they should use better color or something there.
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Now onto the cable.
Oh lord, the cable. The most dissapointing thing about the whole thing. I've had the InEars for 3 years now, I bought a new original cable once, then bought cheaper ones off of different websites, all of them being better than the original cables. The first one, the cable that came with the InEars broke after one year, which can happen but obviously is quite dissapointing. Well I thought, Ill just buy the same cable again. This cable broke after 5 MONTHS (!). As you may expect already, I wasn't happy with that and I bought another cable off of a different brand which held up 6 months, only that it cost not even close as much compared to the original cable and it even improved the soundquality considerably. Companys name was "Ultrasone", I think. Either I had bad luck or the quality of shures cables are a joke, but be prepared to buy new ones once in a while.

Sound

The headphones sound amazing for the price.

Please keep in mind that I am fairly new in the Audiocommunity, so my experiences may be not as well described as many other reviewers. The audio-files on my Smartphone are the highest quality possible, downloading them off of the app-store.

The lows sound good enough, the bass is detailed and punch, altough it might be too loud or crunchy sometimes, I have tried other headphones from friends and not a single one ever had the same bass as the Shure ones, so if you are searching for something with a considerable amount of bass in the mix, those may be to consider.

The mids are pretty warm in my opinion, soft and they don't stick out as much as other headphones mids do, but I think they sound good, well balanced and in my opinion perfectly fine for the price.

One thing that was quite dissapointing was the lack of wideness in the sound. It sounded VERY narrow, even for 100 bucks i would have expected more.

The other thing that dissapointed me a little bit were the higher frequencies. They sound (in my opinion) thin, and, after longer sessions of listening to music, I noticed that they also get quite exhausting to listening to, maybe thats just my ear but the highs really aren't as welcoming and pretty sounding as the rest of the frequencies, also they don't stick out but even stay in the background, making the listening experience warm and deep.
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The isolation on the InEars is amazing, I never thought I could block out so many things without active noice cancelling, all you have to do is find the right size of eartips for your ears and trust me, it's hard to hear anything around you to a certain point.

Conclusion

Now- would I say that you should buy them.

Yes, defenitely. For 100€ they sound good and the quality is mostly great. If you like to listen to music that isn't focused on the higher frequencies they are a perfect choice for every beginner out there, or really people that just enjoy listening to music but don't want to spend a couple of hundrets on better InEars.
Please keep in mind that you may need to change the cable sometimes, so if you want to spend 100€ once and never think about it again, those may not be for you.

I hope that the review was good enough, it is my first review ever and I know that it isn't really good, but please tell me how to improve so my next one is better.

Best wishes and enjoy your music,
Flo.

sonyfan501

New Head-Fier
Pros: Deep bass with long decay, decent mids, cheap, good fit, durable, accessories, noise isolation.
Cons: Treble roll off, fatiguing during long listening sessions, bass can bloat at times, narrow soundstage.
The Shure SE215 is a nice introduction to Shure's SE line of in ears. They have a fairly low impedance (box says 17 ohms, but online websites state 20 ohms). Amps aren't necessary as a result for these in ears.

I bought these at around $89, and I will say that these are wonderful for the price I paid for them. They are a great bang for the buck so to say.
The Shure SE215 comes packed with an abundance of accessories. It includes around 6 pairs of ear-tips, a cleaning tool, and a carrying case. The Shure Olive tips and silicone tips are decent, but I prefer to use the Westone Star-tips as I find them more comfortable and less fatiguing. Build quality is very nice, and they have lasted me for almost a year now.


What I liked about the Shure SE215:
The things that stand out from these in ears are: the deep bass, lushes mids, and noise isolation. The noise isolation of these in ears are among the best when compared to the other in ears that I have tried. Once you get a good fit with these, you'll be isolated from the world around you. The bass on these in ears are also really good once you get a good seal. I also loved the mids on these in ears.

What I didn't like about the Shure SE215:
The one thing that I feel the Shure SE215 lacks is treble. This in ear monitor does not extend too high in the frequency range which results with a dark and rich sound. Soundstage is also lacking, but I didn't expect too much from a closed in ear.

Conclusion:
Overall the Shure SE215 is a decent in ear monitor and a nice introduction to more expensive in ear products. It is definitely a great value for $99.

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Note: The tips on these are the thin and long Westone Silicone Star tips.
M
Mr Jabinho
The cable might have 3Ohm impedanse. 17+3 = 20 Ohm

ame85

New Head-Fier
Pros: Good value. Built like a tank. Decent overall sound quality.
Cons: Not so comfortable. Very narrow soundstage. Fatiguing in long listening sessions.
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. 
theveterans
theveterans
Your impressions seems like you didn't use a dedicated DAC/amp for this IEM.
 
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.
ame85
ame85
Hi, thyanks for your comment. I've tried the SE215 trhough my Fiio Olympus 2 DAC several times, but I did not notice a change in bass response so significant to alter my impressions above: the harshness of the trebles still remained (it could be that I am too sensitive to this) and yes, the bass response improved a little bit like you say, but still remained not so tight, at least for me.
Cheers.

sK0pe

New Head-Fier
Pros: cheap, emphatic mids
Cons: poor isolation, narrow soundstage, recessed treble, not clear, sluggish bass
I bought these for a friend for Christmas based on positive reviews, price point and that my friend wanted IEMs that didn't stick out (with a negative or neutral profile.
 
Mostly my friend's fault to start off with but also design and packaging has to have had some impact, she was wearing them incorrectly, didn't realise they rotated and didn't realise that the stock tips were memory foam.  The way she was wearing them there was no chance of giving them a fair shot.
 
So I don't use around the ear IEMs myself on a daily basis, I use a pair of ER4Ps with silicone tri-flange tips (I hear a difference in sound between the silicone tips and foam plus I must be one of the rare people who can stand the tips and feel they provide a comfortable fit).
 
Insertion and Design
I tried putting them on and realised how obnoxious they would be to a beginner, I worked it out in a minute or two and showed her how to put them in.  Once they're in they don't feel snug like Etymotics do but they don't fall out either.  The bendable memory wire seems to need adjusting every time i put them on but I guess with time people would get good at it.  These were the medium tips which work for me in other IEMs and 3rd party sellers.  The large was too large.

Whether the ear phone fits the way your ear cartilage is more than a coin flip, it can be too large and apply pressure where the driver casing sits, it can be too lose and move about or apply pressure inappropriately.
 
Isolation
Terrrible, like there is barely any isolation it's a hair better than ear pods.  It cuts out very high frequency noise like on old electronics that make a buzzing noise but that's about it, I literally hear everything else going on which interferes with the music.  Etymotics (I've used ER6's when they were around and then moved up to ER4P and 4S usually means I almost can't hear anything outside of very high frequency very loud sounds, it dampens these lound sounds too or blocks them completely.
 
Audio Quality
While I was expecting it to be a bit less refined than I expected, I didn't think it would be too bad considering all the reviews, but these IEMs are definitely overpriced for what they put out,  I guess in Shure's mind they sell as many 215's to people who don't expect audio quality and rake in the cash when you start spending over $300 - 500 or more.
 
Ok so mids are really good, great for spoken words, rap anything our ears are specifically attuned for as humans and they are jammed right in there.
Bass is there, some would say too much, it is indeed far warmer than my Etymotics or Beyerdynamics almost as much as Sennheiser 650s however the bass is not clear, punchy or fast, it is slow laid back and to my ears sloppy.
Trebles seems to have an insane drop off there is no sparkle let alone any extension.  There is literally a bunch of high end detail in songs that are missing.
Sound stage is narrow, like super narrow, are these supposed to be good?  Maybe I'm spoiled by Etymotics and full sized open back headphones but these were inside my head and anything that would otherwise be imaged outside of the head in a head phone was imaged correctly but just incredibly recessed.
When combined, EDM tracks were not enjoyable the lack of treble and sound stage just gave an incredibly narrow bassy sound signature with the spatial presence of tracks that I love just muted to the point where it was so distant that I could barely here it.

Rap and hip-hop was initially enjoyable with the bass and the emphasised mids but as soon as you put in the treble from the underlying track or a female vocals were introduced I was reminded how poor the quality was compared to what these tracks should sound like.

The above could be the trash stock ear tips so I applied as much pressure to the IEMS to both block exterior sound and pressure the drivers closer to a better position and I could hear what the expected sound should be but the trash isolation and fit could have been the issue.
 
Oh yeah to actually drive these things the source was dialled to 5/10, this is 5 times higher than any other IEMs I've used.  Even on ear headphones are driven at half the volume required for me to hear.
 
Comfort
So it's comfortable once you finally have it in position but at the massive cost of audio quality and isolation, might as well be using earpods.  On top of this pumping the volume too high to hear any detail can cause some insane wear with loud mids.
 
3rd Party Eartips
Tried out Spinfits, these improved isolation and fit, they don't feel like they're about to drop out and music can be driven at 3/10.  The sound signature was moderately better, the music sounded closer to how it should, a bit more treble but I don't think there is too much more to get out of this IEM.
Tried out Comply Isolation tips, better isolation, better security, about the same as the Spinfits but a tad warmer than the Spinfits.
 
Conclusions
I can't recommend anyone buy these for audio quality or isolation.  They may also be uncomfortable to begin with and may just not be great for your ear shape.
This IEM is for the person that wants to blow an unnecessary amount of money as an upgrade to earpods.  Just buy better earpods for $20 or buy Westones or Etymotics.
Very warm sounding, narrow sound stage, lacking detail, treble cut off with bloaty bass and boosted mids.  These IEMs have been engineered to produce sound that is comfortable for the general populace rather than reproduce the music as it should be and results in some thing dull.  If they were excitable to do something different that would be great but they're not designed to be exciting different or neutral they are designed to be bleh.
 
Bleh.
 
Don't buy these for yourself, your friends or enemies.
RERO
RERO
Hmmm... perhaps these don't play well with your ear shape. Poor fit must be the reason, considering you are getting isolation that is just "a hair better than ear pods".
sK0pe
sK0pe
Well that's why I had to buy Comply and Spinfit tips to make them usable.
My quote there is an over embellishment, but that's kind of how I felt when comparing them next to a pair of Etymotics right next to them, once music starts playing on the Etymotics I don't hear very much else at all, while with the SE215, I had to mess around with them so much to get a nice fit and when playing music I could almost hear things around me at full detail.  I could imagine myself getting annoyed on my commute to work where all the train sounds and people around me could be heard.

SoundApprentice

100+ Head-Fier
Pros: Easy to listen to, good comfort, solid looks and build
Cons: Cheap case, not the most resolving

If you frequent my blog or The Sound Apprentice Instagram, you know that I’m a fan of Shure headphones. So it should come as no surprise that I intervened with a set of Shure in-ear monitors (IEMs) when I found out that my dear friend who loves everything music has been “blowing” cheap earbuds like crazy (and probably going deaf at the same time). Enter the Shure SE215 Sound Isolating Earphones.

To me, with its inviting Shure house sound and moderate price of entry ($99 MSRP), the SE215 is a no-brainer. Performance-wise, you get a lot of bang for the buck, which is why I have no qualms recommending this IEM to friends that really want to enjoy their music, the veteran audiophile that’s only a passing IEM user, or the beginner audiophile that’s looking to step up to hi-fi sound without the high-end price tag (while still getting near pro-level build quality). After all, the SE215 evolved out Shure’s line of professional monitoring products that are used by some of the most acclaimed musicians around the world.

Unboxing

Like most IEMs and earphones in this price range, the SE215 arrives in a minimalist no frills box and inner plastic tray that displays the IEMs while keeping the accessories securely in place. It's nothing fancy, but at this price point, I wouldn’t expect anything more. Despite the cheap packaging, when you first handle the SE215 I am certain you will be impressed. The styling, fit and finish of the SE215 is very pleasing, particularly the clear models that let you see the inner workings. It’s a solid IEM with a detachable high-quality cable with gold-plated connectors, a feature not often found among the majority of Shure’s consumer-level competitors.

Accessories

The SE215 comes with a reasonable assortment of accessories. I say reasonable, because even with bargain-price Brainwavz offerings (see my XF-200 review) and entry-level Westone earphones (see my ADV Beta review) you get a few more accessories and a wider assortment of tips. But let’s focus on what you do get. The SE215 comes with a soft zippered case, a small cleaning tool, and 6 sets of Sensaphonicssound-isolating ear tips (S, M, L in flexible silicone and foam). I personally would prefer a hard case to be included, as well as a shirt clip, a 1/4” jack adapter and some spare tips, but maybe that’s nitpicking.

Fit and Finish

Accessories may not be the SE215’s strongest suit, but performance is. Shure packs a lot of bang for the buck in the fit, finish and sound of the dynamic SE215.

The SE215 is considered a universal-fit IEM, meaning that it’s intended to sit comfortably in the ears of most users to ensure good stability and sound isolation. I find the shape to fit well in my ear, and the low-profile nozzle and light weight helps with comfort quite a bit. My ears are very sensitive to earphones and IEMs, but I was able to wear these throughout most of my workday without ever feeling a real need to take a break from them. 

I particularly like their over-the-ear cable routing, which moves the cable away from my face and chin so I don’t get snagged up as easily. What’s more, the portion of the cable that wraps over the ear has a flexible wire inside that allows you to bend and twist it to your liking, offering increased stability and a custom fit. The fact that the cable connector at the IEM swivels 360 degrees also helps with insertion and removal from the ear. Just a further note on the cable—I think it’s one of the nicer IEM/earphone cables I have experienced to date. Being detachable/replaceable is a huge plus, and the heavier gauge, braided internal shielding, and gold-plated connectors and termination exude quality and lead me to believe that it'll hold up to some abuse without fail. Some may complain that it’s not as flexible as others, but it seems to loosen up a bit with use.

Moving on, the ear tips come in two options: Foam or silicone. Then you decide which of the three sizes fit best. As with most earphones/IEMs, tip selection is critical. I strongly recommend taking the time to test the different sizes to determine which tip fits best—emphasis on “best” and not just one that “fits”—because the audio quality, comfort, and noise isolation improve greatly when the ideal tip is used. (For me, the medium foam tips worked best and offered better sound quality, bass impact, and isolation over the silicone version.) The foam Sensaphonics tip is similar in look and feel to a traditional foam earplug. These particular tips claim that they block out 37 dB of ambient noise. I think they perform better than the Comply foam tips that I've previously tested with Brainwavz earphones. This makes the foam option on the SE215 great for commuting, noisy offices or use in professional music environments. For me, the silicone tips didn’t offer the same level of comfort or sound quality (I think the highs were more emphasized and the bass a little less controlled), but your results may vary.

Performance

Speaking of results, that’s probably what you're really here to find out about. As I opened with, the SE215 has a very inviting sound. If you’re familiar with Shure’s SH840 (see my review) or SH1540 headphones (see my review), I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised to hear that the SE215 isn’t too far off in its overall sonic signature. It’s got that traditional Shure house sound—warm, a bit dark, a bit forward in presentation at times, with highs that roll off well before ever getting sibilant or harsh. In other words, it’s just really easy to listen to. 

The SE215’s sonic signature falls somewhere right between the SRH840 and SRH1540, and it also reminds me a bit of Sennheiser’s famed HD650. With the SE215 you get a clean, rich midrange that emphasizes the twang of tom toms and acoustic guitar strings and puts your favorite vocalist front and center. Mids are where I’ve always thought that Shure shines. For an IEM, I find the mids to be fairly smooth and full-bodied with enough texture and air to get my ears really immersed in the music. No, you’re not going to get the same 3-D soundstage of a full-sized headphone, but the SE215 doesn’t disappoint with its ability to position instruments in space. I also think it does a good job of handling music with lots of layers, like much of Moderat’s album III

If you’re like me and use the SRH1540 at work all day and then switch over to the SE215 for the commute home, the transition will be relatively seamless. The treble of the SE215 is certainly rolled back a bit and the soundstage compresses in comparison, but the mids and bass are very similar. 

About that bass, the SE215 delivers fairly weighty bass with ease, depending on your source. When spinning tracks off of my Spotify Electric Vibes playlist I find that my Droid Turbo delivers a pretty full bodied performance, maybe a bit sloppy in the sub-bass at times, but certainly well via a smartphone. With a Hidizs AP-100 DAP my buddy at CTC Audio hooked me up with, I found I needed to tinker with the EQing quite a bit. I don’t know what it is about the AP-100, but I’ve never been happy with it with any earphones/IEMs, so I am just chalking this up as the Hidizs’ fault. The SE215 really comes to life when hooked up to my ALO Audio The Island headphone amp/DAC. This sweet little desktop unit has the SE215s absolutely singing. So despite the SE215’s 20-ohm rating that should help it sound good out of most devices, using a dedicated DAC/amp definitely takes it to a higher level.

While it’s undeniable that the SE215 has a bass hump that bleeds into the midrange, it manages to do so smoothly enough that the overall sound of the IEM isn’t too dark or bloated. In fact, it’s not the bass at fault as much as the treble (to some). 

One thing I can’t live with is peaky, edgy treble—especially in an IEM. The SE215 doesn’t have that, not even close (unless you listen to terribly recorded music or don’t put them in your ears right). The SE215’s treble is admittedly dark and relaxed compared to many earphones/IEMs, and that’s part of why I like it so much. Sure, the soundstage closes in when there isn’t enough sparkle in the highs, but much like the SRH1540, I think the SE215 manages to strike a nice balance between the dark and the bright. The SE215 has pleasing, grain-free treble that’s not the least bit fatiguing during long listening sessions, even with the volume cranked up. Detail retrieval is compromised, but still good. All in all, it’s just a very easy IEM to listen to and enjoy.

Bottom Line

Overall, I really like the SE215. It’s easily the best of the earphones/IEMs I have owned to date. No, it won’t replace my preference for obnoxiously big headphones, but it takes what I liked about a lot of my headphones and packages it into a totally portable unit that I can toss into my work and travel bags without worry. 

While the Shure SE215 isn’t a glitzy newcomer to the portable audio world, it’s a no-nonsense IEM that simply sounds damn good. Shure consistently puts out quality products that I think go underrated in the audiophile world. Yeah, the SE215 could be more neutral, and maybe a bit more refined, but to Hell with that. The SE215 has sound you can be Shure of. Get it? Shure’s signature house sound is safe, it’s easy on the ears, and it performs well with a wide range of music. So do yourself a favor and spend a few extra Andrew Jacksons and get yourself a pair of the high quality SE215 Sound Isolating Earphones. As my buddy Phil says, “For everyday bangers, the 215s are perfect. The best hundo you can spend on earphones.”

Insider tip: Check eBay and audio forums like Head-Fi.org for deals. While the SE215 retails new for $99, new open-box, refurbished and used sets can be had for around $60-80.
thatcow
thatcow
As far as sound quality goes, I think there is both some truth and some exaggeration in what others are saying. I quite like the ~$100 price bracket of IEMs and have owned a lot of them. Some that immediately strike me as having comparable or better sound than my SE215s would be the OSTRY KC06/KC06A, which resolve more detail and have a tighter, more controlled mid and sub-bass presence, and the Hifiman RE-400s, which resolve way more detail, have an incomparable soundstage for their price, and also have amazing mids. A complaint frequently leveled at the SE215s over the years is that they have a darker or more "veiled" sound than some of their similarly-priced counterparts, which I believe is true, but I interpret this as just a difference in sound signature where many others seem to feel that it's an out-and-out weakness. "Smooth, dark and listenable" vs "bright, analytical, and resolving" is a pretty common dividing factor. I personally think the SE215s are still "in the same league" as these IEMs as well as others in this price range, and if you're okay with the sound sig I doubt you'll be disappointed by their performance, but others are certainly free to disagree.
 
However, I think others would also do well to remember that when you buy IEMs, you aren't just paying for the sound, you're paying for the complete package--build quaity, convenience of use, etc. and it's in use cases where those qualities are valued that I believe the SE215s still justify their price. Much as I love the two aforementioned IEMs and some others in this price position, they're not the most comfortable or the most isolating, they're relatively delicately built, and the lack of a replaceable cable means that if it breaks, they're done for. I've always wanted one pair of "take 'em anywhere and do anything with 'em" IEMs--built tough, replaceable cable, comfortable enough to sleep in or wear all day, isolating, yet cheap enough that if I accidentally drop them in a river or they get stolen I won't break down in gentle tears. I view the SE215s as that kind of "workhorse" IEM. Best sound ever? No, nothing of the sort, and I've no illusions about that, but they're perfectly listenable, and it's nice to have one pair of 'phones that I know I can pretty much take to war with me. That makes them worth $100 to me, but everybody's looking for something different.
 
Either way, nice review! You write quite well, and it's good to see someone give a detailed opinion of an "old favorite" in 2016.
MickeyVee
MickeyVee
Nicely said @thatcow I do a lot of cycling and worry about my SE535's getting ruined.  So today, I went out and got a pair if SE215's and I have to say that I really, really like them. I was in a hurry so I actually picked the up without even auditioning them. They were perfect on my ride today running from an iPod Shuffle. Extremely listenable and to be honest, I like the darker sound signature especially on the bike with the wind howling around my ears.
Now at home, I'm listening to music out of my iPad switching between the SE215, SE535 and SE846 and they still hold their own. Are the SE535 5x better or the SE846 10x better.. well, No. But there is that growing level of refinement peaking out with the SE846.
 
I've tried a number of sub $200 IEMs including Westone, Etymotic {a brand I've been using for over 10 years}, Sennheiser and a few others and so far, I prefer the SE215. With the replaceable cable {I'm using the Shure iCable for my Apple devices}, great build qualit, decent sound signature, extreme comfort for me and for the price, if I lose these, I'll definitely replace them. Using the Westone Star Tips on the SE215/SE535 and SpinFits on the SE846's.
 
By now, you've figured that I like the Shure house sound. SE215 for sports, SE535 for everyday and commuting and the SE846/ADL Cable with the AK300 for at home enjoyment, I'm pretty much set with IEMs.
The SE215 nicely fill the void/use case/price point that I was missing.
mvtt971
mvtt971
Fantastic review. I loved my 215's. The only con I encountered is after a couple hours of use, you would be subject to ear fatigue. I, however, feel like this is more from the foam canals as opposed to the sound coming from the IEM's. 

Nick Walters

New Head-Fier
Pros: strong bass, detatchable cable , good resemblance of mids.
Cons: design - the thin plastic nozzle broke easily, very very uncomfortable for most ears
I dont want to waste my time writing an essay for something that lasted only 1 or 2 months.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBnJ9zrnhGU
My Rant and broken Shures in link above 
 
The bass and mids were surprising for its pricepoint. There is a drop off in the higher frequencies such as treble for my music tastes.
 
Not reccommended as a purchase, as the durability of the actual earpiece is below par. Nozzle broke very easily (as mentioned in cons). I wish shure re-inforced the nozzle with at least a thin tube of metal if we are paying  high price. Knowing that shure also uses these plastic nozzles in their higher end models is a disgrace.
 
Comfort of the earphones is terrible for my ears (they are not for everyone). So make sure you have your warranty prepared if the durabilty and comfort crap out for you. It would irritate my ears constantly (like piercing). When compared to the similar style RHA T20s that i have now, the comfort is far beyond shures and the T20s dont irritate my ears at all, even though they have the same design.
 
I would recommend the audio technica ATH-IM50s , RHA MA750is and RHA T10(for bass heads). And would reccomend ATH-IM70s and Dunu DN-1000 to the more mid and treble refined.
voxie
voxie
That exactly happened to my se425's. Feel your pain!! 
chicken beer
chicken beer
Very normal thing to happen. Bad part for SE215 is that it's not worth repairing. They need careful handling and a case is always recommended when not using them. 
Redcarmoose
Redcarmoose
Past about 40, my nozzle quit working so good, still works, though not as good?

redpops

New Head-Fier
Pros: Fairly neutral and accurate. Highs do not hurth your ears.
Cons: The cable is not as pliable around the ears as it could be.
These are excellent value for money. Paired up with a basic Fiio X1, these shures sound really good to my ears. They are not for everyone though. those that want thumping bloated bass will be looking for something else. having said that once you get used to it you can actually hear the bass quite separated from the music which is great. Personally I wouldn't describe these as fun, boppy, foot tapping earphones but you will have a lot of fun rediscovering listening to music in a new way (which actually doesn't make sense now I read it). I think they get you listening to music maybe a bit more critically and taking note a little more, especially of your favourite songs. Took awhile for comfort but once you get that they isolate more than enough and are very comfortable. I would say to anyone who is looking for a step up from entry sennheiser, sony etc - do yourself a favour and get a set of these. You wont regret it.

SoundTown

100+ Head-Fier
Pros: Smooth sound, strong isolation, good build, detachable cables, decent accessories
Cons: Questionable value due to "underwhelming" sound performance

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.
thefaceless0529
thefaceless0529
You got the fake shure dude.. Shure's logo doesn't come off very easily.. also the memory wire rubber coat is not as strong as the original..I've got the same problem with the memory wire

I can tell because i have one..
though the accessories can make you think you bought the legit one, but it's not..

I also have legit shure se315 and the cable is way stronger than the fake one..though they look identical but the feel differs
SoundTown
SoundTown
@thefaceless0529 I think we're on the same page, I'm pretty sure mine's not legit after having met a handful of people with SE215 SpE units.
I got the standard SE215 as a gift late last year, so I've replaced the old content with impressions on the actual SE215 now.

Voyageur

100+ Head-Fier
Pros: Full mids and bass; fair soundstage; musicality; rugged design and detachable cable; value for money
Cons: Weak treble presence and extension; metallic sounding high mids; slightly boomy bass; average comfort
Design/durability: Excellent build quality as per always on behalf of Shure. The cable feels nice and thick, with a lot of strain relief, and is detachable which is a great feature in this price range. A good thing is that the MMCX connector feels rugged enough to withstand moderate use, unlike with some other brands. The earpiece is made of thick plastic, and the latter feels and looks sturdy. Overall a very good design and beyond expectation at that price.
 
Fit/comfort: Average. I am not fond of Shure's memory wire, as it tends to be pretty stiff and could hurt the ear. other than that, the earpiece is quite ergonomic (but could be bulky for smaller ears, not my case). The cable is also heavy, better use a shirt clip, especially for portable use.
 
Isolation: Very effective as expected. Low microphonics.
 
Sound: Having owned both the SE425 and SE535 (which I both returned) I didn't expect their little brother to actually sound that good. The sound signature of the SE215 is highly colored, but not unpleasantly so. It has full sounding bass, with good texture, but not the best pace/control, as expected with a dynamic driver. As a result, the low frequencies can sound a little boomy from time to time. Mids are typical of Shure: slightly forward, smooth with good definition. Excellent with vocals, saxophones, guitars,.. very silky and coherent overall. However the higher mids do sound a bit metallic and aggressive to my ears. Treble is alright. I didn't find them to be as annoyingly recessed and toned down as on the SE425/535, but this part of the spectrum clearly isn't Shure's biggest asset. It still seems to be lacking definition and presence. Detail retrieval isn't great, they do have a certain veil and can sound too compressed on certain complex tracks. Soundstage is better than most $100 competitors. It is fairly wide but has no 3D feel to it. Instrument separation is good.
 
Overall the SE215 have a quite enjoyable sound for most genres, especially jazz, acoustic, pop. They are very forgiving and do sound good should you listen to a 128kbps MP3s or a FLAC file. Funny thing is that I prefer these over the more expensive members of the SE family, and this is no sound signature preference as I equally like the cold and analytical ER-4 and the warm and bassy IE80. To me the SE215 just sound more coherent, natural and musical than many of its bigger brothers.
 
Bottom line: One can safely say that the SE215 are a good bang for the buck (got them for 40EUR). I am not a fan of the Shure house sound, but these earphones prove to have a pleasant, laid back sound coupled with good build quality.
 
 
 
20160330_165355044_iOS.jpg

dragonchi

New Head-Fier
Pros: Warm sound, great seal with olives or comply tips, stock cables have very low microphonics
Cons: Connection between cable and IEMs deteriotate over time, requiring constant maintenance or replacement
These are great while they work. There are a bunch of methods to fix them when they eventually lose connection and start cutting out. I've had three of these in the past 5 years. They're pretty awesome while they work. So good, that put up with bending the cable pins back in place, tried to make the connection better by using conductive grease, but now, on my third pair in 5 years, I'm at my wits end with these. On to CIEMs!

bolmeteus

100+ Head-Fier
Pros: Built to last, very comfortable, luxurious mids, lows are detailed but not overpowering.
Cons: Pricey (specially with emergence of it's competitors costing well below 99$) , rolled off treble.
SHURE SE215 REVIEW
 
Notes: This is my first review in the head-fi community and I'm just starting my journey as an enthusiast. So please be kind to my mistakes. Thanks!
 
 
 
Accessories: IEM and detachable cable,
                        Soft carrying pouch (Does not provide adequate protection, hard clamshell cases would be appreciated),
                        Foam and silicone tips (Each of them come in small,medium,large sizes),
                        Cleaning tool.
 
Build: Sturdy shiny plastic. These were built to last years,Specially if just a little care is taken. My pair has been thrown inside backpacks, front pockets, almost got stepped on, dropped from a few feet several times for the past 16 months and it's still running. Detachable cables are quite useful, the one's that came with it are just beginning to wear down and replacements cost about 20-25$.
 
 
 
Isolation & Comfort: Put both in the same segment because, both of them are excellent. Foam tips block more noise than silicone tips, maybe hybrid tips will help in getting isolation and treble. The IEM's very comfortable to wear. I've fallen asleep with them many times and my ears didn't hurt. The cable has slight microphonics , but I noticed them only when the cable above the Y-split brushed against cloth. The cables do become stiff after long storage periods so it is a bit hard to wear , but it relaxes soon as the cables warm up from your body heat.
 
 
Sound: This is the most essential part of the review, eh? It might vary person-wise.
               
                  Highs: Highs are recessed. Cymbals lack the "Fizz and fun factor" that you might get from something a lot more cheaper. It is highly recommended to use the silicone tips to get a bit more out of the highs. The foam tips just absorb the higher frequencies leaving it blunt. Treble isn't all that bad, but if you like treble these won't impress you.
                  Mids: Say hello to the sound signature which is known as the "Shure-house-sound". Warm, wonderful, detailed mids. Guitars and other string instruments sound amazing. In one word the SE215's "Shure" emphasizes on it's mids without being obtrusive.
                  Lows: This is where things get interesting. To some it may lack bass, others may think bass a bit of thump. To me, there was ample amounts of bass,The silicone tips also help clear out the confusion by making the bass a tad bit tighter and detailed.
                  Vocals: Both male and female vocals sound smooth,crisp and have a fullness to them that gives that "live" reproduction. I found sibilance in only a few songs and can not confirm if it is because of the way it was recorded or because of the IEMs.
 
 
 
Long story short : If you want the best isolation and comfort in this price range, go for them. 
 
 
Competition and recommendations: While comparing sound quality the Ostry KC-06 and the TTpod T1e are highly recommended for the price. SQ wise, the fiio EX1(90$ish on amazon) is one of the strongest competition the SE215 has.
Tom22
Tom22
nice and concise! very good job! have you considered writing more reviews?
bolmeteus
bolmeteus
Well, I'm just starting. Thank you for your kind words, I will be writing more as soon as I can. 

riless

New Head-Fier
Pros: long-term comfort, noise cancellation, great sound quality, durable
Cons: n/a
Before purchasing the Shure SE215's, I'd spend $15-30 on a pair of buds that would always break after a few months, at most.  Fed up with spending God knows how much after several years, I decided it was time to invest on some good quality earbuds.  The popular "luxury" headphones to buy are obviously Beats, but after some time researching, I decided I'd go with these. The return policy (free repair / new pair within two years of purchasing if broken) from the Shure website was what motivated me to go through with buying them.  Three years later I'm glad to say these puppies are still as amazing as they were day one.  The sound quality is pristine, and the isolation is almost too good - many a time I've had people tapping me after several failed attempts of shouting my name.  By far my best use of $99.  The only headphones I can wear for over an hour without my ears screaming in pain.  Oh, and I should mention these took a full trip through the washer and made it out good as new.  It makes me wonder how much better the more expensive models can be...I wouldn't be surprised if they blow me away as well! 

I did see some negative reviews about either of the earbuds being staticky or malfunctioning, and so far that hasn't happened to mine.  I know there is the option to detach the whole earbud from the wire, but my suggestion is just to leave it on, there's no need to do that and potentially mess the connection up.  The foam in-ear pieces can be a little flustering or strange at first, but you'll get used to them after a day or so, and they're much better than the rubber ones.  Along with that, the wire going behind your ear felt abnormal to me, probably because I wasn't used to that type of earbuds, but you'll get used to that as well.  

Overall, these headphones basically no cons and a ton of pros so if you're on the fence for headphones, BUY THESE! You'll thank me later. 
whitemass
whitemass
Eh, I feel your love.
But as far as you enjoying these, I'm assuming you probably fell in love with their marshmallow deep warm sound, which you won't find much in their upper priced IEMs in that line.
They're more for reference, and if I were to suggest you try something, who knows.

Chiek

New Head-Fier
Pros: Outstanding audio quality for acoustic music, base just right, secure fitting to ear, sturdy detachable cable
Cons: No remote control device
I am a big Shure fan given my sweet  experience  with SRH940 and SRH1840 for indoor use. Being an avid mountain biker conscientious of safety (hence a helmet is obligatory), I need a pair of good IEH to pipe in pleasing music that stay secure while I navigate those bumpy trails in the forest. I am ecstatic to say that Shure fails me not yet again with their affordable and simply put, outstanding SE215. 
 
Rather than using technical audiophile jargon (which I am poor at and probably mislead with malapropism) to describe the pleasing sound of SE215, I will tell you that folk, indie rock, gospel, pop ranging from Pat McGee Band, Howie Day, Griffin House, Matt Hires, Cary Brothers, Trent Darbs,Jack Savoretti, Unkle Bob, Josh Ritter, Cold Play, Ari Hest, Jon Peter Lewis, Stephen kellogg, Greg Laswell, Matt Nathanson, Jonathon Jones and Brandan Heath (just to name a few) that I listen to, SE215 does an excellent job taking me to Nirvana while I gaze at the reflection of the forest on Lake Songsvann (outskirts of Oslo, Norway). 
 
Indeed the design of the earpieces and the hooking cables around the ears are tricky to put on and requires higher than average IQ to do it. But when you get it right, the ear piece stays on. Tugging on the V-shape junction of the cable will actually make it even more secure if you put it on right. 
 
Hence it is just perfect for mountain biking. 
 
I love you Shure. I am saving money for SE 425. Got to have it for Christmas. 

flognarde

100+ Head-Fier
Pros: build quality, warranty, quite detailed, beautiful mids, smooth signature, long cable.
Cons: bloated bass response, lack of trebles in some recording. their price went up.
Once you spent the necessary 2 minutes to put them on, they are very confortable, they don't move around. The foam tips (not much "memory"),are solid and washabled (especially compared the Comply's).
First of the protocole : Wav, Flac, APE, 24's and DSD (can't hear the high-res difference even though I tried hard). Almost exclusively classical music, CD rip and downloads. FIIO X5II and ASUS Xonar STX
First, as a general remark: The sound heavily dependson the quality of the recordings ! Some will fit them nicely, some won't. It sounds obvious but it's not that often mentioned.
For what's left they are very pleasing, not very accurate but rather musical even though they are not tonaly perfect in an overly luxurious manner. As a result they lack some excitement but they are never tiring. In some complex messages (let's say Bruckner's 5th) they can be a bit messy (not crippling). Generally, they sound good with piano solo, voices . The trebles decay can be felt at times but the good side of it is you won't turn deaf. The real downside is the bloated bass response. It can be agreable at times but this mellowish heat bothers me most of the time. The STX card can help but the signature is engraved.
 I bought them brand new for 60€ which is a bargain, now they sell in Europe for more than 100€. And for this price there is serious competition.
Remember that there is a 2 year warranty (good build quality), 1.8m long quality cable (1.2 is too short for me). 
And as usual, burnin time my ass, just get the right tip and you are ready to go.
jefmohd
jefmohd
I just got them in today. Listening to them as I type. First impression, nice mid and low, high so,so. Need power to drive them.. using LAu to drive them. .. time will tell after running in..

goodyfresh

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: Design, comfort, bass and mids (with some issues), build (mostly)
Cons: Somewhat muddy bass/mids boundary, recessed upper-mids and treble, a little bit "congested" sounding, hard to grow accustomed to achieving good fit
I bought these IEM's on sale for $84.99 when I saw them in a store, as I knew they normally go for 99.99.  I believe they are a reasonably good deal for this price, but have some issues.
 
Comfort/Fit:  It is somewhat difficult to find a nice placement of these  with the wire over the ears that will stay firmly in place.  However, it is certainly possible to do so, and from what I can tell it should be possible for the very vast majority of folks to achieve a proper fit and seal with these.  Once properly fitted and sealed, these are very comfortable IEM's. . .I can listen to them comfortably for hours.  And I have small ear-canals and ears.  They come with a good assortment of variable tips. . .three each of silicone and foam tips, each in small, medium, and large sizes, so like most such IEM's, there are plenty of options for folks with very different ears to achieve a proper fit and seal.  Personally, I am deciding to stick to the medium-sized foam tips that came on them at the start, after some experimentation, as those seem to give me the best seal and comfort.  I can also move pretty vigorously and they don't fall out or slip out of place.
 
Design and Build:  They're neat in the clear design I got them in, you can see the electronics and the drivers inside!  The build is very solid, with the possible exception in the long-run of the cable connectors, which are little mini-coax types--prone to breakage with rough use or in the longterm.
 
Value/Price:  Well, these were a pretty good value at the price I got them for.  I'm not sure I'd recommend buying them at the usual price of $99.00, though--one can do better sound-wise for that price, and if you shop around one can do equally well in terms of build for that price, as well.
 
 
The Sound:  This is pretty good.  Some aspects of it are very good.  Most of the bass and most of the mids are quite good on these!  Buttery and smooth, with reasonable (but not very high) levels of clarity and detail.  Some folks will love it, others will probably hate it.  There does seem to be some bleed at the bass-mids boundary, though, probably indicative of some levels of IMD (since these do measure as having extremely low THD+N, apparently).  Also, the bass is quite boosted compared to the mids.  But it is reasonably solid given how boosted it is.  These border on the territory of being basshead IEM's, at least in my opinion.

The treble is rolled-off, but with a typical peak in the general neighborhood of 10khz and a few smaller peaks and dips below and above that.  The extension into the upper octave compared to the rest of the treble is surprisingly good given the price-tag, but is nothing truly special.  Like the mids and bass, the treble is buttery-smooth and reasonably, but not especially, detailed and clear.
 
Overall, these sound very smoothed-out.  One cannot hear too "deeply" into the music, and it is not really analytical.  Some may really like that.  Personally, at this point, I prefer something that is still engaging and fun, but more on the analytical side.
 
The soundstage is surprisingly pretty good, but nothing special, except when you consider how isolating they are with proper fit--They easily get over 25 to 30dB or more broadband isolation, and have a single dynamic-driver design, but still do have a sensation of soundstage and a bit (but not much) of an out-of-head sound.  It's honestly quite hard to get well-built IEM's with good soundstage in this price-range (I did finally find the Trinity Delta for only $99, which has amazing soundstage for the price, though), so it's nice that this does have a perception of soundstage.  One can even hear decent layering and such.  But the soundstage itself is very narrow and has only moderate depth (to my ears).
 
 
In summary, I'd say these do a few things well; the build (for the price, a lot of truly-shabbily-built IEM's in this price-range), the isolation (awesome), the fact they've got some layering to the soundstage, the bass and mids (aside from their boundary with the bleed), and the overall smoothed-out quality which I myself do not like but some might :)
goodyfresh
goodyfresh
As I pointed out in my review, there ARE some notable flaws in the SE215's sound!  But check it out. . . .I'm about to add some edits which you may find quite interesting.  Check back on here in a half hour or an hour and you'll see :wink:
whitemass
whitemass
I thought I had seen the whole of SE215 reviews, and then you came along. I see Soundstage as being squished in these, and I definitely disagree with them being fun sounding, as more fun sounding things are more musical. The SE215 has a relaxed sound signature, as commonly said by others, it's the type of IEM you put into to relax, or couch lock. I mean, come on, they're the most warm sounding IEM we have in the field of IEMs' besides the Westone 4R which are another level of sound.
goodyfresh
goodyfresh
My point about the soundstage was more that it's much better than I ever expected from single dynamic microdriver IEM's.
 
You say they aren't fun-sounding, then say they are warm.  And yet, either warm or v-shaped signatures are what are usually referred to as a fun sound signature by audio enthusiasts, so. . .

KewStone

A.K.A.: lojikman, medicalsupplies, swappie931, tengomalani, goldsilver993, changantoo
Pros: EXCELLENT isolation! Great low end extension and overall great for fun earphone when you're gymming or just out and about.
Cons: at $99 this piece has no cons
The Shure SE215 is the first IEM I owned and was the one that brought me in head-fi. I got mine for around $95 at the time after reading some reviews online here and there. Since then, I've learned to put some faith in reviewers and not assume that everyones a shill for promoting a product.
 
I still have not forget the first time I wore this. I was clueless on how over ear earphones worked and I fumbled around but once I got it in, the world outside just completely shut out.
I was there with my music turned on and it was heavenly
 
There is absolutely no reason for anyone not to hear this device once in their life -- audiophile or not, this provides the best value:performance ratio.
ppdv
ppdv
@KewStone: Enjoy the SE215. I have been using the SE215 for like 4+ years now... though i got it for a bit higher price at that time. I would agree with the impressions that you have written down. its a VFM product with a clean sound, period. The only thing, purely my opinion, is that damn hard cable that comes with it. I Would prefer a shorter cable (< 1m) and a bit of the braided types, though the only one i can find is a replacement from FIIO cables and honestly don't know how much of value add that cable makes to the headphone ( in terms of comfort, sound signature and durability/usablity.)
Rearwing
Rearwing
I agree with everything you have said, a great starter item that rewards the listener instantly............but can be the start of a slippery slope to empty pockets!
whitemass
whitemass
Eh, I can't agree... I feel the IM02, or the SE315 have more to offer. The SE215 is a good pondering point for people who want a Warm NOT Fun Sounding IEM. And I'm confused on how you got fun sound from this. It's a much more laid back piece. Fun usually is Treble with a fall off, Bass that is boosted, non recessed Highs, & Mids, and a slightly neutral sound.
 
This is the Dark Chocolate, meets the Subtle Coffee of Warm Sound, and that's why its reputation for Warm Sound is so appreciated. 
I'm glad you enjoyed it!

aviatorguy

New Head-Fier
Pros: Isolation, Bass, Design, Soundstage
Cons: Plastic, not for continuous listening
bought 15 days ago. phones are just warming up. 
 
Bass is awesome... 
 
Almost one year its been.. Already burned in. Now SE215 is my daily driver.
 
Signature feature is its BASS. its refined and almost perfect. wouldn't distort much, except if you amplify bass. You aint need amplification for this babes. has its own bass, thats awesome enough for me.
 
Next thing is it's Mid. its very pronounced, impressively. its not annoying at all. compared to my audio technica, this shows off very clear and pronounced mid without annoying me. 
 
Treble is what I am disappointed about. I cant hear 10k or 16k (Hz) at all. very low 8k is there. 2k and 4k is pronounced like the mid. so the mid-high sounds will be like pretty loud. There might someone who dont like that. but i dont mind. i like the sound of lead/distortion/treble guitars. (rockhead) 
 
I dont like the way it exhibit Metal, Rock songs. Alternatives are OK.
Perfect (according to me) for POP, HIP HOP, EDM, and other bass heavy songs 
 
Very impressive soundstage for the price. its not perfect, but you can somewhat distinguish instruments. i hear more sounds than my audiotechnica.
 
design is good, but its made out of plastic. the wire is sturdy. sits perfectly on my ear. 
personally, I cant use it continuously like my audio technica, after about 1 or 2 hours I give up, coz of fatigue and a slight pain. 
 
ISOLATION is the best for the price. i can hear nothing while the music is on (with the foam)
 
All the stars for its value... X) 

jeremychin91

New Head-Fier
Pros: Noise Isolation,Comfort,Bassy
Cons: Build Quality,Soundstage,Word fading in the body
I owned a SE215 without a month and I discovered the word SHURE already began to fade...OMG! I am so depressed with the quality control.They should keep an eyes on their qc...Really sucks.The sound is not clear and muddy.
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