jjeremycai
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2010
- Posts
- 262
- Likes
- 12
After picking up a pair for $90 from Best Buy, I looked around the forums for a review of the Shure SE115's, but I couldn't find one. So here are my thoughts on them after a week's usage.
Build Quality
To start off, Shure's build quality is fantastic. The cable is solid and flexible and the solid ear tips that are included fit snugly and form a tight seal. You might have heard that the two cables that connect the SE115's together are a nuisance, but the connection is strong and the cables aren't really noticeable nor separable.
Accessories
A carrying bag, three "olive" tips, three gel tips, and an earwax cleaner are included in the package and are quite nice. The "olives" are comfortable, though I'd have to say the Klipsch gels are much more easy on the ears. At least in my case, there isn't really a true medium sized tip included in the package--the two small ones are too small, the medium ones are too big, and the large ones barely fit in my ears.
Noise Isolation
Isolation from the foam tips is amazing. The ambient noise in any room is immediately canceled out after a good seal is formed. Nothing else to add except that one must follow a specific procedure to form the seal. That is, one must pinch the tips together until they are "mushed" up and then stick them in the ears.
Because one is supposed to wear the SE115's over the ear, microphonics are low and the only occasional abrasion I can clearly hear is when the cable rubs against the zipper on my jacket.
And of course, one can't expect amazing sound quality from the bottom of Shure's IEM line, but I was surprised to find that it wasn't as bad as I anticipated. Honestly speaking, after I burned them in for 50+ hours, the bass created by the new dynamic driver was quite strong and heavy. I found that listening to hip hop was a pleasant experience, and rock wasn't too bad either. The mids were clear, very analytical, precise, and even harsh at times. The only shortcoming I can find to these aspects is the lack of "life" in the sound. There isn't any inspiration or warmness in the sound, and the soundstage isn't remarkable either. Speaking of which, the soundstage is not as expansive as I would have liked, and while this may take away from the overall realism of the recording, I found that it didn't affect the type music that I listen to most. Regarding the high-range, this is where the SE115's really fall. In this case, the infamous "Shure high-range roll-off" is especially present, and heavily offsets the lopsided ratio of Bass:Mids:Highs to something along the lines of 2:3:1.
All in all, though one may expect to pay a premium for Shure's brand name, the SE115's were quite nice and I don't plan on returning them for a long while unless a situation arises which I would then include in future updates. If you listen to bass-heavy music like me and desire a clear and descriptive mid-range along with it, I'd highly recommend these as a sub-$100 choice. But if you're a classical guy and require a set of headphones that reproduce the highs of music accurately, I'd look elsewhere.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
Build Quality
To start off, Shure's build quality is fantastic. The cable is solid and flexible and the solid ear tips that are included fit snugly and form a tight seal. You might have heard that the two cables that connect the SE115's together are a nuisance, but the connection is strong and the cables aren't really noticeable nor separable.
Accessories
A carrying bag, three "olive" tips, three gel tips, and an earwax cleaner are included in the package and are quite nice. The "olives" are comfortable, though I'd have to say the Klipsch gels are much more easy on the ears. At least in my case, there isn't really a true medium sized tip included in the package--the two small ones are too small, the medium ones are too big, and the large ones barely fit in my ears.
Noise Isolation
Isolation from the foam tips is amazing. The ambient noise in any room is immediately canceled out after a good seal is formed. Nothing else to add except that one must follow a specific procedure to form the seal. That is, one must pinch the tips together until they are "mushed" up and then stick them in the ears.
Because one is supposed to wear the SE115's over the ear, microphonics are low and the only occasional abrasion I can clearly hear is when the cable rubs against the zipper on my jacket.
And of course, one can't expect amazing sound quality from the bottom of Shure's IEM line, but I was surprised to find that it wasn't as bad as I anticipated. Honestly speaking, after I burned them in for 50+ hours, the bass created by the new dynamic driver was quite strong and heavy. I found that listening to hip hop was a pleasant experience, and rock wasn't too bad either. The mids were clear, very analytical, precise, and even harsh at times. The only shortcoming I can find to these aspects is the lack of "life" in the sound. There isn't any inspiration or warmness in the sound, and the soundstage isn't remarkable either. Speaking of which, the soundstage is not as expansive as I would have liked, and while this may take away from the overall realism of the recording, I found that it didn't affect the type music that I listen to most. Regarding the high-range, this is where the SE115's really fall. In this case, the infamous "Shure high-range roll-off" is especially present, and heavily offsets the lopsided ratio of Bass:Mids:Highs to something along the lines of 2:3:1.
All in all, though one may expect to pay a premium for Shure's brand name, the SE115's were quite nice and I don't plan on returning them for a long while unless a situation arises which I would then include in future updates. If you listen to bass-heavy music like me and desire a clear and descriptive mid-range along with it, I'd highly recommend these as a sub-$100 choice. But if you're a classical guy and require a set of headphones that reproduce the highs of music accurately, I'd look elsewhere.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
but thats just me 
