[davidcotton]

Damn, looks like I've got a faulty unit!   Intermittent sound on the left unit.  It's not a cable issue (somewhat ironically this being Shure) as it happens when I swop the cables over.   I do get music if I leave it in a certain place, if theres no music when I turn the cable gently then theres this odd almost clicking sound, almost as if the connector on the unit itself is loose.  Anyone got any ideas to try to fix it?
 
Oh well looks like it's rma time.  Will explain that I did carefully cut the memory wire, and take it from there.   Gutted.
 
Cheers.

 

[dweaver]

If you don't want the memory wire apparently the iPhone cable does not have the memory wire. May be a better option that risking damaging the cable and losing warranty coverage by modifying the cable...

 

[davidcotton]

Quote:

If you don't want the memory wire apparently the iPhone cable does not have the memory wire. May be a better option that risking damaging the cable and losing warranty coverage by modifying the cable...

Yup except that over here in england it costs about half of what the headphone costs at £50 odd !   If it were a cable fault I'd shrug and take it but the fact that the left side remains silent after swopping cables over indicates that its a faulty driver (and I think its where the cable and unit connect as something sounds loose INSIDE the unit).  Fired off an email to where I bought it from so will see what happens.
 
Cheers...

 

[AngryBaconGod]

My impressions are a bit different:

build quality IE8 > SE215
comfort IE8 >>>>>>> SE215

The IE8 gets the build quality due largely to the cable. The IE8 cable is much thinner, feels just as strong, doesn't have the stupid memory wire, and is completely non-microphonic, while I find the SE215 to be microphonic.

The IE8 gets a huge win on comfort for me. This is incredibly subjective and will vary from person to person, but for me, the IE8 is a much lighter IEM which (with Complys anyway) feels like it's floating in my ears, and within moments is completely forgotten. The SE215, by contrast, feels like a huge heavy bulky thing jammed into my ear and on my ear. I'm constantly aware that it's there, and it becomes physically fatiguing after only a short while.

As for sound, I will say that each has a different character, both are good, but I personally give the nod to the IE8's. The SE215 has the wonderful Shure mid sound, and is competent everywhere else, so it's no slouch, but the IE8's, with some negative EQ to the midbass hump, produces a much more balanced and detailed sound to my humble ears.

I think the SE215 is an incredible bargain at the price, and will put a smile on the face of anybody but the most picky. They are both great, but it's clear why the IE8 cost 3.5x as much.

 

[music_4321]

^^ I was under the impression, after reading every single page in this thread, that the only IEMs that came close to the SE215's SQ were the JH13 & JH16 (and possibly the ES5).
 
Surely there's something wrong with the way you hear things.

 

[kite7]

Sarcasm? Just because people like what they are hearing doesn't mean it is necessary technically superior but rather they have an engaging sound signature that appeals to many.  SE215 may not be the most resolving or detailed earphone but does it need to be for one's enjoyment? Not really. You don't see people selling their Westone 4 because they like the SE215.

 

[music_4321]

Quote:

SE215 may not be the most resolving or detailed earphone but does it need to be for one's enjoyment? Not really.

 
Hey, I enjoy my £50.00 Sony MRD-EX500 earphones, so no need to convince me that a much cheaper IEM (than my ES3X & W4) can be quite enjoyable.
 

Quote:

You don't see people selling their Westone 4 because they like the SE215.

 
Not yet, but judging by some of the comments in this thread, that may not be such a far-fetched idea.
 
Quote:

Sarcasm?

 
    Yes.

 

[kite7]

Quote:

 
Not yet, but judging by some of the comments in this thread, that may not be such a far-fetched idea.

But that isn't exactly wrong is it? Each to their own. For one, a lot of money will be recovered. The only critical thing I've read here is that the treble is okay at best otherwise not too many direct comparisons between other IEMs. It must be doing more right than wrong it seems.
 
 

 

[pyro_dragun]

Thank you sir for the great write up! Since you are a fellow M50 owner, may I ask you how do the se215 compare to the M50? I love the sound signature of the M50 and I want a pair of earbuds that sound similar (more bass would be nice since bass nicely drones out the noises of public transport).
 

Personally, I like the M50s better then the SE215s. In my opinion, the M50s don't sound that similar to the SE215s. M50s bass is tighter and cleaner, however quantity is pretty similar, M50 may just slightly edge out the 215 in bass quantity. While neither pair has great highs, M50s does treble slightly better to my ears. Also, M50s have a recessed midrange whereas the SE215s mids are slightly forward. So in summary, the M50s does bass and treble better, while the SE215s have more forward mids. I probably still need to spend some more time with the 215s though, maybe the bass will get tighter with more burn-in.

However, I have used this on the subway, and they block a large amount of noise out, and the quantity of bass is definitely enough to use for day to day commutes.

 

[EraserXIV]

I hope people aren't getting the wrong idea about the SE215... It's a great IEM for the price, but definitely nowhere near the level of the W4, SE535, SM3. What the SE215 provides is a fun, exciting IEM that has a decent amount of clarity, and the SQ is good enough for me not to want to sell it off. Detail retrieval, separation, imaging are nowhere near the aforementioned IEMs, but you don't expect that at this price point and it's not necessarily necessary for just simple music enjoyment. Could the SQ be better? Yeah definitely, but it's good enough for me to be happy with my purchase.

 

[pyro_dragun]

I hope people aren't getting the wrong idea about the SE215... It's a great IEM for the price, but definitely nowhere near the level of the W4, SE535, SM3. What the SE215 provides is a fun, exciting IEM that has a decent amount of clarity, and the SQ is good enough for me not to want to sell it off. Detail retrieval, separation, imaging are nowhere near the aforementioned IEMs, but you don't expect that at this price point and it's not necessarily necessary for just simple music enjoyment. Could the SQ be better? Yeah definitely, but it's good enough for me to be happy with my purchase.

I couldn't have said it better myself. That is exactly how I feel about the SE215s. I like my CK10s much better since I like detailed and analytical IEMs, however the 215s are good for the price and are fun to listen to. The 215s cannot compete with higher tier IEMs in terms of technical competencies, but that doesn't mean some people won't prefer the sound signature of the 215s to some of the more expensive IEMs. In my opinion the 215s have a mainstream consumer type of sound signature that a lot of people will enjoy.


However, for me I still find myself taking my CK10s everywhere over the 215s, mainly because the CK10s sound much better to me, and since my ears are kinda small, CK10s are also much more comfortable.

 

[music_4321]

Quote:

But that isn't exactly wrong is it? Each to their own. For one, a lot of money will be recovered. The only critical thing I've read here is that the treble is okay at best otherwise not too many direct comparisons between other IEMs. It must be doing more right than wrong it seems.
 
 

The comment you were responding to was yet another (more subtle) sarcastic comment. The truth is I don't really think people will be selling their W4s after they hear the SE215 - and if they did, good for them, as you say they'll be saving quite a bit of money.
 
My point was/ is that I don't think the SE215 is necessarily bad - in fact it probably is quite good for $100 - but I've been sensing hype, that unmistakable flavour I've seen far too often round HF, where the FOTM is in full swing and hype and exaggeration simply take over.
 

 

[Zephyron]

Hype is fun, beats folks being stoic, single-track doodieheads

That said, sonically, there are earphones better for value vs the SE215, like the now rare Klipsch Custom 3, the Xcape v2, the reZero, even the Ety MC5 is worth a look, and given the horrendous 50% markup of the price of the SE215 here in Singapore, the GR07, and 2nd hand Tf10 going for the occasional sg$200-250 (we'really looking at sg$199/us$158 due to distributor markup) plus a few other phones that escape my mind for the moment.

Decent though it maybe, unless the sound sig is what ones really wants, I can't recommend it with the other options being relatively available locally.

The sound's also pretty much the absolute antithesis of the treblehead, and caters for borderline bassheads without sacrificing much in the way of sonic coherence and resolution.

That, and one should experiment with different available tips as well. Some people may not find the Olives best to.pair them up with.

 

[kite7]

Quote:

My point was/ is that I don't think the SE215 is necessarily bad - in fact it probably is quite good for $100 - but I've been sensing hype, that unmistakable flavour I've seen far too often round HF, where the FOTM is in full swing and hype and exaggeration simply take over.

 
There's always hype on head-fi, but really what can you do about it? I'm not going to those threads to be a party pooper or some sort. Everyone should already know that everything that read here needs to be taken with a grain of salt because only until one tries or owns a piece of equipment, he or she will really never know how it is. Those with more experience in this case, those with higher tier IEMs to say that the SE215 sounds good means a lot more than someone who has never tried the top tier IEMs saying the SE215 is good relative to nothing. Right now because I haven't tried the SE215, I can't really say if it really is good or bad but I look forward to hearing it sometime.
 

 

[sofastreamer]

i have to correct my post from yesterday, as i only tested the se215 with electronic music. but now i found out, what is on the other side of the medal: these things are completely incompatible with classical music. I heard some Beethoven, and thought the orchestra sits behind a thick curtain. i could not realize if there are playing 3 or maybe 15 strings. next thing i noticed was, that there are two big holes in the soundstage right behind my eyeballs. so first thing i thought was, that maybe its a bad recording.
then i put in my se530, and the difference could not have been bigger. the orchestra sounded so much more real and natural. i could exactly point on each instrument in the far more realistic and deeper soundstage. it was like coming from a 5 $ earbud. i am very disappointed right now.