[cuiter23]

  I just purchased 11 pairs...well 10 pairs of regular 215 and 1 pair of 215 Special edition.  The 10 pairs are for gifts for employees and the special editions are for me
 
I have to say the mighty little 215 is an outstanding value.  It does not have the midrange (535 LTD, 846) or bass (in the case of the 846) of it's bigger siblings but it is incredibly hard to fault for the price.  So much so that I bought them for others.  I think folks would be hard pressed to find a better value for anywhere close to the price of these little gems.  
 
One final note, I swapped the stock cable for both a copper litz and a silver litz cable running balanced into my AK240 and it scales up beautifully.  Same is true when plugged into my HUGO.  For folks running this out of a smartphone, know you can achieve more out of this IEM with better recordings, source/DAC and amplification.  It is pretty jaw dropping to be honest how much this little IEM can scale up.
 
Anyway, these will be my running IEMs.  I think the polite and fun signature works well for my intended use.  I just hope my team will also appreciate them...I am fortunate to work with many music lovers.

 
Damn, I wish I worked with you...

 

[Apex Eight]

Alright so I'm pretty new to all of this and I want to make the SE215 my first high-quality earphone. I have Spotify on my phone and have all of my music on there downloaded to my Nexus 5 that is just running stock Android. Will this be sufficient for these earphones? If not, is there anything I can do/download that'll improve the music playing abilities of my phone? Sorry again for the extremely noob questions

 

[gtcharlie]

I have a very similar situation using the LG G3 and Rhapsody.   All my listening is done from downloaded Rhapsody music onto the LG.   Does Spotify offer the option to download at different bit rates like Rhapsody does.   They go from 64 to 192 all the way up to 320.   If that is the case add a SD card to your Nexus if it takes one and increase the bit rate as high as you can.  that should take care of you.  I know the Spotify app also has a built in equalizer so that will help as well.

 

[gtcharlie]

In this same vein does anyone know of a replacement cord I can use for android that allows me to use all the functions  like adjusting volume and skipping tracks like my Logitech UE 9000 cord I added to the 215's allowed me to do when using an iPhone?  Truly the only thing I miss about my 5s

 

[cuiter23]

Alright so I'm pretty new to all of this and I want to make the SE215 my first high-quality earphone. I have Spotify on my phone and have all of my music on there downloaded to my Nexus 5 that is just running stock Android. Will this be sufficient for these earphones? If not, is there anything I can do/download that'll improve the music playing abilities of my phone? Sorry again for the extremely noob questions

Short Answer - Yes
 
Long Answer - No
 
There are many factors to this and the Nexus 5 from what I heard is a competent media player but definitely not as good as a dedicated media source. I use Spotify Premium as well and their music is "spotty". Therefore, you must have premium to unlock their 320kbps music and not all their songs are  encoded to 320kbps and the player doesnt show you either. Some of their tracks sound like complete garbage. Having said that, the SE215 shouldn't be too picky about these details and tend to make things sound "better". The only time I use spotify with my phone are with my SE215s and also on my car. All other times I use Foobar with an external DAC for PC and Ipod Classic with Portable AMP for mobile. Hopefully this helps.

 

[Dinerenblanc]

  Short Answer - Yes
 
Long Answer - No
 
There are many factors to this and the Nexus 5 from what I heard is a competent media player but definitely not as good as a dedicated media source. I use Spotify Premium as well and their music is "spotty". Therefore, you must have premium to unlock their 320kbps music and not all their songs are  encoded to 320kbps and the player doesnt show you either. Some of their tracks sound like complete garbage. Having said that, the SE215 should be too picky about these details and tend to make things sound "better". The only time I use spotify with my phone are with my SE215s and also on my car. All other times I use Foobar with an external DAC for PC and Ipod Classic with Portable AMP for mobile. Hopefully this helps.

Agreed. Some of their tracks might be encoded to 320kps, but sound terrible. I have a few AAC tracks from iTunes that actually sounds better than what I stream from Spotify. 

 

[Apex Eight]

Thanks for your guys' input.
 
I went ahead and picked up a pair of clear 215s and I must say that I am very happy with them. They sound good and I'm just using them with my laptop and Nexus 5 with Spotify Premium, but I think what I like most about them is there build quality and comfort. This is my first time having a pair of earphones with a quality cable and I'm loving it. They are also very comfortable with the medium foam tips although the housings sometimes make my ears a bit sore after a while. 

 

[Dinerenblanc]

Thanks for your guys' input.

I went ahead and picked up a pair of clear 215s and I must say that I am very happy with them. They sound good and I'm just using them with my laptop and Nexus 5 with Spotify Premium, but I think what I like most about them is there build quality and comfort. This is my first time having a pair of earphones with a quality cable and I'm loving it. They are also very comfortable with the medium foam tips although the housings sometimes make my ears a bit sore after a while. 

Glad you're enjoying it, Apex!

 

[M Coupe]

Be sure to try westone silicon star tips.  You can buy a variety pack on amazon for less than 15 buck to ensure you get the right size.  Some folks like the olives but I hate them.  I get the sound, comfort and ease of putting them in my ears without the headache of the olives.  YMMV.

 

[cuiter23]

  Thanks for your guys' input.
 
I went ahead and picked up a pair of clear 215s and I must say that I am very happy with them. They sound good and I'm just using them with my laptop and Nexus 5 with Spotify Premium, but I think what I like most about them is there build quality and comfort. This is my first time having a pair of earphones with a quality cable and I'm loving it. They are also very comfortable with the medium foam tips although the housings sometimes make my ears a bit sore after a while. 

Build quality is definitely class-leading. Glad you like em! I ordered custom sleeves for my 425s from sensaphonics because of comfort issues. Been almost a month now and they should be here anytime now  

 

[Apex Eight]

Question: I bought my pair from Guitar Center and got talked into buying their Pro Coverage for $18.99 that covers any accidentally damage and stuff for two years. I'm just wondering if this was necessary or not. I know that Shure has a two year limited-warranty but I don't really know what that entails. Thanks!

 

[Dinerenblanc]

  Question: I bought my pair from Guitar Center and got talked into buying their Pro Coverage for $18.99 that covers any accidentally damage and stuff for two years. I'm just wondering if this was necessary or not. I know that Shure has a two year limited-warranty but I don't really know what that entails. Thanks!

Shure is pretty forgiving when it comes to their warranty. Issues that result from general use is covered, but I've heard stories of Shure's customer service covering accidents. 

 

[cuiter23]

  Question: I bought my pair from Guitar Center and got talked into buying their Pro Coverage for $18.99 that covers any accidentally damage and stuff for two years. I'm just wondering if this was necessary or not. I know that Shure has a two year limited-warranty but I don't really know what that entails. Thanks!

 
Not worth it especially for $18.99. I Paid $25.00 for 2 years accidental for my XBA-4s directly from Sony. That means if anything happens in 2 years they will replace it with another similarly priced earphone since the XBA-4/40s are discontinued. Having said that, I would only buy extended warranty for earphones without removable cables. I don't think the Shures will be an issue when it comes to durability.

 

[patchoncas]

Got this little fellows some months ago, and I have to say, I was not prepared for the bass, coming from other bass light IEMs.
But once my ears got accustomed to the sound of it, my opinion of them improved by a lot!
The bass is hard hitting, with only a oh-so slight bleeding into the mids, while the sound isolation is just fantastic, perfect for a noisy commute.
And although several people have said they're not comfortable over long periods of time, because their ears get sore, that has only once happened to me, and only because the housing in the right ear was slight loopsided.
I can listen to them for hours and hours

 

[TRapz]

What popular full-sized headphones would you liken these to? I've tried ATH-M50x, M-100s, Crossfade LPs, Sennheiser Momentum. These failed to impress me, and I thought it was due to their bassy signature. Later, at a meet, I tried Denon D2000s with wood cups, the Shure SRH1540, and the ZMF Blackwood; these were all bassy and they were incredible. I want that warm, non-v shaped sound, but I fear these will sound like the first headphones I listed.