My 215's just arrived at my door. They are packaged well and include a nice soft case, the usual selection of tips (s,m,l silicon/olives) and the instruction manual. The packaging doesn't require any sharp instruments to open (bonus). The removable cables are thinner than the 535, and lack their protective outer cover. I swear you could have used the 535's cable as tie downs or to hold up a loose muffler. The 215 cables are excellent for this price range and beyond. They don't retain memory except where they should (ear guides) and are not microphonic at this point. They fit much like the 535's but the nozzle doesn't appear to be as long. (correction, the nozzle is as long, the olives were bottomed out on the stem) The medium olives come equipped, which are my favorite tip for most IEM's. They fit nice and flush in my ears, and I could see them being comfortable enough to sleep in.
I'm a firm believer in burn-in for dynamic iem's, so I will update my first impressions after they've burned in overnight and beyond.
First impression: Wow, Shure can make an IEM with fun bass. That's the first thing that stands out when coming from the 535's. The bass isn't sloppy and I don't hear a mid-bass hump, but these are definitely more of a consumer friendly IEM (fun). I've cycled through a bunch of different songs and genres and so far so good. The mids are velvety smooth as you would expect and they aren't far behind the bass. I don't detect much bass bleed in the mids. The highs aren't as bright or as forward as others in this price range, but they do have sparkle and definition to them. I haven't heard any sign of sibilance and I don't expect it. If anything, I'd say these are more balanced than most "fun" IEM's with a slight emphasis on the bass at this point. Even if the bass doesn't settle in I could be very happy with these. They will have no problem settling in to my number two position (my W3's will be sold, the others will be gifts). Even without burn-in, I like these more than my RE0 and my VB's. They offer enough definition across the board and give me the dynamic punch in the bass that I like. These won't make me forget about my W4, but they will get more head time as the summer approaches and more of my time is spent outdoors/on the beach.
Shure has a winner here, especially for those that are looking for a fun sound signature. I can't call these V shaped at this time as the highs don't reach the levels of my VB's, W3's or the HJE900's. They aren't bass monsters either. They do have an emphasis in the bass region (pre-burnin), but they aren't as bold as the VB's, IE8's, ME6's. I like what I'm hearing at this point. The highs are crisp and accurate, the mids are velvety smooth and the bass has great punch and decay. The more I shuffle through my playlist, the more I like these IEM's. The soundstage isn't unusally wide, but is sufficiently wide enough for classical orchestra pieces and live music. You're sitting in the first few rows, but not quite on stage. Separation is decent for a dynamic, even with very little time on them. I don't hear a veil of any kind and things don't get too messy when a song gets busy. The 215's are a winner so far. I'll put a few more hours on them in my ears, then let them burn-in overnight. The hardest part might be taking them out of my ears, thankfully I have the W4's to fall back on
They won't knock any top tiers off the charts, but they will give everything in their price range a run for their money and then some!!
