[musiclee]

thanks,
 
would love to hear more about Klipsch S4 vs Shure SE215...
anyone else have or has used both?
 
i think my decision is down to these 2

 

[xluben]

Quote:

To me, the most prominent thing that the Kramer Mod does to the E2 is to tighten the bass up and bring in some treble presence.

As for the link to the Kramer Mod, this is the thread from the man himself:
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/131100/e2c-mod-56k-warning

Thanks.  A lot of really good comments in there about the mod.  Some make it sound like it is exactly what I want.  But there are a handful of comments about it making the highs more shrill and the lows less prominent.  Exactly the opposite of what I'd want.  I'm still on the fence whether or not I want to try the mod.  Maybe I'll do it, and if I don't like it, I will use that to justify buying the SE215's
 
Right now I'm not convinced the SE215's are going to be worth the $100 for a small change in sound.

 

[musiclee]

i cannot find a single youtube clip/review of these SE215,   that's weird...
i know they are "new" but i think they have been around for about 2 months now ???

 

[ericp10]

Well, I guess in a little while I will  answer my own question about how the 215 compares to the TS02. To my surprise (and very quickly), my 215 came in today from Sound Earphones.com. I havent' taken them out of the package yet, but I have the clear and they look quite nice through the clear windows. Will give first impressions after getting some work done.

 

[Zephyron]

^
Looking forward to your impressions Eric, considering that we come from the SM3 and Klipsch Custom 3 as well =)
 
Hope our opinions can match, especially when it comes to initial impressions on the pre/post burn-in sound and the eartip effect.

 

[ericp10]

Okay, I have only gotten in 15 minutes with these - straight out of the box, so no burn-in.
 
Bass - More than I expected and actually about a notch and half or so deeper than the ts02. Bass is tight and not muddy at all so far. Nice punch.
 
Mids - Definitely lush nice mids Shure is known for. Very nice detailed sound in this range.
 
Highs - I'm not really a highs man, but the treble doesn't sound recess or forward to me. Sounds balanced and just right. It does have a little aggression to my ears so far, but nothing to write home about one way or the other (just how I like my highs).
 
Overall sound - I'm actually surprised straight out of the box. The sound is fuller than I expected it would be. Music has a decent headstage and height for the price range. Nice full sound. Soundstage-wise, it's less than I was expecting (not suggesting that's a bad thing or that the soundstage is small). The ts02's soundstage is definitely wider (i would say 2 to 3 steps even). Of course being a woodie, the ts02 has a better timbre to me, but 215's timbre is not bad at all. Again, different sound signatures. I think guitars sound a bit more natural on the ts02, but the 215 isn't bad at all out of the box. Again, the 215 sounds better than I expected and most of the reviews I've read prior seems to be spot on, including yours Zephyron. I have heard some more expensive IEMs that didn't sound this good out of the box or even after burn-in. Is the bass Monster Turbines deep? No they aren't. Yet, the bass is no slouch either. And of course, no micro-details yet (and I don't expect it to get there) like my 1964-Q, but I get what Joey means when  he says the music sounds fun (to me more cohesive in a way). He's right, these are about the music  rather than about showing off from a technical front. I think it's room in this hobby for both types of IEMs. That's it for now, but so for I like them (oh, build quality and packaging is very nice as I have come to expect from Shure).
 
Quote:

^
Looking forward to your impressions Eric, considering that we come from the SM3 and Klipsch Custom 3 as well =)
 
Hope our opinions can match, especially when it comes to initial impressions on the pre/post burn-in sound and the eartip effect.

 

 

[DirtyD916]

Just got mine from guitarcenter's website right now. They have a $20 off coupon on their site until the 28th so they only came out to $88 after tax. Can't wait to get them!!

 

[Timmac]

Ok so here's my (relatively non-audiophile) view after a week of these.

First of all, build quality is superb. I can see why Shure sell these with a two year warranty, doubt they get many people calling it in! The cable is hench and massively long, I wish the split (which is equally beasty) was a bit lower down. The jack is beautiful too

Isolation is amazing, can't hear anything with them both in. However, I do get a bit of microphonics from the top of the cable, even with the over the top wires. Speeking of which, they can be a bit of a pain... I have long hair and getting out the way can be a bit annoying, but totally dealable-with. The negative profile of these is awesome, never been able to lay down with 'phones in before.

Oh, and I have the clear ones, they look so cool for the record I'm using a rooted android phone with cyanogen, which includes dsp software with an eq.

Ok, so the sound. Lots of bass, nice and tight, not majorly boomy, does bleed into the bottom of the mids ever so slightly. Mids are good, but I'm not very good at describing them Highs, they werent that impressive, but I defiantly think they've got better... and I didn't believe in burn in! anyway, they are sounding quite nice now and seem to have gained a lot of sparkle, but they don't reach that High. Treble is most certaintly de-emphisised, the only major downside I can come up with and difficult to eq back in. Wish I had a treble knob on my dsp...

All in all the best, and most expensive, earphones I've ever owned.

I apologise for any spelling or grammar, dyslexic and cannot be botherd to correct it all on my iPad

 

[ericp10]

I have to say the clarity is very nice in the 215 to be a second tier IEM. I'm very impressed. Especially since it's a dynamic.

 

[davidcotton]

Well further to my complaining about the goddamn stupid memory wire causing me fit issues I gave up with the damn stuff.  Out came the scissors!  Cut away 90% or so (so just that thicker bit where the cable plugs in remains )and you know what?  Success!  Took me a good half hour or so (because I was being careful and taking it slow) but it is do able.  Now I just have to do the other one, groan.
 
Just be prepared to stump up for a replacement cable if those scissors make a wrong cut.
 
Cheers.

 

[JoeyRusso]

Quote:

I have to say the clarity is very nice in the 215 to be a second tier IEM. I'm very impressed. Especially since it's a dynamic.

 

 

[Wired_Gargoyle]

I'm heading out today to pick up a pair. Having exchanged my E2c's a few times after the wires starting cracking I'm interested in having the ability to swap out the wires rather than the guts of the IEMs themselves.

 

[sofastreamer]

 i have mine for about 48 hours now and have to say, i am really impressed. as i own(ed) a lot of top tier iems (IE8, SE530, W3, UM3X, TF10 and a lot more), none of them matched my preferences as well as the new shures.
 
comfort/fit: these are perfectly shaped to my ears. Comfort is similar to the Westones, but it is the first iem, that i really forget about wearing them.
 
Sound signature: in a nutshell: warm, bass pronounced, mids slightly forward, highs recessed. Very large soundstage. 
 
Bass: bass hits hard, there is some mid- and upperbass emphasis, but not too much. it also goes very deep, so you got a little subwoofer feeling. i never heard a dynamic driver especially in this price range, that offers such a dry and punchy bass. ok, it is not as dry, as some ba-type iems can be, but for me its dry enough.
 
mids: not recessed and warm. sometimes the upper bass touches them, so to some they could sound slightly muddy.
 
highs: shure typical. if you know the highs of the srh-840, you know the highs of the se215. they are there and thats about it. nothing to write home about.
 
details: it offers quite a lot of details for a 99 dollar dynamic. sometimes you have to listen carefully, but seams like everything you would expect is there.
 
precision: no problem to exactly point on each instrument on the great soundstage. but they are not as separated as you know it from some ba-type iems. i do not miss that much of separation, as to me music sounds more natural this way.
 
comparisons:
 
ie8: believe it or not, the se215 is the better ie8 imho. why? well, soundstage is similar with a little advantage for the ie8. details are slightly better presented by the ie8, but thats about it. while the bass of the ie8 is really overemphasized to me. even on the smallest adjustment of the bass knob there is bass everywhere, no matter if it is in the music or not. the shure does a lot better job here. bass is faster, pronounced, but only if the songs recommends it. 
 
westone bunch: i dont like the westones because of their midbass humps. if they would have sub bass pronouncement also, it would be ok, but for my electronic music they do not produce that subwoofer like rumbling, that i can feel in my stomach. the shures can produce that frequencies and bring a smile on my face.
 
shure se530: well for shure the mids of the 530s are more natural sounding. especially when you listen to classical music everything sounds more realistic. but again, no sub bass rumble here.
 
right know i really enjoy the se215. shure it can be some kind of brand new toy syndrome, and maybe in a week i will miss the details and absolute precision i get from a ba driver. but for know i could not be happier.

 

[ericp10]

So question: is the SE315 a dynamic or armature driver? I see it has a bass port, but can they do that with an armature? I know my bass BAs in my custom Quad are vented. I'm not planning on spending $200 for the 315, but I'm curious about its sound. I find it hard to imagine it can sound better than the 215, but perhaps give more sub-bass. Anyone with some knowledge on the 315? Thanks.

 

[dweaver]

I posted this in another thread but think it belongs here as well since this is the impressions thread.
 
Quote:

OK let me carefully lay out my thoughts .
 
IE8 has the largest sound stage and the most bass (often to much especially in the mid-bass), I found the mids to recessed and influenced by the bass, and found the treble also not to my liking (to tinny sounding when it came to cymbals in particular).
MTPC has a much more intimate soundstage (smaller) the 2nd most amount of bass, midrange was warm and full on one pair I owned and slightly recessed and thin on the other pair, treble was nice and sparkly and reproduced cymbals well but would occasionally become to hot,
SM3 has an unusual soundstage in that it places you in the center and can have a massive stage all around you depending on the recording (good for some music but wierd for alot of music as well), good bass for a BA but does not compare to any of the dynamic based IEM I'm talkng about, has warm incredibly detailed midrange that is quite forward, treble seems recessed and often even veiled.
SE215 has almost as good a soundstage as the IE8, the least amount of bass of the dynamic IEM's listed but still has good sub-bass and only a hint of a midbass hump, mids that are close to the SM3 but not quite as forward, treble that is slightly recessed but clearer than the SM3 and the IE8 with good cymbal reproduction.
 
In terms of detail I would say SM3 > IE8 > MTPC = SE215
 
In terms of build quality I would say IE8 = SE215 > MTPC >> SM3
 
In terms of comfort I would say IE8 = SM3 = SE215 > MTPC
 
In terms of fit kit and accessories I would say SE215 = MTPC = IE8 >>> SM3 I have to say that while IE8 has the largest amount of stuff followed by the MTPC I found much of those items simply didn't mean anything to me especially in regards to the IE8 stuff. The SE215 on the other hand while having less stuff is a good selection that would meet most peoples needs. The SM3 on the other hand simply does not give enough in their kit.
 
So taking everything in as a whole I would say while the SE215 while not winning in many areas is near the top in most areas and offers a compelling argument as being as good as any of the others considering it does not have any major weaknesses. If you take into consideration it's price point it's a clear winner for me.