[DanielRaymond]

Been a loyal Shure user since 2005. have gone through a handful of E4Cs and SCL4s. Right now i'm using them 11 hours a day.
 
The wire coating started to crack and peel on my latest pair of SCL4s, but i'm not losing any sound so I don't need to send them in yet. Was on the Shure site over the weekend and noticed the SEs.
 
A couple of google searches led me here and after reading through the thread, I went ahead and bought a pair of 215s.
 
After wearing them for the last couple of hours:
 
I don't feel like i'm getting a good enough seal compared to the SCL4s, which I could push and feel them touching my brain. I could also hear the pop when i'd pull them out.
 
I'm not used to the design of the earpiece. For a short time, I was wearing them completely wrong (had the left earpiece in the right ear). I bought the clear model and it's damn near impossible to see the tiny "L" and "R". Early on, it's taking me a little longer to get them situated in my ear.
 
That being said, once in they do fit comfortable and the sound is nice (even without the tight seal), I need to learn that I don't need to jam them in my ears to get good sound. I'm not going to get in to treble and bass and use charts and graphs. I'll just say I like how they sound.
 
I do like the new cord compared to the SCL4, I also like how it's reinforced around the ear. For me, the length of the cord is not as much of an issue as it is for others.
 
I use an iphone4 and wear it in my back pocket with the cord running up the inside of the back of my shirt. I hate the look of an exposed cord.

 

[h8uthemost]

I also have the clear ones. I wanted the black ones, but Guitar Center only had clear, and now I think I prefer them.
 
As for the L and R, yeah, they are incredibly tiny. But if you like on the cable up by the detchable plug, one side has a blue dot and the other has a red one. I believe red is R and blue is L. So that's how I make sure.
 
I don't know why they didn't make the cord on one ear a bit shorter than the other. I think this is called a J cord, and I love this style. It's the easiest way to tell which side is which.
 
Anyways, after a couple days use I'm really starting to like the sound of these. I do hope they open up and get a bit clearer with more hours of use. I usually don't believe in burn-in, but I sure hope it's the case with these IEM's. They're just not as clear as I like, but the overall sound is good though.
 
Still think I'm going to try and find someone to trade with though as I still simply despise this over-the-ear design and I don't think I'm ever going to get used to it. Although I do have to say, they are very comfortable. I had them in for over a couple hours today and I actually forgot they were in my ears. So maybe I'm not hating the design as much as I think?

 

[dleblanc343]

BAD news, left driver suddenly has problems and makes me unable to listen to them. Seems to be a major problem with these iems. The left driver was not working, I moved the swivel that connects the driver to the wire and would hear scratching, springy sounds with music sometimes coming out. This happened to a few people on this thread, then it happened to my neighbour about 2 weeks ago... now me.
 
I don't know if there's a fix to this, fut my phones are in pristine condition, really worried about the quality now :/
 
Maybe first batch shipments were bad?
 
Anyone else have this problem?

 

[T.F.O.A]

Quote:

BAD news, left driver suddenly has problems and makes me unable to listen to them. Seems to be a major problem with these iems. The left driver was not working, I moved the swivel that connects the driver to the wire and would hear scratching, springy sounds with music sometimes coming out. This happened to a few people on this thread, then it happened to my neighbour about 2 weeks ago... now me.
 
I don't know if there's a fix to this, fut my phones are in pristine condition, really worried about the quality now :/
 
Maybe first batch shipments were bad?
 
Anyone else have this problem?

Yep, i had the same problem too, and left driver at that too. Just contact shure, they'll fix it, though they'll only replace the left driver for you.
 

 

[DanielRaymond]

I'm not a big fan of the swivel. It adds to the challenge of putting them on. What is the purpose of that?
 
My left one is a little touch-and-go too. It's not bad right now, i just hope it doesn't get worse in the short run since I have to make 3 out of town trips in late May/early-mid June and I wanted the new Shures for my plane trips.

 

[Narwayo]

Quote:

"I moved the swivel that connects the driver to the wire and would hear scratching, springy sounds with music sometimes coming out."
 
Anyone else have this problem?

Yes, me too. Exactly the same like you. I returned them to Shure with the RAN they provided me, but I don't know anything about them until now, they didn't tell me what are they going to do, if replacing or repairing them... hoping some news 

 

[dleblanc343]

Hopefully they replace it huh? I just hope the problem won't occur anymore. They gave me a local address for Shure warranty and repairs, so I'll be bringing mine there. Sounds like they will make repairs though, not so keen on that as the problem may just come back within a few months. 

 

[DanielRaymond]

Doesn't Shure still have the repair/replace form that you print out and send in with your damaged earphones?
 
i have sent in my old E4Cs/SCL4s to be replaced, it usually takes 2 weeks. I get a brand new pair each time.

 

[dleblanc343]

Yes I have just done that, if they actually replace the product then I will be using this service instead!

 

[h8uthemost]

Well, I'm really starting to enjoy my 215's now. My opinion of them now are a complete 180 from my initial impression. 

 
I'm actually starting to get used to the over-the-ear design. I still prefer the regular design(since I've never had regular design IEM's fall out or anything like that, the over-the-ear design isn't an improvement for me), but I'm starting to get the hang of these now. The first few times I inserted them, they would literally take me a couple minutes to get them in, positioned well, with a good fit. But now I can just pop them right in.
 
And the sound quality is really starting to warm up. I'm still hoping they get a bit clearer with more burn-in(they're not muddy, not even close, just a bit veiled in my opinion, but then again I'm used to my ultra clear Grado's). But besides that, I'm overall happy with the sound quality. Listening to the jazz album Ahmad's Blues by Ahmad Jamal(a bad ass pianist) right now, and it sound fantastic through these headphones. The bass isn't overwhelming at all.
 
I think these are a great buy for $99. Especially considering how great the build quality is and the detachable cable. I thought for sure the stems on the ear pieces were going to break the first time I took a pair of tips off. But I've removed and replaced them quite a few times and no problems at all. So the plastic is definitely sturdy.
 
Just hope I don't start experiencing problems with my left driver like others here are.
 
By the way, I keep meaning to ask, has anyone cut off the plastic and memory wire off their cable? I know people do this on the M6's, but I'm just wondering if anyone has done it yet with these. I only ask because the cable doesn't actually follow the contour of the back of my ear, so the cable sticks out a bit. I was wondering if cutting off the plastic/wire would help the cable fall along the contour of my ear.

 

[matto]

Hey guys where's the best place to purchase these?

 

[0boz0]

Hi,
 
New to Headfi, but have some experience with headphones/earphones. Just brought the Shure SE215, previously had Denon C700, Atrio M5, and Kilspch Image, but sold all three due to cost or fit issues.

Now Ive only had these Shure's for about 5 hours running time so I'm still deciding if they are any good or a bit hyped due to the Shure name and branding. I listen to a mix of Dance, Pop, Hip hop and Rock all 320 or Flac files.
 
Build is very good, detachable cables is a good idea, and fit in my large ears is fine, right onto the sound.

The first I noticed is the bass, it takes center stage is a little soft but fairly quick in response but dose restrict the Mid frequency's from be clearly heard, it doesn't help that the Sound stage is rather narrow, and everything sound a little veiled because of it. The Mids are there but nothing to write home about, but there unoffensive and generally smooth, but do get somewhat tainted by the bass. The treble is there just, be can sound almost no existent at times but do respond better when Eq'ed. Then the magic word musicality, and these expressions are subjective but I haven't experienced it with these.

My short review might sound negative, but I'm disappointed I was hoping these would be competing with the Atrio and Denon for a dynamic driver, but these arent up to it. I would say they are OK for the cost($99) but don't expect them to raise the bar at this price point or compete with more expensive competition, Im afraid to say the don't.
 
Update : Changed the tips from the foam to rubber and the sound has cleared up in the mids slightly and the treble has slightly more sparkle, which is an improvement but the soundstage is still somewhat narrow but I could forgive all the difficiences if they made me tap my feet.

 

[AngryBaconGod]

Thanks dweaver. Your cable review has sold me. If I keep these headphones, I'll most likely pick up that cable. I take it your ordered across the border? How much did it cost, if you don't mind my asking?

I bought mine off eBay from the US and paid $48 plus about $2 for shipping
Any news on your GR07 yet?

They've cleared customs, and the vendor shipped them to my billing address, instead of the shipping address I had given, so nobody was around to accept them. I should be able to pick them up at the post office tomorrow. I'll burn them in for about 10 hours and then I'll hopefully post a very preliminary and vague comparison here.

I'll try to follow up after the 200 hour mark.


It's probably a good idea to be up front about my throughts on the 215's these days, before I post my comparison, so you can frame it right...

I haven't been listening to the SE215's. They fit great once in, but I can't get over how much I hate dealing with the memory wire and rotating drivers. If there wasn't a good chance that the GR07 is going to easily displace them, I'd get that iPhone cable. But it's hard to part with another $50 for IEMs which could well be in the for sale section soon.

The other impression I have of the 215's is ... boring. Crappy headstage, uninteresting highs, slow and bloated. Kinda like an IE8, except of course that the IE8 has an amazing headstage, competent yet calming highs, and deep bass. Still, it's all relative, and once I'm listening to music with the SE215's, they are enjoyable enough.

I'm very much hoping that the GR07 can replace both the SE215's and the IE8... with cash in hand... the W4's are still intriguing me.

 

[dweaver]

@AngrybaconGod I am still very much interested in your impressions between the two. The highs have improved with the new cable but I have to admit I do miss the added detail I get with other IEM's. What I am hoping is the GR07 will have at least as much bass presence as these, a similar midrange (or at least a midrange that is not veiled or recessed) and treble that is more extended plus MORE DETAIL and at least as large a soundstage. If it hass all that then I will buy a pair and see what I think.

 

[matto]

no one can tell me?...