[Noaholic]

Great Review as always ClieOS, I'm thinking of buying this set of Shures, I'm just wondering if there is an overpowering amount of bass? I'm not really a basshead so i want clear mids over punchy bass. So they have fixed the cable problem? I don't really fancy spending 100 dollars and finding they don't last a year... 

 

[ozz]

Everyone hears things slightly different but I think at their price point they are hard to beat and as for them lasting I have had mine over a year without failure.

 

[ClieOS]

  Great Review as always ClieOS, I'm thinking of buying this set of Shures, I'm just wondering if there is an overpowering amount of bass? I'm not really a basshead so i want clear mids over punchy bass. So they have fixed the cable problem? I don't really fancy spending 100 dollars and finding they don't last a year... 

Get the blue SE215SPE (or special / limited edition as some place call it) instead. It is a little more expensive than the regular SE215, but overall a better sounding IEM with a more balanced tone. You really won't find overpowering bass on SE215 / SE215SPE. Shure just doesn't have any IEM that is particular bass heavy, especially in the SE line-up.
 
The connector issue seems to be better now as Shure tighten up their QC inspection.

 

[les_garten]

This is most curious.  I had read this review quite a while back and was thinking about getting these because they would be good earphones and isolate well.
 
I had Shure 535's in the past and really liked them.  Got rid of them to finance something else and wanted to get a set of Shures again.
 
I bought a few TV's around Thanksgiving and was given a Crutchfield gift card for points that would enable me to snag these for about $5!  
 
I just got them and was blown away by how bad they were.  The only other earphones I've been this disappointed with were the HiFiman RE2's that I also A-B'd these with when I got them.  They sounded almost identical to the RE-2's, maybe a little more tinny.  Both devoid of bass of almost any type.
 
The mids were thin and tinny, the treble harsh, and virtually no Bass anywhere.  They were also somewhat sibilant.  
 
I listened to them on a 4th and 5th Gen iPod, a Computer Sound Card output, an Audio-Gd Sparrow and Audio-GD fun.
 
Compared them against The HiFiman RE-2, the Yuin PK-3's, Grado SR225's, 325's, HF-2's, Denon D-5000's and Beyer DT-770's. to make sure my ears and equipment worked well.
 
First I thought that both Bass drivers were dead.  Then I read that they were single drivers.  Both sides sound exactly the same and balanced.
 
I either got a bad set or I don't know what happened.  I applied for an RMA to send them back within 24 hours.

 

[FiJAAS]

This is most curious.  I had read this review quite a while back and was thinking about getting these because they would be good earphones and isolate well.

I had Shure 535's in the past and really liked them.  Got rid of them to finance something else and wanted to get a set of Shures again.

I bought a few TV's around Thanksgiving and was given a Crutchfield gift card for points that would enable me to snag these for about $5!  

I just got them and was blown away by how bad they were.  The only other earphones I've been this disappointed with were the HiFiman RE2's that I also A-B'd these with when I got them.  They sounded almost identical to the RE-2's, maybe a little more tinny.  Both devoid of bass of almost any type.

The mids were thin and tinny, the treble harsh, and virtually no Bass anywhere.  They were also somewhat sibilant.  

I listened to them on a 4th and 5th Gen iPod, a Computer Sound Card output, an Audio-Gd Sparrow and Audio-GD fun.

Compared them against The HiFiman RE-2, the Yuin PK-3's, Grado SR225's, 325's, HF-2's, Denon D-5000's and Beyer DT-770's. to make sure my ears and equipment worked well.

First I thought that both Bass drivers were dead.  Then I read that they were single drivers.  Both sides sound exactly the same and balanced.

I either got a bad set or I don't know what happened.  I applied for an RMA to send them back within 24 hours.

I learned the hard way that you have to burn them in properly before they sound decent, took almost seven hours for that. As for the base, for me the silicone did not exceed in that. The provided soft tips and the comply tips helped with the base. As others have stated that the base is there, only heard not felt. So if the track is not bassy you will not hear it.

As far as faulty ones, yes I've been through two faulty ones before I got a perfect one. As others have stated there seems to be a QC issue.

I'm thinking about going through the custom ear mold route since I have heard that the SQ and base is improved excellently. I'm not sure if I should get them just for the SE215 or rather just purchase the SE535 and get custom molds for them.

Where did you purchase the SE215 from?

 

[les_garten]

I learned the hard way that you have to burn them in properly before they sound decent, took almost seven hours for that. As for the base, for me the silicone did not exceed in that. The provided soft tips and the comply tips helped with the base. As others have stated that the base is there, only heard not felt. So if the track is not bassy you will not hear it.

As far as faulty ones, yes I've been through two faulty ones before I got a perfect one. As others have stated there seems to be a QC issue.

I'm thinking about going through the custom ear mold route since I have heard that the SQ and base is improved excellently. I'm not sure if I should get them just for the SE215 or rather just purchase the SE535 and get custom molds for them.

Where did you purchase the SE215 from?

I got them from Crutchfield.
 
I let them burn in maybe 10 hours after trying them out for an hour and finding them really bad.  The Burn in time did nothing for them.  No change, identical sound.
 
Listened to a variety of music to assess Highs, Mids, Lows.  I listened to each song with multiple Headsets to get a feel for the Music thru each can, and compared this to the Shures.
 
I was amazed at how bad they were.  Mine may be broken, but they don't really sound broken if you know what I mean.  They sound uninteresting, flat, deficient and sibilant and to be so lacking in mid bass on down to be unusable to me.
 
So for now I'll go to the PK-3's if I need earbuds.  The Shures are going back to Crutchfield to be converted into Audioengine revenue for bedroom computer speakers,  the RE2's will go to the wife.  I'll save up for some JHA's or something.
 
The 535's are very nice, really smooth nice mids, tight bass but a little shy there but get the job done, I liked them.

 

[koolas]

I got them two week ago. They sound great, better than my Sony XBA-C10, though XBA-C10 have nicer mids, but in general SE 215 sound more detailed to me. The price is slightly higher and so is the detail I wonder about SE 535 how those sound?

 

[pretend]

Shures are always indestructible, they feel like damn tanks. Not only the iem but also the cable too

 

[koolas]

The SE 215 are really great headphones! Honestly I would highly recommend them.

The bass is slightly elevated, and mids are a bit recessed, but in detail they can compete with my XBA-C10. The lower bass on XBA-C10 is better textured, but is weaker, while upper bass is boomier. The lower bass on SE 215 is bigger, still well textured, and higher bass is nicer. The mids on SE 215 seem recessed and thus the initial feel of less detail than on XBA-C10, but if you listen carefully I think SE 215 present more delicate sound, and unveils more hidden detail. The high treble on SE 215 are very nice, hi-hats and cymbals sound really realistic, while on XBA-C10 they are far behind. The 3D imaging is beautiful on SE 215, and to me it's much better than on Alpha Dogs. I was listening to both Alpha Dogs and SE 215 from Pan Am on various tubes and must say SE 215 is great contender, and may compete with Alpha Dogs. It will loose battle when it comes to detail, but it wins in 3D imaging category. The SE 215 does especially nice effect with TB_Isone plugin. On Alpha Dogs HRTF doesn't do as much as it does on SE 215, where sound is positioned pretty well in 3D space.

Overall SE 215 is great headphone, and may compete with Alpha Dogs and costs only 1/5 of their price

Looking to hear SE 535 now:rolleyes:

 

[amrbadrawy]

How is it compared to Shure X5 in terms of sound isolation?

 

[jayw1999]

Ordering these at the weekend.
paying £70/$100 the most i ever spent on earphones was £25 and  bear with me beats at £140 dotn worry i have learned my lesson so are these worth it as i havent paid this much for in ear headphones before?