johnny2762
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jan 18, 2012
- Posts
- 4
- Likes
- 10
This is my 1st review on head fi so please don't be mean.
I ordered my SE215s from http://www.earphonesolutions.com for $100 and I have to say they are a great website and they are an authorized Shure dealer.
Accessories and Packaging:
This is what it would look like fresh out of the FedEx box. As you can see the box isn't anything special like what you would find in jays or monster products. Note that I also got the Iphone accessory cable with mic and 3 button control for an extra $49.99. Opening the box you will find the long cable tucked behind the plastic that holds the actual IEMs in place. Also included are 3 silicone eartip pairs in S,M and L and Shure olives also in S,M and L and a zip up carry case.
The case isn't the best of quality but the shures do fit really snug in there and there is a pouch inside to store your extra eartips and cleaning tool.
Here is a picture with the silicone tips on top and the olives on the bottom and the cleaning tool. The eartips that come on it (medium olives) were a perfect fit and the 1st thing I noticed when wearing them is that they isolate a lot of noise and are very comfortable. I'll go over a little eartip mod I learned from a fellow head fier later in the review.
If you didn't know already the Shure SE215 has detachable cables which can come really handy if you break your cable. On the top of the picture above, you will see the original SE215 cable with a non recessed jack and memory wire around the over ear portion of the cable. On the bottom you will see the iPhone accessory cable which has a recessed jack and a 45 degree recessed jack and angled connectors that connect to the the actual IEM. The iPhone cable doesn't have a memory wire which I like because the memory wire on the original cable tends to go out of shape. The kevlar wire on the original cable is definitely thicker than the rubber iPhone cable but the kevlar cable is a bit shiny and uneven in texture. The original cable might be more durable but I prefer the iPhone cable because it is lighter, shorter and it doesn't have that annoying memory wire. Also, on the iPhone cable you can flip the little 90 degree connector around so the cable goes down instead of over the ear which does make it more prone to microphonic noise but really helps when your laying down. I also noticed that the right cable is about an inch longer than the left one. I don't know if Shure did that intentionally if they did please let me know.
The mic is decent in sound but does rub on your shirt which creates a lot of noise if you are running which can be bothersome. Also note that the remote is huge as you can see in the picture above which I actually like because it is easier to use with gloves when snowboarding. Another con of the remote is that it is a bit hard to distinguish the volume buttons. The buttons do have a nice resistance to it though
Build Quality:
.
The build quality on the SE215s are very nice and almost identical to there flagship model, the SE535. The shell is made of a high quality transparent plastic which allows you to see the single dynamic micro driver. The stock cable is kevlar which feels durable and rugged and the iPhone cable is rubber coated but feels a little higher quality than the original cables.
Comfort and Sound Quality:
Like many ergonomic universal IEMs the shape of the shell is supposed to match the contours of your ear and Shure does a very nice job of doing that. These IEMs don't use suction to prevent it from falling out but it fits into the contours of your ear like a key in a lock so you have a very nice fit . The foam olive eartips are like I said before very comfortable and isolates very good. A little mod I learned from ThickTurd is to put the standard comply T-400 inside the medium or large silicone eartip that comes with the SE215s which creates a foam/silicone hybrid that is pretty much the ultimate eartip IMHO. The best part is that no cutting or trimming is required to do this incredibly simple mod. Refer to the picture below if you don't know what I mean. These IEMs do get a bit fatiguing after 2-3 hours of wear due to the pressure on your ears, but I do have smaller than average ears.
Onto sound quality........
Lows/Bass:
The lows on the SE215 is fairly detailed with with energetic bass with lots of impact. Bass booster improves bass impact significantly. The sub bass is still fairly detailed and dubstep sounds really fun.
Mids:
The mids are crystal clear and smooth on the SE215 and has no distortion from the bass, if not very minimal. The signature is warm but the mids don't overpower the other frequencies in any way. Vocals sound great, instruments come alive and overall a very good mids considering its price tag.
Highs/Treble:
The highs on the SE215 are a bit less emphasized than the mids and lows but it is definitely there. Women's vocals sound sweet and smooth and not sharp. The high hats and cymbals are a bit quiet but snare drums are very sparky. The highs are the weak point of the SE215 but it is average for its price point.
Microphonics:
When worn over the ear, fairly low except for the thump of the cable slamming onto you when running which can only be heard at low volumes. When worn straight down it is better than average but still makes a lot of noise in low/mid volumes.
Soundstage:
Better than average. Sounds wide and not claustrophobic at all. Instrument seperation is fairly good.
Overall:
The SE215 offers sonic sound quality which sounds like it's in the $160-$220 ish range but in an affordable package of $99. Don't let the price fool you because these are awesome, fun IEMs that I definitely recommend picking up. They perform very well in mainstream genres like hip hop, rock, electronic and they do very exceptional in other genres too. I also recommend picking up the iPhone accessory cable if you have an iPhone.
Pros
-Sound
-Nice Design
-Isolation
-Fit
-Soundstage
-Bassy
-Price
Cons
-Removable cord can cause issues
-Bassy
-Slightly uneven iPhone cable
-iPhone mic picks up a lot of ambient noise
-Original cable memory wire can be annoying
9/10 Excellent
I ordered my SE215s from http://www.earphonesolutions.com for $100 and I have to say they are a great website and they are an authorized Shure dealer.
Accessories and Packaging:
This is what it would look like fresh out of the FedEx box. As you can see the box isn't anything special like what you would find in jays or monster products. Note that I also got the Iphone accessory cable with mic and 3 button control for an extra $49.99. Opening the box you will find the long cable tucked behind the plastic that holds the actual IEMs in place. Also included are 3 silicone eartip pairs in S,M and L and Shure olives also in S,M and L and a zip up carry case.
The case isn't the best of quality but the shures do fit really snug in there and there is a pouch inside to store your extra eartips and cleaning tool.
Here is a picture with the silicone tips on top and the olives on the bottom and the cleaning tool. The eartips that come on it (medium olives) were a perfect fit and the 1st thing I noticed when wearing them is that they isolate a lot of noise and are very comfortable. I'll go over a little eartip mod I learned from a fellow head fier later in the review.
If you didn't know already the Shure SE215 has detachable cables which can come really handy if you break your cable. On the top of the picture above, you will see the original SE215 cable with a non recessed jack and memory wire around the over ear portion of the cable. On the bottom you will see the iPhone accessory cable which has a recessed jack and a 45 degree recessed jack and angled connectors that connect to the the actual IEM. The iPhone cable doesn't have a memory wire which I like because the memory wire on the original cable tends to go out of shape. The kevlar wire on the original cable is definitely thicker than the rubber iPhone cable but the kevlar cable is a bit shiny and uneven in texture. The original cable might be more durable but I prefer the iPhone cable because it is lighter, shorter and it doesn't have that annoying memory wire. Also, on the iPhone cable you can flip the little 90 degree connector around so the cable goes down instead of over the ear which does make it more prone to microphonic noise but really helps when your laying down. I also noticed that the right cable is about an inch longer than the left one. I don't know if Shure did that intentionally if they did please let me know.
The mic is decent in sound but does rub on your shirt which creates a lot of noise if you are running which can be bothersome. Also note that the remote is huge as you can see in the picture above which I actually like because it is easier to use with gloves when snowboarding. Another con of the remote is that it is a bit hard to distinguish the volume buttons. The buttons do have a nice resistance to it though
Build Quality:
The build quality on the SE215s are very nice and almost identical to there flagship model, the SE535. The shell is made of a high quality transparent plastic which allows you to see the single dynamic micro driver. The stock cable is kevlar which feels durable and rugged and the iPhone cable is rubber coated but feels a little higher quality than the original cables.
Comfort and Sound Quality:
Like many ergonomic universal IEMs the shape of the shell is supposed to match the contours of your ear and Shure does a very nice job of doing that. These IEMs don't use suction to prevent it from falling out but it fits into the contours of your ear like a key in a lock so you have a very nice fit . The foam olive eartips are like I said before very comfortable and isolates very good. A little mod I learned from ThickTurd is to put the standard comply T-400 inside the medium or large silicone eartip that comes with the SE215s which creates a foam/silicone hybrid that is pretty much the ultimate eartip IMHO. The best part is that no cutting or trimming is required to do this incredibly simple mod. Refer to the picture below if you don't know what I mean. These IEMs do get a bit fatiguing after 2-3 hours of wear due to the pressure on your ears, but I do have smaller than average ears.
Onto sound quality........
Lows/Bass:
The lows on the SE215 is fairly detailed with with energetic bass with lots of impact. Bass booster improves bass impact significantly. The sub bass is still fairly detailed and dubstep sounds really fun.
Mids:
The mids are crystal clear and smooth on the SE215 and has no distortion from the bass, if not very minimal. The signature is warm but the mids don't overpower the other frequencies in any way. Vocals sound great, instruments come alive and overall a very good mids considering its price tag.
Highs/Treble:
The highs on the SE215 are a bit less emphasized than the mids and lows but it is definitely there. Women's vocals sound sweet and smooth and not sharp. The high hats and cymbals are a bit quiet but snare drums are very sparky. The highs are the weak point of the SE215 but it is average for its price point.
Microphonics:
When worn over the ear, fairly low except for the thump of the cable slamming onto you when running which can only be heard at low volumes. When worn straight down it is better than average but still makes a lot of noise in low/mid volumes.
Soundstage:
Better than average. Sounds wide and not claustrophobic at all. Instrument seperation is fairly good.
Overall:
The SE215 offers sonic sound quality which sounds like it's in the $160-$220 ish range but in an affordable package of $99. Don't let the price fool you because these are awesome, fun IEMs that I definitely recommend picking up. They perform very well in mainstream genres like hip hop, rock, electronic and they do very exceptional in other genres too. I also recommend picking up the iPhone accessory cable if you have an iPhone.
Pros
-Sound
-Nice Design
-Isolation
-Fit
-Soundstage
-Bassy
-Price
Cons
-Removable cord can cause issues
-Bassy
-Slightly uneven iPhone cable
-iPhone mic picks up a lot of ambient noise
-Original cable memory wire can be annoying
9/10 Excellent
