SE846 Filter mod

[xSDMx]

Eons ago I removed the foam from my blue filter. I'd like to put my blue filter back to stock. Does anyone happen to know what the stock foam configuration is (e.g., both foams stacked at end facing ear canal, denser foam closest to ear canal, etc.)? If possible, a picture would be super helpful. Thanks in advance!

As far as I remember there are two foam pieces in serial.arrangement inside the blue filter with them being positioned on the distal site facing the ear canal.

Answered in the main SE846 thread.

 

[xSDMx]

Ignore.

 

[Garreth83]

I ordered about 5 sets of blue filters from shure to go crazy with modding.

I found out that the baseline sound for every set of blue filters differs. Some are bassy, some are trebly, some are mid scoopy. All of this is independent of foam position. Moving the foam results in more or less treble.

The takaway from this is, if you don’t like your iems. You might want to get some spare filters. They are not all the same, there are differences between the blue ones. This probably has something to do with the filter cloth. The neater the cloth looked, the more trebly or scooped the filter sounded. The filters with a little extra cloth sticking out seem to be more bassy.

Then, add to that that I’ve listened to 4 pairs of 846. There are noticeable differences between sets as well.

 

[xSDMx]

I ordered about 5 sets of blue filters from shure to go crazy with modding.

I found out that the baseline sound for every set of blue filters differs. Some are bassy, some are trebly, some are mid scoopy. All of this is independent of foam position. Moving the foam results in more or less treble.

The takaway from this is, if you don’t like your iems. You might want to get some spare filters. They are not all the same, there are differences between the blue ones. This probably has something to do with the filter cloth. The neater the cloth looked, the more trebly or scooped the filter sounded. The filters with a little extra cloth sticking out seem to be more bassy.

Then, add to that that I’ve listened to 4 pairs of 846. There are noticeable differences between sets as well.

To add to this... if you notice a slight channel imbalance, it might just be your filters!

 

[Garreth83]

To add to this... if you notice a slight channel imbalance, it might just be your filters!

True, I had one set with imbalance. Thought it was the filters. And that’s how I ended up doing this comparison. After lots of testing and comparing, and even a hearing test. It was definitely in the iem itself which is now in for repairs at shure. I hope it will be replaced.

 

[MikeD213]

I've been watching this thread for a while. It definitely captured my curiosity. I bought the sure se846 around a year ago. I've been enjoying them very much with the white filters. The blue was just too warm for my liking. The white are good besides the occasional harsh highs. I was skeptical that a dirt cheap Knowles filter and some heat shrink would outperform all of sure R%D they put into there filters. I have to say that you all are right on the money. I agree with the general consensus here. These do improve the whole resolution and detail. The brown are really good but for me the green are the best. What a pleasant surprise to my curiosity. Now these se846 sound absolutely incredible. I listen to everything from 70,80,90 rock to modern hip hop. I use my onkyo or fiio m11 plus DAP. I just wanted to thank everyone for there help and opinions. Very much appreciated

 

[eat2na]

The Green Knowles acoustic dampers are out of stock everywhere I looked. I went to Mouser and DigiKey and it say it’ll be 11 to 13 weeks before they get them back in stock.

 

[Jamnperry]

I might have a couple to spare. Haven’t been around this thread much but nice to see the continuing mods. I’ll look later if you want to send your address.

 

[eat2na]

I might have a couple to spare. Haven’t been around this thread much but nice to see the continuing mods. I’ll look later if you want to send your address.

I’ll let you know! But I was recommended that something called the Trishd mod produces equal results and is easier to do. I have been out of the forum in a long time doing other things and had no idea people were doing mods until a couple of days ago.

 

[bigmistake68]

This has been an awesome thread. Thank you.
After trying all different filters, positions, with or without the Knowles SS ring, I’ve found what I think is the best mod: a green Knowles screen only, at the iem end of the white filter tube.
I removed the stock one (which I believe is the Knowles brown screen) and replaced with green.
In my case I pushed it out of the SS ring directly into the filter tube, but you can purchase the 1.78mm screens only too.

I’d describe the sound as close to the std white filter but with no sibilance or fatigue, and I swear it’s more extended, but I’ve no measurement devices to test that. It sounds great!

 

[Melitaboy64]

This thread has been very inspirational and it has been an education to read the posts of so many knowledgeable people. I knew those filters were in the box, but I have never been moved to ask why.

Until now!

I have spent the last two days playing with those filters. I don't yet have the confidence to take out and slice foams, but I have settled on the out of the box white for now. The increased space and staging did initially come with more shrillness and sibilance than I cared for, but one of the benefits of the TW2 (permanently attached to the 846 as my travel/commuting rig) is the EQ that comes with the app. The EQ has calmed those negatives, and how!! Short term cheat while I pluck up the knowledge and courage to do the surgery on the foams and filters.

I liked the 846s before, I absolutely love them now!!

 

[jesusio]

Been looking for a stock set of filters so I can use my old casings to mod with ideas in this thread. Found a set on Amazon USA, and it says 3 filter set. But I accidentally got the red filters also. Obviously I already shoved them in my ears. But here is the photo of the bag they came in (no tool, just the metal tube) and the page on Amazon. Says only one left.

 

[jimboy0]

The best thing I ever did to my SE846's is to remove the filters, and plastic tubes altogether. It widens the sound tube way up,and then it's a wide pure metal tube all the way to your ears. I also cut out the ear wax grills on the Sure foam tips. Brings the treble and clairity way up. Same with the sound level. Hope this helps someone because all that plastic, cloth and foam is a sound killer.

 

[bigmistake68]

This has been an awesome thread. Thank you.
After trying all different filters, positions, with or without the Knowles SS ring, I’ve found what I think is the best mod: a green Knowles screen only, at the iem end of the white filter tube.
I removed the stock one (which I believe is the Knowles brown screen) and replaced with green.
In my case I pushed it out of the SS ring directly into the filter tube, but you can purchase the 1.78mm screens only too.

I’d describe the sound as close to the std white filter but with no sibilance or fatigue, and I swear it’s more extended, but I’ve no measurement devices to test that. It sounds great!

Since I posted about my green filter I’ve been experimenting more with adding foams, to see the effects of thickness and location in the tube. TBH it was looking back in this thread and reading Unispeed’s posts from 2019, that inspired me!

While the green filter sounded great at the time, I started getting somewhat annoyed by some treble peaks, especially one that sounded like a squeaky wheel. I can hear that same peak in the stock white and red filters too.

I first tried the ‘thick green’ mod by taking a foam from one of my black filters (I was never going to use these anyway), cut it in half and added each half to my two green filters,
I found the sound to be heading down the muffled road of the blue and red filters, but then I pushed it all the way down to the screen end and … OMG - incredible clarity. Still had the airiness and 3D stage but much cleaner too.

I rocked this for a few months before the bug got me again. I could still hear that squeaky peak and I felt the resolution wasn’t great. So I extracted that foam out and started again, from the open (ear) end, I tested it and pushed it down another 10%, again and again - until I got that high treble peeking through. I had these half foams about 80% the way down.

I will post photos here, but read on because I’m not finished!

This one was great for a few months, but again I got slightly irked by these damn peaks (no wonder Shure shoves all that foam in there, much to our annoyance!)

I made another green filter - using my remaining black tubes, replaced the red screens with green screens. Then I took two of the whole foams from these black filters and did the same as before - one whole foam in each tube, started at the open end, which sounded dull, and then trial and error, I finished up with it about half way down the tube when I hit nirvana!

If I compare this to the stock red filter my new ‘superthick green’ (actually just one foam) just has a better 3D soundstage, more clarity, excellent resolution and no annoying peaks. The red sounds like there’s some cloth stuck in my ears.

Again, it’s ridiculous Shure never used the green screen. So much better than the white brown and red they use in their stock filters.