Shure KSE1500 Review - Shure KSE1500 Sound Isolating Electrostatic Earphones

Jan 8, 2016 at 6:30 PM Post #1,202 of 6,271
Hi audionewbi


Thank you for posting your initial impressions so quickly. You have been on Headfi for a while and I've got a ton of respect for you and your ears.


I purchase mine yesterday and now going to wait about another week before I get them. Good thing I've got a 30 day return. Honestly 3k and I'm not confident about portability is a ton of cabbage to spend. I remember not too long ago when we were spending just north of 500 usd for the Shure 535 and then when the Shure 846 broke the 1000 usd mark we were all kind of scratching our heads.


I'm a fan of the blue Hawaii coupled with the 009,s myself and like accuracy with dynamics. If the sound is too clinical and very detailed and lacks in keeping me engauged it won't keep my interest for very long.


I don't have and have never heard the earpieces you really enjoy so I was wondering if you had the SE 846 and if so could you draw some comments between the two?


Thank you and sincerely

Your friend in audio

-Speed

I will do my best to get a hold of a se846 for a side to side impression. I would not call the KSE1500 clinical as it is has a very present bass and midrange however it is very clean and incredibly transparent. I have a few vinyl rips which till I thought I know intimately, with kse1500 I hear all the pops and cracks that with my most other transparent gear (the kaede II) I just heard those as noises when the music passage was quiet. With KSE1500 I hear it amongst the music, and for the sad folks like me who cannot help but to keep focusing on that impurity that can become distracting.

This thing plays well recorded/mastered album like nothing before, but that also limits me to what music I can listen. Sadly this stops it from been an all rounder. I do have a nice collection of music but the deal with music is I dont always crave for those nicely recorded NAXOS, 2xHD or stock fish records, sometimes I enjoy poorly converted cassette to wav files I did back when I was 15 and I dont see myself getting into the music with the KSE1500 as it just too transparent.

Also SOURCE-->HUGO-->KSE1500 proves to be incredible but this is 2016, I thought we have past the brick era? I dont see myself taking such setup out, I was planning to but I doubt I will. 

Today I will spent sometimes with A16 walkman and KSE1500 which is of a similar form, that can work. 


What KSE1500 can be used for is honestly revealing all the changes you can make in your system. It is even able to tell you the sound changes with different cable interconnect. Maybe I was too tired last night and I was hearing things but that is what I have to test later.

Will I keep it? Honestly if it was cheaper (lets say a $1000 cheaper) I would as I need something of this calibre in my system but for now I am still thinking, for this money I could have gotten two TOTL CIEM, but than again I am not a CIEM guy. 

I really hope this doesn't spoil anything for anyone, I always write my reviews/impression focusing on the bad and slowly leave the best for last, this is my style and don't look into it too much.
 
Jan 8, 2016 at 7:30 PM Post #1,203 of 6,271
Good impressions. You clearly are not bashing or downing them, so I don't think you would turn someone off of them that had different uses/needs. 
 
On the bad recordings, is it harsh or just bland? 
 
Jan 8, 2016 at 8:51 PM Post #1,205 of 6,271
I would suppose that this is input clipping, not the amp for the 1500 clipping at its output? You just need to lower the volume at your source and use the volume knob on the 1500's amp for whatever volume adjustment you want. There should be no need for riding any volume knob to avoid clipping.


Um, there is the Input Pad setting that can help avoid clipping. Options of 10 & 20 dB reduction. With those settings, clipping should not be a concern.
 
Jan 9, 2016 at 7:29 AM Post #1,207 of 6,271

 
 
What a difference a day makes and I am not talking about the burn in but how my perception of this device changed in a matter of using it for almost a day, to be more precise around 8 hours of listening time. Please read what I am about to type as a very premature impression, they are my subjective views on this device and will change as I grow more mature with the device.
 
For the sake of reducing confusion the traditional audio terminology that I am going to refer is from the following site:http://www.stereophile.com/reference/50/#YZaZXz5meKkTTgFu.97
 
The first word that comes to my mind when listen to the KSE1500 setup, regardless of the source is how transparent the sound is. KSE1500 transparency comes in two folds, first is its ability to be transparent of the signal that is feeding its analog input and second it is transparent of the files mastering/mixing. Whether this is a good or a bad thing will be proven over time but the sound that comes out of KSE1500 is rich in detail. 
Detailing of a sound normally described in two manners:
1)Macro-detail: Normally deals with information on larger level, involving with imaging and in general the spatial presentation of sound.
2)Micro-detail: The small nuance in sound, such as a faint cough of a member of audience in a live recording, it relates to focusing of sound, that is ‘the ability to hear the brief moments of silence between the musical impulses in reproduced sound.’
 
To me as noted by Jude the macro-detail of KSE1500 is going to fall in the realm of inner-ear IEM, that is it will not be able to have an airy sound as something like the AKG K812 however that is not to say that it will not be able to present spatial cues. To my ears ears the instrument placement of KSE1500 is among the best I have heard. It is able to give enough room, or ‘air’ between each instrument in a larger symphony works to keep the sound open, which can be problem for almost all IEM. 
What KSE1500 is capable of is to present the micro-detail like nothing I own. Some might consider this presentation as a little excessive, excessive to the point that they might consider it analytical. Now my definition of analytical is something that is treble emphasised with sacrifice to lower-end detail. However as I found out today my definition of analytical is incorrect and according to the general definition of the term analytical refer to an over-excess of detail.
So yes to me KSE1500 can be best defined transparent and at time analytical.
 
Now what is the strength of KSE1500: bass quality/speed of a balance armature driver with the quantity and texture of dynamic driver with absolute zero loss in coherency. I am a huge fan of a Persian percussion instrument called Tombak and Indian instrument called Tabala. They are essentially focus frequency response between 70-7000 HZ however it is very fast rhythm, very complex cycle. I wish I could find a way to test my audio track but if anyone interest the album that I use is called Dawar by trio chemirani. 
This album is very interesting as it is a non-stop of flow of rhythm by three drum placed at three different spot in the recording studio. The mix involves random claps placed further behind the studio. With most gears the sound of the three drummer (technically the incorrect name for them) come across basically as if they are setting all at the same spot however with very few gears the sound comes with correct left and right pan. KSE1500 does this recording justice, it is the best I have heard it and it passes the percussion bass test. The texture quality and quantity is the best I have heard to date. To me this is the true strength of KSE1500, in how it portrays bass. 
Acoustic based instrument come out very lively, the word I can use it is life-like, I use that with pure confidence. Listening to the Lake Poet 1996 track sounds like he is setting right front of me.
 
 
Now what are the weakness of KSE1500: to me the amplifier unit. The only source that does not make the sound clip is my A16 walkman line out which is quiet low in terms of its voltage out. Anything higher will make the sound clip and distort. The solution is to either reduce the source volume or use the input reduce setting on the actual amp for kse1500. So not a big deal for most but for me I can hear a  drop in bass energy which I think is the last thing it need, the drop is not something that most cannot live without but enough to annoy me and people like me.
 
Going from my A10 and chord HUGO thanks to the KSE1500 transparent nature reveals the change in overall texture and tonality of the sound however what I noticed the level of micro-detail still remains the same. So basically while going from HUGO to A16 walkman result in losing of midrange and bass body I could not hear any drop on micro-detail which is a positive testimony to A16 line out. 
To me what KSE1500 needs is a warm source, KSE1500 is somehow is able to still extract a great quantity of micro-detail. Pairing with already detailed sources which are known to be quiet neutral, sources like Lotoo PAW Gold resulted in drop in lower frequency energy. The sound produce was dry in the sense that the bass quantity become learn in nature. Still well extended just lacked body and reduced lower energy impact, resulting in what some might consider as over-damped bass. 
 
Another issue I notice is that frequency respond loudness isn’t quiet linear as the sound is increased. As in louder volumes higher frequency range become more prominent than the midrange. It appears that at louder volumes the high frequency and lower frequency can perhaps out mask the midrange, this is a phenomena I experience with few other gears and I also experience with KSE1500 at louder volumes. 
 
So what to come in the future:
  1. I will be doing source matching more in detail
  2. Test for frequency peaks
  3. Try tip rolling
  4. I will test vocal performance, male and female
  5. Test tonal linearity at different loudness
  6. Test dynamic range performance at lower VRM (have to figure out how to do this one)
 
What I wish for?
I wish shure focuses on better amp modules for the KSE1500. Simply put a larger amp with a larger battery, get rid of the DAC or at least improve it. Lets face it the people who will buy it are people who likely own  much better sources/dac than kse1500 own dac. Having a world class IEM with subpar amp/dac modules can only work against you. 
I wish Shure produced a better carry on storage, I dislike the fact that I have to keep disconnecting the IEM and store it separate from the amp. This will wear the connecter quickly. The amp module has no protection of its own, it comes with a cosmetically pleasant leather case which provides zero drop protection. 
What is with the memory wire? Honestly why? They just break with use, why use it on an IEM with a non-removable cable?
Give the audience the chance to purchase extended warranty. I don’t know how I feel about a product that cost 5.2 AUD and with only 2 year warranty. How much are the parts separately after the units are out of warranty? For instance akg is willing to repair/replace your IEM even if it is out of warranty by a fraction of the cost of the actual product, future will tell whether Shure will provide the same service for this product. 
 
Edit: I think it might be of some importance to add that I hear a constant humming while the unit is charging, when it is turned on. This noise is not present when I have music playing or when the unit is turned off while it is charging. However in the quiet passage the sound is audible. 
 
Jan 9, 2016 at 1:32 PM Post #1,209 of 6,271
(First Post!)
 
I've been lurking on this thread for a while - received my KSE1500 last week and have been using it solely with Tidal on an iPhone 6 using the Shure DAC.  I'm not super experienced but really enjoy the er4p and was hoping these would have similar characteristics but be better.
 
In general I think they are - as others have said, there's a huge amount of detail, and I can hear into/through the mix in a way that no headphones or system I've listened to allowed (at least partially because of the isolation).  The bass is truly impressive for a pair of IEMs, and the overall clarity is fantastic.
 
I'm not sure if it's just my current setup or the specific recordings, but sometimes the upper mids sound a bit brittle and I am concerned about the long term durability (and dealing with a failed battery in a few years) as others have noted.
 
I have a question for anyone who might have tried it - would I see benefits from a better DAC like the Chord Mojo?  If so, how much and of what type?
 
Thanks.
 
Jan 9, 2016 at 3:55 PM Post #1,210 of 6,271
Audionewbi- the above writing is the best i read from you so far, thank you.
How is the KSE1500 sound connected to laptop? Will it charge while you are using it or is not recommended.

Thanks, when something gets part of my heart and sound (and larger portion of my fortune) I tend to take things more seriously. This is a serious gear and I like to give it the respect it requires. And to answer your question yes it does charge however I notice a humming which is essentially a built of some charge that completely disappears when I touch the unit, I suspect it is a grounding issue as when I touch it after a while I notice a bit of a sensation. 
 
I need to test it a bit further, could be just the charger I am using that does this. 
 
Jan 9, 2016 at 4:00 PM Post #1,211 of 6,271
  (First Post!)
 
I've been lurking on this thread for a while - received my KSE1500 last week and have been using it solely with Tidal on an iPhone 6 using the Shure DAC.  I'm not super experienced but really enjoy the er4p and was hoping these would have similar characteristics but be better.
 
In general I think they are - as others have said, there's a huge amount of detail, and I can hear into/through the mix in a way that no headphones or system I've listened to allowed (at least partially because of the isolation).  The bass is truly impressive for a pair of IEMs, and the overall clarity is fantastic.
 
I'm not sure if it's just my current setup or the specific recordings, but sometimes the upper mids sound a bit brittle and I am concerned about the long term durability (and dealing with a failed battery in a few years) as others have noted.
 
I have a question for anyone who might have tried it - would I see benefits from a better DAC like the Chord Mojo?  If so, how much and of what type?
 
Thanks.

I hear you about the upper mids, however what I cannot truly isolate is whether this is a tip issue or the sound signature or the fact that the amount of detail at different volumes result in that. As I said in my review the sound changes at different volumes, that upper midrange brittle sound to me disappears at lower volumes. 
 
On whether you will get a better result if you upgrade your DAC the short answer is sure however to me the more important upgrade is finding a warmer source as KSE can manage to extract detail from just about anything. I think this indicate that almost all sources are capable of presenting microdetail that gets lost in their analog section due to number of different factors. I am hearing detail that I could not hear with JH Layla, K3003. 
 
Jan 9, 2016 at 4:10 PM Post #1,212 of 6,271
  Another issue I notice is that frequency respond loudness isn’t quiet linear as the sound is increased. As in louder volumes higher frequency range become more prominent than the midrange. It appears that at louder volumes the high frequency and lower frequency can perhaps out mask the midrange, this is a phenomena I experience with few other gears and I also experience with KSE1500 at louder volumes.

 
I wonder if that's not the inevitable result of our hearing's non-linearity (aka: equal loudness contours) compared to the linearity of our gear, as volume is increased.
 
I may be wrong, but as I understand it, a source that sounds linear to us at 40db is bound to sound a little v-shaped at 80db.
 
Jan 9, 2016 at 4:59 PM Post #1,213 of 6,271
  "okay so the 1500's are pretty close to the experience with the HE 1000's with EF 6, sans DAC. A lot less fuss with the 1500's and naturally better isolation"

"Soundstage is a bit more expansive with the HE 1000/ EF 6 setup but the 1500's are maybe crisper and just as superb, it's completely crazy that they can even compete"
 
Jan 9, 2016 at 5:16 PM Post #1,214 of 6,271
   
I wonder if that's not the inevitable result of our hearing's non-linearity (aka: equal loudness contours) compared to the linearity of our gear, as volume is increased.
 
I may be wrong, but as I understand it, a source that sounds linear to us at 40db is bound to sound a little v-shaped at 80db.

Darn it might very well be this. I wasn't even aware of this! With my coloured/slightly warmer IEM i dont notice this but with KSE1500 this is much easily noticeable (similarly with the Kaede II).
 

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