Shure SE846 Impressions Thread
Nov 4, 2018 at 7:22 AM Post #19,666 of 22,896
I wear mine of hard bicycle workouts and they do not seem to mind. They certainly are tough. And a new cable is cheap. (or not)
I have a nice custom litz cable from ted Allen. He says don’t sweat excessively as it will cause discolouration of the cable.
To swap the leads on and off is problematic as it feels the connector is more then a bit flakey (on the se846), which means when you reattach cables theres a chance for an ear bud to fall off when you’re out and about.
 
Nov 4, 2018 at 10:06 AM Post #19,667 of 22,896
Here's a short comparison based on my impression so far. Keep in mind I have the active 65t which should be the same driver as 65t, just higher waterproof rating of ipx56.
Sound quality :
846/BT2 naturally wins without a doubt. BT2 also gives higher overall volume vs 65t. BT2 amp, IMO, is pretty neutral with a hint of warmth.
At $180, 65t gives more than good enough SQ. Let's just say I don't go "Bahhhhh..." at all. It's a tad heavy on the low end, but not overwhelmingly so that the mids and highs are ruined. Vocal on 65t is front and center with enough sparkling to hear the "air".
Clarity and overall separation are ok only as expected.

Convenience and suitability for exercise :
65t wins cuz they are completely wireless. Just 2 earbuds.
65t also has better water/sweat proof rating of ipx55/56. I don't think 846 has any. If you plan to wear 846/BT2 to exercise and you do sweat a lot, 846 might not be suitable in the long run.
65t battery is not as long, 5hrs vs. 8 hrs, but the case can keep it going couple more rounds. BT2, after 8 hrs, you got to micro USB plug it in.

Design:
65t wins. It's a clean, well designed stand alone product. BT2 is still an "adapter" to cut the cord but it does open up the option of having your great Shure IEMs running wireless.

Great comparison, thanks. I assume Active version also have noise reduction or noise-through?
 
Nov 4, 2018 at 10:46 AM Post #19,668 of 22,896
Here's a quote from an interview Shure's Sean Sullivan did about the SE846:

"Allison Wolcott: I personally tend to have a pair of cheaper earphones for working out and save my higher-end earphones for non-sweaty listening. I’d be scared to use nice shiny new SE846 earphones on one of my hardcore aerobic workouts, but I bet they’d really help me power through. I’d love to be convinced that my fears of damaging them are unfounded.

Sean Sullivan: Your fears are unfounded! SE846 earphones stand up to our most intense quality standards. And, as part of the development team, I can say from an insider’s perspective that our quality standards are incredibly high. So, you can sweat on them at the gym without fear of damaging them. They’re designed to be used onstage in some of the most demanding environments. They’re built like tanks."

Which makes sense when you think about. We're not Shure's main target market, it's the pros; folks on stage sweating bucket loads.
I'd love to use my 846s on stage, as my bass player uses his amp as a phallic symbol of manly volume, whereas I use a tiny Fender. Might anyone have a suggestion about a rig that I could plug into the monitor channel of the board for this result?
 
Nov 4, 2018 at 11:46 AM Post #19,669 of 22,896
I'd love to use my 846s on stage, as my bass player uses his amp as a phallic symbol of manly volume, whereas I use a tiny Fender. Might anyone have a suggestion about a rig that I could plug into the monitor channel of the board for this result?

Shure offers professional wireless in-ear monitoring systems such as this one:
https://www.shure.eu/products/in_ear_monitoring/psm200
You should be able to connect the sender to your amp output and use the receiver with your SE846
 
Nov 4, 2018 at 11:53 AM Post #19,670 of 22,896
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Nov 4, 2018 at 4:31 PM Post #19,671 of 22,896
Further to my post about cut-outs on the Shure BT-2 Bluetooth lead, it seems it's fine if dongle is hanging or clipped on outside of tracksuit. Tucked inside tracksuit either loose or clipped to shirt, it cuts out. Weird?
 
Nov 9, 2018 at 1:46 AM Post #19,672 of 22,896
Just bought a pair of these brand new on ebay for $800 with a discount code. I like that comes with the blutooth cable which will be great for use on my new ipad pro i just got and for mobile use for work etc. hope these live up to the hype.
 
Nov 9, 2018 at 10:21 AM Post #19,673 of 22,896
I was using these again today after having listened to LCDi4s for a couple of weeks. While I have enjoyed the SE846s for many years, they now sound very bland and lifeless in comparison to the LCDi4s. I will continue to use the SE846s when I need isolation, e.g., on aircraft, but I am afraid they have been ruined for me.
 
Nov 9, 2018 at 10:35 AM Post #19,674 of 22,896
The LCDi4 was such a bad fit to my tastes that I returned it within 2h of delivery. I happily used the SE846 thereafter, although the LCDi4 would not have replaced it anyway, being open. Yes, technically the SE846 may be inferior, but the LCDi4 provoked such a strong negative reaction I've not experienced before. I did not like its sound, I did not like its (non-) comfort, I did not like its concept.
I did not find the SE846 to sound bland in comparison. Somehow I still like its sound, after more than 3 years of owning it.
 
Nov 9, 2018 at 12:58 PM Post #19,675 of 22,896
I was using these again today after having listened to LCDi4s for a couple of weeks. While I have enjoyed the SE846s for many years, they now sound very bland and lifeless in comparison to the LCDi4s. I will continue to use the SE846s when I need isolation, e.g., on aircraft, but I am afraid they have been ruined for me.

3x the price
shifty.gif


Hey, not judging. If I'd dropped $2,500 on iems I know I'd be looking/expecting/needing them to make my lower priced gear feel inferior.
 
Nov 9, 2018 at 1:02 PM Post #19,676 of 22,896
There seems to be an unusual amount of UK stores that have the SE846 listed as either out of stock or unavailable. I'm sure you can make much of it if you read between the lines (slow phasing out for a new launch?), but it's certainly odd...
 
Nov 9, 2018 at 1:15 PM Post #19,677 of 22,896
There seems to be an unusual amount of UK stores that have the SE846 listed as either out of stock or unavailable. I'm sure you can make much of it if you read between the lines (slow phasing out for a new launch?), but it's certainly odd...

Maybe repackaging with BT2 cable instead of BT1?
 
Nov 9, 2018 at 11:41 PM Post #19,678 of 22,896
I own the SE 846's and the KSE-1200's. I love both. I still love my SE-535's. I think perhaps I like the sound of Shure.
 

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