[lukair]

This was from the SE846 that came with the v1.0 Bluetooth cable without the pelican case

So it's gold, like in the "old ones". Thank you very much!

It just seemed strange to me that they would include a silver plated cable in the new set, but the earpiece would still be gold plated, since from what I understand the reason for using silver plated mmxc connectors in new cables is that it wilk be much harder to oxydize in such a way that it would affect the signal.

And speedy recovery btw!

 

[iBrian]

Could someone explain what the sound difference would be between the (seemed to be) gold plated vs silver connectors?

 

[TigerAlex]

SILVER

 

[iBrian]

?

 

[lukair]

SILVER

??

You mean the mmxc connector on the earpiece is silver, not gold like oleWhiskey showed on the image? Is it silver on yours? Could you paste an image of it?

 

[lukair]

Ok, I've got it wrong. The actual mmcx connector (the small male part inside the whole) on the cable (eac46cls instead of eac46cl) was always gold. I got mislead by some pictures I found on the web. The only difference was that the outer ring was silver with eac46cls instead of a gold one in eac46cl which is a cable for all other Shure SE earphones. I thought they actually changed the female/male part to silver instead of gold, to make it more resistant to oxidizing, but that's not the case. I was interested in it, since I had my share of fighting with mmxc connectors getting to dirty and the signal started to break. I thought that maybe if I changed it to silver ones, I wouldn't have a problem with oxidizing and wouldn't have to clean it as often.

 

[TigerAlex]

Ok, I've got it wrong. The actual mmcx connector (the small male part inside the whole) on the cable (eac46cls instead of eac46cl) was always gold. I got mislead by some pictures I found on the web. The only difference was that the outer ring was silver with eac46cls instead of a gold one in eac46cl which is a cable for all other Shure SE earphones. I thought they actually changed the female/male part to silver instead of gold, to make it more resistant to oxidizing, but that's not the case. I was interested in it, since I had my share of fighting with mmxc connectors getting to dirty and the signal started to break. I thought that maybe if I changed it to silver ones, I wouldn't have a problem with oxidizing and wouldn't have to clean it as often.

 

[Chupi383]

So it's gold, like in the "old ones". Thank you very much!

It just seemed strange to me that they would include a silver plated cable in the new set, but the earpiece would still be gold plated, since from what I understand the reason for using silver plated mmxc connectors in new cables is that it wilk be much harder to oxydize in such a way that it would affect the signal.

And speedy recovery btw!

I have a blue SE846 that came with the BT1 cable. The outer part of the MMCX connector is silver and the inner pin is gold. I don't know whether this decision was made based on performance, durability, appearance or cost. My only previous Shure MMCX earphone is the SE425, which had an all gold MMCX connector, and I was just assuming they chose silver with the blue SE846 because it looked better with the deep royal blue color.

 

[tbritton]

It was always my understanding that gold-to-steel connections led to oxidization issues, but not gold-to-silver. (This goes way back to when the gold connectors in HiFi became ubiquitous.) Please update me if you know gold/silver presents issues accordingly, but like I say, it used to be said that combo did not present a problem.

Terry

 

[Brooko]

Could someone explain what the sound difference would be between the (seemed to be) gold plated vs silver connectors?

Won't be any measurable sound difference. Doesn't mean people won't hear a difference though. Our brains throw a filter on everything (expectation bias). If you did a true double blind, you won't hear a difference.

 

[Zuerst]

How does the SE846 stack up in the higher end IEM/portable now... 5 years or so on the market with huge growth of the portable audio market? Still consider one of the best? Looks like the version with the older blue tooth cable can be had for around $750 new. Not sure if the newer blue tooth cable would be worth the extra $250-300 bucks.

 

[435279]

How does the SE846 stack up in the higher end IEM/portable now... 5 years or so on the market with huge growth of the portable audio market? Still consider one of the best? Looks like the version with the older blue tooth cable can be had for around $750 new. Not sure if the newer blue tooth cable would be worth the extra $250-300 bucks.

This question pop's-up every month or so, I think its because of the deals available for the older package which you have seen.

I always recommend just get it. If you can have a listen first to make sure its perfect for you then always do that first, especially since its a lot of money to spend on an IEM.

The 846 sounded good when it was first released and it still sounds good for what it is today ie a multi-BA IEM. It can hold-its-own against current models at a similar price.

 

[Marco Angel]

As a new buyer, with about 1 month daily use, have to say that it's a whole package sound wise. Balanced, not fatiguing, punchy with sub bass rumble.
I also never used its included cables and bt adapter. At first I use with a different cable and the radsone es100. Super team of you ask me.

 

[thedragooooo]

I had 846s for a couple of years but I have constant problems with them. I had them replaced once through warranty, but the same thing happened again once warranty was over. The cables become jammed into the earphones and can't be removed without destroying them. I also got regular distortion in the first set, probably caused by the cable problems.

I've had Shures for years, starting with the 530s in around 2008, then the 535s, then the 846s. Generally the build quality has been good but my experience with the 846s is making me think again.

Shure have offered my a brand new pair of 846s at a discounted price so I'm wondering whether to go with that, and hope this time they last more than 2 years. But are there any other options out there at a similar price people can recommend? I'm currently using Campfire Audio Comets because they're 'cheap', and they're ok - but honestly nothing compared to my 846s. I'm not interested in any of the more expensive Campfire Audio options either.

By the way, I really looked after my 846s. I commute / take a lot of flights, but I didn't do a single thing that would have contributed to their damage, so 'being more careful next time' isn't gonna help me.

 

[TigerAlex]

I had 846s for a couple of years but I have constant problems with them. I had them replaced once through warranty, but the same thing happened again once warranty was over. The cables become jammed into the earphones and can't be removed without destroying them. I also got regular distortion in the first set, probably caused by the cable problems.

I've had Shures for years, starting with the 530s in around 2008, then the 535s, then the 846s. Generally the build quality has been good but my experience with the 846s is making me think again.

Shure have offered my a brand new pair of 846s at a discounted price so I'm wondering whether to go with that, and hope this time they last more than 2 years. But are there any other options out there at a similar price people can recommend? I'm currently using Campfire Audio Comets because they're 'cheap', and they're ok - but honestly nothing compared to my 846s. I'm not interested in any of the more expensive Campfire Audio options either.

By the way, I really looked after my 846s. I commute / take a lot of flights, but I didn't do a single thing that would have contributed to their damage, so 'being more careful next time' isn't gonna help me.

i have two sets of the Shure SE846, never had any problems, did change the cables tho, the originals are pretty bad and when is cold outside they get pretty hard. i had the chance to listen to the new Campfire andromeda and i tell you i was really impressed, my audio source was my Astell & Kern SR 15, after one hour of testing i was sold, so the Andromeda will be my next purchase, they do have a wider sound stage with a real Punch.