Shure SE846 Impressions Thread

[acadia]

Ice Lab Spectrumica - it’s dark (bass) but it’s very enjoyable and it’s the one I use all the time now.

I see it's hybrid , assuming the setup based on info

8-Driver Quadbrid design with EST (tweeter), BA (mid), Dynamic (bass), and Bone Conduction (sub base)?

What are your thoughts on the sound quality?

 

[Vamp898]

What about the MACH 80? Would that one be redundant if you own the SE846?

The Mach 80 is more complicated.

When people talk about Flat/Accurate Studio Reference Monitors, they mean "How flat measuring speakers sound".

So you have an speaker that measures like this

And you want an IEM that sounds like that speaker... but there is one big question, at what volume? What volume is the speaker and what volume is the IEM. that is not simple to answer because even flat measuring speakers sound different at different volumes.

The Mach 80 is designed to sound flat/accurate, even at higher volumes. That means when you listen at an higher volume, the Mach 80 will still sound as flat.

The SE846 (and the TG334 and the Vision Ears VE3.2/VE7 and so on) sound flat at average listening volume and will start to have too strong bass at too high volume. But there are also speakers where this happens.

It is very complicated as the human perception of flat also changes with volume. What sounds flat to you at 70db will no longer sound flat at 40db (even if the frequency response did not change).

Flat is not as simple as it sounds (sadly), but that is the biggest difference. The Mach 80 will sound ""flatter"" at higher volumes but will lack bass at lower volumes.

The SE846 and others (including the Mach 60 by the way) will sound flatter at low/medium volumes, but will start to have too much bass at high volumes.

 

[maceto]

I see it's hybrid , assuming the setup based on info

8-Driver Quadbrid design with EST (tweeter), BA (mid), Dynamic (bass), and Bone Conduction (sub base)?

What are your thoughts on the sound quality?

It’s very good, although the bass can be a little much on dark songs like some Billie Eilish songs or something that’s promoting bass much. Other than that it’s very good. The fun thing is the bone conduction… as it feels like your head is vibrating like you’re listing to speakers

 

[Vamp898]

It’s very good, although the bass can be a little much on dark songs like some Billie Eilish songs or something that’s promoting bass much. Other than that it’s very good. The fun thing is the bone conduction… as it feels like your head is vibrating like you’re listing to speakers

I never felt my head vibrating when listening to speakers^^ you probably mean "With an Subwoofer turned to 11"^^

 

[maceto]

I never felt my head vibrating when listening to speakers^^ you probably mean "With an Subwoofer turned to 11"^^

Think night club, concert etc

 

[Vamp898]

I take back what i said about the TG334 and the SE846 yesterday, at least partly.

They are very close, yes, but i found several songs yesterday and today where you can clearly hear that the TG334 are better. Objectively better. The advantage of the SE846 is the ability to use COMPLY P and their size. I used them tonight for sleeping instead of the SE215 and it was worth it 100%. They isolate better than the SE215, are as comfortable (might depend on your ear, for me there is almost no difference) and especially when watching something while work i can wear them almost endless, have perfect isolation, comfort and very very high sound quality.

But when watching an Live BluRay or actively listening to music or even make music, i will absolutely go for the TG334.

So if you have the money to get both, i would say it is absolutely worth to get both, even though they are actually similar in sound. I know that this is hard to justify and especially unfair as i got the SE846 for an very good deal.

 

[blochsidisco]

Alright just found a pair of 846 1gs barely used and in very good condition for EUR470.

My home will be a noisy mess the next couple of years (small children and working from home not a great match), so I've been on a quest to find decent closed back headphones with good passive isolation. Hard to come by. I used to own the 425s. Loved the isolation, didn't love the lack of detail. Hopefully these will be the answer. Pretty happy to have found such a good offer, wouldn't really be comfortable forking full price for them.

 

[WyattEarp]

Alright just found a pair of 846 1gs barely used and in very good condition for EUR470.

My home will be a noisy mess the next couple of years (small children and working from home not a great match), so I've been on a quest to find decent closed back headphones with good passive isolation. Hard to come by. I used to own the 425s. Loved the isolation, didn't love the lack of detail. Hopefully these will be the answer. Pretty happy to have found such a good offer, wouldn't really be comfortable forking full price for them.

The SE846 is a whole world difference in sound plus you now have changeable filters to tweak it to your liking. I've had the SE 500s, 535, and currently the 846. They all sound good but with their own sound signature and each one sounds better as you move up. But the 846 is by far the best of all of them.

 

[acadia]

The SE846 is a whole world difference in sound plus you now have changeable filters to tweak it to your liking. I've had the SE 500s, 535, and currently the 846. They all sound good but with their own sound signature and each one sounds better as you move up. But the 846 is by far the best of all of them.

Same owned the 500's, 535's and 846 , 846's ... are worlds apart better than the 535's , and 500's and 535's were fantastic in their own right.

 

[Vamp898]

Alright just found a pair of 846 1gs barely used and in very good condition for EUR470.

My home will be a noisy mess the next couple of years (small children and working from home not a great match), so I've been on a quest to find decent closed back headphones with good passive isolation. Hard to come by. I used to own the 425s. Loved the isolation, didn't love the lack of detail. Hopefully these will be the answer. Pretty happy to have found such a good offer, wouldn't really be comfortable forking full price for them.

The HD 300 Pro has pretty good isolation, but of course, it's nothing compared to an Shure SE with Comply P

 

[acadia]

So, I know break-in/burn-in doesn't make sense for BA earphones. However, I recently got a pair of new se846 replacements and I swear after about 100 hrs of burn-in or basically a month of listening the overall response speed, tight/punchiness of bass, and volume levels achieved have improved/changed? Anyone else experience the same effect or is it all in my head?

 

[Vamp898]

So, I know break-in/burn-in doesn't make sense for BA earphones. However, I recently got a pair of new se846 replacements and I swear after about 100 hrs of burn-in or basically a month of listening the overall response speed, tight/punchiness of bass, and volume levels achieved have improved/changed? Anyone else experience the same effect or is it all in my head?

If you're using them with foam (which is the recommended way by Shure), then the sound will change slightly over time simply because the faom starts to degrade. Not heavily, but very slightly, yes. It is recommended to replace them from time to time (Shure has an cooperation with COMPLY where you can get them cheaper than average TZ-100)

 

[acadia]

If you're using them with foam (which is the recommended way by Shure), then the sound will change slightly over time simply because the faom starts to degrade. Not heavily, but very slightly, yes. It is recommended to replace them from time to time (Shure has an cooperation with COMPLY where you can get them cheaper than average TZ-100)

Yup, always used with comply's, also used the yellow foam that they come with as well but they itch like crazy, although the sound is actually quite nice with them. If that's the case the foam breaking down it actually sounds better with used foam , IMHO.

 

[Vamp898]

Yup, always used with comply's, also used the yellow foam that they come with as well but they itch like crazy, although the sound is actually quite nice with them. If that's the case the foam breaking down it actually sounds better with used foam , IMHO.

That is absolutely possible, you would not be the only one thinking so. I personally prefer fresh ones but because i usually use them for quite a while i know the sound well

 

[Giru]

So I happened to travel last weekend and went to meet an old audiophile buddy after long. Anyway, we were geeking out on cables and discussing how Shure cables used to go green due to silver in the cables. Moments later we were rooting for a Shure stock cable when I stumbled upon my friend's SE846 (Gen1, white filter). I told him I hadn't heard it in a long time and it used to have slammin bass. Lo and behold I was fitting my custom mmcx 4.4 balanced cable into it and plugged it into my Xduoo XD05 pro. MY JAW DROPPED.

Holy Sh!tz!! Wowza! I have never heard such refined bass in a long long time. It was really next level. It wasn't DD bass impact but it was surely unique enough that I ended up listening for quite a bit. Not only was the bass sooo sooo good but the mids and treble were damn fantastic as well. Overall I was really blown away with the sound. I had never expected the SE846 to be this good. Going back to my QDC Anole V14 almost felt like a downgrade especially in terms of cohesion and articulation.

I managed to borrow the SE846 for this week and have been listening in the evenings and it has been a surprising to say the least. I think if you can find a good used unit (or a new one at discount), this is a seriously underrated IEM. With tip and cable rolling, you can literally make it sound much much better than a few 2k USD IEMs.

I think the key here is source pairing. With such a low impedance, the IEM is really tricky to pair. Thankfully it just vibes so well with the Xduoo XD05pro that the combo just bangs!

Damn I was set on not buying any more IEMs and here we are. Anyone looking to sell theirs kindly DM!