[bobby12]

I disagree and I still stand by the fact that source and phones are equally important in a setup. Highend phones like 846 and Roxannes are very sensitive on their own. If your source is somewhat "tainted", it should reflect very well on the SQ. In your case, since I'd never root my phone to try Viper4Android, I really can't make a comment on the SQ from that through the Note 3. But I just can't believe a software can magically turns a smartphone into something that it is not. It might improve the sound a bit, but will not be night and day. I used to listen through the S4 and current gen iPod Classic, which at that time I thought was great. Not long after trying out a friend's DX90 and Hifiman 901, the differences in SQ justify my purchase of the ZX-1 together with the pico slim. So it does matter to your contrary (at least to me).

I would also like to address that I never said the 846 is unusable on a smartphone or tablet, I only meant that it's overkill to use it with a mediocre source. If Shure phones are really aimed at smartphone users, they would have included a mic cable out of the box. There's a reason for phones like this to be called IEMs and **** cans call earphones. What works for you does not necessary work for others. I never said your way is wrong, I'm only offering an alternative route to drive out the sonic capabilities of a nice pair of IEM. Maybe you can't hear a difference, but that doesn't mean the rest of us can't either. If you're happy with your setup, that's fine and I'm happy for you since you can save money for something else. But for those of us who are nit picky, minuscule difference to you might mean huge difference for us. 

FYI, I don't really care whether your 846 is your backup gym phone or your casual pimping showoff phone. Whether you could afford something or not does not factor or matter in this discussion.

Shure aims their products toward professionals, but know that music enthusiasts are a huge part of their sales. They're made to sound good and easy to drive so you can get good quality from smartphones. And yes, they do include a mic cable out of the box with some of their IEMs.
It's not that we can't hear the different, it's more because the difference isn't always worth it. Wallet, keys, smartphone, other crap in my pockets, a big ass bulky DAP, and maybe an amp too? My pockets can only hold so much before I look like a ******. I have a few expensive DAPs and I find myself grabbing my sansa clip/smartphone for portable use more often.

 

[M Coupe]

This sub-topic of SE846 needs its own thread.  
 
If you cannot hear the difference, don't buy a DAP...nobody has you at gunpoint.
 
If you prioritize having a streamlined phone/player/IEM...nobody has you at gunpoint
 
Seriously, if you have a TOTL IEM and want to maximize your IEM, reading through endless pages of my dad's smartphone is better than your Dad's dap gets tiring.  
 
Can we move the thread back towards how to get the most of out of the 846.  If your suggestions is to streamline the 846 for commuting by using the best program player for your smart phone great!  If you found a dap, cable, amp or whatever that gives you that extra bit of goodness great!  If you are one of those folks that calls snake oil on anything you have not personally tried, please...  if you own a DAP or any other tweak and it sucks, by all means share it.  
 
Bobby above, explains that for his purposes the DAP is one extra thing to carry and that is cool and a welcome point. For example, the number of threads saying that a DAP cannot be better than their note 3 makes me crazy. I have  Note 3 and is a hot mess.  It hisses and has obvious impedance issues with the 846.  
 
Rant over.  
 
 

 

[Pepito]

Back on topic: some music that'll give the bass drivers a workout
 

 

[The-One]

Hey guys, I just received a pair of Shure SE846 in the post today It's been about 7 years since I used any Shures (E4c / E500) and I've been using customs (ACS T1 / T2) since. Lately though I've gotten a bit lazy and just use a pair of Sennheiser MM30 G in-line earphones. Oh I also have its bigger brother, the HD800...
 
I'm pleasantly surprised by the presentation, everything looks really premium and I really like how its clear. Memory cable is a bit fiddly and I had to get used to the rotating connector when I put them in my ears. I find Shure black olives to be just as crappy at getting a seal as I remember, so I switched to yellow foam and I tore the black olive as I removed it from the nozzle as it was so tight. Fit and seal with the yellow foam is really simple, the SE846 due to its size also seems to just "rest" in my ears and I don't have to really "jam it in" like I used to with the old E4c/E500s. 
 
Again, once you buy a product at this price level, source is really obvious when it's my Samsung phone vs USB tube DAC. So is bit-rate and master quality, really obvious when listening to like chart singles mp3s that's been obviously recorded with dynamic compression to sound "loud" on not so good systems. Oh, it's also really sensitive, nearly blew my ears out when I played one of them chart songs that starts at max dynamics :S, had to quickly turn volume down. 
 
The main reason I bought the SE846 was because of how good the reviews for its bass are and due to my accommodation situation, no longer able to keep a subwoofer. I used to have a 60lb cylindrical downward-firing subwoofer so... :'( Again at this price level, the word is refinement. I think the bass is certainly the best I've heard in an IEM and beats my current customs. I really like how it mimics the sonic characteristics of a real subwoofer, there's a sort of bubble / growl / impulse that so many earphones just fail to reproduce accurately. Obviously, it's not as good as my old physical subwoofer, but that bit should be obvious to anyone with basic understanding of physics. When I compare it with my HD800, which has a pretty large driver for headphones, I think the HD800 remains technically better (at probably everything) , but does not have same sonic profile. As I just wanted something bassy to mimic a real subwoofer, this is fantastic. The mid range and treble is typical Shure, ie neutral to warm, not treble heavy. Soundstage is good for an IEM. 
 
The SE846 is really up there with customs, or better. While one argument is if you can afford this, you can afford customs. I think, with this, you don't need customs. Fit is much simpler than my customs and it sounds just as good or better. 

 

[M Coupe]

Nice review.  I agree with your general experience.  Hope you enjoy your new 846s!

 

[koiloco]

@The-One,  you said it all very well.  As current HD800 and my feet are resting on a rumbling 10" sub as I am typing, I 100% agree that the 846 does bass justice for an IEM.  

 

[rustam]

please tell me where more and better 3d effect shure 846 earsonics s-em6?????

 

[slick530]

Hey guys, I just received a pair of Shure SE846 in the post today It's been about 7 years since I used any Shures (E4c / E500) and I've been using customs (ACS T1 / T2) since. Lately though I've gotten a bit lazy and just use a pair of Sennheiser MM30 G in-line earphones. Oh I also have its bigger brother, the HD800...

I'm pleasantly surprised by the presentation, everything looks really premium and I really like how its clear. Memory cable is a bit fiddly and I had to get used to the rotating connector when I put them in my ears. I find Shure black olives to be just as crappy at getting a seal as I remember, so I switched to yellow foam and I tore the black olive as I removed it from the nozzle as it was so tight. Fit and seal with the yellow foam is really simple, the SE846 due to its size also seems to just "rest" in my ears and I don't have to really "jam it in" like I used to with the old E4c/E500s. 

Again, once you buy a product at this price level, source is really obvious when it's my Samsung phone vs USB tube DAC. So is bit-rate and master quality, really obvious when listening to like chart singles mp3s that's been obviously recorded with dynamic compression to sound "loud" on not so good systems. Oh, it's also really sensitive, nearly blew my ears out when I played one of them chart songs that starts at max dynamics :S, had to quickly turn volume down. 

The main reason I bought the SE846 was because of how good the reviews for its bass are and due to my accommodation situation, no longer able to keep a subwoofer. I used to have a 60lb cylindrical downward-firing subwoofer so... :'( Again at this price level, the word is refinement. I think the bass is certainly the best I've heard in an IEM and beats my current customs. I really like how it mimics the sonic characteristics of a real subwoofer, there's a sort of bubble / growl / impulse that so many earphones just fail to reproduce accurately. Obviously, it's not as good as my old physical subwoofer, but that bit should be obvious to anyone with basic understanding of physics. When I compare it with my HD800, which has a pretty large driver for headphones, I think the HD800 remains technically better (at probably everything) , but does not have same sonic profile. As I just wanted something bassy to mimic a real subwoofer, this is fantastic. The mid range and treble is typical Shure, ie neutral to warm, not treble heavy. Soundstage is good for an IEM. 

The SE846 is really up there with customs, or better. While one argument is if you can afford this, you can afford customs. I think, with this, you don't need customs. Fit is much simpler than my customs and it sounds just as good or better. 

The problem with current song mastering process is that the engineers get too lazy and don't bother to spend more time on each track. As I think these days they care more about quantities than qualities. As it turns out, teenagers these days cannot differentiate between good music and loud music. I remember back in the days when I listen to GNR, Pearl Jam, Metadeth, Nirvana, RHCP, slayer... These are all still "loud music" by today's standard but somehow you would appreciate more than stuff kid's listen to these days. Maybe better songwriters or simply because sound engineers put more heart into the mixings and editings. I have the chance to listen to my cousin's "precious collection" of his music library through his new Beats Studio headphones (Yes I know it's a joke), and OMG, those are the puriest form of crap I ever heard in my life. Of course I didn't tell him the truth to avoid hurting his feelings but I really feel sorry for this generation of young people who doesn't have the chance to listen to some truly great music. Very few that I know of really knows what they're talking about when we talk about music.

 

[truckdriver]

The Note 3 does not sound good (out of the box) with the 846. It does hiss and has artifact feedback noise that can be heard in quieter passages (and as songs taper off). It takes V4A (with good settings) plus the inline volume control to make it absolutely dead silent before and between songs at any volume level. It's not simply plug and play. It actually takes a little work, but no extra money. The V4A settings are like learning to play a woodwind instrument. Every setting affects the other. Therefore they have to be adjusted in unison to maintain good tonality. Having owned the X3, HM-802, ZX1, and DX90, I find the Note 3 (with V4A) to be the best companion for the 846 so far.

 

[Marshal Banana]

please tell me where more and better 3d effect shure 846 earsonics s-em6?????

I had the s-em6 on a loan during 2 weeks, in my opinion, the 846 are the superior earphone in every way. Better, resoolution, better texturation, more realistic soundstage and tonality. The s-em6, I didn't like them, and found they are overpriced. The tunning is very wierd with medium a way too loud. Wathever the recording, the vocals will be always just in front of you and the cymbals 25m behind the vocals.The tonality is very dark and colored, They are also quite big, so the fit might be a problem for some poeple. Trebles are pretty off too.
If you are looking for a competitor for the 846, I believe W60, Togo 334 or some Tralucent Audio earphones are far better choices (I tried all of them except Ref1) .

 

[Jensenchua]

 
I had the s-em6 on a loan during 2 weeks, in my opinion, the 846 are the superior earphone in every way. Better, resoolution, better texturation, more realistic soundstage and tonality. The s-em6, I didn't like them, and found they are overpriced. The tunning is very wierd with medium a way too loud. Wathever the recording, the vocals will be always just in front of you and the cymbals 25m behind the vocals.The tonality is very dark and colored, They are also quite big, so the fit might be a problem for some poeple. Trebles are pretty off too.
If you are looking for a competitor for the 846, I believe W60, Togo 334 or some Tralucent Audio earphones are far better choices (I tried all of them except Ref1) .

I never have a chance to listen to s-em6, but I think the 334 will be better than 846 but of course the price also higher, for W60 I just listen to it only for around 20 mins so can't really comment on it.

 

[hertzsogood]

  I never have a chance to listen to s-em6, but I think the 334 will be better than 846 but of course the price also higher, for W60 I just listen to it only for around 20 mins so can't really comment on it.

The 334  universal was nice and the 335 DW was very good but I will not say they were better than the 846. All three have similarities and all three are a good choice but what I do like about the 846 over the 335 is that it is a universal which I need on the go on humid hot days.

 

[Marshal Banana]

I used to own Togo 334 for almost a year and loved them very much, and it's very hard to say which one is better between se846 and TG334. They are 2 very different philosophy of sound. The 846 have a very punchy way to present the music, the 334 have a more contemplative way to do it. Both　are outstanding IEM.
 

 

[Jensenchua]

I used to own Togo 334 for almost a year and loved them very much, and it's very hard to say which one is better between se846 and TG334. They are 2 very different philosophy of sound. The 846 have a very punchy way to present the music, the 334 have a more contemplative way to do it. Both　are outstanding IEM.

 

Totally agree, I don't own the 334 but have a change to listen it for days from my friend, I would say when listening to classical or jazz type of music is really wonderful, while 846 bass really awesome & the best part you can switch the sound signature of it. Yeah both are outstanding iems hope I can own them both.

 

[Monty Burns]

  Yes, it was made as a result of the Alan Parson's Project.  Who would have known?
 
Since it is Friday and we are on the Austin Powers theme....  If the SE846 is number 1,  who does number 2 work for?
 
 

You have the question slightly wrong. Number two is ever Changing. Who is Number One? is a mystery Number Six must resolve.
 
Just About to board the Bliss Liner. Fueled by my High Octane 8s I shall escape from "The Island"...
 

 
..... Be Seeing You

 
Full Opening Sequence