[trishd]

Thank you !!! I just bought the SE846CLBT2 on Ebay new for $850 so with tax more like $930 (trusted seller of years of Shure/Sennh' products in NYC).
I don't trust buying from China - 3 things I bought from there were LOL-bogus (my fav' was probably the white skin tape, for cuts - surely full of COVID!!).
YES YES on the Kevlar Shure Cables !!! -----unfortunately I wrecked both of those, too - (I wrecked everything--by accident) - I can't tell you the number of times I nearly mistakenly just-about cut through it with a scissors or knife, entirely by accident, of course.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

I wouldn’t get it. I think the stock Shure cables are perfectly fine, and are durable. The only cable I purchased that made an improvement in sound on the se846 was a silver cable, called the TRN T3. You can get it for around $23 on AliExpress (ordering it from China), but even then, it kept cutting out on my left earpiece (with 2 different cables). So, I just use the clear/kevlar wrapped Shure cable.

I disagree. The stock cable that comes with the se846 is terrible. There are lots of reviews that confirm this idea. Now that I am an owner, I can absolutely verify it. It's stiff and hard to wear. You can get a great silver Litz cable for between $45-100.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Thank you !!! I just bought the SE846CLBT2 on Ebay new for $850 so with tax more like $930 (trusted seller of years of Shure/Sennh' products in NYC).
I don't trust buying from China - 3 things I bought from there were LOL-bogus (my fav' was probably the white skin tape, for cuts - surely full of COVID!!).
YES YES on the Kevlar Shure Cables !!! -----unfortunately I wrecked both of those, too - (I wrecked everything--by accident) - I can't tell you the number of times I nearly mistakenly just-about cut through it with a scissors or knife, entirely by accident, of course.

I want to buy many IEMs too. That's why I like to purchase them used. You can save so much money. For the Shure se846, I would keep the drivers, nozzle, filters and filter tool. Then, I would buy a new cable, tips and bluetooth amp/dac like the Fiio btr5. Throw everything else away. If the left or write earphone dies, you can buy replacement lefts or rights on eBay too.

 

[TK33]

Thank you !!! I just bought the SE846CLBT2 on Ebay new for $850 so with tax more like $930 (trusted seller of years of Shure/Sennh' products in NYC).
I don't trust buying from China - 3 things I bought from there were LOL-bogus (my fav' was probably the white skin tape, for cuts - surely full of COVID!!).
YES YES on the Kevlar Shure Cables !!! -----unfortunately I wrecked both of those, too - (I wrecked everything--by accident) - I can't tell you the number of times I nearly mistakenly just-about cut through it with a scissors or knife, entirely by accident, of course.

Cant stand the memory wire. The old CBL M-K I have was ok and lasted years. Cant stand the new stock Shure cables...i am always trying to get the BT2 back on my ears. I am using the Meze Rai Silver Plated cables and they are great...super comfortable and lightweight.

 

[IEMusic]

I disagree. The stock cable that comes with the se846 is terrible. There are lots of reviews that confirm this idea. Now that I am an owner, I can absolutely verify it. It's stiff and hard to wear. You can get a great silver Litz cable for between $45-100.

Maybe so. It is a stiff cable, and I don’t like memory wire in general, but I can only state what I’ve experienced. I’ve tried several different cables with the se846, and I was only able to hear a difference with the pure silver cables, but the MMCX connections kept cutting out on my left earpiece. I don’t trust any of the other cables that I have for stage use, with their weaves and twisted structures, just waiting to get caught on something. So far, I’ve been perfectly happy with the sound. I usually run it off a DF Cobalt when just listening to music.

I guess this is why they designed the cable this way. Not ergonomic for general use, but perfect for stage use.

Correction: I incorrectly implied that getting a replacement cable is not a worthwhile purchase. It certainly can be. I just didn’t think the aforementioned cable was worth getting.

 

[trishd]

I could kick myself. You people here REMINDED ME that I myself will NEVER use bluetooth. AND I'd like buying the 'old' SE846 that comes with the 2 kevlar cables. A place in Pittsburgh you'all told me about (northern... sound?....) sells that right now for $750, so I just threw apprx $120 away idiotically. I tried to cancel but Poof dude's slickly ALREADY shipped it, so can't cancel. Too late (I could never get-it-together to return it - remember I couldn't manage the task of finding bubble wrap, etc., and going to UPS to mail my broke stuff to Shure to try to fix). I'll look at it that the seller in NYC just profited off vulnerable Pigeon me.

 

[davidcotton]

I could kick myself. You people here REMINDED ME that I myself will NEVER use bluetooth. AND I'd like buying the 'old' SE846 that comes with the 2 kevlar cables. A place in Pittsburgh you'all told me about (northern... sound?....) sells that right now for $750, so I just threw apprx $120 away idiotically. I tried to cancel but Poof dude's slickly ALREADY shipped it, so can't cancel. Too late (I could never get-it-together to return it - remember I couldn't manage the task of finding bubble wrap, etc., and going to UPS to mail my broke stuff to Shure to try to fix). I'll look at it that the seller in NYC just profited off vulnerable Pigeon me.

Could always try to sell the bluetooth module on here and get some back that way. Don't places in the states have a 7 day cooling off period where you can return things unopened and get a refund?

 

[zombywoof]

I would like to officially petition for membership in the Shure SE846 Appreciation Society.

I found a really excellent price from a seller in Arizona, a music store selling new, selaed in package stock of the previous version/package that does not include any of the bluetooth devices. So, deals are out there. I purcahsed the bronze model, and could not be happier. I am using them primarily at my desk out of a Magni3. I have not hand a opportunity to experimant with the filters, still using the stock blue filter. I will probably try the white filter shortly. I have moved throught the Shure line from SE215 (still use them regularly when working outside), to SE535 (likely to feel neglected going forward). I have done some filter mods witih the SE535 but basically ended up with a Knowles filter that comes really close to the stock signature. No plans to do any mods to the SE846 (other than play with the filters that came in the package).

These are extremely well designed and engineered IEM's. I am in agreement with @plakat comments from the previous page. I believe I was one of the restless souls who felt the need to try the latest and greatest, but in the end, my SE535 were my go to IEM's. It appears that the Shure philosphy is to do it right the first time with equal consideration to sound quality, comfort, ergonomics, durability, build quality, and support.

As expected, the bass is phenominal. I was not overwhelmed by the quantity of bass, but was blown away by the quality. I do not recall ever hearing such clear, quick bass in any headphone or IEM. Ther rest of the signature, lush mids and clear but understated highs, fits what I was expecting from Shure. Not disappointed.

 

[plakat]

@zombywoof membership granted -- welcome to the club! I hope you'll get as much joy out of your pair as I got out of mine.

It's not that Shure does not have its failures (the 530 seems to have had problems with their cables or something like that and I'm sure there are other cases as well), but most products they do really well.

 

[zombywoof]

Tried the white filters in the SE846 and actually kind of like them. My old ears are probably less able to detect high frequencies and there seems to be a little more presence with the white filters compared to the blue. Will continue to listen with them. This is a nice feature of the SE846. Everyone hears differently, right?

I have always used the Westone Star silicone tips on my Shure IEM's as I am not a big fan of the foam tips...except when traveling by air...which isn't going to happen any time soon. I think the Star tips are a bit more comfortable than the Shure silicone tips by a small margin. The Star tips have a slightly larger bore as the exit end of the sound tube. Not sure how this impacts the sound, or if I would be able to tell if it does.

From perusing this thread, there seem to be a lot of gripes about the Shure cable. Not an issue for me, and not a big believer in the value of cable "upgrades." Could be my hearing loss or my skeptical nature. Not sure which...

All in all, I am really liking the SE846.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Tried the white filters in the SE846 and actually kind of like them. My old ears are probably less able to detect high frequencies and there seems to be a little more presence with the white filters compared to the blue. Will continue to listen with them. This is a nice feature of the SE846. Everyone hears differently, right?

I have always used the Westone Star silicone tips on my Shure IEM's as I am not a big fan of the foam tips...except when traveling by air...which isn't going to happen any time soon. I think the Star tips are a bit more comfortable than the Shure silicone tips by a small margin. The Star tips have a slightly larger bore as the exit end of the sound tube. Not sure how this impacts the sound, or if I would be able to tell if it does.

From perusing this thread, there seem to be a lot of gripes about the Shure cable. Not an issue for me, and not a big believer in the value of cable "upgrades." Could be my hearing loss or my skeptical nature. Not sure which...

All in all, I am really liking the SE846.

I've switched from the black filters to the blue filters and I now prefer them.

 

[IEMusic]

Tried the white filters in the SE846 and actually kind of like them. My old ears are probably less able to detect high frequencies and there seems to be a little more presence with the white filters compared to the blue. Will continue to listen with them. This is a nice feature of the SE846. Everyone hears differently, right?

I have always used the Westone Star silicone tips on my Shure IEM's as I am not a big fan of the foam tips...except when traveling by air...which isn't going to happen any time soon. I think the Star tips are a bit more comfortable than the Shure silicone tips by a small margin. The Star tips have a slightly larger bore as the exit end of the sound tube. Not sure how this impacts the sound, or if I would be able to tell if it does.

From perusing this thread, there seem to be a lot of gripes about the Shure cable. Not an issue for me, and not a big believer in the value of cable "upgrades." Could be my hearing loss or my skeptical nature. Not sure which...

All in all, I am really liking the SE846.

I like the white filter as well. I initially switched to compensate for using the multi flange tips, but now I like it with all kinds of ear tips.

 

[zombywoof]

I like the white filter as well. I initially switched to compensate for using the multi flange tips, but now I like it with all kinds of ear tips.

Yes, I am afraid my tired old ears require a higher level of brightness than others may prefer. That probably explains my being drawn to Grado headphones, as well. The primary goal should be the enjoyment of listening to music. Finding the right gear to do that is a necessary step but should never be the goal. I learned that the hard (and expensive) way as have many others. But we should thank the restless souls for whom the search of "perfect" sound never ends. Without them, we not have this platform to share thoughts and learn new things. I found the content of this thread to be very helpful in making the decision to pull the trigger on the SE846. A lot of good input out there.

Incredible that this thread is going strong after 7+ years and 21,000+ posts. Speaks to the timelessness of the Shure products, and the dedication of the users. In and of itself a solid recommendation.

 

[zombywoof]

@IEMusic
I also like the tri-flange tips. I will need to give those a try again. I got used to using them with Etymotic IEM's (don't remember which model and I have since gifted the Ety's to a family member). I had purchased when I was between SE215's. Thanks for the reminder.

 

[IEMusic]

@IEMusic
I also like the tri-flange tips. I will need to give those a try again. I got used to using them with Etymotic IEM's (don't remember which model and I have since gifted the Ety's to a family member). I had purchased when I was between SE215's. Thanks for the reminder.

Because the Etymotic tri-flange tips don’t have a stalk, and the Etymotic nozzles are long, the ear tip doesn’t extend much past the end of the nozzle, and it doesn’t dampen the treble much.

The Shure triple-flange tips have a stalk, and they extend far past the end of the nozzle and thus they dampen the treble a lot. This is why I switched to the white filter, to boost the treble a little. What I also do is cut a little off of the stalk base, to shorten the tips a little, while keeping it long enough to seal well (the shape of the se846 doesn’t permit one to push the nozzle deep in one’s ears, unlike the straight, narrow Etymotics). This takes some trial and error. I also cut off the smallest third flange, which shortens the ear tip “over hang” as well, it makes the tips more comfortable, and I find the isolation to be the same as with all three flanges. The good thing is that the Shure triple-flange tips are inexpensive, so I bought a couple of packs to experiment with.