So my beloved Sennheiser headphones are cutting in and out on me, and it's time to replace them... I have really been looking into a good set of in-ear 'phones, but a few things are nagging me and keeping me from going through with a purchase.

FYI, I'm mainly looking at some Shure SE110's for $50 shipped at TigerDirect...

1) I have some cheapass Creative Labs in-ears that I'm using now (http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Labs-Isolating-Earphones-51MZ0085AA004/dp/B000R4HBEC). They take some real effort to get into my ears securely. Realistically, it takes a good minute to get them in comfortably. Will this be any better with a better pair? I'm going to be using these while working sometimes and otherwise while traveling, and if it's going to take that long to get started again every time I have to talk to someone that's kindof a turnoff for me.

2) Comfort in extended wear... How is it? I'm an architecture student and spend sometimes 6 hours or more straight working with headphones on. Am I going to want to shoot myself for not getting cans instead after a couple of hours of wear or will I forget about it after a while? One argument against cans is that I'm getting ready to go backpacking across Europe and I can't afford room for studio monitors or anything big in my pack.

3) Suggestions? The SE110 is about the best thing that I could come up with in the $50 price range, and for something that I will most likely tear up within a couple of years, I'm not looking to go any higher than that in price. If something is cheaper and pretty much as good, great, I'd be glad to hear about it...

Any input at all would be much appreciated...

5/26/2009 12:15:57 AM

*Shure-ly* someone must have a pair of these they can comment on...

I crack myself up...

5/26/2009 4:06:23 PM

Shure's earbuds tend to come with a crap ton of little pieces so you can customize the earbuds so they fit in your ears.

With that said, if it takes you a full minute to get a set of entry-to-mid-range noise isolating earbuds comfortably into your ears, you might have issues with any in-ear headphones.

The sound quality that came out of the Shure e2g's we had at the bookstore was pretty damn awesome though, and with the variety of foam spacers/silicon bits that came with it I think that you could probably find some that will fit in your ears.

As far as comfort in extended wear, most any in-ear headphones will bother you after a while if you don't keep the volume turned down low enough. I haven't had that problem with ones that were more "external" (i.e. the basic earbuds like the Sennheiser mx500's I had or shitty old stereo headphones).

Really, I don't know your ears, you'll have to be willing to take a risk on whether or not they'll fit comfortably. Shure has outstanding customer service from what I've heard though and I don't think you will go wrong with any of their products.

5/26/2009 5:16:10 PM

Thanks!

5/26/2009 5:28:19 PM

bump

3/2/2011 9:22:30 AM

So I listen to music every day at work and need a better pair of headphones. I picked up the Bose QC15's at Bestbuy to try them out. I'm also going to be traveling over the next week and would like some nice noise canceling/isolation headphones. The Bose are great for noise canceling but the sound quality is rather crappy IMO. The lows are exaggerated, and the highs are piercing. I know Bose isn't known for sound quality but I just wanted to try them out. Will probably be returning them tomorrow.

I've been looking into the Shure SE line. 315/425/535.

After reading extensive reviews I really really want the 535s. I've heard nothing but good things. Might be leaning more towards the lower end models because $500 is quite steep for a pair of ear buds but most of my music is FLAC or 320kbps or above and I have a good ear and I want to upgrade.

My previous pair that broke was the lower end Bose cone head phones. I've used Shures before and I'm finally ready to invest in a pair. Any recommendations on sleeves? I've heard the ones that come with are decent but the best are the memory foam type ones that aren't included. Can't remember what these are called off the top of my head.

3/2/2011 9:36:53 AM

http://www.etymotic.com/ makes some nice buds. You can find refurbs online pretty cheap too. The tips they use work well for me and I don't like too many in ear style buds.

3/2/2011 10:01:32 AM

*backs out of thread before wallet comes out*

3/2/2011 10:33:33 AM

haha seriously. I spent last night reading/watching reviews on the 535s. I might have to make a purchase before my trip on Friday.

3/2/2011 10:37:15 AM

I have to say that after listening to etymotics and shures (both in ear kinds, not the headphones we normally used) directly off the board in the studio as the sound source, I didn't notice a big enough difference to consider upgrading from my $30 Sony Earbuds. A slightly better bass response was the main difference I noticed. I guess a lot of the in ear comparisons are going to rely on how they fit in different ears.

Now, the actual studio headphones obviously sounded better. I just don't feel like lugging that kind around or keeping those on at work.

[Edited on March 2, 2011 at 11:10 AM. Reason : .]

3/2/2011 11:08:46 AM

^not to be rude but are you deaf? That's like saying you can't tell the difference between a Ferrari and a Civic. Shure earbuds are the standard for concert/music monitors.

The Shures having 3 drivers alone (1 for highs and 2 for mids/lows) give it an advantage right away not to mention the build quality and noise isolation.

Quote :

"I have to say that after listening to etymotics and shures (both in ear kinds, not the headphones we normally used) directly off the board in the studio as the sound source,"

Sure they weren't the lower end Shures? They make quite a few models. The single driver ones they sell at the Apple store probably won't sound THAT much better but I've used the 315's before and despite being single driver they sound a world different than the cheaper Sony or Apple ear buds I've used. I can only imagine what adding 2 drivers in the 535s sound like.

Quote :

"Now, the actual studio headphones obviously sounded better. I just don't feel like lugging that kind around or keeping those on at work."

But the earbuds (atleast the 425/535) series ARE advertised as studio monitors.

3/2/2011 11:51:16 AM

i think this thread has already been done before

i've got the shure e-420s and love them - going on over 2 years now

since they wrap around the ear they are fairly secure but if they do come out they don't fall down and you can just pop them back in

i wear them for a few hours at a time pretty often and have no issues with comfort

i'm not sure i'd buy the lowest end model though

3/2/2011 12:12:52 PM

Quote :

"i think this thread has already been done before"

Yeah this is the 2009 thread I had bumped.

Quote :

"i'm not sure i'd buy the lowest end model though"

Oh I'm not. I'm looking at the 425s or 535s. After listening to reviews on both of them I might have to get the 535s. Apparently they're just a better music experience with the extra driver.

Plus the Kevlar detachable cord is awesome. They detach right at the ear piece.

Can anyone actually tell a difference between higher bitrate MP3 (320kbps+) and Apple lossless or FLAC? I feel like I might be re-ripping a lot of my favorite CDs.

[Edited on March 2, 2011 at 12:54 PM. Reason : s]

3/2/2011 12:53:52 PM

Quote :

"^not to be rude but are you deaf? That's like saying you can't tell the difference between a Ferrari and a Civic. Shure earbuds are the standard for concert/music monitors. "

Quote :

" But the earbuds (atleast the 425/535) series ARE advertised as studio monitors."

I know they are, that's they had some there. They had a few different shures, a pair of etymotics that were in-ear kinds and then he had several etymotic high-fidelity ear plugs (which actually were worse imo than Hearos hf ear plugs).

I generally like to just use non-earbud style headphones when in the studio anyway. They always sound worlds better than any of the earbuds I have tried imo. Like I said, for some reason I didn't notice a big difference besides the bass presence for some reason (and this was a low-end heavy recording). No, I don't know what models they were though.

Obviously this is just my personal opinion though. FWIW I think the standard apple headphones sound absolutely terrible. Mine are ~$50 sonys that I paid $30 for and sound leaps and bounds better than those. Like I said, the ones that were there did sound slightly better, I guess just not enough to justify the cost, but who knows what level those were that I used.

[Edited on March 2, 2011 at 3:40 PM. Reason : .]

3/2/2011 3:32:30 PM

The included Apple ear buds are horrible. I meant the ~$70 dual driver buds they have. I'm just ready to upgrade and I'm going to give Shure a try. Part of it is noise cancellation/isolation. The Shures offer great sound isolation that you wouldn't get with a regular pair of headphones unless you had active noise cancellation which gives me a headache.

Plus they're small and portable.

3/2/2011 4:36:04 PM

http://www.thewolfweb.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=585518
http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/features/3274/in-ear-headphones-face-off.html
http://www.head-fi.org
http://www.thewolfweb.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=552243
http://www.thewolfweb.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=544712

anyways, after all that, my shure 530s broke and the warranty had expired so now i'm running on UE TripleFi 10s which are really good at noise cancellation, get just as good sound, and better bass due to nicer foam sleeves than the shures. and they're <$150. i must say they are pretty decent but in the interest of full disclosure, they are heavy (not really really heavy), but heavier than the shure 530s i had. i still wear them all day with no problem though...

3/2/2011 4:59:14 PM

^for the 2nd time I bumped this thread and didn't create a new one!!

Also that 2nd link is dated. The Shure 535s came out this past summer.

Found some 530's online for cheap but after reading a bunch of reviews upgrading to the 535s is waaaaay worth it. The kevlar detachable cords alone make it worth it. Plus some small tweaks to bring out the bass more.

Found a place in Charlotte that carries them. Might get them tomorrow.

Did you just use the tips that came with the Shures?

3/2/2011 6:13:58 PM

i know you bumped it. just making sure you've read all the older posts we've had as well on the topic.

yeah, i used the black foam tips that came with the shures. i tried the orange foam ones which are a lot more "foamy" for lack of a better word (they compress more and then fit the shape in your ear) but the black ones worked better for me. still not good bass though, which is created by th fit of the ear sleeve in your canal.

3/2/2011 6:23:48 PM

^oh yeah just noticed you had created all the other in-ear threads except for this one! haha.

Yeah my biggest concern is finding the right tips to use. I'm going to pick up the clear 535s. Think they look awesome.

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/497285/shure-se535-reviews-and-first-impressions-thread/570

wow that's a lot of pages on this set. those Sensaphonics sleeves look nice.

http://sensaphonics.com/prod_shure_sleeve.html

Quote :

"Identify your Shure earphone model, then visit an audiologist in your area to have your ear impressions made and sent to us with the completed Order Form (PDF). Upon receipt, we will hand-build your silicone custom sleeves and ship them in about two weeks. "

This sounds fun.

[Edited on March 2, 2011 at 6:55 PM. Reason : s]

3/2/2011 6:42:49 PM

haha if you have the money, definitely...then i'd just get custom UEs made for me.

3/2/2011 7:04:53 PM

in case you were sleeping, you just spent $500 on ear buds...

3/3/2011 11:44:17 PM

quiet you...

3/3/2011 11:58:56 PM

ooooooh I just listened to some of my favorite wind ensemble recordings and almost shat myself. haha.

3/4/2011 12:39:44 AM

skullcandy... $9... can't go wrong, love mine.

But yeah, if I had some cash to burn, Shure would be on the list, but for $500, I want them to be wireless.

3/4/2011 12:47:05 AM

So after using these for a week all I can say is wow. I got the FLAC player for my iPhone and brought a bunch of FLAC/lossless stuff on my trip and I'm simply amazed at everything you can hear. Friend has a pair of the SE115's and you can definitely tell a huge difference in the single driver versus the three.

3/14/2011 9:34:50 AM

I've had the entire sure line and i would say the lower end models are severly lacking in bass response and the higher end models only sound 10% better than the sony's i currently have.

I had the entire old shure lineup 2c 3c 4c and 5c and the dual driver SE530 and se110s

The only ones that sounded significantly better all around my current sony headphones were the SE530s they had bass and crystal clear sound the 2,3,4c all sounded great in the mid-upper range but were seriously lacking on bass.

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDREX38iP-BLK-Earbud-Control/dp/B002M78JA2

these sound 95% as good as SE530s and they have a mic and ipod controls and when someone steals them from you $25 hurts a lot less than $100,$200,$300,$400

And i'm betting you'll like those sony's better then the se110s i hated them (after having the 530s)

3/14/2011 10:02:03 AM

^I have a pair of Sony ear buds for running. I think they're the same ones. They don't sound anywhere as clear as even the lower end single driver Shure 315's. In fact the newer Apple dual driver ear buds for $79 sound much much better. After using the new Shure 535's for a week I immediately forgot about any ear buds I had used before. The only thing I've used that come close are the Shure 315's but they were lacking in bass response and the highs/lows you get from 3 drivers.

If you can't tell the difference between cheaper Sony's and a nicer pair of Shures then you're very lucky. I was just tired of the flat shallow sound I was getting from the Sony's I had. Then again it also might have to do with the seal in my ear. I've always wondered what the custom silicon fittings would feel like. They're probably $$$ though.

It also depends what you listen to. Bitrate etc. I probably couldn't tell as great a difference with lower quality stuff than with 320kbps+ mp3, flac or lossless.

The iPod controls/microphone would be nice though. Wouldn't something like this work:

http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/smarttalk

Essentially the same thing? Guess it would be all the way at the end of the cord though. Hence the clip.

3/14/2011 10:51:37 AM

^ it has been a while and the se110s had me soooo pissed off i'm ok with my sony's if i could compare again it would probably ruin me... I have my home stereo for my audiophilia fix (all paradigm studio series stuff) and no, i don't think my sony's sound anywhere near as good as my home stereo and my se530s were pretty close but not quiet there so i guess i should have known better i've just talked myself into thinking they suck because its not worth it.

I'm never owning another pair of $texas headphones again after misplacing 1 pair and having 2 stolen and 2 break outside of warranty

3/14/2011 11:45:47 AM

Yeah I don't have a nice speaker set up yet. Why I didn't mind spending the money on the headphones for the time being. Listening to Mahler at work today was awesome.

3/14/2011 4:27:27 PM

bump

7/25/2011 11:10:39 AM

So while I like the foam olive tips on my Shure's I wouldn't mind getting a set of custom silicon molds. Anyone have experience with these?

Was thinking of getting them through Sensaphonics.

http://www.sensaphonics.com/?p=802

Isn't a certified gold audiologist in Charlotte though.

7/25/2011 11:15:11 AM

So yeah three years later I'm finally getting custom in ear sleeves for my SE535 Shures. I can't wait. Going to the audiologist today. Only $50 for the mold than another $200 for the custom blue sleeves.

Good review of them here (although with the newer SE846s):

http://www.head-fi.org/t/723306/review-sensaphonics-custom-sleeves-in-crystal-blue-for-the-shure-se846

Also just ordered my first customer dampers. I picked up the white and brown versions. See chart:



The brown will bring out the bass a little.

Good explanation and review of each damper here:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/663273/se530-535-acoustic-filter-mod-more-sq-improvement-than-cables-dampers

Can't wait! Next step is to possibly get a custom cable. I can't believe people spend $200-500 (or more) on custom cables. They swear it enhances the sound a lot.

9/11/2014 11:59:39 AM

Just got custom dampers. Browns are awesome.

9/11/2014 8:10:23 PM

Finally got them!!!!!



They are amazing. I thought the Shures sounded good with the cheap black olives. This is like a whole new world.

9/29/2014 6:20:13 PM

Mind taking a pic with them in?

9/29/2014 6:56:49 PM

Yeah already took some pics:

9/29/2014 7:21:27 PM

dude, that's awesome

looks great

I can't begin to imagine how awesome they sound

9/29/2014 7:53:56 PM

I just got a set of 425's a few weeks back. might go ahead and grab these

9/29/2014 8:18:36 PM

This guy walked into class with some ME Electronics M6P and I loved how low profile and affordable they are... Anyone try these?

9/29/2014 8:31:19 PM

^^^ Yeah they're epic. Just got back from an hour and a half run/gym session and they were awesome. No seal breakage and the bass was incredible compared to cheaper ear buds I've used for working out. Kind of worried about working out in almost ~$800 ear buds but the silicon sleeves are pretty indestructible and Shure has great warranties on all their ear buds. Plus the Shure cables are replaceable (^^ the ones on the 425's are as well). They're made for musicians on stage so I figure they stand up pretty well to sweat and movement.

[Edited on September 29, 2014 at 9:38 PM. Reason : spelling]

9/29/2014 9:37:20 PM

^ That's epic. $800 on ear equipment is some serious money though.

9/29/2014 10:07:47 PM

That's nothing compared to a lot of people on head-fi. They start replacing the stock cables (Shures is only ~$35) with $200-300 cables. Then they start adding DACs/amps. It starts getting pricey real fast.

9/29/2014 10:25:38 PM