[Macworld]

Post your comments for Shure SE315 earphones shine, headset adapter is convenient here

[pawhite524]

At the risk of sounding pompous I give this extraordinarily thorough and unbiased review 4 stars out of 5. Why the demerit? It occurred to me whilst reading this had there been more than 3 comparisons to other headphones I'd have a better sense of the Shure SE 315s. I am very happy with my Bose headphones with in-line mike. Should someone give me an idea how these two items compare I'd be more than happy to go to the time and trouble to try them out. At these prices I definitely need that incentive.
Again, Mr Ward thanks for your excellent review.

[bobdrake]

I concur with pawhire524 in that I would like to have had the comparison include the $350 Klipsch X10i in-earphones which I own, and dearly love, particularly for subway commutes. I also have vintage Shure 5c in-earphones that, because of the up-the-back-and-over-the-ear design, are a bit cumbersome but offers spectacular sound that compares favorably with the X10is. Many of the ones mentioned are unknown to me.

[Mohammeed]

Guys, If someone has ever tried the Shure SE535, and The Monster Turbine Pro Coppers, Will you just please tell me if The Shure SE535 are worth the difference to buy them?

[mattwardfh]

pawhite524, on 13 February 2012 - 02:23 PM, said:

At the risk of sounding pompous I give this extraordinarily thorough and unbiased review 4 stars out of 5. Why the demerit? It occurred to me whilst reading this had there been more than 3 comparisons to other headphones I'd have a better sense of the Shure SE 315s. I am very happy with my Bose headphones with in-line mike. Should someone give me an idea how these two items compare I'd be more than happy to go to the time and trouble to try them out. At these prices I definitely need that incentive.
Again, Mr Ward thanks for your excellent review.

Thanks so much for your comments. I'm always looking to make my reviews more helpful.

I usually try to compare to at least one set of headphones of similar price and another of similar sound. In this case the Etymotic and MEElectronics models had some sonic similarities that also showed what the step up in price gets you if you're in the market for a mostly neutral, perhaps bass-shy headphones. The Futuresonic was the only other in-ear model I had available in the price range, and I thought it was an interesting contrast.

I also try to keep the comparisons within the same genre of headphones. If you're referring to the in-ear Bose model, despite the silicone eartips it acts more like an earbud model than a canalphone or canalbud, so I wouldn't have really considered it was an appropriate comparison. I also try to limit comparisons to models I have on hand and can compare directly to; my review sample of the Bose in-ears was returned to the company a few years ago. I did previously review the Bose here: http://www.macworld....budroundup.html . Sonically, the SE315 is going to be quite a bit better than the Bose; they only potential downside is that the SE315's mid and upper bass might sound thin compared to the Bose, but Shure's bass will be more accurate. In terms of ergonomics and fit, the Bose do not form a complete acoustic seal and so do not block much outside sound; the Shure, on the other hand, blocks a lot of sound, so they tend to be useful in different situations.

I tend to be verbose, so I try to stick to some limits to keep the reviews readable. I've reviewed 30–40 models at this point, and I don't think anyone wants to read an exhaustive review that compares each new model to every other one. But I'm certainly open to suggestions as to how to better select other headphones for comparisons—let me know if you have anything else to suggest.

Thanks again for the feedback!

[mattwardfh]

bobdrake, on 14 February 2012 - 10:54 AM, said:

I concur with pawhire524 in that I would like to have had the comparison include the $350 Klipsch X10i in-earphones which I own, and dearly love, particularly for subway commutes. I also have vintage Shure 5c in-earphones that, because of the up-the-back-and-over-the-ear design, are a bit cumbersome but offers spectacular sound that compares favorably with the X10is. Many of the ones mentioned are unknown to me.

Sorry, I haven't heard the older Shure models or the Klipsch... but even if I had, I can't hang onto every pair of headphones I review, and I think my reviews are best when I try to limit my comparisons to models that I have on hand and can directly compare. I also try to pick models for comparison that have similarities or differences with what I'm reviewing that will be instructive. I also try to reuse some of my favorite models for comparisons when possible; for example I've drawn comparisons to the mc3 quite frequently. And with respect to the older Shure model, I try to stick to current models to provide useful buying advice given what's on the market right now.

But if you have any general advice on picking models for comparison in reviews, I'm glad to hear it. I wish I could compare to things every reader has heard, but there's just no way to do that.

[mattwardfh]

Mohammeed, on 16 February 2012 - 10:29 PM, said:

Guys, If someone has ever tried the Shure SE535, and The Monster Turbine Pro Coppers, Will you just please tell me if The Shure SE535 are worth the difference to buy them?

Sorry, haven't heard the Monster (or the SE535, for that matter)... but everything I've read has convinced me that the SE535 is probably the best non-custom in-ear available. If you're unsatisfied with the Monster, the Shure could make you happy. Maybe buy them from somewhere with a good return policy and see? I think they'd be worth a shot.

[dangrmous]

The sure SE315 sound quality was a real disappointment. I returned mine. The highs really lacked presence and detail, the vocal midrange was pulled way back and sounded very smeared, and the bass lacked much definition and articulation. For a pair of earphones that retail at $199, Shure needs to do *much* better sound wise. I find Shure dynamic driver IEM's like the SCL series to sound superb in this price range, but this balanced armature attempt was truly disappointing.

[MrMojo1]

The Shure earphones are designed to almost be "neutral" when listening to music.

I'm no techie or a musician so I can't and won't give you a "technical" review but how the music sounds, at least to me. Many of the technical details really means NOTHING to the average listener.. What are meant by Highs? Lows? Mids? What?

You can use the earphones to hear the music as it was recorded.

Shure models do NOT have the "oomph" in bass and hopefully never will.
If you are a bass-head (which the author sounds like), then go elsewhere. Try the Dr. Dre Beats headphones or other models that emphasize bass.

If you like to listen to music "as it was recorded" (vocal or instrumental), then these earphones are for you.

Single drivers are OK but much better than the stock Apple earphones and dual drivers separate the bass and tremble so you hear both differently while triple drivers will provide a theatre-like sound experience. You can hear details within the music... individual tones of separate instruments, the background noise, the clear vocals of the singer.. as you go towards the higher-end earphones. That's what a good head/earphone should be if you want to listen to the natural sounds of the recording is heard without any added emphasis to anything. Shure earphones are a good example of this.

Yes, it's purely subjective as each person hears things differently. Each person also likes certain things differently. I sure as heck do NOT want an emphasis on bass when listen to Pop tunes or vocals or classical music or jazz. Bass emphasis would probably be more suited for Hip-hip and Heavy Metal.

But to each their own!

Each reviewer should mention whether or not which certain models are best suited for. Shure earphones are not meant for bass-heads.

[fshumayrqan]

[quote name='MrMojo1' timestamp='1334157462' post='966251']
The Shure earphones are designed to almost be "neutral" when listening to music.

I'm no techie or a musician so I can't and won't give you a "technical" review but how the music sounds, at least to me. Many of the technical details really means NOTHING to the average listener.. What are meant by Highs? Lows? Mids? What?

You can use the earphones to hear the music as it was recorded.

Shure models do NOT have the "oomph" in bass and hopefully never will.
If you are a bass-head (which the author sounds like), then go elsewhere. Try the Dr. Dre Beats headphones or other models that emphasize bass.

If you like to listen to music "as it was recorded" (vocal or instrumental), then these earphones are for you.

Single drivers are OK but much better than the stock Apple earphones and dual drivers separate the bass and tremble so you hear both differently while triple drivers will provide a theatre-like sound experience. You can hear details within the music... individual tones of separate instruments, the background noise, the clear vocals of the singer.. as you go towards the higher-end earphones. That's what a good head/earphone should be if you want to listen to the natural sounds of the recording is heard without any added emphasis to anything. Shure earphones are a good example of this.

Yes, it's purely subjective as each person hears things differently. Each person also likes certain things differently. I sure as heck do NOT want an emphasis on bass when listen to Pop tunes or vocals or classical music or jazz. Bass emphasis would probably be more suited for Hip-hip and Heavy Metal.

But to each their own!

Each reviewer should mention whether or not which certain models are best suited for. Shure earphones are not meant for bass-heads.
[/q

FYI THE SE535 the best headphone out now,its sooo good, and worth the price, dre beats nothing compare to SE535, i have it more than a year now. still i am in love with it. i highly recommend SE535 you will not regret it.

[mattwardfh]

MrMojo1, on 11 April 2012 - 07:17 AM, said:

The Shure earphones are designed to almost be "neutral" when listening to music.

I'm no techie or a musician so I can't and won't give you a "technical" review but how the music sounds, at least to me. Many of the technical details really means NOTHING to the average listener.. What are meant by Highs? Lows? Mids? What?

You can use the earphones to hear the music as it was recorded.

Shure models do NOT have the "oomph" in bass and hopefully never will.
If you are a bass-head (which the author sounds like), then go elsewhere. Try the Dr. Dre Beats headphones or other models that emphasize bass.

If you like to listen to music "as it was recorded" (vocal or instrumental), then these earphones are for you.

Single drivers are OK but much better than the stock Apple earphones and dual drivers separate the bass and tremble so you hear both differently while triple drivers will provide a theatre-like sound experience. You can hear details within the music... individual tones of separate instruments, the background noise, the clear vocals of the singer.. as you go towards the higher-end earphones. That's what a good head/earphone should be if you want to listen to the natural sounds of the recording is heard without any added emphasis to anything. Shure earphones are a good example of this.

Yes, it's purely subjective as each person hears things differently. Each person also likes certain things differently. I sure as heck do NOT want an emphasis on bass when listen to Pop tunes or vocals or classical music or jazz. Bass emphasis would probably be more suited for Hip-hip and Heavy Metal.

But to each their own!

Each reviewer should mention whether or not which certain models are best suited for. Shure earphones are not meant for bass-heads.

I tried to address the issue of bass preference:

"While the lower frequencies sounded tight and detailed, with excellent overall quality, I would have liked more bass quantity. In particular, the SE315’s bass lacked the presence and impact that most dynamic-driver in-ear headphones offer. "

In theory I tend to value overall accuracy no matter what genre of music I listen to. But if something strikes me as being particularly good for certain genres but not others, I try to mention that.