Why I Chose the Shure SE210s
March 17th, 2008
I’ve been on a quest to find the perfect headphones. Along my way I’ve tried stock headphones that came with the various i-devices over the years, from cheap to mildly expensive. I’ve tried to go low end and inexpensive wherever possible, but started into the upmarket space when I got a Target gift card and threw down for some Bose in-ear headphones. These are great sounding, had everything I wanted in terms of comfort but fell out walking, exercising or moving in any way. Bose sent out some attachments to make them a little more reliable in terms of staying in the ear, but it didn’t work to well. I still use them as office headphones when Heather needs quiet or I want to listen to something that Heather doesn’t want to hear or is different stylistically (not necessarily Steely Dan-related). They are great for this because I can pull them out quickly and I can still hear ambient room noise, so carrying on a conversation can still happen.
A few years ago, I had another gift card and bought some Philips noise canceling earbuds that were in the $50 range at the time. They sounded great when they were in place, but they hurt for long periods and would work their way out if I was moving. Worked ok on planes, but the discomfort and actual noise canceling functions weren’t great. On our recent trip to Austin, I decided that since the Philips were four years old, and I had recently lost my iPhone compatible V-MODA vibe duos, it was time to look at options.
I looked at over the ear noise canceling headphones. Sound great, but are bulky for travel and don’t work with the iPhone (unless I use an adapter). Plus, I’m not likely to wear them any time except on a plane. Wouldn’t want to work out with them. And they are expensive ($300-$350 US; even higher cost for more exotic ones). So I ruled out the Bose QuietComfort series. Too bulky. Too expensive.
As I wrote recently, I like the sonic footprint of my vibe duo headset, but wanted something with a better sound isolation/noise canceling function. I also wanted iPhone functionality, but was willing to buy an adapter if necessary. Shure makes one that works with any heaphone, so I figured I could eliminate the need for an inline microphone with clicker from my search and focus entirely on comfort, sound and noise canceling quality.
From there, the options narrowed considerably. I didn’t want to spend over $200, because that just seems insane. At least $50 more insane than I want to be. Especially since once you hit a certain point, the returns are negligible. I’m not listening to music in pristine environments. I’m listening to music in an office or airplane and maybe outside working in the yard or walking the dogs. I’m also not listening to virgin vinyl recordings done from a floating platform in zero gravity at 100,000 miles beyond the Van Allen belts and then digitized on a neural net sponsored by JPL with software from NYU researchers or anything related to the unclassified portions of the time machine project. My musical tastes span genres and eras. So the production value varies greatly. From indie demo MP3s at 128kbps to AIFFs from remastered CDs and original tracks… I don’t need studio monitors. I need a pair of just higher than middle of the road nice in-canal earphones. Sounds very sexy.
I bought Shure SE110s to replace my lost Vibe Duos. The SE110s are lacking. I don’t know if I got a bad set, but I tried every attachment that comes with the set to get even a decent level of bass. I squished the foam earplugs and held it in my ear for at least 10 seconds until the foam expanded. Still lacking in the bass department and not a good representation of Shure as a brand. I’ve used a ton of Shure products over my life as a musician, recording engineer and PA dude. Shure is one of the premiere go to brands for dynamic microphones that are rugged and last a lifetime. I almost gave up on trying any other Shure earbud products on the negative experience alone.
Somewhere I had seen or read that the SE210s were markedly better sounding and for only $50 more put the earbuds in line with something costing double or triple the $150 US. I’m still searching for the link because I can’t find it as of this writing. Since the Apple store has a great return policy, I decided to return the SE110s and after a lot of back and forth and reading of product specs and online reviews. I debated over throwing down for the SE310s, but $249 seems rich and from most reviews, there isn’t much of a difference between the SE210s and SE310s. After talking with a store rep and confirming that if the SE210s sucked, I could return them for either a refund or an exchange and additional charge for something else.
Upon first insertion, it was clear that the SE210 is a much better product than the SE110. I listened to a quick selection of tracks from my iPhone using the factory-installed foam earpieces on the SE210s. Everything from jazz to electronic, dance to indie. I had found my replacement earphones. I listened to stuff mixed before digital music came along. Back in the day, engineers would bump up the treble/high-end on the final mix/master process because vinyl records lost some high end on playback. You can hear this on any track mixed before the mid 80s and without being remastered onto CD. Without any EQ settings in iTunes, I could immediately hear a level of detail and clarity in the music that neither the Bose nor the Vibe Duos had. It’s just a little cleaner and is highly subjective. Another listener might say that I was full of it and tell me that I’m insane to spend $50 more for a subjective possibility rather than a concrete proof. I could prattle on about specs like frequency response and dbs and how much is removed by using foam versus silicone. None of it matters too much to me. I can hear details in the music and still have my low end and sonic isolation. Done.
I have the foam pads (similar to earplugs that you squish and insert that expand inside the ear) that I can wear for hours without them falling out and with a substantial blockage of background noise. I’ve tested them with Heather yelling at me, with the vacuum running and outside with the dogs (Coco was barking and I couldn’t hear a damn thing but Charlie Haden’s bass on his duet with Pat Metheny). The earbuds also can produce all the insane low end from an artist like seizure drum n bass knob twiddler µ-Ziq’s Lunatic Harness as well. If I want, I can leave the earth behind and feel the groovy love of music deep inside my head. There is also a track called “Goodbye, Goodbye” off of µ-Ziq’s 1999 masterwork, Royal Astronomy. It’s a real woofer tester. Super super low end and then clicky high end bits that will test any setup to the extreme. It is awesome. And it sounds spectacular on the SE210s. So yes, I’m gushing.
Three things that won’t be drawbacks for me, but might for somebody else: 1) The cord assembly is in two parts and is bulkier than average. It feels solid to me, but might be a deal breaker; 2) The earphones go inside your ears, deeper than most earbuds. This takes some getting used to; 3) The default insertion has the cord from the earphones going up instead of down. On the plus side, you can look like Thom Yorke live with wires sticking out should you choose. One could also tuck the wire behind the ear and minimize the sounds caused by stuff like clothing and body parts touching the wires transmitting bumps to the ears. In practice, this isn’t as bad as it might appear. But it could be a deal-breaker for some.
The real test is going to be flying with these things. So far, I have high hopes. This is one of the better purchases I’ve made and I’m pretty stoked to have this option of audio reproduction in the arsenal.
Best ever: the wife can SCREAM at me and I hear absolutely nothing. Talk about hovering in zero-gravity beyond the Van Allen belt. o
p.s. anybody from Shure or anywhere else want to send me a pair of higher end earphones to compare? Review units accepted gladly: djblurb [at] blurbomat [dot] com.
Tags: earphones, headphones, Shure SE110, Shure SE210, sound isolating earphones
-
This entry was posted on Monday, March 17th, 2008 at 1:56 pm and is filed under geek, review. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed. Please read the Terms of Service before leaving a response.
March 17th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Yes, but how substantially do headphones like these raise the risk of going prematurely deaf? It’s a point of pride that I have impeccable hearing, in part because my dear husband and all his family are stone deaf, and I’d really love to maintain that as much as possible.
Or am I totally barking up the wrong tree, asking Mr. Rock Band about preserving one’s hearing?
March 17th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
you convinced me, totally. I was debating between some Bose headphones or the Shure SE210s and now I’m going out asap and getting the SE210s!! so… thanks
March 17th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
I have had great luck with Sennheiser ear buds, but recently got a pair of Skull Candy Full Metal Jacket ear buds that are amazingly awesome. I was surprised by how well they actually kept noise out, I found them to work better than ear plugs when my boyfriend is snoring all night! Comply also makes a really nice pair of noise canceling buds.
March 17th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
and…I probably could get you a contact at Shure. They are one of our vendors for work
March 17th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
Ok, here’s my problem.
I don’t like sticking things very far into my ears and ALL earphones fall out of my ears. So basically, unless I want to wear real headphones and walk around Portland looking like an indie rock dj douchebag, I’m screwed.
Poop.
March 17th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
For drawback #3, could you simply rotate the earbuds 180 degrees before inserting them in yours ears? Is the foam padding shaped in some way that will prevent this?
I think drawback #3 would be the deal breaker for me. However, if you could simply rotate the padding so that the wires came straight down, I wouldn’t mind picking up a pair after your glowing review!
March 17th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
@grimsaburger, the great thing about sound isolating headphones is that you don’t have to listen at super high volume because the background noise has been mostly eliminated.
@Jason, You can certainly wear them with the wires down. It’s just that Shure recommends. Save your receipt just in case!
March 17th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
Wow. That’s a whole lot of information about ear buds.
March 17th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
Go Steely Dan.
Do you like Mike & the Mechanics?
March 17th, 2008 at 6:39 pm
Good deal. Haden’s bass is sublime.
March 17th, 2008 at 7:14 pm
Will have to check these out. Usually, earbuds irritate me (and fall out) but these look like they’d be a little more comfortable.
I use Sennheiser PMX60’s. They are reasonably priced, comfortable and deliver.
March 17th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
Here’s my fundamental problem: I am with Kiala and I hate ear buds. I have had to force myself to use them with my iPhone. But I have NOT been happy about it.
March 17th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
I have had several issues with headphones. I use them in a variety of environments (studying, exercising, airplanes), with a variety of tunes and spoken word podcasts, etc., and perhaps worst of all…I have really small ears! Earbuds just do not work for me.
However, I’m a grad student in speech pathology at a major university, so I took up my beef with our audiology professor, who promptly squirted goo in my ears to make impressions very similar (identical, actually) to hearing aids. My earmolds attach to standard Apple iPod headphones (though you can choose other options of headphone brands, I believe) and work beautifully for me across all settings.
I’m not too picky about bass, etc. Fit was my main concern. So for those small-eared folk, head to an audiologist! Get custom-fit attachments and I promise, you’ll never turn back.
And for grimsaburger: The same audiologist (and his peers) would tell you that the headphone rule of thumb is this: While playing your music, regardless of the environment (taking into account treadmills, airplane noise, screaming babies, what have you), you should be able to hear someone speaking at a normal tone of voice when they stand 3 feet away from you.
Great review, Jon!
March 17th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
I have the Shure E2 earphones. I guess the SE line is newer, and supposedly better, but the E2s transformed my bus riding music experience and I think they are fantastic. And now the E2s are only $70!
As for the behind the ear thing, it’s not a drawback it’s an asset as it really helps to keep the earphones in place, and I think it makes them look more discrete and less douchbaggy.
And for the loss of hearing comment, the in ear headphones are actually better because you don’t have to increase the volume to drown out background noise, which means you listen at a lower volume causing less hearing damage.
The best thing about these earphones though, is the bold warning in the handbook stating that removal of wax is not covered under the warranty.
March 18th, 2008 at 12:49 am
I bought myself a pair of Etymotic ER-6i in-ear headphones a couple of years ago, and was blown away by how good they sounded. And so I was devastated when I realized that they were SO UNCOMFORTABLE that I couldn’t stand to use them–both the silicone and the foam tips abraded my ears so badly that I had scabs inside my ear canals. I never returned them or exchanged them, so they’re still lying in the expensive tangle of old headphones and earbuds that I have on my computer desk.
The Shure model sounds like a much better deal, but I’d have to try them on before I would shell out another couple hundred dollars for a pair.
March 18th, 2008 at 1:06 am
I have to add that nothing goes better with the Shure SE210s like a big heaping bowl of http://tinyurl.com/mpcnp, with a little http://tinyurl.com/ysbrj4 on the side.
(Shure. Call ME.)
March 18th, 2008 at 6:23 am
I’ve got a pair of the the SE 420s, they use a similar design and the foams are the same. I use the yellow foam sleeves when I travel, and there’s plenty of times I don’t even realize we’re landing until we touch ground. Keep the iPod at 30% volume, you won’t hear any screaming kids and you’ll get TONS of battery life. The only time I don’t like them is when it’s really quiet ambient and really quiet song (any hidden track late at night in a quiet hotel room); you can hear all the noise of the iPod’s nice ~4k hum. It’ll drive you nuts.
If you can find ‘em the Shure E3C’s are among the very best for my money. Same price as the 420s and they have the dual drivers. Kinda pisses me off that someone at Shure decided to bump the prices and lower the quality of all but their very top of the line headphones.
March 18th, 2008 at 6:25 am
Oh, and, Amanda, if I weren’t already married, you’d be in for the time of your life. A woman who knows her microphones is astoundingly hot. Almost as nice as that KSM.
March 18th, 2008 at 7:04 am
where can i buy these from at a good price? can anyone assist?
March 18th, 2008 at 8:58 am
First, I own a pair of the SE310s and I love them.
Second, Music Recommendations based on the Pat/Charlie tip:
Bill Frisell - East/West
Marc Ribot - Marc Ribot y Los Cubanos Postizos
Jimmy Smith & Wes Montgomery-Further Adventures of Jimmy and Wes
Charles Mingus - The Black Saint & The Sinner Lady
Dino Saluzzi - Once Upon A Time - Far Away In The South
Charlie Haden, John McLaughlin & Mahalakshmi - My Goal’s Beyond
Herb Ellis & Joe Pass - Two for the Road
Gateway - Homecoming
and remember, “He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man.”
March 18th, 2008 at 10:26 am
Thanks Jon. I just returned my SE110 so will go try the 210s. I do have some of the issues your brought up as possible deal breakers but I seems that by some of these comments and your reviews/observations that there is probably not a sophisticated earbud set out there that is going to give you EVERYTHING you want, style, sound, function and price, so I, like you, will try the 210s and give them ( and myself) a few weeks.
March 18th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
Awesome review. I’m debating on another pair of buds for my new ipod, i have some over the ear nikes that work great for running at the gym, though.
March 19th, 2008 at 6:53 am
My husband is on his 3rd pair of the $100 range Shure headphones. He loves them, but each & every pair craps out at roughly the 12 month mark. Fortunately, they are under warranty, and Shure continues to replace them without a problem or hassle. I recommend you keep an eye on the delivery-quality of yours as the warranty end draws near!
March 19th, 2008 at 9:23 am
has anyone here tried the ultimate ears super.fi pro 5 earphones? i’ve had it bookmarked in amazon.com for a while and am still waiting to justify the purchase. they’ve got 4 1/2 stars from 200 reviews, and a lot of people seem to like them more than shure.
anyone?
March 19th, 2008 at 9:58 am
Any chance you could post a photo of the whole get-up (iphone, Microphone adapter, headphones)? I ask only because I’m similarly shopping, but being in Canada, can’t actually go to a store to buy iPhone accessories..and this whole “mic as a plug-in” is mysterious to me. It makes me think it would be clunky and awkward, but maybe seeing it all together would make it make sense to me..
March 19th, 2008 at 10:34 am
Stv. - I found a diagram on the SHURE website when looking up the adapter Jon lists above. Go to this page:
http://www.shure.com/PersonalAudio/Products/Accessories/CasesAdapters/us_pa_MPA_phone_adapter
And check out the diagram in the ‘Features’ section on the lower half of the page. It shows how it all hooks together.
I am jealous of all the crazy hot headphones listed here. Alas, I am po’ and can only afford the poor man’s version - Sony MDR-EX71 earbuds. And only because I get an employee discount through my sweetie. Fortunately they are well rated for inexpensive headphones. But I am sure they don’t have the sweet noise-cancellation and sharp lows and highs of the super high quality ones listed here. *sigh*
March 21st, 2008 at 9:23 pm
Jon,
Thanks a lot for recommending these. I bought them on your recommendation, even though I’d had a bad experience with my last purchase (Etymotic).
The foam plugs make all the difference in the world, and provide a listening experience I didn’t know I could get with an iPod (and I’ve had one for like 3yrs).
Thanks again!
paul
March 23rd, 2008 at 11:49 am
I am a huge fan of Koss earbud plugs. Found here: http://tinyurl.com/2f7878
These little guys are on the cheap side (<$20), but they are excellent for use on the airplane and stay in while I’m running or working an eliptical machine. I seem to recall the package comes with 2 or 3 different sized plugs. I am certain that they do not have the high quality sound that Jon is going for here, but if you’d like something that blocks out ambient noise and doesn’t tire the ears, I think these are a good option.
I have two sets, one pair I purchased about 10 years ago that is still going strong, another pair I purchased 3 years ago that don’t seem quite as sturdy but have worked well.