Shure E500PTH Sound Isolating Earphones

by Shure

Product Details

• Item Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000FTHDOW
• Item model number: E500PTH
• Batteries: 1 AAA batteries required. (included)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: November 19, 2006

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

From the Manufacturer Evolved from personal monitor technology road-tested by pro musicians and fine-tuned by Shure engineers, the E500PTH offers unparalleled acoustic accuracy. Triple Hi-Definition Drivers—one tweeter and two woofers—deliver precision highs and the richest lows, for an auditory experience rivaled only by live performances. Included sound isolating sleeves block over 90 percent of ambient noise. Combined with a low-profile ergonomic design and modular cable options, interruptions from the outside world are minimized—so you can focus on your passion. And on occasions when you must tear yourself away from the music, the included Push-To-Hear Control activates a VoicePort(TM) microphone, allowing conversation without removing your earphones. Designed for the audiophile, E500PTH earphones are ideal for a premium listening experience either at home or on the go.

Triple Hi-Definition Drivers

Optimized for listening to high-quality recordings, as well as lossless formats, the E500PTH utilizes three hi-definition mini-speakers—one tweeter and two woofers. Additionally, integrated passive crossovers ensure that high and low frequencies remain distinct and defined. The result is an incredibly wide and detailed soundstage, distinguished by precision highs and tight low end. This innovative triple driver configuration is first in class for universal fit sound-isolating earphones.

Push-To-Hear Control

A first for sound isolating earphones, the detachable Push-To-Hear Control allows you to activate the VoicePort microphone and adjust levels of external sound for clarity—ideal for brief conversations without removing your earphones. The switch allows you to conveniently alternate between your music and your connection to the outside world.

Similar to the microphones used in Shure QuietSpot® cellular headsets, the VoicePort microphone is tuned to pick up the human voice for maximum intelligibility. Included with the E500PTH and available as an optional accessory for all Shure E Series models, the PTH control switch is also compatible with other brands of earphones.

Sound Isolating Sleeves

The role of the included sound isolating sleeves is twofold: blocking ambient noise and ensuring customized fit and comfort. Because every ear is different, the Premium Accessories Kit includes three sizes (S, M, L) of the Flex and Clear Flex Sleeves as well as one universal-fit pair of Foam and Triple Flange Sleeves. Experiment with the size and style that creates the best fit for you—a good seal is key to optimizing sound isolation and bass response as well as maximizing comfort during extended wear.

Modular Cable Options

Based on extensive user feedback, Shure engineers developed a detachable cable solution to enable unmatched personal customization. Two cables—9-inch and 3-foot—are included, allowing you to tailor your experience depending on activity and application.

Premium Accessories Kit

In addition to the sound isolating sleeves and modular cable options, accessories include:

¼" Adapter - Offers a solution for home stereos or other applications with ¼" jacks

Carrying Case - Provides a convenient, tangle-free solution to store your earphones

Level Attenuator - Allows for comfortable listening from any high-output audio source, such as airplane armrests

Product Description

The Shure E500PTH offers unparalleled acoustic accuracy. Triple Hi-Definition Drivers -- one tweeter and two woofers -- deliver precision highs and the richest lows for an auditory experience rivaled only by live performances. Encased in a low-profile ergonomic design that’s both functional and sleek, the Triple Hi-Definition Drivers deliver unparalleled acoustic accuracy that is free of outside noise. The E500PTH also comes with an industry first for sound isolating earphones, PTH. PTH allows you to activate the VoicePort(tm) microphone and adjust levels of external sound for clarity – enabling conversation without removing your earphones. Shure makes audio equipment - microphones, earphones, mixers, etc. that are used by professional musicians the world over. Shure knows sound. If your music is important to you, you want earphones engineered with the same kind of technology that your favorite divas and bands use to be sure they can hear themselves during a performance. That's Shure's "Sound Isolating" technology. Rather than introducing external elements to block out ambient sound (as noise cancelling earphones do), the Shure system creates a sealed environment that keeps noise out, without covering it up by injecting noise-cancelling artifacts that can interfere with your music. You'll hear details in your music you never heard before. The E500PTH includes an extensive premium accessories kit that offers a variety of fit and cable options that provide unmatched personal customization. The kit includes 1 pair disposable Foam Sleeves, 3 Pairs (S, M, L) of each of the reusable Flex Sleeves and Soft Flex Sleeves, 1 pair reusable Triple Flange Sleeves, 9" and 3 ft. Modular Cable Options, 1/4" adapter, volume control and zippered carrying case.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

62 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shure E500PTH - Pricey but AMAZING!, July 24, 2006

By 

D. Schmidt "-- Tech geek & Gadget shopaholic" (Cold Spring Harbor, New York United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shure E500PTH Sound Isolating Earphones (Electronics)

I purchased the E500PTH headphones almost on a whim at an airport store in New York's JFK called Altitunes on July 23, 2006. I got them for [$499.00] (even though I thought I could get them cheaper at Amazon.com, I still bought them).

The packaging is impressive -- an aluminum box with all the sleeves, adapters, PTH device, and headphones + cool elliptical shaped case that can fit in your hand. It was very hard to see how these could cost [$499.00] when I opened the box up...until I used them with my iPod Video (5G). I was able to hear a broader range of sound on the same old songs that I listen to all the time. My music was brand new again! I could hear all the different instruments nearly isolated and clear as a bell, guitar rythms I've never really picked out before, guitar pick movements, and yes, recording and artist imperfections. WOW, it was amazing!

How they fit: The fit of these earphones are excellent. The buds are designed to fit snugly in your ears, and is NOT uncomfortable even over long periods of time (I could barely tell they were in my ears once they were fit). The wire wraps over the top front of your ear and then hides behind your ear, and they fit and LOOK flush with your head and ears. Truthfully, I've never had headphones that fit and looked this great that I could wear for hours at a time. (P.S. I was a big Bose Quiet Comfort 2 [$299.00] fan for a long time for the noise cancelling effect mostly, but the sound range does not even compare to the E500PTH).

The PTH mechanism: It stands for Push To Hear, and is basically a AAA-battery powered microphone that turns on when you slide the dial forward. It can be removed from your headphone configuration completely, but if you want to talk to somebody, you'll have to keep taking the earbud(s) out, and that is not fun, because once you've found the perfect fit, you really don't want to mess with them.

Buy these, if you have the $. You really do get what you pay for... Great product by Shure.

69 of 78 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE ULTIMATE E500 REVIEW - Shure E500PTH vs E4c, November 19, 2006

By 

Muhammad Miguel Ali Hasan "Film Director & Po... (Sunset Beach, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shure E500PTH Sound Isolating Earphones (Electronics)

These 'phones ROCK!!!!!!

I previously owned a pair of the Shure E4c's --- before that, I went in between Bose QC2's, Bang & Olafson A8's, and Sony MDRNC50's

First off, I prefer my ShureBuds over the Sony MDR, Bang & Olafson A8, and DEFINITELY over the Bose QC2 & QC3 ---- so if you're looking for confirmation that ShureBuds are better than the others mentioned, then you can confirm it with me now - they are

With that said, I'm going to focus this review on a comparison between the E500's vs the E4c's ---- I'll address the other headphones a little more towards the end

I don't use headphones while exercising --- I do a lot of writing, and most of my writing happens on a laptop in coffeeshops and cafes --- thus, I usually wear my headphones while writing, so that I can listen to my tunes and drown out the outside noises ---- I also do a TON of travelling, as I'm taking airplane rides every 2 to 3 weeks, so 'phones are real important here ---- with that said, I need my headphones to be portable, of excellent sound quality, able to block out outside noises, and also flexible enough to allow me to hear the 'outside' world when needed

Okay, my reasons for preferring the E500's over the E4c's

1. SOUND ---- of course, sound should be the TOP factor of any, and it is in this case --- the sound quality of the E500's is definitely superior and that is mostly because the fidelty is of a higher quality than the E4c's and the bass is more prevalent (but not overly prevalent) --- many headphones (particularly Bose ones) put the bass way too loud in order to compensate for lousy fidelty --- this is where SHURE buds shine, because they don't max out the bass, and instead, give the fidely enough richness to get the song by at its truest quality ---- however, the E4c's in some ways seem to have too little bass, which causes many of the songs to come out too scratchy, with crisp treble but not enough bass ---- with that said, the E500's strike an excellent balance of appropriate bass, with excellent fidelty and treble ---- aside from the increase in bass though, the regular fidelty is of a much higher quality within the E500's --- don't get me wrong ---- the E4c's are great, but there is a big difference in sound quality with the E500's

2. COMFORT ---- I am huge on comfort --- while I don't mind the E4c's fit, I could always tell that there was a bud in my ears, no matter what tip-ending I would place upon the buds ---- in addition, I found that the E4c's commonly slipped out of my ears, again, no matter the tip-ending ---- the E500's, on the other hand, are shaped much differently than the E4c's and it is a wonderful change!!! The E500's are a much more comfortable fit, often making me feel that there really isn't anything in my ear --- in addition, they never slip out of my ear (depending on the bud tip that you use) --- so the fit and the comfort here is much better

3. SEAL ---- the seal is the buds ability to stay in one's ear, creating a noise seal, not allowing outside sounds to come in, for the purpose of keeping the music good ---- the seal of the E500 is much better than the E4c's, again, because of the comfort ---- the E500's fit much better upon a person's ear and stay there, without one having to stick the buds deep inside one's ear ---- in addition, creating a seal with the E500 is very easy --- I've been taking them on and off with ease, without worrying about getting another good seal, unlike the E4c's, which I dreaded having to take off and often spent too much time finding a good seal with

4. PUSH TO HEAR FEATURE ---- I LOVE THIS FEATURE --- a lot of people are complaining about it, but I think its great! ----- the 'phones come with a plastic 'thingy' that, when turned on, reduce the sound of the headphones and instead microphone the sounds taking place outside of your headphones --- so for example, a person coming to talk to you will now be heard, as if, they are talking into a microphone near your headphones, allowing you to respond from there --- overall, this feature allows one to keep the buds in your ears, and turn the music off with ease, in order to hear what's going around you --- I think its a terrific feature overall

5. ACCESSORIES ---- I love the accessories and the flexibilities of these headphones --- you can detach the 'buds from the PTH microphone, and hook them up directly to one's iPod ---- or you can add a cord lengthener, etc ---- my fav accessory is a cord base that allows for one to increase the volume of the buds, without having to touch the iPod controls ---- in addition, all cord accessories are gold plated, keeping the sound solid all around --- lastly, the 'phones come with a great carry case, that keeps everything together in a small package

OTHER HEADPHONES -----

As mentioned above, I prefer the Shure E500PTH over the Bose QC2, Bose QC3, Sony MDRNC50, and the Bang & Olafson A8

I find that the Bose QC2 and Bose QC3 pump up the bass WAY TOO MUCH, not allowing for the song's true fidelty to come through

I actually like the SONYMDRNC50's a lot, especially the 'monitor' button that acts a lot like the Shure's PTH features ---- however, I find the Shure buds to have a superior sound quality over the Sony MDR's and I also prefer the smaller size

Lastly, the Bang & Olafson A8's are a GREAT pair of headphones, but they do not provide any kind of seal within one's ear --- it comprimeses the sound for me too much, in this case, however they are a great set of 'phones

PRICE -----

Price is a BIG factor --- yeah, it seems ridiculous to purchase headphones that cost more than an iPod, but if sound is important and you can afford the costs, then I DEFINITELY recommend splurging on the good sound

If you have the budget to purchase the E4c's, then I say pony up the extra money to go with the E500's ---- the phones are of excellent build, can take a lot of abuse and will last forever --- splurge now and be happy for years! Unlike computers, headphone technology is not updated constantly --- thus, these headphones can be used for a loooooooong time!!!

CONCLUSION ----

I think the E500's are an excellent purchase ---- I'm big on sound and I'll be attaching these suckers to my hip, ready to listen to my iPod at any time --- if you got the budget and tunes are important, then these are YOUR 'phones!!!

HAPPY BUYING ---- may peace and love be upon you all!!!!!

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How much do you LOVE music?, February 28, 2007

By 

Patrick Foster "Pat" (Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shure E500PTH Sound Isolating Earphones (Electronics)

Well people, you're looking at $500.00 in ear monitors ("IEM"). Either you are rich, or you really, REALLY appreciate high quality audio.
First things first, DO NOT BUY THESE IF YOU LISTEN TO 128 ENCODED MUSIC!!!! I cannot stress enough how "not worth it" these will be if you're going to listen to audio that has been compressed to 1/8 its original size. If you want to listen to 128k stuff (the bitrate music sold on itunes is encoded at) then save yourself $400 and get a pair of $99 IEMs, like the Etymotic ER6, or the Sure E3g. With the entry level IEMs you will notice a HUGE difference over the ear buds that came with your ipod AND, more importantly, you can spend the extra cash on something you will appreciate.
I would not call myself an audiophile, but I spend a disgusting amount of money on audio equipment. I feel I am able to discriminate between what is good and what is crap. These IEMs are top of the line. I've owned the Etymotic ER-4p; I've owned the Sure E5c; I've owned the Sennheiser HD 650. I feel that these IEMs are best described as a "blend" of best features of each of the above-listed headphones. The E500s can compete with (or beat) all of the phones I've owned in the past in almost every category (sound, ergonomics, portability, comfort). They have accuracy and detail that is right on par the Ety's. This is saying a lot given the fact that the Ety's are "Reference" phones. The Ety's are used by sound engineers and professional musicians BECAUSE THEY ARE SO ACCURATE. So, in my opinion the E500s are VERY ACCURATE. The E500s are more balanced and natural sounding than the E5c, which, in my opinion, are a little muddy in the low end. The E500s are as comfortable and, for what it's worth, look better than the E5c. Finally, the E500s can also compete with the 650's in sound reproduction, and given the 500's considerable size advantage, I'll grab the Shures over the Senn's if I'm going anywhere outside my home.
Ok, so right now I'm listening to Norah Jone's new album "Not Too Late." I imported the album in "Apple Lossless," which brought most of the songs in at 690-750kps, and each track weighed in at about 25mb. Given the high resolution audio, I also send the bits through a SoundBlaster ZS Notebook card, which really makes a difference through the E500s. All I can say about this setup is "WOW." I'm truly amazed at the detail, ambience, and presence of the recording. I've listed to the album about 10 times in the week and a half that I've had the E500s (I'm a law student, so I have a ton of time to sit and listen to music while I read) each time I've noticed something new, some little detail that I didn't hear before. This is because the E500s bring out EVERYTHING in the recording. I've also listened to some of the stuff my girlfriend bought off of itunes at 128k, and I must say the difference in sound is like going from tape to CD I think (I've never compared the two b/c I don't own tapes, but I know the resolution difference is similar). The details at 128 aren't there, and, frankly, neither is the depth or ambiance. Which brings me to the point of this review, these IEM's should come with a disclaimer discouraging purchase by anyone who plans to use them to listen to music encoded at less than 256k. You WILL notice a difference, whether you're a casual listener (with a lot of money) or a discriminating audiophile. Of course, if you're in the latter group, you already know this and you wouldn't buy $500 IEMs in order to listen to crap-quality audio. So, if you REALLY love music, and you want to hear ALL THE MUSIC that your favorite artist put onto your favorite CD, buy these and listen to the music at a high (preferably lossless) bitrate. I guarantee you will not be disappointed.