Customer Reviews

Shure Level Attenuator Listening Level Controller

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In the last couple of years, I have purchased four of these units. The attenuator works very well until the cord wears out right where it comes out of the base. The motion of normal use causes the cord to pull away from its connection inside, and one channel cannot be heard. It is quite disappointing.

Even at the lowest volume level, my Shure E4C earphones are too loud for me when I am listening to music in quiet environments. This level attenuator does an excellent job of decreasing the volume. No static is heard when adjusting the volume. Also, the volume between the two earphones remains balanced at even the lowest levels.

The instructions state that this is intended for use on airplanes only but I have not had any problems using this with my iPod nano.

it's a standard volume controller that's compatible with any headphone that uses the mini type jack for mp3 players;

it's light and made of plastic...doesn't feel cheap though;

works as advertised;

If you're a frequent flier, this is a must-have accessory for your Shure E-series canalphones. The output from the headset jack on major airlines is overpowered in order to drive the cheap headphones they give out, as well as to overcome the engine roar and cabin noise. Anyone who has plugged in their Shures or other high-quality canalphones to an airline seat knows that it cannot be set at a low enough level for comfortable listening, nor can it be finely tuned between volume steps... the Shure Level Attenuator has a thumbwheel volume control, is inexpensive, and should be with you every time you fly.

Bought this to use with my ipod when my wife and I listen together. I like the Shure in ear headphones and she likes the over-your ear type. This allows us to both be plugged in and I don't get too much volume from the in ear headphones by turning down the volume with this device independently.

Excellent sound quality compared to other attenuators I've used previously. As my Shure earphones produce such a loud sound, even with very little input (a sign of a good sound-isolating earphone in my opinion), an in-line volume control is a necessity. The complaint I have against Shure's volume control is its connector. As I use my earphones mostly with my smartphone, I always have the in-line microphone connected. The volume control does not pass-thru the audio input, so it must be connected above the microphone. The angle connector makes this very awkward, and although it is fairly light, it still puts a good deal of weight on the earphones.

Despite my complaint, it is still the best deal for the price in my opinion.

This device uses a rotary knob to control the volume, so you can fine tune it to get the exact volume you want. This is very useful if your audio source uses up and down buttons to control the volume (as opposed to a traditional knob). The curved shape makes it easy to hold, and you can make volume adjustments in low-light or dark environments through touch alone.

I bought an in-ear type earphone that was very sensitive and loud (since it's close enough to my eardrums). I used it with my laptop, and I had to turn the volume down to the lowest setting above silent. However, then I got lots of static and noise. With this volume control, I can turn up the laptop volume, then reduce the output after it gets out from the sound card. That way I can get a much better signal-to-noise ratio. I won't be listening to mouse movements anymore. :-)

This works much better than a Radio Shack one I got years before. That one would make static noise whenever I turned the knob and was hard to tune so it stays balanced. But this works without a hitch.

Only complaint is that the plastic piece is a bit bulky. But since I'm not lugging it around with a portable player, I'm just fine.

Nice plus is that you can use this as a right-angle plug converter, in case the earphone doesn't have a right-angle plug.

Even though the instructions say that the level attenuator is only for airline use, I use it with low-resistance headphones on my Mac and Nintendo DS. It works fine there; it lets me set the volume in the middle instead of on the very lowest notch possible.

I am not sure how durable the attenuator is; given my past experience with headphone volume controllers that look nearly the same, I would guess that you shouldn't be too hard on it. If you look at reviews of attenuators online, you may see that they can cause a loss of sound quality. I haven't noticed anything like that, but I am not a stereo aficionado, and I have kept the volume control in the middle, away from the highest reduction of volume.

I love this thing and it protects your ears.

Using many types of headphones, such as in-ear models, most players (e.g., iPhones) can't set the volume low enough and can be painfully loud to listen to in a quiet room.

The Shure attenuator, which works with any 3.5mm headphones (the standard size for portables), is exactly what I was looking for. After using it for several months, I wouldn't consider using any headphone without it.

As for reliability, mine has held up perfectly. No "crackling" when I adjust the volume and it seems well made. (If mine did happen to break, I'd buy another one the same day without a second thought.)

All in all, this is best attenuator outside of the high-end audiophile world that I've found.