Customer Reviews

Shure PA910M Replacement Black Foam Sleeves (Medium) for Shure SE210, SE310, SE420, SE530 and SE530PTH Earphones

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've owned the e2, e3, e4, and now e500, and I've experienced all of the Shure sleeves that have come with each set of earphones. I finally got ahold of these new black foamies, and I have to say, they're very good. Previously, I split time between the clear flex PVC and the yellow foamies. I thought that they both had their pros and cons (PVC had a "truer" sound to them, but the yellow foamies were best all around in terms of isolation, sound quality, and comfort). These black foamies aren't without drawbacks, but they've still taken over as my sleeve of choice.

The reasons are: superior isolation, superb comfort, and the fact that they don't lose their ability to expand after only two weeks, which was the case with the old yellow foamies. These black foamies are also deemed to be washable by Shure, while the yellows would basically get dirty, lose their expandability, and become useless in a few weeks' time.

If I were rating the sleeves, it would go like this (1 worst, 10 being the best):

Sound Quality
Black foamies: 8.5
Yellow foamies: 9
Clear flex PVC: 9.5
Black rubber flex: 6.5

Isolation
Black foamies: 9
Yellow foamies: 8
Clear flex PVC: 8.5
Black rubber flex: 6

Comfort
Black foamies: 9
Yellow foamies: 8
Clear flex PVC: 7
Black rubber flex: 7.5

Believe it or not, the sound quality and presentation can vary quite a bit by switching sleeves. I'm not rating the triple-flange sleeve because I could never get comfortable with jamming it so far into my ear, even with it cut down to bi-flange.

The black foamies present the best balance of the three categories. Bass impact is probably most prevalent in them, but the treble does seem to get veiled somewhat, compared to the yellow foamies and clear PVC. The bass and midrange quality and detail is very comparable to the yellow foamies, and the extra isolation is an added bonus for us subway riders. I've worn these for 6 hours at a time and never had problems with them, unlike the yellows which would make my ear itch occasionally, or the PVC which could get uncomfortable.

Overall, it seems like Shure did their homework on these- a solid 4 star effort. Please be aware that not only does sleeve selection affect sound, but also ear canal and size may be a factor too. I'm sure that the earphone that you use these with will also play a part in different perceptions in sound quality, whether it be a Shure model other than the e500 or other earphones like the UM2, Etymotic ER-4, etc. What works best for me may not work best for you, but I've given my experiences with the other sleeves so that you can hopefully make a better-informed decision.

I own $400 earphones, so I have to (and obviously do) take this stuff seriously, right?

I have spent more time than most would care to believe testing out the various sleeves available to my Shure SE310's, and have come to the following conclusions...

To get the most out of your earbuds, one need consider two factors of EQUAL IMPORTANCE:

1) How far the actual sound driver on the earbud (not just the sleeve) is into your ear canal

2) How tight the seal is within your ear canal

As most tend to discuss the latter of these two factors, I would first like to emphasize the following pertaining to the former...

If the seal is tight, but your buds are sticking out of your ears because the sleeves are so big(thus lacking in factor #1), then the sound which that tight seal keeps within your ear canal will be somewhat negated by the extra distance between the sound driver and your eardrum.

On the other hand, if you choose some smaller sleeves, and manage to get the earbuds in so far that they almost disappear entirely, you will somewhat inevitably be lacking in factor #2, i.e., an adequate seal, because if they are going that far into your ear canal they are probably not large enough to tightly create a seal.

With that said, the trick as I see it is this...

You need to find sleeves which provide a BALANCE BETWEEN THESE TWO FACTORS. Namely, a tight seal, but not so tight as to force the earbuds to push themselves out after the foam has expanded.

Also, one must understand that the best sound will probably not come from the most comfortable sleeves that you choose.

In my experience, I have gotten the most pleasing results with the absolute LEAST comfortable of the sleeves I have tried (large foam)- while the medium foam felt better, the seal I get with the more uncomfortable, and larger foam sleeves, was unquestionably the best.

ONE MORE THING.

These foam buds must be replaced FREQUENTLY in order to maintain an adequate degree of sound quality.

One will notice that over time, they tend to soften up, in a way which makes them almost feel as if the density of the foam has deteriorated.

What seems to happen, is that they break down some what from the constant scrunching and expanding, and over time they will just be like two little flaccid sponges, incapable of functioning correctly.

I spend about four hours a day listening to my earbuds, and I would say that I change them out about every three weeks more or less.

If you can't deal with this then go with the rubber sleeves. They work quite well and are of much less trouble to maintain.

Just my two cents.

Hope that helps and good luck!

I'd been an adherent to the Shure yellow foams with my Shure E3Cs headphones, and just have been trying the new black foams for the last two days.

The appearance is less gaudy, both from less obtrusive color black and somewhat smaller size.

The sound seems to me identical, perhaps a touch less sound isolation from less secure contact at the tapered edges of the black foams. The black foam puffed up more quickly than the yellow, allowing less time to position them all the way in, slightly less convenient.

As I indicated just above, the grip of the black foams seems less secure, although still adequate, with the new tapered geometry - the cylindrical shape for the yellow ones has a bigger radius on the edge further in the ear, with the associated downside of the yellow ones being a little rougher on my ears with their firm grip. And the blacks seem softer in general.

[added 3 weeks later] I've opted for vanity and subdued appearance over secure fit, and use the new black ones, even though I've given them a lower rating. Indeed the grip and sound isolation of the softer black foams is less, but dignity counts for something.

The Shure E3C earphones come with a "fit kit" that includes yellow foams, three sizes of gray flexible rubber buds, and three sizes of clear, less flexible rubber buds.

The yellow foams made the best seal, but had a rough outer surface that irritated my ears after a while.
The flexible gray rubber buds were too flexible to make a good seal, and kept falling out.
The less-flexible clear buds made an okay seal, but were very uncomfrotable for extended listening.

These black foams ship with higher-end earphones, but fit a wide variety of Shure earphone models (including the E3C). The results?

*Night and day.*

I've never enjoyed these earphones as much as I have for the last 2 days. The black tapered foams make a great seal, and are comfortable enough for a few hours of listening at a time. They're easy to get in, stay in my ears well, and don't slip off the earphones easily (no more groping like a fool for a rubber bud crammed down my ear canal).

If they were half the price, they'd be a 5-star product easily. Apple retail stores often stock these, by the way, so there's no need to pay [...] outrageous shipping charges.

I ordered this Sleeve for my Shure SE530. And let me tell you, what a difference. The sound is much better and the lows are very clean and accurate with this sleeve. Reduce the outside noise a lot so you don't have to listen to your music or videos at high volume. Fits very well and it's very comfortable.

A very good review of the shure plugs by boofer. I agree on all
boofer's ratings expect that the sound quality of these black ones is as
good as the yellow ones. But like he/she mentioned, the size is as important
too. For me, the medium ones fit very well. I have a stock of both these
foam ones. I use the yellow ones majority of the time - inside my office.
For my serious music listening hours, I switch to the black ones.

These replacement ear buds were high quality, like the originals that came with the product. I recommend replacing the ear buds at least once every couple of months or so in order to maintain the softness of the material (for comfort) and elasticity of the material (for conformity). In other words, when you keep fresh ear buds attached to your headphones, they fit better and feel better. I am very satisfied with this product.

The replacement pack of foam sleeves is like Goldilocks & the 3 Bears: "just right". They were easy to replace the original ones, and now the headphones are as good as new.

This came in Shure branded packaging. The package contained 5 pairs of medium Black Foam Sleeves as expected.

I tried the larger black foam sleeves while I waited for the medium. They were just too large for me. I looked at the small foam sleeves I have from my original 210 order, but I figured they'd be too small since I'm used to the medium.

I wear the mediums most of the day every day. I use them to block sound at work when concentrating and play podcasts when I'm out and about.

All good.

I have the SE530. This is the first time I purchased the foam sleeves. They make a terrific difference to the sound quality when new and just give you that feeling of not taking off the in-earphones. A big BUT is, if you are a heavy runner like me ( and I only use my SHURE indoor in the gym) then you do feel let down once you start to sweat and the foam sleeves get moist.
Over a period of time they loosen up quickly and you soon start to make out the difference in sound. I have only preferred the foam sleeves so have no experience with the other sleeves in the pack.
A good buy overall, my only grouse is with moisture they lose their firmness and get worn out pretty quick
.