Customer Reviews

Shure SE115-K Sound Isolating Earphones with Dynamic Microspeaker II (Black)

5 star:		(92)
4 star:		(51)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

I had two reasons for buying these headphones.

One was for working out in the gym. I couldn't stand listening to the same single CD that they just won't change and I wanted to block out the sound. I briefly considered getting the Bose noise-canceling headset but they were too expensive and too bulky for working out.

The other reason, similar to the above, is to block out all ambient noise when traveling on a plane with the migraine inducing cacophony of crying babies. What I used to do was put in good noise protection air plugs and put a headset over that just so that the ordeal of flying wasn't so horrific. Yes, the earplugs blocked out much of the music but I couldn't hear the interminable screaming babies or the overhead speakers. No matter what Bose claims, and some people believe, Bose headsets cannot reduce transient sounds (e.g. voices).

Finally, I never liked the iPod earphones. I find them to be uncomfortable and they don't keep out external noise. I know that they're designed *not* to keep out external noise so that you still hear the outside world.

This comes with a wide variety of ear buds and I wound up using the very smallest.

The sound quality of these earphones is fantastic. Between the sound blocking characteristics of the buds and the high quality of the sound, the external world blissfully ceases to exist. As the instructions state, you would never want to use these where you need to listen to warning sounds like car horns.

I didn't read any of the reviews before buying these earphones. I was in the Apple store buying a nano iPod and I grabbed the the Shure earphones because it said 'sound isolating'. It was somewhat of an impulse purchase.

After I brought them home, but before I opened the package (once opened, they can't be returned for health reasons), I checked out the reviews. Since the reviews were so glowing I decided to buy a set through Amazon for way less money than what I had paid at Apple.

I was amazed at how well the sound isolation works and the great sound quality. When I rip a CD, I set the bit rate to 320 kbps to preserve the sound quality.

Even when I set the volume to fairly low, I wind up talking way too loudly. Between the sound isolation and the music, it's difficult to gauge how loudly you're talking. I'm so glad that I didn't buy the Bose at over 4x the cost.

Where I work, sometimes people talk way too loudly. Now I put these in, play soft music and I don't have to suffer listening to all the sports talk anymore.

I love these earphones. I'm buying another for a close relative.

------- Oct 6, 09 update ------

I ordered and received another set. Ordered on Saturday, arrived on Monday (normal shipping rates).
I checked the price on Amazon today (Tuesday). It skyrocketed 60% from last weekend! I wish my 401(k) increased that much so quickly.

------- Oct 15, 09 update ----

Bought another set. I love these guys. If you use the sound-insulating earbuds (the foam types) and you insert them correctly (like hearing protection ear plugs) the sound quality improves dramatically and the outside world disappears (under normal sound conditions -- I wouldn't expect them to block out the noise of a jack-hammer).

I was in a waiting room with someone else listening to music at a fairly low volume. I was thinking about my software code in my head and I whispered (or, so I thought) to my friend, "I found a bug in my program". Her face turned somewhat red and everyone in the waiting room was smiling in a friendly manner. It turned out that I had screamed. While I was in my own little world, I wasn't able to gauge the volume of my voice.

On another note, I'm surprised that these things can deliver bass so well. While your body doesn't vibrate like being next to multiple 12" woofers, the bass is pleasantly deep.

Keep checking out the price on Amazon before buying. The price fluctuates between twenty and forty dollars every few days. The stock market and gas prices fluctuate far less.

--- Oct 28, 09 update ---

While walking on a major thoroughfare in a big city, the din from the trucks and the traffic was deafening. I put the ear phones with the foam sound insulating ear buds on with the volume set to low to medium. In this case, I was listening to Simon and Garfunkel, not exactly blasting music. Except for one motorino (scooter/moped), I heard literally no city traffic. I became far more relaxed.

--- Sept 13, 10 update ---

Still working, no problems. I use them now even more frequently. They're great for routine, boring jobs like mowing the lawn. The ear phones block out much of the noise from the machine and I can listen to music. Good luck trying to do that with using Apple's ear buds.

I have always been curious about Shure in-ear earphones, because I've heard a lot of good things about it. It was quite a risk buying this pair (the Shure SE 115) because it's quite new and the number of reviews are too few, however I still went ahead anyways because of my curiosity.

I'm used to hearing Sennheiser's phones (I owned HD 595, CX 500 and PX 100 headphones), so there are at least 2 things to consider when you read this review: I'm switching brand, and I'm switching phone type (mostly on-ear to in-ear).

Shure's SE115 has some good things going on about it (from my perspective). If you like bass, it delivers. But do note that the bass sounds a bit on the artificial side. Response is much better in the medium to low end of the frequency spectrum (special note to vocals, they sound more real, slightly warm, which is quite a good change to Sennheiser's rather crispy cold vocals). Due to more emphasis on the bass (which is what Shure is probably aiming for with this product), treble takes the back seat but it's still there. Plus, and this is important to me, since these are in-ear earphones I was expecting a more on-the-face experience (or in-ear, if you like), but the sound I got was a bit distant and muffled. This baffled me, because my PX100 and HD 595 manage to deliver on-your-face experience even though they are on-ears. Perhaps this is due to heavier bass (and Shure's foam tips and driver anatomy), but do note this when you're deciding to buy these phones. I would peg this more on preferences than good-or-bad-quality.

Let's move on to build and comfort. The build is of high quality and the provided accessories are complete, which is to be expected out of Shure (I've read reviews on their other models: thick and strong cables, pouch, spare foam tips, etc). In this department, SE 115 does not disappoint. In terms of comfort, I personally find myself hating the foam tips since they hurt the ear (I've used the smallest size and still they hurt and irritate my ear canals) but they do get the job done in isolating outside noise. So if you don't mind it, these do get the job done. I personally recommend the rubber tips instead. They're more comfortable, even though they don't completely block outside noise.

Do note the title of my review though, and it is true that this is a good first step for those thinking of changing their stock earphones with something better (welcome to the audiophile's world!). But do consider the following: if you're completely adamant in getting audiophile entry-level in-ear earphones and made by Shure, then you can't go no wrong (duh). But if you don't mind on-ear models, then go for Sennheiser's PX100. There are tons of good reviews here in Amazon on that model (700-plus reviews and an average of 4.5 stars, that's a safe bet). It's cheaper, and delivers high-quality audio hands down. If you're willing to shell out more cash, go for Sennheiser HD 595 (I got it from Amazon for around USD180) and I think it's damn cheap for something as excellent as those.

If you really want noise isolating, in-ear models then try Sennheiser's CX300 (I don't own them but I've listen to them), or if you have more cash to spend go for CX500 (which I also own). But do note that Sennheiser has a different audio characteristics. When it comes down to it, sometimes it's only a matter of preferences.

These are, assuming, you're in the USD100-200 price range.

So to sum it up:
- Strong bass, a little artificial
- Warm, rather realistic vocals
- Excellent low-to-medium response
- Excellent build quality
- Accessories provided are quite complete
- Foam tips vs. rubber tips (preferences)
- Slightly muffled overall sound (preferences)

Hope the review helps!

I rarely do review for lack of time, or just because I'm lazy. But after purchasing this headphone I felt compelled to write a review, and is not a good one. In a nutshell this is a sound isolating headphone. Not a musical appreciation headphone.

I have long used shure microphones and they are excellent. I was reluctant to purchase those "expensive" headphones once shure has no real history in the headphone industry ... perhaps for a good reason. I'm an audio buff. I love sound equipment and have purchased a number of headphones in my life, always looking for the next best thing, and I don't think this is it.

I also have to say that my unfavorable review is due to the sound quality. Most people don't care or can't see the difference in audio quality from poor to excellent. But I can hear the difference. For me a good sounding speaker or headphone has to be, well, good. My home headphone is a Sennheiser 600, and I have many other portable headphones like Sony, Etymotic, Ultimate Sound and Koss. Yes I'm a sound maniac, and I wanted to listen to the shure 115 due to the raving reviews and here is what I think of it:

The hardware
1 - (bad) The box is a pain to open. Others are not. But who cares, right?

2 - (good) they are good looking and well built.

3 - (excellent) they fit perfectly and comfortably. You may have to exchange the foam sleeves to fit you ear canal perfectly, and they do.

4 - (excellent) noise isolation is among the best in the ear headphones I have tested. I can say that it is close to 20db or more.

5 - (excellent) cables are sturdy (at least look like)

Now for the audio

6 - (excellent) Bass - Bass is good. Tight not too soft or loud as others say. It is not flat, it does color a bit, but I like it. In lame terms the headphones amplify the bass a little bit. If you listen to rock, pop, electronic, r&b and other bass full music this is good. If you listen to classic, cool jazz, new age and softer music this may not be good. Personal preference here.

7 - (poor) mid range. Sound is brittle, inexpressive, thin, dull and lack definition or sound stage. There is no real tonality to it. Sounds artificial, almost like those $2 dollar airline phones. Ok, not that bad but certainly is not a $70 midrange sound.

8 - (deficient) highs. They are just not there! For rock, pop, electronic, r&b and other less detailed music this may or may not be a problem, but for anything else it sounds horrible!

Conclusion: For a $70 buck headphone is just not worth it. If you are looking just into a sound isolating headphone OK if you want to spend that much, but if you want a musical appreciation headphone, forget it!

Moreover, the Sennheiser CX300 cost half the price and sounds MUCH better. Don't have the same sturdy construction neither the sound isolation but are way more pleasant to listen and work well to isolate noise. Low end Sony's too. Again flimsy construction, not as good sound isolation but the sound quality is way, way better than Shure 115.

Hope my two cents can save you a buck, or 70.

I've been very happy with these earphones. The sound quality has been good. The various ear cover options made it easy to find a comfortable fit. I thought running the cables over the tops of my ears might be annoying, but didn't find it so.

To top it off, I accidentally dropped them in the driveway (I thought I'd left them at work) and finally noticed them still lying there a couple of days later. After being left outside and my wife running over them a couple of times with her car, the earpieces had some dings from the concrete, but they still worked, with no noticeable loss of quality. Much better built than the brand they replaced.

got these as replacements for previous set that ended up with broken wire at plug (shure e2c). sound quality and sound isolation is good. my last set lasted over a year of substantial and hard use (7,000 miles cross country motorcycle trip and 8 - 10 hours a day at a welding bench). wasn't aware of the 2 year warranty so tried to fix the originals myself unsuccessfully.
had i not done this, shure would have repaired/replaced them. would definately prefer a single connection rather than the double that this set uses, otherwise it would have got 5 stars. good value for the dollars spent.

I had Shure E2Cs that I loved but the wire broke on one side. I figured, same brand same price range - can't go wrong. WRONG. The cable is separated into a flimsy cord (separated by earbud) and then a connection to another 3' cord. Connecting the 12" (yes that small) cord to the iPod worked well but as soon as I connected the extension, only one earbud worked. When they work, the sound is not bad, although the E2Cs were better. Did I mention the flimsy cords to the earbuds....why mess with a good thing Shure? They were returned.

This is my second pair of Shure's. They sound great for a few months, but eventually, the cord of the headphones gets frayed, the insulation comes off for about 2mm of the cord, and then the audio stops working completely. Very frustrating. I wish I could return these headphones, but I'm past the 2 month warranty.

I'm no audiophile, but I got my headphones yesterday and holy s**t! I had no idea what I was missing with my iPod headphones. I'm able to reduce the volume on my iPod by over 50% during my commute on the train, and I now get about twice the depth and nuance from the music. The noise-canceling is great - these block out my noisy boss on conference calls on the other side of the wall. I haven't worked out with these yet but they seem to stay in place really well so far.

I love, love, love these and will recommend to everyone! Totally worth the price.

I've been very happy with these earphones. The sound quality has been good. The various ear cover options included in the package made it easy to find a comfortable fit. I thought running the cables over the tops of my ears might be annoying, but didn't find it so.

To top it off, I accidentally dropped them in the driveway (I thought I'd left them at work) and finally noticed them still lying there a couple of days later. After being left outside and my wife running over them a couple of times with her car, the earpieces had some dings from the concrete, but they still worked, with no noticeable loss of quality. Much better built than the brand they replaced.

I really hate earbuds (a la iPod headphones), cheap sound quality, and poor design and construction, so I was looking for a good brand and model. I ordered these because they seemed to be what I was looking for, and sure enough these are it! It comes with a lot of different sleeves, I found the small bullet shaped ones to work the best. The cable is really thick, just what I like. It seems really short at first glace, but it comes with a cable extender thankfully. The only thing I question is that the cable jack is in 2 parts (one for each ear piece) instead of one, like I always see. Not quite sure why, but I'm sure that Shure knows what they're doing.

As for sound isolation, it's SUPERB. I've used sound isolating earphones before, but not like these. For the most part I can't hear ambient noise, and If it's loud or close to me I put the music at a low volume and the ambient noise is gone! A lot of people tend to be talking about "how" you fit them in your ear. When standing or walking, I put them in my ear upside down, fit it in, then wrap the cable around my ear, that works best. When sitting, I prefer to put them on normally.

The sound quality is GREAT, I'm hearing a lot of sounds I couldn't hear with any earphones I had previously used, especially since I listen to a lot of synthesizer stuff (RUSH, Pink Floyd) or even some stuff with Disturbed. What I LOVE about these is, I can hear the drums the whole way through, yeah! The bass is always present and rich, just how I like it.

The only con I've had is that some people I know don't like how it fits in their ear, but WHO CARES right? It fits perfectly in my ear, not uncomfortable at all, in fact sometimes I forget I'm wearing them.

If you're tight on money like me but hate cheap sound quality, go with these! I feel like this was an investment, as I'd probably spend more money buying replacements all the time, (20-ish dollar sony brands, which aren't bad actually) and I feel safe with the 2 year warranty.