Shure SE215 PRO Wired Earbuds - Professional Sound Isolating Earphones, Clear Sound & Deep Bass, Single Dynamic MicroDriver, Secure Fit in Ear Monitor, Plus Carrying Case & Fit Kit - Clear (SE215-CL)

I purchased these corded earphones because I got frustrated with losing so many cordless buds. Also to eliminate another battery in my life.I performed the recommended break-in procedure before giving them a try. My very first impression was an unfamiliar harshness that nearly prompted me to send them back.Instead, I decided to perform some serious listening sessions, comparing them to two different higher end cordless buds. The more I listened, I became increasingly aware of the fact that my initial irritation was caused by the fact that I was hearing so much more detail in the soundtrack. More evidence that perhaps most of us are becoming used to muddied and bass heavy music.I'm not an audiophile so I can't describe that experience in technical terms. It's a bit like comparing the beauty of a night sky in or near a city with what we can see in an isolated wilderness; suddenly awestruck at the sheer quantity and clarity of stars in an unpolluted night sky.The cord is a bit of a pain after I got used to being freed from it but for me, it's worth the upgrade. Upgraded sound (my own biased opinion), downgraded cost and convenience.

So, I’m coming from the Apple EarPods, probably one generation back or something; they noise canceled and all of that. I didn’t want another pair of wireless headphones, because of the waves and it probably being bad for your brain or body. Who knows. I did a little research and read they may be really good for during fitness use. So far? They are killer. The foam like ear piece is more comfortable, I think. They give you two types and three sizes each. Don’t try to pull the foam one that comes on the earphone off, use the tool they include to remove it, I tore them both haha Luckily, it’s not the size I needed. They mold to your ear and fit like an ear plug- that may feel funny and take some time to get used to. The sound quality is great. Some funny Reddit boards suggested you have to break them in. They sound great now, so, they’ll probably be killer after ten hours of listening. I haven’t had to use this function yet, but the cord detaches in case you have to replace it. I ordered a connector for usb c and audio jacks to use it with a newer iPhone. Highly recommend so far :)

These earbuds may not be for everyone, and using them has some drawbacks, but after going through several sets of buds over the last few years I had some clear goals for my next set, and the Shure SE215 met those goals. Durabilty is my primary goal for this latest purchase, but only time will tell if these earbuds are durable. But that is how I became interested in the SE215, because I found it recommended on several Net review sites listing durable buds. They have a detachable cable, and the cable is probably where most earbuds eventually fail, although it isn't always clear where the failure occurs. Usually, I just hear that one side starts cutting out or goes dead completely. Unfortunately, replacement cables for these are as expensive as a cheap set of buds, but even with regular cable replacement, the cost of ownership of these buds may turn out to be less than frequently replacing cheaper sets.One thing that people may want to know about this product is that it was apparently designed as an in-ear monitor for musicians and not necessarily an earbud designed for use with an iPod or cell phone, although that is probably how most people use it. As such, it has several design characteristics that are different from most earbuds. There are no flashy colors or aggressive shapes. The cable is comparatively long, and it lacks the rubbery flexibility of other earbud cables. The base model also lacks in-line controls, although a model with inline controls is available at extra cost. I opted for the base model without inline controls and bought an aftermarket cable that has the controls. The combination is about the same cost as the one with inline controls but I get two cables instead of one.In use, the SE215 is the best sounding and most comfortable set of buds I have ever owned. Some people describe the sound as bass heavy, but I only found that to be the case if the sleeves are of the silicone flange variety and are very tight fitting. In my experience, these buds are best used with the compressible foam style of sleeves, and I am currently using the largest set of these that came with the set. The compressible foam sleeves tend to de-emphasize bass, as well as being more comfortable. With the foam sleeves, I would characterize the sound as balanced, but still with excellent bass. I have no doubt that a big part of the perceived sound quality of the SE215 is due to its sound isolating qualities. Without some degree of sound isolation, the listener simply won't hear a lot of detail and nuance in the sound. The best comparison I can make is that using the SE215 is close to the experience of using a good set of over the ear head phones. That is high praise, but over the ear head phones are also designed for sound isolation, hence the similarity. Because of the sound isolation and the detail that comes through in the music, the experience of using these buds is immersive and strangely addictive. Using the SE215 has become my favorite way of listening to music.These buds are also the most comfortable I have ever used, especially for long listening sessions. They don't fall out easily because of normal body movements like walking, and because of the over the ear cable routing, small tugs on the cable don't yank them out either. The downside is that getting the buds properly inserted and the cable properly routed is a fiddly and time consuming process. Because of the detachable connector, the cable rotates freely on the earbud and everything has to be held in just the right position to get them properly placed. Another small quibble is that the set does not come with a cable clip. I had to scavenge one from one of my dead earbud sets. This is an omission that should be rectified.It remains to be seen if I can list durability as Pro instead of a Con, but here is my Pro and Con summary of the SE215:Pros- Sound isolation and sound quality make for an immersive listening experience- Nice bass, but not too heavy as some others claim- Very comfortable for long listening sessions- Replaceable cable- Once properly placed, they tend to stay putCons- Price- Getting inline controls for portable devices is an additional cost- Fiddly earbud placement and cable routing- Stiff cable- Lack of a cable clip

I'm a worship guitarist for my local church and these are the best in ears I've gotten so far compared to an old cheap pair I got for 20bucks. I'd say this definitely a good investment if you're a musician or just starting out with playing and for experienced musicians this is a great backup pair. I am able to hear everything on the track and click and the the bud does a great job of cancelling loud sounds, although you'll still hear audio from the speakers bleed in a little bit. Its very portable and I kinda wish the case for it was bigger since I put all my adapters and picks into it and wrapping up the cord is a bit annoying. As all IEMs are the cords are never long enough so get an extender cable. As far for durability it is definitely made for frequent stage playing and travel and can break if you don't take care of them, if you take good care of you equipment these will last you, only issue is sometimes one of the buds can just stop working all together because of wiring but other than that they are very reliable. The color is amazing, it doesn't impact performance or anything, I personally bought clear ones because it was what my friend had. I honestly wish it was cheaper but in the musician world nothing is cheap so this is pretty worth the price. If you are just starting out I'd say to get these so that in the long term you wouldn't have to upgrade since these give really good quality audio, so much so I'd rather wear these than my air pods and other headphones. If you're on the fence about buying, just buy it trust me it is a great purchase.

Better than my AirPod pros by a mile