Opinion on Shure SE215s as an upgrade from my current modded Portapros?
I'm looking for some better headphones again, and got a model singled out, the Shure SE215s, which as far as InnerFidelity is concerned, looks to be a good entry-level IEM, plus it has detachable cables, which would be a nice future during the device's lifetime as I could put a nice aftermarket cable on them at some point, but what's you guys' opinion on the SE215s, both as far as SQ is concerned, both with the stock tips and with custom tips, such as tips made from cutting earplugs in two and impaling them down the middle, and as far as build quality is concerned?
Also looking into IEMs as opposed to closed-back circum-aural because of superior isolation when coupled with the right tips as you're basically wearing musical earplugs.
And as for the modded Portapros? I just transplanted the drivers into the UR40 enclosure to make them full-sized, an easy mod that improved both comfort and SQ.
Also looking into IEMs as opposed to closed-back circum-aural because of superior isolation when coupled with the right tips as you're basically wearing musical earplugs.
And as for the modded Portapros? I just transplanted the drivers into the UR40 enclosure to make them full-sized, an easy mod that improved both comfort and SQ.
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Hmmm Shure SE215 is pretty popular, but the MMCX connectors aren't what I exactly call durable.
Still a pretty good choice, but you can take a look at other options like the Audio Technica IM70
Still a pretty good choice, but you can take a look at other options like the Audio Technica IM70
Cables have no real effect on sound quality. That's been proven by blind testing over and over again.
The Shures are VERY widely liked. Do be aware that IEMs have their problems though - they really mess with how your ear cleans itself and you can end up with infections and wax blockages if you're a heavy user and/or unlucky. I ended up switching from my Etymotics to Sennheiser HD25-ii's for that reason - very light headphones with excellent sound quality and terrific isolation and extremely tough. You've probably seen DJs and TV news people in the field wearing them - they have a distinctive military-style adjustable split head band. Possibly worth checking out, otherwise the Shures would be a very good bet. The Senns would cost more, but they'd last indefinitely - they're notoriously impossible to kill, plus you can buy spares for any part of them and replace any part with a couple of minutes of fiddling. You also wouldn't need to keep buying new IEM tips. Tip quality is critical - the expensive Complys really are better - and you should change to new tips frequently if you don't want ear infections. Home-made tips can be very problematic - using the wrong tip has been known to break the stem on some models of IEM.
If you do opt for IEMs, understand that fit and tuning EQ to compensate for the shape of your inner is critical. Google "pink noise EQ". Your inner will have either one or two resonance frequencies and compensating for these - after you get a good ear fit - is the key to first rate sound. This matters for headphones as well, but not quite as much.
Oh - and be careful about IEMs with removeable cabes if you have curious pets around. If the IEMs detach and get lost on the floor they may get swallowed and the rare earths inside make them extremely poisonous.
Other than, if you like the sound of the Protapros, then both the Shures and Senns should sound like improved versions. So should Ety HF5s if you want another IEM choice. The Senns get an extra boost of you like rock though - they have a more or less neutral EQ balance but they're famous for giving well-defined bass notes, which is the biggest problem for rock headphones/IEMs - a lot of them give a slight "blur" to drum strikes which makes them less satisfying. The other obvious choice, if you didn't need isolation, would be SR60s - but you do, and they're open back, so they're out.
Oh - and the Senns are easy to drive. I run mine off a tiny Sansa Clip a lot of the time; they drain the battery a little faster than my HF5s did, but there's no problem getting enough volume.
The Shures are VERY widely liked. Do be aware that IEMs have their problems though - they really mess with how your ear cleans itself and you can end up with infections and wax blockages if you're a heavy user and/or unlucky. I ended up switching from my Etymotics to Sennheiser HD25-ii's for that reason - very light headphones with excellent sound quality and terrific isolation and extremely tough. You've probably seen DJs and TV news people in the field wearing them - they have a distinctive military-style adjustable split head band. Possibly worth checking out, otherwise the Shures would be a very good bet. The Senns would cost more, but they'd last indefinitely - they're notoriously impossible to kill, plus you can buy spares for any part of them and replace any part with a couple of minutes of fiddling. You also wouldn't need to keep buying new IEM tips. Tip quality is critical - the expensive Complys really are better - and you should change to new tips frequently if you don't want ear infections. Home-made tips can be very problematic - using the wrong tip has been known to break the stem on some models of IEM.
If you do opt for IEMs, understand that fit and tuning EQ to compensate for the shape of your inner is critical. Google "pink noise EQ". Your inner will have either one or two resonance frequencies and compensating for these - after you get a good ear fit - is the key to first rate sound. This matters for headphones as well, but not quite as much.
Oh - and be careful about IEMs with removeable cabes if you have curious pets around. If the IEMs detach and get lost on the floor they may get swallowed and the rare earths inside make them extremely poisonous.
Other than, if you like the sound of the Protapros, then both the Shures and Senns should sound like improved versions. So should Ety HF5s if you want another IEM choice. The Senns get an extra boost of you like rock though - they have a more or less neutral EQ balance but they're famous for giving well-defined bass notes, which is the biggest problem for rock headphones/IEMs - a lot of them give a slight "blur" to drum strikes which makes them less satisfying. The other obvious choice, if you didn't need isolation, would be SR60s - but you do, and they're open back, so they're out.
Oh - and the Senns are easy to drive. I run mine off a tiny Sansa Clip a lot of the time; they drain the battery a little faster than my HF5s did, but there's no problem getting enough volume.
It really varies with the exact model of IEM. Stems can be VERY weak - they're tiny tubes and not designed for strength, and if plugs don't fit tightly on them they're useless, so getting them on can involved quite a lot of friction. You probably need to ask on headphone/iem specific forum where you'll find a reasonable number of people with the exact model you care about. (Just be aware that a lot of people on eg head-fi are idiots and opinion there is "curated" according to ad spend by manufacturers..)
...Making your own tips isn't the sure fire win you may imagine. The best way I would was to freeze an earplug and then bore it out with a heated heavy needle, but sound quality really does turn out to be dependent on tip quality, and nothing I made ever sounded as good as comply tips.
...Making your own tips isn't the sure fire win you may imagine. The best way I would was to freeze an earplug and then bore it out with a heated heavy needle, but sound quality really does turn out to be dependent on tip quality, and nothing I made ever sounded as good as comply tips.
Made some bi-flange tips out of some PELTOR tri-flange earplugs by pretty much drilling a hole in them and removing the third flange for use on my current Bass Freqs, and the comfort and isolation improved tenfold, and the SQ improved slightly as well, I'm not expecting big improvements there because they're still a cheap $20 IEM, can't expect miracles out of DIY tips, get real here. Also, those biflanges are a bitch to slip onto the stem, but I've gotten them to slip on successfully. May get another set of said earplugs to make tri-flange tips out of.
I've had good luck with Comply tips. They have some super isolating ones - totally worth the money.