Shure SE115 Earphones

Shure is a well recognized name in the hi-fi audio community, with over 80 years of experience in the audio industry. Headphones, in-ear monitors, microphones and headsets are the “bread-and-butter” products from Shure and they have a well established reputation as a high quality company in the world of audio.

We’ll focus today on their latest entry-level model, the Shure SE115 Earphones. With an MSRP of $119.99 they feature a 2nd Generation Dynamic driver, a detachable cable design and foam sleeves (ear tips) to provide ample sound isolation. Billed by Shure as delivering “warm and detailed sound”, let’s put these earphones to the test to see how they fare against other models in the $100 price range.

Design

The SE115 is the entry-level model in the Shure earphones lineup and replaces the SE110 model. The next model in the SE series, the SE210 earphones, have an MSRP of $179.99. The SE115 is the only model in the SE series which uses a dynamic driver – a second generation component called the MicroDriver II - while all other SE models use balanced armature driver. In this respect the SE115 is unique in the Shure lineup, and presumably this design was used to keep the cost of their entry-level product to a minimum.

They use an angled nozzle design, which is well suited for wearing them over-the-ear but not particularly suited for wearing them under-the-ear. The bulb-shaped housings are made of plastic and are lighter than many other earphone models made of heavier metallic materials.

The earphones come with a 3-foot cable extension, which attaches to the 18-inch cord on the earphones. The modular cable design is a nice feature, as it allows you to skip the extra cord clutter if you don’t need a long cable.

Specifications

• Driver type: Dynamic MicroSpeaker II
• Sensitivity (1mW): 105 dB SPL/mW
• Impedance (1kHz): 16
• Frequency Range: 22Hz – 17.5kHz
• Cable Length/with Extension: 18 in. / 45cm (54 in. / 136cm)

In the Box

The earphones came in red color (black, blue and pink colors also available) and the package included the following:

• SE115 earphones
• Fit Kit – Including sound isolating sleeves (S/M/L sizes), silicon tips (S/M/L sizes) and ear tip cleaning tool
• Extension cable
• Carrying case
• User Guide

Sound Quality Performance Testing

The sound quality performance evaluation of the Shure SE115 earphones was performed exclusively by listening to MP3s and FLAC music stored on my Sansa Fuze MP3 player. I listened to a number MP3s with bit rates of 128kbps and 320kbps, as well as lossless audio tracks in FLAC format. A wide selection of rock, jazz, alternative and hip-hop music was used in the evaluation.

My initial listening impressions of the SE115s revealed an overly warm sound signature. When Shure advertised the SE115s as “warm sounding” they sure weren’t kidding – these are probably the warmest sounding set of earphones I have ever heard. While this makes for a buttery smooth sounding mid-range, it takes away from the overall balance of the earphones. The rich sound is a welcome characteristic if you enjoy listening to jazz or any type of acoustic music, but does not match well with faster paced rock or hip-hop songs.

The 2nd generation driver in the SE115s is also billed as having “improved bass” over the previous models. I cannot attest to whether it has been improved, since I have not testing the SE110s, but the low-end of this set of earphones is definitely solid sounding. The low frequencies blend well with the mids and don’t distract from the vocals, which is a plus point in my book. Other earphones with bloated bass can sound muddy and sidetrack the vocals, and the low-end of the SE115s sounds quite nice in that respect. It does not have what I would describe as a huge amount of bass impact, however, and does not stand out as having tighter or punchier bass than other models in the $100 price range.

The soundstage of the SE115s was more than adequate, and this was a pleasant aspect of this set of IEMs. Instruments had good separation and blended well together, and did not impede on either male or female vocals.

The high frequencies are smooth and don’t come across as harsh sounding, which was also a pleasant surprise since these seemed to be targeted more toward bass enthusiasts. I would describe the high frequencies as laid back and not as forward sounding as other earphones. I did enjoy listening to jazz and some rock songs with the SE115s, but on many complex tracks I found that details and nuances were simply glossed over. The laid back sound signature doesn’t make for a “crisp” sound, and this is my biggest complaint of these earphones - my listening sessions were less enjoyable as I missed out on hearing many details from my favorite tunes.

After a period of burn-in and usage of over 25 hours, the sound signature of the SE115s stayed more-or-less the same. I still enjoyed music listening with these earphones for some specific types of music, but overall I did not get the same level of involvement when listening to most of my favorite tracks. Their strong tendency toward warm, rich sound without much detail just does not give them the same level of versatility as other earphones in their price range.

Comfort and Isoloation

Wearing the earphones over-the-ear results in a very comfortable fit, especially when using the foam sleeves (also known as "Olives"). During extended listening sessions of more than an hour, I did not notice any discomfort and could easily have worn them for another hour or two without any problems. Note that a fairly deep insertion is required to get the optimal sound, but this is not uncommon for IEMs.

Using the foam sleeves the sound isolation was above-average, and I consider this to be a strong point of the SE115s. It’s not every day that you find a pair of earphones that are comfortable to wear and also provide ample sound isolation – and the SE115s excel in this respect. As long as you are content to wear them over-the-ear exclusively, as the under-the-ear was very difficult to get a tight seal and still remain comfortable, these earphones will not disappoint.

Portability

These earphones are plenty light enough to carry around with you, and the included soft carrying case should keep them from getting scratched or dinged while traveling. Carrying them in my gym bag was easy, and my only complaint is that the thin cable gets easily tangled if you don’t take the time to wrap it properly before storing it in the travel pouch.

Cable / Cord Noise

The short 1.5 ft. cable is handy if you keep your MP3 player strapped to your arm. This technique nearly eliminates cord noise, although there is still a small amount of noise if you bump the cord or move it around. Using the 3 ft. extension cable allows you more options for using your MP3 player, and the additional cable length is a welcome addition to the accessory package. A cable slider is also included to help minimize cord noise.

Shure SE115 Noise Isolating Earphones

Overall, the Shure SE115s certainly have some strong points – most notably the impressive sound isolation and comfort – and they do not suffer from any glaring weaknesses. However, the overly warm sound makes them hard to recommend at their price point. If you limit your music listening to jazz, or any other genre that mates well with this particular sound signature – you would probably be happy with the SE115s.

My listening habits, and I suspect the listening habits of most people, demand a more versatile set of earphones. Suffice it to say that the competition level for earphones in the $100 price category is rough, and there are other choices which stand out above this set of earphones.

Pros: Comfortable fit and great isolation from outside sounds, mids are buttery smooth, modular cable design is handy.

Cons: Overly warm sound, pricey compared to other entry-level choices.

Rating: 3.0 out of 5