Shure SE215 PRO Wired Earbuds, Professional Sound Isolating Earphones with Clear Sound and Deep Bass, Single Dynamic MicroDriver, Secure In-Ear Design, Includes Carrying Case and Ear Tip Kit, Clear (SE215-CL)

I purchased these IEM's and after reading lots of reviews I wanted to state the following: all earbuds with dynamic drivers need some break in time, please believe this. If you think that they will sound the same right out of the box, as opposed to after you listen to them for many hours, you are wrong in that assumption. I own several pairs and purchased these for their boost in bass response over the less expensive Shure model. I listened to them out of the box and then after every ten hours of break in. You can use white noise CD's or the like but here's what has worked for me breaking in 4 to 5 pairs in the past 6 months. Get yourself an adapter plug and plug your IEM's into your receiver or your boombox or your radio. Put them on and raise the sound level to where they are comfortable then take them off and crank it up to where you can hear them while you're holding them in your hand. Play talk radio for 10 hours, rock music for 10 hours, classical music for 10 hours and after every 10 hour session listen to the IEM's. The difference with the SE215's after 30 hours was striking, no sibilance, the midrange and the lows were so much clearer and deeper. After another 30 hours I can honestly say that for 100 bucks these buds are definitely worth it. Now having said that, I also have to state that a pair of Monster N-Lites that I paid 60 bucks for after 20 hours of break in sounded almost as good as the Shure SE215-K's I purchased. What's my point? There are a lot of really good earbuds in the 50 to 100 dollar range. the Shures are excellent and I use them at home for their superior bass and I use the N-Lites for the gym and running. I own and highly recommend the RHA-MA750's, the HiFiMan's for 99 bucks, the Klipsh Image S-4's and the Monster Turbos that I paid 100 bucks for. I am a bit of a fanatic when it comes to my music and just like speakers I find that headphones and IEM's all seem to have sonic signatures all their own. The SE215's are a superior product, with a 2 year warranty, replaceable cords and once broken in, sound quality above the purchase price. When I listen to my laptop through my Dragonfly DAC and the Shure SE215's I am one happy camper. Folks, I can be more technical and try to impress you with terms that make me sound like the audiophile I am but what's the point of that? These are for 100 dollars worth every cent. After break in I had to turn the volume down even lower and was amazed at how well these IEM's performed and gave that sense of being outside of my head. Audio is very subjective, what one person hears another may not, that's why I listen through differing pairs. That and the fact that I'm a bit maniacal about my music! When I am ready to spend more on IEM's the 315's or 415's will be the ones I buy from Shure and I must add, Amazon's service is beyond belief. I am extremely satisfied with my purchase and I reiterate, break them in for sonic bliss, a minimum of 40 hours before critical listening.

No helmet - sounds great up to 55 mph/88 kph Helmet - sounds great up to 75 mph/120 kph When going on long rides at high speeds I wear a helmet with ear plugs, this is why I purchased these ear buds. Wearing the Shure 215s in place of disposable ear plugs works out well(for me). They cut out roughly the same amount of wind from your ears as disposable foam earplugs while affording you the option of listening to music. For this use I would recommend buying a pair. There are a few things to consider though; No Helmet For riders who do not wear helmets you can ride at 70 mph/112 kph with the earbuds staying firmly in place. I didn't try riding any faster because once they do pop out at those speeds it would be a total loss. On my first attempt I just pushed the earbuds into my ear with one hand and found that they started flopping around at 50 mph/ 80 kph. On subsequent rides I pulled on my ear lobe with one hand and pushed the device into my ear with the other. This seats the earbuds properly in your ear but...after an hour or so your ear will become sore. These come with 3 different sizes of ear attachments in foam and 3 in silicone. I started with the mid sized foam which is what is installed out of the package. I tried the small size next to alleviate the ear pain. This worked for just walking around but failed miserably when I rode a motorcycle. The wind noise was horrible, going 30 mph had as much wind noise as going 60 mph while wearing the mid size foam attachment. My head circumference is 24.25 inches/61.5 centimeters and the medium attachment is the proper size for me. Using the proper size attachment, wind noise isn't noticeable up to 55mph/88 kph. It will not become overwhelming if you keep your speed under 75 mph/ 120 kph. I can hear my single piston 650cc enduro just well enough to tell which gear I am in at low rpms although this takes some getting used to. No problem hearing my 1,000cc v-twin sport bike engine. Helmet I have had zero issues putting on or taking off helmets. The earbuds remain firmly in place and have never given a hint of coming out. Once my helmet was on the earbuds felt like they were in the same position as when the helmet was off. I wear a SHOEI GT Air for street and a Troy Lee for dirt, this was true for both. Wind noise was not an issue up to 75 mph/ 120 kph. I could still hear the music well into the triple digits although it was roughly a 60-40 wind to music ratio at those speeds. For all tests I kept the volume at safe levels. You could easily drown out the wind if you turned the music up loud. When wearing a helmet you do not need to seat the earbuds fully into the ear canal with both hands and thus you can wear them for extended periods of time without getting sore. If you ride a bike with factory exhaust there is a good chance you will not be able to hear your engine at low rpms while wearing a helmet. I would recommend wearing a pair of disposable ear plugs before purchasing this product, especially if you are a new rider. Try riding without being able to hear your engine before spending money on these, you may not like it.

I have owned these earphones for about a month now. I don't know if I would consider myself an audiophile, but I enjoy my music when it sounds good. When my old pair of Sony earbuds fell apart, I decided it was time to step up to an entirely new level of earbud sophistication. After some research, I decided on the Shure SE215, which had received many favorable reviews. Plus, at roughly $100, the price was reasonable compared to other kinds of headphones out on the market. Ultimately, the Shure SE215s are the best sounding in-ear headphones I have ever heard. There were, however, a few initial problems with these earphones. This next portion of the review is going to sound overwhelmingly negative, but bear with me! The first problem I had with these earphones came down to comfort. For the first week or two of ownership, the SE215 is a difficult headphone to wear comfortably, and finding an easy way to wear them is a long and awkward process. The SE215 is shaped quite differently than any other earphone I have owned, and therefore resulted in some unique kinds of ear pain and fatigue from even the briefest periods of use. The cable on the SE215 is designed to curve up and over the ear, which was once again completely different from any other earphone I have used. Problem is, the cable is quite rigid and will not curve around the ear easily. In fact, it took me a good three hours before I had found a way to keep the earphones in my ears without the cable falling off and bumping into my cheek, which was annoying. Then, after I found a way to keep the earphones in my ears, the next issue presented itself. They sounded terrible, alternating between a slightly "tinny" sound with no bass and having the right earphone muted in comparison to the left earphone. This was confusing, because the SE215 was supposedly the best sounding earphone in the world for the price. Now, any sane person would be asking themselves why I gave these earphones a perfect 5/5 if I had such a rough time with them. Rest assured, there is a light at the end of this tunnel. Allow me to explain. The ear pain and fatigue is common with any new kind of earphone. As mentioned before, I have owned Sony earphones over the years. I remember each one of those headphones bothering my ears for the first few weeks of ownership. Eventually, your ears just get used to the new earphones, which leads to lessened pain and fatigue. After a month or so of regularly listening to them, the SE215 no longer fatigues my ears. They are actually rather comfortable. The cable has also limbered up a bit, making it easier to fold up and around my ears than before. But the biggest improvements have to be attributed to the foam "sleeves" included with the SE215. These headphones come out of the box with six pairs of interchangeable "sleeves," which are the parts of the earphone you insert into your ear. Three pairs are rubber, and three pairs are made of a fragile foam. Having no experience with foam sleeves, I immediately attempted the rubber sleeves. I am not too sure why these earphones come with rubber sleeves, because they are largely useless. The rubber sleeves refused to stay in my ears and made the earphones sound awful. So I moved on to the foam sleeves, which were a revelation. Not only are they very comfortable, but the foam sleeve really allow the Shure SE215s to work their magic. In order to work properly, the instructions state that the earphones must have a good seal against the outside world. The foam sleeves provide that seal, leading to a sound experience that rivals even the audiophile-spec Sennheiser HD 595s I use for serious stereo listening. The foam sleeves are fragile, though, so handle and replace them with care. The Shure SE215 really is a fine piece of audio equipment. They sound phenomenal, easily matching much more expensive headphones and outclassing everything I have tried up to this point in my life. There are some initial problems, but these problems will either go away over time or can be erased entirely by using the foam sleeves. I would not use them for exercise, but that's what a cheap pair of earbuds are for. I highly recommend the Shure SE215 to anyone wanting an amazing earphone.

I've purchased dozens of earphones and earbuds for under $100 over the years. (I reserve the big bucks for speakers and electronics.) Starting with Koss and Superex headphones, I've ended up happy with Grado's. But up until recently it's been harder to find earbuds that are wearable, great-sounding, AND that I could afford to lose at the gym or on vacation. So my wife and I have been using some version of Sony's MDR-EX series for years now, and been satisfied with them. But with quality earbuds finally catching on, there are a lot more brands and models to choose from. So with the destruction of my last set of earbuds and the arrival of the value-priced Shure SE215, it was time to give Shure a try. Thankfully, there were no nasty surprises. In fact, I think the reviews are pretty accurate overall. Thankfully I've had no problem with intermittent connections at the earpiece as reported by a couple of reviewers. The SE215 earbuds are quality made, and appear quite rugged. Hopefully they'll last for many years, at least as long as the much cheaper Sony's have. The selection of rubber and foam earpiece "sleeves" provide a good range of fit to choose from. I expected to prefer the foam, which does fit easily and snugly, with excellent sound isolation. But perhaps a little too snugly for me, resulting in long term fit-fatigue. I'm trying out the standard rubber sleeves now; so far so good. The way these fit over and in the ears is unusual, but very effective. They retain their place AND seal even when moving around or exercising. They take 2-3 times longer to insert in your ears than standard earbuds, so don't purchase these if you have to remove your earbuds often for any reason. Since the cable goes over the ear, cable noise is very low, but not completely gone. Sound quality is very important to me. I want the best of both worlds; realistic, natural sound AND knock-my-socks-off "great-sounding" performance. Usually you can't have both in one product, especially transducers. What the SE215's provide is more of the former; a mostly flat response with no people-pleasing-peaks. As a result, your emotional and/or intellectual involvement will be wholly dependent on the music and production values. This is as it should be anyway. As mentioned by other reviewers, there is no lack of bass. It is quite solid, with plenty of kick when called for, but without bloat. I wouldn't recommend them as "bass-lover" models; they just aren't bass-shy. Male vocals can be a little warm, but not unpleasantly so. Mid-range is natural and clear, just like I want it. Due to a slight hearing loss I am not a great judge of high-frequencies. But to me these sound a little rolled-off in the region I CAN hear. This was easily corrected by a slight amount of EQ above 6KHz. (It may also be that I've become accustomed to earbuds with too much high end!) I am especially gratified to know that an American company like Shure has survived from 1925 well into the digital age. Shure is still making fine products at reasonable prices. There is just no way to avoid those analog transducers, right?

Although it took several minutes trying to grasp everything involved, once I took off the black earpieces and put on the gray earpieces that were large enough for my ears, and put the strap correctly around each of my ears, the sound was truly amazing. The sound was true and emphatic. I would suggest testing them with an orchestra type of music with the strings, horns, etc. That blend of sound is wide ranging but descriptive. I guess the gray earpieces are for noise cancelling, I don’t know; but, with them (gray earpieces) you could hear every sound the way it was recorded. I plan to go on a Royal Caribbean cruise and noise cancelling is exactly what I want while relaxing and peacefully listening to my music. Also, for those who are worried about the 3.5mm audio cable not adaptable to their phones or tablets, you can always order an adapter –- USB-C to 3.5mm audio cable adapter. I just added that adapter to these earbuds and plugged it right into my Samsung Ultra Galaxy phone, the sound was great. December 2025 - Update after the Royal Caribbean Cruise (Star of the Seas) – these Earbuds were superior to anything I’ve had before. I was able to sit in the Overlook, while watching the ocean waves go by and listen to some peaceful music without the surrounding noise. Every range of sound was perfect. For those that question whether these are noise cancelling, the trick is to, after inserting the earbuds into your ears, to twist it around gingerly until you get a tight but snug fit. That snug fit will block out the surrounding noise. These are well worth the price.

This is not the first set of Shure earbuds I've owned. I had a set of the E2c's, which were fantastic. After about 5 years of hard labor, they finally gave up the ghost, and suffered the usual death by cable rot to which that series of buds were so prone. So I took to the search for a replacement, and these were my criteria... 1. They must be in-ear style buds, with the option to switch the sleeves (The piece that goes in the ear). Also, they must include those swappable pieces. 2. They must have a good warranty of at least 2 years. 3. They must not cost more than ~100 USD. 4. They must sound great. (These are in no order of preference, and all considered equal) So with that in mind, I also need to mention that I was partial to Shure. Mostly, because the E2c's were my first real good set of earphones, and broke down all my stigmas as to "Why would anyone pay so much for headphones?" So here is my review. The Sleeves - There are 2 different types of sleeves bundled with this set; one a flexible rubber, the other a re-expandable foam. Each has three separate sizes, to help you find a good fit. I tried both. The foam sleeves feel nice, so long as you insert them like earplugs. They expand nicely to your ear canal. They offer fantastic sound isolation, and stay inside. The rubber sleeves are comfortable, but they are constantly being pulled out of your ears by the very stiff cord. I will try them again once I get the cord broken in a bit more, but for now, I'm going with the foam sleeves. The Warranty - 2 years, not bad, but my E2c's had 3. From what I hear, the cable rot issue is still going on, but I will expand on that in a minute. The cost - If you can get them for 100 USD, then do it. I think they are normally 2X that price. The Sound - At first, I was a bit worried. I was hearing some odd pops in the earphones. Pops that I shouldn't be hearing from a headset this expensive. But, that turned out to be from the player I had them plugged into. I tried a different source, and no pops. They are at least as good as my E2c's were when I first got them. There is some talk about the lows and highs and all that, and I don't know about all that. I know that I was getting some weird looks at the restaurant I was at when I was headbanging and booth-breaking (sit down dancing at my table) to the music. I listen to a lot of rock, electronica, and trip hop, and it all sounds great. Other Stuff - I mentioned the cables, and for good reason. Shure has a history of cable rot; the insulation on the wires literally rots off, and results in dead headphones. To combat that, they have added 2 features. One, an additional layer of insulation around where the wire goes over the ear (The most common place of rot). This likely extends the life of the cable, which makes it even thicker than it already is, which makes it VERY stiff. This stiffness leads to the cable not staying in place, and needing some serious breaking in, which in turn could lead to breaking the wire. So be careful, and be patient. If you use the foam sleeves, then it isn't that big of a problem. The other thing is that they made the cable able to be detached from the earpiece, which means you can replace it if it goes bad. This is nice, except that, it's proprietary. It is unlikely that Shure will still have these cables in a few years available for purchase or otherwise. So while it's a nice feature, you likely won't be able to use it for anything other than changing the color of your wires. (It would likely be a good idea to order a spare once these earbuds are discontinued). I also want to comment on the case that comes with the set. At first, I didn't like it, becasue my previous Shure's had such a nice case. It was solid, with an insert in the middle that you could wrap the cords around and place the drivers inside of. This case is soft, and has no way to manage the cables or drivers other than jsut stuffing them inside, which is what I didn't like at first. But over time, I have grown to like how much more compact it is. The soft case fits easily into my pocket, and keeps everything pretty contained (the last case bulged a lot). And I've never once had an issue where I felt they were compromised as a result. So I would say the soft case works quite well, and has a sharp looking Shure logo on it. So that's my experience with the 215's. I recommend them to anyone that knows how important a good set of headphones are, but doesn't have a lot of money to dedicate to them.

The Shure SE 215s are very good at what they do. They're comfortable. The sound quality is excellent. They provide superb isolation. Five stars. Now let's talk about what they're NOT good at. I bought these because I wanted ear buds for listening to music on my phone while out-and-about that were a) wired, and b) had the best possible sound quality. These are not the kind of ear buds you'd want for that use-case. One problem is that the superb isolation means you can't hear anything at all that's going on around you, which is actually not so great when you're crossing the street. These are tricky to insert and remove. I have no problem with devices like the AirPods Pro— I can stick those in my ear in, like, less than a second. The SE 215s, on the other hand, require a lot of finagling, reaching your hand behind your head, and pulling on the ear. If you don't do this then they're not getting in, and it takes a few seconds to do it. This makes it annoying to pop them out for a moment to talk to someone and then pop them back in. This means you're not going to use these to listen to a video in bed next to your wife. If she says something to you then you're not going to hear her. You're not going to be able to easily get these in and out of your ears so you can talk to her. Another problem is that they are so, so loud. The minimum volume level on my phone causes the sound coming out of the Shures to be uncomfortably loud, almost painfully loud. I need to use a little external volume fader to get them to a comfortable volume, which I find to be just ridiculous.

After reading a lot of reviews I was excited to try these out. I’m a drummer and am getting back to playing live shows and needed a decent pair of reliable IEMs. Overall they are highly rated as far as more budget friendly IEMs go, but I honestly was really disappointed right out of the gate. The unboxing experience was nothing special, the accessories included were just alright (a zipper pouch and a variety of different tips, but no additional cables, clips, adaptors, etc.). Not the end of the world, especially if the sound really wowed me, but I could tell within a few seconds the audio quality was not up to par and definitely lackluster. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but to me they just lacked any dynamic depth of sound, were quite thin sounding, and tracks and electronic audio lacked any notable clarity. I also had fit issues where whenever I’d change facial expressions the seal would break so I’d lose any bottom end and volume. Drummer faces are a real thing, so it wasn’t going to work for me 😅 I played with them for a bit but between the sound quality and fit issues, I just knew these weren’t the ones. I ended up spending ~$40 more and landing on the BASN Bmaster5 IEMs, and the difference across the board is night and day. Significantly better audio quality and clarity, top notch accessories, super heavy duty. Time will tell how they hold up, but I was incredibly impressed that for not too much more money, the experience was head and shoulders above the Shure 215.