Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)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.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Shure SE115-K Sound Isolating Earphones with Dynamic Microspeaker II (Black)
Designed for music lovers looking to upgrade the headphones included with their MP3 players, the compact SE115 is a perfect introduction to the stunning performance of Shure earphones. Evolved from earphone technology road-tested by pro musicians and perfected by Shure engineers, the compact SE115 delivers a warm, detailed audio listening experience that\'s free from outside noise.
A warm, detailed audio listening experience that\'s free from outside noise.
