Shure SE210 Consumer Headphones

I have gone throw many pairs of headphones ever since purchasing my iPod Video. The very first ones I purchased-a pair of Bose headphones, were an utter disappointment. The audio seemed fine at first, until I heard other brands of headphones. Not to mention, the Bose had a serious issue with the earbuds and the quality of construction. After hunting down some headphones, I ended up with a cheap pair of Philips headphones, then a horrible pair of Skullcandy in-ears, resulting in my return to the embarrassingly bad iPod headphones. I eventually stopped listening to my iPod altogether before the brand ‘Shure' caught my eye. I had always heard of their superior, crisp audio and the trueness of their sound. I purchased the Shure SE110 model, before returning them and deciding a pair of the Shure SE210s would be a better investment since the SE110s seemed fairly entry level.

First off, I noticed the tough cord and well-constructed material the headphones were encased in. I was pleased with the construction and discreet cord design (I'll pass on the Zebra cord design on the Bose In-Ear headphones), and the foam earbuds. It took me a while to figure out how they went in my ear, but once I did and I was ensured the proper fit, they felt extremely comfortable, and I forgot they were there after long wear. After some underwhelming listening, I read these required a bit of a burn-in phase, so I did so for a day, playing my iTunes library at about 75% volume. After coming back to them, the bass was thicker, denser, the highs were cleaner (and don't distort-even at 100% volume), and the mids were astonishingly present. My favorite album, "The Fragile" by Nine Inch Nails, pleasantly greeted me with lots of sounds I had never heard before and much more clarity than I had ever experienced. The highs on "We're in This Together" play clearly and don't distort (which hasn't been the case on any speaker or headphone I've ever bought), and the bass was surprisingly prominent on songs like the title track "The Fragile" and "Into the Void". The mids provided me with a much improved listening experience and less listener fatigue than ever before. I was just astonished to hear the highs so clear, sharp, and crisp; the electronics that were muddled out on the Bose and Philips shining through strongly. Not to mention, when listening to them, sound is isolated from the ear canal, eliminating the need for the horrendous sound cancelling technology which is a major factor in Total Harmonic Distortion, and giving me the ability to type this review without having any interruption or even hearing the keys on my laptop.

However, these headphones aren't for everybody. These headphones, much as Shure is billed as, are only for the music obsessive and the audiophile. If you're going to blast Britney Spears' "Womanizer" or the latest Top 40 single at school while chit-chatting with your friend, texting, walking down the road, don't bother. But if you like to take an hour or two and condense yourself within the music and truly feel what you're listening to, the Shure SE210s are perfect. There is no ear fatigue at all, comfort is spot-on, and the bass is the deepest and real I've heard that doesn't muddle the rest of the audio. The fit does take some time to properly take advantage of, and once again, if you are just someone who walks down the road talking, a casual headphone listener, don't bother with the Shure line at all. Any Shure headphone requires a good minute to two minutes for a proper fit which gives you the deepest bass and most comfortable fit. Also, for the Shure's spectacular audio to be fully comprehended, 128 kbps MP3s will not suffice. VBR, 320kbps MP3s, M4a, CD, FLAC, and WAV are necessary for true comprehension of the Shure's ability to produce thick audio.

The construction of the headphones is excellent, truly spot on. The cord is thick, but not overly done like in some of the larger headphones, and the extension cord is tight and does not allow tangles or loss of audio signal due to its size. The foam earbuds last a long time, and the mass of earbuds Shure provides is astonishing-perfect for everyone. The headphones do not break, and the audio signal is fast and does not delay. These are worth every penny just in construction.

If you are considering buying a nice pair of headphones, do not go by the average rating, your listening experience will vary on the way you listen to music. If you truly hear the music, and are someone who loves album artwork, spends time with a CD, and so on and so forth, the Shure SE210 are made especially for you in mind. However, the fit and the idea of the headphones may deter some away because of the way they listen to their music-straight from their iPod ripped from LimeWire. There is a great pair of Skullcandy or Sony headphones if you like that, just let me know and I'll e-mail you. But for anyone else, rest assured, the Shure SE210s are worth every dime and more.