ShureSE846 Wired Sound Isolating Earbuds, High Definition Sound + Natural Bass, Four Drivers, Secure in-Ear Fit, Detachable Cable, Durable Quality, Compatible with Apple & Android Devices - Blue

First things first $1000 for a pair of iems or “earbuds” is insane beyond belief…. people will look at you like you have five heads so I don’t advertise the cost of these ever. Is it worth it though? Let’s get to that.Accessories:I am not going to spend much time going over this as the accessories are listed here in detail on amazon and on shure’s site. To put it simply there is everything you need. You get a bunch of ear tips, a case to carry the headphones, adapters, two different length cables, case to carry all the accessories etc. There is nothing else you need to buy, the cables are fantastic, there is no aftermarket cable needed. I didn’t need comply foam tips, there are lots of tips included here.Design/build quality:Build quality is rock solid. Much, much better than the 535. There is no weak part to the iems. The iems fit over your ear with memory wire. I have oddly shaped ears and typically have trouble with over ear iems however these fit perfectly. I was able to get a tight seal with the middle size included rubber tip and the sound isolation is unreal. There is no disruption from outside noise at all and with music playing I can’t hear anything. I have never seen isolation this good, just make sure you get a tight fit.One thing very important to point out is the nozel inserts. These iems come with three nozel inserts, bright (slightly geared toward higher frequencies), neutral (balanced), warm (slightly geared toward lower frequencies). When I got these I immediately changed them to the warm inserts based on reviews. It wasn’t very difficult to change them but definitely take your time and have an open work space. Shure’s directions are very detailed.Comfort: These are very comfortable and stay put in your ears. By comfort I don’t mean like pillows for your ears or forget you’re wear them sort of comfort but there is no pain or discomfort caused by them. I have worn them for hours with no issues.These do NOT need an amp. To be clear with a 9 ohm impedance (the lowest I’ve ever seen) you will likely damage your ears, your amp, and these iems trying to use an amp. Using an ipod, phone, or anything with a quality internal dac is all you need. The incredibly low impedance is the result of essentially a built in amplifier which pushes the 4 drivers incredibly well.Sound quality:Unreal, magical, pure bliss. To give a little background I am a studio headphones nut. I don’t claim to be an audiophile because there are people far more qualified to use that term than I am but I am an audio enthusiast and I have, for a very long time, loved headphones. My go to line of headphones is Sennhiesers HD line (600/650/700/800). These headphones have massive drivers, require a quality amp/dac setup/aftermarket cable, and are not portable but to me it is worth it for the unbelievable sound and soundstage they put out. I have never been a huge fan of iems or earbuds aside from convenience because they will never deliver the wide-open soundstage, layering, or detail that a pair of studio headphones will…. until now.The soundstage and layering of these iems is unbelievable. If you could not feel them in your ears you’d swear you had an open back pair of over ear headphones on. The spatial soundstage here is unreal. There isn’t a word to describe how large and spacious it is. There is so much open airiness to these and again the layering and separation, dreamlike. They are incredibly balanced, crystal clear treble, perfectly present mids and the bass. I am not a fan of bass heavy anything, the bass should be replicated naturally and not give you a headache. The bass here is deep, very detailed, and punches deeply when the song calls for it. Warm, beautiful, open. Not a detail is missed, nothing is rolled off, nothing is overemphasized. Even at low volumes these things project an insane amount. Unreal.The sound quality here is honestly like a 15/10. This may just be the first flawless sounding headphone I’ve ever heard.So is it worth the money? Well IMO it is well worth it if you love your music and are thoroughly dedicated about your headphones. It is a lot of money to spend and I heavily questioned buying these for awhile before I took the plunge and continued to question while I waited for them to come however I can safely say I have no regrets. They’re incredibly portable and more than driven by your portable device. No pair of headphones is worth going broke over but if you have the money I can’t imagine anyone not being thrilled with these.Hope this has helped anyone deciding on whether or not to buy these. Cheers.

Aside from a few exceptions, this is the pinnacle of IEMs guys. This is it. It comes at an astronomical price that might even make you pass out at just one look, but sometimes if you want the best, you do whatever it takes to get it. Also, I got these in early June of this year, so I've had about 6 months to form my opinions.I got the box from the mail and I didn't even realize that it was my earphones. I opened the cardboard box to see the initial packaging. It is the biggest box I have ever seen for earphones. I opened it and saw the clear pelican case. I opened that and found a micro-fiber cleaning cloth on top of the earphones and the smaller case they come with. Many of the accessories are in the case such as the ear tips, extra cable, airplane adaptor, quarter inch adapter, and tuning filters.I ordered the Black color and I'm so glad I did because they look "all business". Right off the bat, I pick them up and I can immediately tell that these are no joke. The cable is thick with really good strain reliefs on the y-split and on the jack. The metal nozzle on the housing leaves me feeling a little better about long term durability. The comfort of these is really good. I use the yellow foam sleeves and have had no issues with fit, sound, or comfort. From walking to class to class, to when I'm at home, to being in any loud environment, these things block out so much noise.The sound of these is expected when paying $1000. After paying that much, expectations are near impossible to exceed. Did it exceed my expectations? No. Did it reach my expectations? Yes it did in a big way. Before I start, I want to say that I am listening to ALAC files and Spotify 320 kb/s and listening through the Oppo HA-2SE. Also my opinions are based off the white filters because they sound the best to me. The bass is tight, punchy, and it has "true subwoofer performance". It's actually my favorite part about this earphone. I can hear every nuance and every detail in every bass note. I can't say that with anything else I've listened to. The mid-bass doesn't interfere with the midrange with the help of the Low-Pass filter. The midrange is forward compared to the bass and treble. Listening to Pop, Country, Alternative, and some Rock is a pleasure to listen to. The treble is my least favorite part of the sound. It's detailed and it's clear, but it doesn't extend high enough for my liking. It's not a bad treble response, it's just not what I prefer. Some enjoy this, but when I'm listening to Classical, Soundtrack, and some Rock music, I want a treble that has more of a presence to increase the soundstage. One aspect that stands out in the sound of this earphone is the vocals. They are the best I've heard bar none. Male and female vocals are well presented. They are natural, full, and clean all at the same time. I bet there are a few other earphones that sound better than this, but the combination of the sub-bass, midrange, and vocals is downright addicting to listen to.This and the Sennheiser IE800 are often compared to each other, but in reality, they are more different than they are alike. They are so different it's hilarious that these are even being compared against each other. They are aimed for different types of buyers. I'll make my recommendations here. If you are active and listen to music mainly on the go, then SE846. If you listen to music more at home or in bed, then IE800. If you listen to Pop, Electronic, Hip-Hop/Rap, Country, and/or Alternative music, then SE846. If you listen to Classical, Singer/Songwriter, Soundtrack, R&B/Soul, and/or Rock, then IE800. Overall, if you listen to any genre and all you care about is sound in an earphone, then IE800. If you want a earphone that comes with everything and has little flaws, then SE846.If you want the best overall experience for a universal earphone in this price range, this is probably the best you can do. It has a nice presentation, stellar build quality, top tier sound, and accessories to go along with all this. If you're thinking about getting these, take a while to think about it. You're spending $1000 on earphones. You have to be completely insane to spend this much on an earphone. Spend time to decide and whatever you decide to do, enjoy your music and live your life to the absolute fullest.

Having owned the range of Shure's previous IEMs, I was thrilled when the SE-846 was released back in 2013. I bought them as soon as they were released and have been listening to them ever since. I travel internationally at least 6 months out of the year and work on oil rigs. When I say that these headphones are durable, I believe that to be a qualified statement. The sound quality: they are better than anything else Shure makes or AKG or Westone or UE. Compared to my SE-535s these are in a whole different realm of sound quality. I've not listened to any other headphone (including open back electrostats) that more faithfully reproduces the nuances of an upright bass played as part of a jazz trio. Fat, throat-vibrating bass while not sounding boomy or overly presented. On some Charlie Haden tracks, you can hear the texture of his fingers on the strings. Detailed playback? Yeah the 846s have it. These headphones, much like the SE-535s, have excellent dimensionality. You quickly forget your wearing something in your ears. The sound stage is wide and not at all muddied. Good live recordings sound like your right there. Check out Stacey Kent's Dreamer in Concert album for a good demonstration of this. You'll best appreciate this when listening to FLAC files but even 320kb/s sounds good.Bottom line: If you want the best portable audio setup for under $3,000 start off with buying the SE846 IEMs. Buy right once, cry once. I mostly use Apple iPhone or MacBooks to listen. I used to carry a standalone DAC/amp combo but I don't even bother anymore. The headphones powered by the iPhone 6+ and now 7+ (via adapter) are plenty good enough to still sound better than anything else I've tried and I try out a LOT of headphones.

This is a long review but to spend this amount on in-ear headphones you must be pretty committed, right? I've broken it into sections so if you just want to know how they sound then skip ahead to The Sound part.The Shure SE535 have been my commuting buddies for 5 hours a day over the last 7 or 8 years. Recently though one earpiece failed so I had the choice of going for the same or upgrading to the SE846. I'm an audiophile. That means I'm unable to resist the upgrade bug, so naturally I had to go for these.Unboxing========At first I thought something else had been delivered, as the box felt far too heavy to be headphones. Inside the (double layered) outer box is a sturdy crush-proof, waterproof plastic storage box, or 'Road Case' as Shure call it. It's this that makes up most of the weight, but also supplied is a smaller travel case, spare cable, multiple different types and sizes of earpiece, volume attenuator, full size headphone jack adaptor and tool to change the filters (more on that in a while). It's a lot of stuff but packaged in a way that befits the price. The only thing that feels a little cheap is the small travel case, which has a metal plate on the top etched with the Shure logo. The edges of this piece of metal are quite sharp, even running your finger over the logo. A small thing for sure but out of place with the quality of the rest of the product.The important bits===============The earphones are wrapped around a soft holder, the clear edition that I ordered coming with a transparent cable. The earpieces feel re-assuringly solid but well machined. They came already fitted with my preferred earpieces, the black squashy olives. I find that these give a much better fit in my ear, which is crucial to the sound quality. There are yellow foam, grey rubber and white flanges also supplied if you prefer these. Taking the earpiece off reveals a metal nozzle - plastic on the lower price 535s - surrounded by a metal collar. A key supplied can be used to loosen and remove this collar, followed by the nozzle. Inserted in this is a filter that adjusts the character of the sound. Unscrew the metal container attached to the key and there are two other pairs of filters. It's difficult to equate the cost of these with the tiny size but the transparent exterior at least allows you to see the complex array of tiny components and wiring.The Sound========Over the years I've become accustomed to the sound of the SE535 compared to over-ear headphones. The differences are detail extraction and breadth of sound. IEMs produce far more detail in recordings but can't compete in the depth of bass. The SE846 boasts to provide true subwoofer performance, but can it... Firstly, to achieve any bass with IEMs you MUST, repeat MUST, get a good connection inside the ear. This is why finding the best type of earpiece is absolutely critical. The squashy black 'olives' are the best, in my experience, but you need to find the right size. Too small and you won't get a good seal, too big and they'll squeeze out again.Inserting them properly is important and you can find videos on YouTube on how to do this. It might seem fiddly but hey if you spent this much you might as well invest a minute or so in putting them in properly. Squeeze the earpiece gently and then insert it, holding the top of your ear up and out as you do. Then hold in place for a few seconds while the olive expands and fits tightly. TIP - I have dry skin in my ears and have to moisturise them - I've found that Aveeno moisturising lotion (once dried!) helps to stop the olive slipping out and gives a better seal.I left the fitted filters in place (for a 'balanced' sound) and then let them run in for a few hours before trying out in anger. Initially I found them a little sharp in the treble, but this toned down after running in. Initial impressions were a huge amount of detail, more so than the SE535. Nirvana for an audiophile is hearing something you've never heard before in a recording, and I did, in the Jayhawks 'Bad Time' with percussion in the right channel I'd never noticed before. More importantly there was a weight to the sound that had always been missing from the SE535. The tone was still a tad bright for my tastes so I replaced the filters with the 'warm' versions.This was much more like it, the overall effect was quite subtle but smoother and generally more 'hi-fi'. Some might say vinyl-like in it's balanced tones. A word on the bass. It really is well integrated into the sound, which means it benefits the music rather than being something that jumps out on it's own. It's really detailed and tuneful too, so you can tell the difference between bass guitar, upright bass and synthesised bass. It is very extended when required though. I played Thundercat's Drunk album and there is a low end extension that IEMs just don't normally have.The best way I can put it is this: on the way home the other night I was listening to Si Cranstoun's 'Dance For Evermore' and - to the good-natured amusement of people opposite - not only tapping my foot, but bopping from one buttock to the other with a smile on my face. Since getting these I've had the most fun playing music for a long time.Testing was with a range of different devices: an iPhone with Cyrus Soundkey DAC, iPad and MacBook Pro/Audirvana with Chord Mojo DAC. The better the components, the better they sound.

I totally agree with the What HiFi review of these. In summary, the sound fully justifies the cost. For female vocals they are nothing short of magnificent. I could and have :) listened for literally hours spellbound by the level of detail in music that I couldn't hear before.So while they shine with certain genres of music, like Feist or Florence and the Machine, they deal with other genres surprisingly well, e.g. edm. There's a real bass kick when there needs to be.The only negative for me is getting a good ear fit. Luckily I had some custom sleeves made a few years ago and have been able to use those again with a bit of modding.Whilst there are a load of ear pieces, none really gave me great fit AND usability, i.e. being able to put these in and out quickly and also guarantee great sound and no faffing about. This is an inherent issue for any non-custom IEM and I'd therefore highly recommend custom sleeves. When you're spending this much it's a minor expense more to up the usability and sound quality than these deliver.Strongly recommend these!

Sound quality is astounding, to the point it's actually better for some things than my rather expensive speaker setup - but it needs a really, really good headphone amp to drive it. I use an AudioQuest Dragonfly Cobalt on the move and it is the most enjoyable musical experience on the move I've ever had. Make sure you have a good source; low bit rates MP3s will just be exposed for the waste of space they are.You need to look carefully at which earpieces you use. The yellow foam ones give the best auditory and noise reduction performance, but wear out quickly. The others you will notice some bass missing unless they are a really good fit for your ears - they were not for me. However, if you are paying this much for the phones, you're not going to skimp on those are you?

Had a pair of SE-535 before, which served me faultlessly for 5 years, but wanted something even better.These in-ears have by far the best bass extension I've ever heard in in-ears. They go below 30 Hz and you can "feel" it. Amazing feat to put this into such a small package.They also dampen outside noise even better than the SE-535.You can tune the treble by +/- 2,5 dB with exchangeble small plugs. I went for the +2,5 dB.When I first took them out of the box and put them into my ears, the bass was missing. You need to choose a an earpiece that closes the ear canal completely.For hifi-use they are not recommended - they are not neutral - too much bass. You would be better of with quality headphones. But for in-ear live use, they are perfect!

outstanding soundstage quality, comparable with high end headphones; BUT; a good firm tight fitting in ear earbud is required to obtain the full range of sounds these earphones can reproduce: very expensive but worth every penny.