Shure 215 in-ears, am I missing something?

bermuda

bermuda

Drummerworld Pro Drummer - Administrator
Staff member
I just picked up a set of Shure SE215 earphones for a gig Friday. I didn't want to use my touring molds because I'd need to pull one out between songs to hear instructions from the leader, so I figured I'd get something a little more ear-friendly, maybe use them for other things as well.

But, they sound terrible. I can't jam them in my ears far enough to hear the great bass they're supposed to have, and they're pretty quiet. They seriously sound worse than my $5 Coby (read: CHEAP!) ear-buds. In fact, I may take those on the gig instead.

Did I somehow do something wrong with them? Yes, I've tried different sleeves with little difference, the best-fitting ones still sound atrocious. They get very good reviews everywhere, but I've wasted $99 by trying to get the right thing for this gig. I was going to return them now - same day - but I don't think GC will take them back.

Any suggestions?
 
Hmm. I had the 315s for my Disney gig and those fit well and sounded decent. I can’t imagine the difference between the 215 and 315 are that drastic.

I concur with GC not taking them back. It’s a hygiene thing. Maybe try them in a couple of days and see if it feels and sounds better?
 
That's sad to hear. I have an old pair that I find satisfactory, if not spectacular.

Interestingly, Shure has changed something about them since I got mine. I recently tried to get new sleeves, and the current production have too narrow an opening to fit over the stem of mine. I wonder if the change in specs has also negatively influenced the performance?
 
I use a pair of cheaper in-ears. I run the sound through a small battery operated headphone amp. Works great. I can also run the sound through my 4 channel mixer that has an equalizer. That would be even better.

.
 
I have 215s and I think they sound pretty good, not the best but good. I do have to push in and twist pretty hard for them to fit in my ears though. Maybe that design just doesn't fit your ear shape or size. I would take them back if they didn't work for me.
 
It's totally understandable you can't return something that has been jammed in your ear. You can't return underwear either.
Isn't there an IEM that has an ambient mic feature, so you can still communicate at voice volume without removing them?
 
Any chance this band can use a talk back mic so you (and others) can hear instructions through that mic (and you keep your in-ears in) and it does not go out to the FOH?
 
Anon La Ply said:
I don't know anything about in-ear monitors but it seems to me that you can save yourself some money with cheaper buds :)
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My thinking was that I could bridge the gap between my molds and the marginal buds I already have, but instead wasted $99 (110 w/tax)
 
BGDurham said:
Any chance this band can use a talk back mic so you (and others) can hear instructions through that mic (and you keep your in-ears in) and it does not go out to the FOH?
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I don't think this venue is set-up for that, they recently changed from wedges to in-ear/phones. But this is my first time using the new system.

I'm bringing my phones, I don't have any personal vanity issues when it comes to hearing what I need to hear.
 
Chris Whitten said:
It's totally understandable you can't return something that has been jammed in your ear. You can't return underwear either.
Isn't there an IEM that has an ambient mic feature, so you can still communicate at voice volume without removing them?
Click to expand...
My iems have the ambient port - I have no issues hearing my band mates talking to me between songs.
(Although I sometimes use it as an excuse to ignore them when they're moaning......)
Before committing to custom molds I used Shure 215's (and then 425's) for years. Still have the 425's for music off my phone etc.
I get they're not returnable under just don't like them/ hygiene type rules, but pretty shure ;) you can still return them as 'faulty'.
Bit naughty, but put a nick somewhere in the cable and return them for that.......
 
I have this booster thing that may or may not be helpful to you.
(To be honest I rarely use these as the isolation from the drums and band is useless. Like wearing Zero protection )
IMG_20200125_192535~2.jpg
 
I have a pair and the sound is very good, close to my custom molded UE5s, but the seal is critical. If not sealed properly, they don't have any bass and no volume. I went through four different TYPES (not sizes) of tips before finding one that worked for me.

Your description sounds like my experience with the tips provided by Shure.
 
I had trouble with the 215s, too. They didn't fit, no matter what tips I used. Very uncomfortable. I sold them with fresh tips.
 
I owned two pairs of 215s. Neither pair sounded all that great, and one side of the first pair stopped working about ten months in. I got a new pair and within 6 months the signal through the cable became intermittent. For a brand as trusted as Shure, this was a huge letdown to me.

At that point I moved on to the MEE Audio M6 Pro IEMs, which have lasted me eleven years with only one (cheap) cord replacement in that time. They cost half of what the SE215s cost, and they sound pretty good, too, for a single driver.

If I had to do it again I would probably opt for something by Linsoul/KZ. Their ZS10s have four balanced armatures and one dynamic driver for the same price as the M6 Pro's single drive (~USD$50), and their next step up, the ZARs, have seven BAs and a dynamic driver. Both get very good reviews on Amazon; several people in my church worship team bought ZS10s when we went full in-ear and love them.
 
bermuda said:
I just picked up a set of Shure SE215 earphones for a gig Friday. I didn't want to use my touring molds because I'd need to pull one out between songs to hear instructions from the leader, so I figured I'd get something a little more ear-friendly, maybe use them for other things as well.

But, they sound terrible. I can't jam them in my ears far enough to hear the great bass they're supposed to have, and they're pretty quiet. They seriously sound worse than my $5 Coby (read: CHEAP!) ear-buds.
Click to expand...
Is there a place they could be taken to determine if they might be faulty?
 
Tamboreter said:
Is there a place they could be taken to determine if they might be faulty?
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Yes. Hold the package they came in a comfortable distance in front of you. If, somewhere on the package it says "SE215", they are faulty and need to be replaced. 🤪
 
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