Sony EX300 vs. Shure SE215 (worth upgrading?)

[lalo82]

I own a pair of ex300 that came with my walkman. I'm interested on the shure se215 but have no idea how they sound. Would this be called an "upgrade" if I change the ex300 for the shure's? Is it worth it?

Thanks to all who take sometime to reply.

[CrowdAds]

[WalkGood]

A little late but better late than never welcome to abi

While we don’t know the sound you like or details of exactly the sound quality you are looking for, I’ll give it my best shot BTW if you read here and edit your post more members might be able to help make some other good suggestions.

Originally Posted by lalo82

I own a pair of ex300 that came with my walkman. I'm interested on the shure se215 but have no idea how they sound. Would this be called an "upgrade" if I change the ex300 for the shure's?

While I do not own either of these I have owned the se530s and did enjoy them while I owned them. If you trust what you read about the se215s then I’d say they might be an upgrade. Over the ear design with replaceable cables 20 Ohm impedance dynamic drivers should be a fun listen. That said, I did read they focus more on the lows and they fall short in the upper end extension a bit but EQ can help. Also if you drive them too hard they can get muddy at times with certain tunes. So if you like bass and don’t mind a little EQ, then they might be for you.

Side note, I really like the Shure foam tips, I use them on other IEMs I currently own, they are very comfortable and provide very good isolation and are easy to insert. Although they are expensive in the after market IMO but what isn’t these days. Also with over the ear cable design you get less or little to none cable microphonics but I did read that you can hear bone conduction noise with them from achieving a very good seal but IMO that’s no big deal as I can get this from many IEMs if the seal is perfect. Which the latter is not a function from the cable but rather the seal achieved.

Originally Posted by lalo82

Is it worth it?

Only you can tell for sure, we all hear things differently. But if you update your post from the suggested link above you’ll get some other good recommendations ….

[lalo82]

I see now, wow! I didn't know there were that many descriptions to describe the sound of a headphone. hehe. Since I'm a beginner at this, I have no clue what exactly I'm looking for but I'll try my best. I might be looking for a iem for everyday use and running (btw, the se215 really look great for that), might want them to be "analytical", hopefully that explains that I want to hear every detail possible according to the model and budget iem. I live in Mexico and the se215 is available also the sony's xba's, but their j-cord might not be great for running since that type of cord moves (hangs) too much to the left side, I had the ex71's, and now the ex300's. I read this review about the se215's and they say it sounds great and it's a winner for "more bang for your buck", that's why I lean towards those. But like I said before, I don't know much about iem's and sound quality and all that I just want something that is good quality to start with. Sorry if I sound stupid but I don't know exactly how to explain what I'm looking for.

[IDvsEGO]

the xba is a good set but I didnt like the J cord so took them back. Loved the sound though. With your limited selection I would probably have just dealt with the cord. Wearing them over the ear takes some of that lopsided pressure off.

[WalkGood]

Originally Posted by IDvsEGO

... I didnt like the J cord so took them back. ...

I hate "J-cord" so much I don't even consider an IEM for purchase when I know they have it, the only one I ever purchased knowing up front are the cx300.

Originally Posted by IDvsEGO

... With your limited selection I would probably have just dealt with the cord.

Sorry to disagree, some of us just can not deal with it. I've tried wearing them every way and just can't stand the tug/pull to one side especially when used for any sport, hell even walking.

Originally Posted by IDvsEGO

Wearing them over the ear takes some of that lopsided pressure off.

This just does not work good for me and I've tried this during biking, skate boarding, canoeing, basketball and soccer :/ That said, YMMV ...

[lalo82]

Any other iem with a Y cord that is considered as a high quality sound and construction on a similar price range as the xba's (1, 2 maybe 3) or the shure's?

[WalkGood]

Originally Posted by lalo82

Any other iem with a Y cord that is considered as a high quality sound and construction on a similar price range as the xba's (1, 2 maybe 3) or the shure's?

I'm guessing that the MEE a161p is on par with them or the a151 just slightly less. Although the a161p's have a mic, but they can be worn over the ear and they come w/ear hooks. Personally I wear mine without the hooks and that works fine. The latter (a151) aren't as detailed as the 161p but don't have the mic, they're also a little warmer. Both are BA driven phones but the armatures are better in the a161s. Probably not much different than the xba's. You could also look at the Fisher SBA-03 which is the same housing as the a161p but a little more expensive and no mic, I'm not sure if there's a big difference in the SQ but MEE claims they're tuned differently. That said I don't even know if they use the same BA as MEE but I wouldn't expect much difference from what I've read.

[IDvsEGO]

Originally Posted by WalkGood

Sorry to disagree, some of us just can not deal with it. I've tried wearing them every way and just can't stand the tug/pull to one side especially when used for any sport, hell even walking.

LOL...its actually impossible to disagree with me. I didn't say he should just deal with it. I said I would have. Well...I suppose it isn't impossible but it would be asinine. But I see where you were going on that...you would not have.

[dawningistheday]

Originally Posted by lalo82

I might be looking for a iem for everyday use and running (btw, the se215 really look great for that)

They look great for it, but don't do it. When sweat gets into the connection between the cable and the earpiece (and it will get in there) it will begin to corrode the plating and cause problems. I have a set of SE215s and they are well-made, but they are not designed to withstand sweat.

[lalo82]

That sounds messed up. How about the sony's xba's?