Shure E500PTH Sound Isolating Earphones
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CNET Editors' Review
- Reviewed by: James Kim
- Reviewed on:
- Updated on:
The good: Shure's E500PTH 'phones offer exceptional sound quality with a three-driver design that's previously been available only for hundreds of dollars more; comfortable and do a great job of passively blocking out noise; includes push-to-hear control; multiple ear adapters and a nice set of accessories.
The bad: Pricey but a solid investment; switch on push-to-hear controller feels cheap.
The bottom line: If you're the type who prefers uncompressed or lossless formats, require low-profile headphones, and don't mind investing in high-end headphones, the Shure E500PTH should be on your short list.
Shure is no
... Expand full reviewShure is no stranger in the fledgling in-ear style headphones market. The E series, which include the "low-end" $109 E2c's and the midrange $319 E4c's has made its mark in a world of brands such as Ultimate Ears, Etymotic, and more recently, Creative and Sennheiser.
The E500PTH 'phones (announced at CES) take the E series to a new level with its triple-driver design--basically three tiny high-definition speakers, a tweeter, and two woofers in each earphone (sensitivity at 1kHz, 119dB). Integrated passive crossovers keep the highs distinctive from the lows. Ultimate Ears' custom-fitted UE-10 Pros and UE-7 Pros both offer a triple-driver design, but they cost $900 and $850 respectively, and they don't offer the universal fit of the E500PTH headphones. That is, the UEs' ear fittings are custom molded, so they can be used by only one person.
We fell in love with the E500s' sound immediately, listening to everything from Roots Manuva to John Coltraine on an iPod. Tight, rich bass and razor-sharp highs were expected, but the midrange surprised us with distinctive power and clarity. Instruments typically buried in sound pop out; acoustic guitar riffs hover then dissipate; spoken voice is almost spooky. Quick listening tests versus the sub-$100 Creative Zen Aurvanas and the $250 Ultimate Ears Super fi 5 Pros proved that you get what you pay for, though the Super fi Pros certainly give you lot of bang for your buck. Further sessions listening to Bob Dylan and Ulrich Schnauss in lossless and several CDs confirmed that these are the best in-ear style headphones on the market for less than $600 (I haven't personally listened to the UE-10s).
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stars 15 of 15 users found this review helpful
""First rate" solution; pricey, but if you care, worth it" By mrspeakers
Pros Great sound, flatter profile
Cons Overly large, cheap feeling Push-To-Hear device
Summary I'm an audio engineer, and have about six sets of headphone and earphones, including Shure e4c, Sony MDR V6, little Panasonics, Bose Quiet Comfort 2.
The fit and finish of the Shure are top of the pack; light, but clearly extremely high quality construction.
The Push To Hear device ... Expand full review
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