Shure E500PTH Sound-Isolating Earphones

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 is way larger than I would have expected, and feels cheap. That's a dissapointment.

Sound: The first impression was that the bass was boomy and a bit over-blown (I'm a bass fan). However, within two days, the sound completely transformed; the bass became taught and well balanced, and blends incredibly smoothly throughout the who range. THere is no discernable gap or hole where driver overlap/interference detracts from the sound.

In listening to old-favorites, on CD, AAC (192K), or 128MP3, EVERYTHING was audible. I have listened to some of my source material for years, on the highest-of high-end gear, and this little beauties were so revealing I was hearing not just a little, but a LOT, or ambience, detail, production overlays (and yes, CODEC artifacts, especially with MP3).

I was simply floored by the level of detail. Not the least of reasons being that, in a sense, these phones are not in-your-face tipped up with sizzly treble (like the Panasonics or Sony's), and the midrange is so clear and free of grain that at first, I thought detail was *missing* from some of my recordings.

This was a surprise, as vocals which used to have a bit of grain, or cymbals and snare drums, sounded almost soft. But, the incredible detail and transparency makes it clear that many of these "details" were sizzle and hash created by the drivers in the other phones.

Needless to say, in comparison to the Bose products, the Shure's provided a more compact travel solution, better noise reduction, and vastly superior, more transparent and extended audio.

The PTH was usefull for knocking about in the office, I could talk to people without "unplugging" myself. I just wish it were more compact and solid. But, this is an extra, it's not the reason for existence for a product such as this.

This is without a doubt the best headphone/earphone I've ever heard. Improve the PTH, and it'd be a 10 for sure. Thanks Shure!