Solo 2 vs Se215

[Merc.]

Hi.

 

I want to buy new headphones.

 

I already asked similar question on Head-Fi and as you may or may not know Head-Fiers hate Beats.

 

So: I want headphones that are durable (will last at least two years everyday use).

Comfortable (Can be worn for 4 hours or more. Basically marathon listening).

Decent or good sound quality ( Good bass and Clarity).

Good looks ("You just don't want to look like an idiot wearing your headphones outside").

Good sound isolation and low sound leakage (...For nine hour flights as example...).

 

As you can already tell by the title: Beats Solo 2 or Shure Se215?

Which headphones fit my requirements better?

 

Music I listen to: "All about that bass", No classical, 80's, Disco, House, Pop, Some rock, Mainstream music (Taylor Swift) etc...

 

I know that Beats are not an "audiophile headphone" thats why I am asking this at Linustechtips.

 

I currently have stock Samsung earbuds that has only one working speaker and that's left... So I really need new headphones 

 

Also I have heard that Shure se215 cable isn't very durable. And you can't find replacement cables in my country (Finland)

 

Could you tell me which one of those two would you pick?

 

Thank you for checking out my thread and Double thank you for replying and leaving your opinion. 

 

[Jaybird]

I love my SE215. 

[Volbet]

Replacments cables for the Shure Se215's can easily be bought online from other EU contries. Although, they are somewhat expensive.

From the two options you listed, I would pick the Shure Se215 for sure. Beats by Dre are pretty much universially disliked. It's not just on Head-fi.

While I haven't used my Shure Se215 a lot, they have endured quite a bit, and I haven't had changed the cable yet. 

 

Although, for the same price as the Shure Se215, you could get a pair of ATH-M40x's.

I would say, that they sound better, but I don't know if the look will fit you. 

[Arty]

Beats were never an option.

[Merc.]

Well... I'm not sure how to ask it...

Which of those two would you pick for each category?

Durability:

Comfort:

Sound quality:

Looks:

Sound isolation:

[KaminKevCrew]

Durability: SE215

Comfort: SE215

Sound Quality: SE215

Looks: SE215

Sound Isolation: SE215

 

Durability: I've owned several pairs of Shure IEMs, and they are very, very durable. You may not think that you can get replacements in Finland, but you really, really can. There us a huge amount of aftermarket people that make them in the US and the EU. Also, you can very easily make your own company, with connectors from the likes of Neutrik and Eidolic. Any MMCX (Micro COAX) cable will fit the Shures. 

 

Comfort: When I had the Shures, I would wear them for 8+ hours a day fairly often, and they were just fine. 

 

Sound Quality: The Shures are very, very good for the price, beats are not so much. If you think you'd want a little more bass, get the Shure SE215 Blue limited one, it has more bass (by a little bit) so you might like it more.

 

Looks: Again, if you want something a little flashier, get the blue ones. I bought a pair for my girlfriend, and they look really, really good in person. 

 

Sound Isolation: Nothing beats an IEM for isolation, and lack of leakage. They are excellent at noise isolation. The only headphone I can think of that would have better isolation is a pair of Etymotic ER4s/ER4pt. 

[spwath]

Well... I'm not sure how to ask it...

Which of those two would you pick for each category?

Durability: shure

Comfort: depends on person

Sound quality: shure

Looks: depends on person

Sound isolation: shure

[Merc.]

Is there anyone that has SE215, have used them over 2 years, everyday, at least 2 hours in a day with stock shure cable without changing it to another.

I don't want to buy cables that are very expensive...

[KaminKevCrew]

Is there anyone that has SE215, have used them over 2 years, everyday, at least 2 hours in a day with stock shure cable without changing it to another.

I don't want to buy cables that are very expensive...

Yes. A friend of mine has them, and he's had them just about since they came out. As long as you don't constantly plug and unplug the cable for fun, you will be totally fine. Also, you can get a replacement cable for less than $30 US, which I would hardly call expensive. 

[Merc.]

Yes. A friend of mine has them, and he's had them just about since they came out. As long as you don't constantly plug and unplug the cable for fun, you will be totally fine. Also, you can get a replacement cable for less than $30 US, which I would hardly call expensive.

Do you mean unplugging the cable from the earphone or from the audio source?

[KaminKevCrew]

Do you mean unplugging the cable from the earphone or from the audio source?

from the earphone. I know I certainly wouldn't buy it if it was an issue to do with unplugging from the source. That would suck!!!

[Merc.]

from the earphone. I know I certainly wouldn't buy it if it was an issue to do with unplugging from the source. That would suck!!!

Ok. Thanks for clarifying that. ☺

[KaminKevCrew]

Ok. Thanks for clarifying that. ☺

No problemo!

[xtroria]

Durability: SE215

Comfort: SE215

Sound Quality: SE215

Looks: SE215

Sound Isolation: SE215

 

Durability: I've owned several pairs of Shure IEMs, and they are very, very durable. You may not think that you can get replacements in Finland, but you really, really can. There us a huge amount of aftermarket people that make them in the US and the EU. Also, you can very easily make your own company, with connectors from the likes of Neutrik and Eidolic. Any MMCX (Micro COAX) cable will fit the Shures. 

 

Comfort: When I had the Shures, I would wear them for 8+ hours a day fairly often, and they were just fine. 

 

Sound Quality: The Shures are very, very good for the price, beats are not so much. If you think you'd want a little more bass, get the Shure SE215 Blue limited one, it has more bass (by a little bit) so you might like it more.

 

Looks: Again, if you want something a little flashier, get the blue ones. I bought a pair for my girlfriend, and they look really, really good in person. 

 

Sound Isolation: Nothing beats an IEM for isolation, and lack of leakage. They are excellent at noise isolation. The only headphone I can think of that would have better isolation is a pair of Etymotic ER4s/ER4pt. 

 

Wow wow wow big boy. Beats solo 2 still sounds better than SE215 if bang for buck bets are off. 

 

Also, shure triple flange!

[RazerZ]

I would also consider the RHA MA 750/750i. Solid stainless steel construction with thick cables and excellent strain relief.A three year warranty is standard.

 

 

Comes with all the eartips you could want for the perfect fit and are also very comfortable as well.They are warm and lush sounding with a slight emphasis on sub bass.Isolation is good. Really hard to go wrong with these if they are available in your area and in your price range.

[Merc.]

Ok. Let's ask the same question again:

Which of these headphones would you pick for each category: Sennheiser Momentum on ear, AKG Y55, AKG K619, Shure SE215.

Durability:

Sound quality:

Comfort:

Looks:

Sound isolation:

I'm going to use my headphones for everything. From gaming to gym basically. IEMs are not good for gaming I guess.

I am a student so I want quality with low price.

Because everyone likes beats so much I think they are out.

Also I was thinking about Beats studios for a minute... (they look really sexy )

[RazerZ]

Beats would be forgiving if you're using a low quality source but clarity wise they are far from the competition. Not to mention they are cheaply made, will break easily, and are overpriced.

 

I wouldn't use on ears for the Gym, they will get sweaty and hot fast. IEMs aren't the best for gaming compared to full sized, but they can still work. 

[Merc.]

Beats would be forgiving if you're using a low quality source but clarity wise they are far from the competition. Not to mention they are cheaply made, will break easily, and are overpriced.

I wouldn't use on ears for the Gym, they will get sweaty and hot fast. IEMs aren't the best for gaming compared to full sized, but they can still work.

I'm using my Samsung Galaxy S5 as source. Sometimes cheap HP laptop. I listen to mp3 320 kbps. Is that considered low? Also I bet that any headphone over 20€ are better than my "left side only" samsung earbuds

[Ellis_D]

Honestly, if that's your audio setup, I wouldn't spend a large amount of money on headphones.  High-End headphones don't automagically take mediocre sound and turn it into something that sounds amazing and a Galaxy S5 just isn't capable of driving high-end audio. 

 

In regards to durability and gym usage, I know Sennheiser makes a decent pair of in-ear headphones specifically for running, cycling, and other high-intensity activities so you might want to look into those although I wouldn't recommend them for gaming and any situation where you're going to be sitting and listening.  in-ears are just terrible for this in my opinion because their cords are too short and there's always an issue of the cords bumping into things and sending vibrations directly into your ears (all in-ears have this issue to a certain extent. It's a fundamental flaw of having a direct line into your ear hole).

[Merc.]

Honestly, if that's your audio setup, I wouldn't spend a large amount of money on headphones.  High-End headphones don't automagically take mediocre sound and turn it into something that sounds amazing and a Galaxy S5 just isn't capable of driving high-end audio. 

 

In regards to durability and gym usage, I know Sennheiser makes a decent pair of in-ear headphones specifically for running, cycling, and other high-intensity activities so you might want to look into those although I wouldn't recommend them for gaming and any situation where you're going to be sitting and listening.  in-ears are just terrible for this in my opinion because their cords are too short and there's always an issue of the cords bumping into things and sending vibrations directly into your ears (all in-ears have this issue to a certain extent. It's a fundamental flaw of having a direct line into your ear hole).

I don't want to be mean but are you trying to say that I shouldn't buy headphones at all. First you told that I shouldn't buy expensive headphones. You are kind of right, but if I want  better sound quality I should spend little more than 10$... And then you told that in-ears are good for gym but not for gaming. How about on ears? they are good for both gym and gaming in my opinion. (I have seen people use Solo2 on gym...). I know it might be hard to find a headphone that is for every use. And also I think mp3 320kbps is pretty good. There is better quality but I have read that you can't hear the difference between 320kbps mp3 and FLAC as example. Maybe then when you are using some 2000$ headphones. 

 

I hope I didn't start an internet war and I apologize If I insulted you.

[RazerZ]

Do you have a set budget and site you will be purchasing from?

[Merc.]

Do you have a set budget and site you will be purchasing from?

My budget is 100-300 Euros. I think you don't know the site I'm going to purchase the headphones/earphones... But If you want to know here is the website: http://www.verkkokauppa.com/ It is in Finnish but Google Translate does the job

[Ellis_D]

I don't want to be mean but are you trying to say that I shouldn't buy headphones at all. First you told that I shouldn't buy expensive headphones. You are kind of right, but if I want  better sound quality I should spend little more than 10$... And then you told that in-ears are good for gym but not for gaming. How about on ears? they are good for both gym and gaming in my opinion. (I have seen people use Solo2 on gym...). I know it might be hard to find a headphone that is for every use. And also I think mp3 320kbps is pretty good. There is better quality but I have read that you can't hear the difference between 320kbps mp3 and FLAC as example. Maybe then when you are using some 2000$ headphones. 

 

I hope I didn't start an internet war and I apologize If I insulted you.

 

No, I'm not saying that at all but rather, I wouldn't spend a fortune on high-end headphoens.  I'd say the $100 USD range is probably going to be the sweet spot before you see diminishing returns on the sound your setup can produce.

 

And the issue isn't in the bitrate, but rather the sound processor and DAC on those devices.  They're just not designed to process high-end audio.  Even if you start off with 24/192 HD Audio  files, they'll still be processed in a way that only produces mid-range sound.  The issue with pairing a set of high-end headphones with a mid-range DAC is that the headphones can only deliver what was put into them.  They won't magically make bad audio sound better.

 

For instance, I have a $50 pair of Sennheiser HD 203s (which aren't bad by any stretch) and a pair of $180 Audio Technica ATH-M50xs and when If I'm using either one with my HTC One, they sound almost identical because the audio source is the weakest link.  Now when I use both pairs with my PC with a decent amplified DAC, playing the exact same music files at the exact same bitrate, the Audio Technicas shine through and sound way better whereas the Sennheisers only sound marginally better than they did when playing off the phone.

[RazerZ]

My budget is 100-300 Euros. I think you don't know the site I'm going to purchase the headphones/earphones... But If you want to know here is the website: http://www.verkkokauppa.com/ It is in Finnish but Google Translate does the job

I would go with the SE 215s.

[KaminKevCrew]

 

Honestly, if that's your audio setup, I wouldn't spend a large amount of money on headphones.  High-End headphones don't automagically take mediocre sound and turn it into something that sounds amazing and a Galaxy S5 just isn't capable of driving high-end audio. 

 

In regards to durability and gym usage, I know Sennheiser makes a decent pair of in-ear headphones specifically for running, cycling, and other high-intensity activities so you might want to look into those although I wouldn't recommend them for gaming and any situation where you're going to be sitting and listening.  in-ears are just terrible for this in my opinion because their cords are too short and there's always an issue of the cords bumping into things and sending vibrations directly into your ears (all in-ears have this issue to a certain extent. It's a fundamental flaw of having a direct line into your ear hole).

@OP, this post is total BS. I've had an S5, and it certainly isn't as nice as the S6 in terms of audio hardware, but it is enough to suffice. I suspect that it has a high output impadance, because bass seems to be lacking on the S5. Now, high end headphones will sound better, and more often than not, be more comfortable than cheaper ones. 

 

The part about microphonics: you must never have tried the cable routed over your ears. On most all in ears, that completely eliminates microphonics. Not to mention, it makes them less likely to fall out. And for the short cord, think about this: You can buy a longer cord!!! (also, the Shure cables are plenty long enough...)

 

I would go with the SE 215s.

If the budget reaches up to 300 euro, OP should absolutely go for the SE425. It's a very, very good earphone (I like it better than the 535). Also, the whole thing about sound on an S5 being good: again, the S5 does have something kinda messed up on it, but as soon as you plug them into a PC, you will be totally fine. Modern motherboards have more than adequate sound hardware to deal with good audio. Also, I would bet money that @Ellis_D has never tried the ABX test on Foobar2000 (or something similar) and I bet that he/she would not be able to tell the difference between 320kbps mp3 and .wav/any other lossless codec, no matter the sound hardware used (so long as it remains the same for the different formats). 

 

Also, the diminishing returns thing doesn't really hit that hard until you're up to around $500/500 Euro. Up to about $500, as long as you do your research, there are some really, really good products that are definitely worth the money.