CHANGSTAR: Audiophile Headphone Reviews and Early 90s Style BBS

  • December 31, 2015, 09:39:44 AM
  • Welcome, Guest
Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  
Pages: [1] 2 3 4

Author Topic: Shure SE846 impressions  (Read 9125 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Anaxilus

  • Phallus Belligerantus Analmorticus
  • Pirate
  • **
  • Brownie Points: +65535/-65535
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3493
  • TRS jacks must die
    • The Claw
Shure SE846 impressions
« on: February 24, 2014, 01:24:39 AM »
Construction is best I’ve seen in universal since the FitEar 334. Sound not quite up to price tag relative to the top-end competition (performance wise, not price) in my opinion.  Filter system is neat however rather tedious.

Note-I used stock tips, did not tip roll as none were available at the time.

Treble filter
-not so hot, too U shaped
-bass not very resolving or textured next to UERM.  Mid to low bass is okay but a tad too warm and murky by comparison.  -Top end more uneven and fatiguing due to u shape, smoother than uerm. Imaging not as good, blackground greyer, inner dynamics too flat and smooth, no inner detail or sufficient air or space for notes to breathe. 
-Piano sounds plastic/teflon with typical Shure timbre that drives me crazy. Notes linger and reverb a bit too much hurting imaging and resolution.  Some might like it as an overly psychoacoustic 'natural' effect.

Medium filter
-most balanced of the lot
-cleans up the Shure a little but it’s just a step behind the best in the biz. 

Lesser transparency is clear in A/B. Reminds me a bit of the Unique Melody signature grey sound.  Bass guitar still sounds like a hazy blob of reverb on Spyro Gyra. Ride and crash are just buried along with the bongo drums all of which come back once switching back to the UERM.  Bass guitar is properly defined/imaged and piano has more natural timbre with all the appropriate harmonics on display using the UERM

Bass filter not used, couldn’t stand to have less treble than the Medium filter which seems pretty accurate already.
Logged
"If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading." - Lao Tzu

"The Claw is our master. The Claw chooses who will go or who will stay." - The LGM Community

"You're like a dull knife, just ain't cuttin'. Talking loud, saying nothing." - James Brown

Kunlun

  • Sort of a big deal in the online feline community
  • Able Bodied Sailor
  • Pirate
  • ***
  • Brownie Points: +42/-16
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 574
  • Goronyo Kunlun Board Member Nigerian Nat'l Oil Co.
    • my website
Re: Shure SE846 impressions
« Reply #1 on: February 24, 2014, 02:54:15 AM »
Thanks, that saves me a bunch of money.

The UERM does pretty well with timbre.
Logged

Maxvla

  • Mate
  • Pirate
  • ****
  • Brownie Points: +211/-12
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1251
Re: Shure SE846 impressions
« Reply #2 on: February 24, 2014, 03:02:52 AM »
Disappointing. Was thinking about picking up some new high end IEMs or CIEMs at RMAF this year, but I wonder if there's anything that's an actual improvement over UERMs yet. As good as they are the UERM is far from perfect, lots of room to improve.
Logged

iRo

  • not rare nor cool
  • Able Bodied Sailor
  • Powder Monkey
  • ***
  • Brownie Points: +2/-0
  • Online Online
  • Posts: 49
Re: Shure SE846 impressions
« Reply #3 on: February 24, 2014, 08:40:35 AM »
I wonder if there are any high end universal IEMs that are worth the price and are up there with adequate performance.

Also wish there were universal version of UERM. UE please...
Logged

mechgamer123

  • Able Bodied Sailor
  • Pirate
  • ***
  • Brownie Points: +6/-1
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 104
Re: Shure SE846 impressions
« Reply #4 on: February 24, 2014, 08:59:05 AM »
I heard these at SeaTac airport and I believe the bass filters were installed. All I can say is never use the bass filters with these. The bass was nice and punchy for a BA, but the treble was rolled off like every other Shure I've heard and threw off the tonal balance for me.
Not worth $1000 IMO.
Logged

MuppetFace

  • Miss Anna Logg
  • Mate
  • Pirate
  • ****
  • Brownie Points: +119/-6
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1371
  • First you get a swimming pool full of liquor...
Re: Shure SE846 impressions
« Reply #5 on: February 24, 2014, 01:30:39 PM »
Whoa there folks. What's with all the sudden "no longer considering these" comments? With respect to Anax, I trust his ears, but I don't think he'd want any of you to suddenly write something off without hearing it yourself just based on a single set of semi-negative impressions.

For instance I'm extremely happy with the Shure SE846. They're not perfect, no, but to my ears they're one of the absolute best universals on the market right now. I'd take them over the IE800, K3003, FI-BA-SS, 1Plus2, and universal FitEars. I've also got a pair of the UM Mentors, and sonically I vastly prefer the Shures.

In other words, this is one of those times where I have to disagree with the subjective assessment.

Also re: bass filter

The bass filter is awful and not at all indicative of the other filters.
I find these to have the best overall balance and timbre with the medium filters and Shure's stock tips.

If I were to ever downsize my collection of IEMs, the Shures would stay for sure.
« Last Edit: February 24, 2014, 01:53:15 PM by MuppetFace »
Logged
My blog on head-fi: http://www.head-fi.org/f/7879/muppetface
I mostly talk about music there. Weird.

Kunlun

  • Sort of a big deal in the online feline community
  • Able Bodied Sailor
  • Pirate
  • ***
  • Brownie Points: +42/-16
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 574
  • Goronyo Kunlun Board Member Nigerian Nat'l Oil Co.
    • my website
Re: Shure SE846 impressions
« Reply #6 on: February 24, 2014, 02:08:53 PM »
Thanks!

Well, Steve Guttenberg liked the 846 over the JH Roxannes. It really upset some people who have paid and waited 120+ days for their Roxannes...

I'd love for Noble to get a 4.a to anax and Lff, that seems to be something that can really meet and beat the UERM (from having the custom 4C).
Logged

Anaxilus

  • Phallus Belligerantus Analmorticus
  • Pirate
  • **
  • Brownie Points: +65535/-65535
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3493
  • TRS jacks must die
    • The Claw
Re: Shure SE846 impressions
« Reply #7 on: February 24, 2014, 02:21:52 PM »
Quote from: Kunlun on February 24, 2014, 02:08:53 PM
Thanks!

Well, Steve Guttenberg liked the 846 over the JH Roxannes. It really upset some people who have paid and waited 120+ days for their Roxannes...

I'd love for Noble to get a 4.a to anax and Lff, that seems to be something that can really meet and beat the UERM (from having the custom 4C).

Well I think the JH Roxannes sound like utter shit so I'd have to agree w/ Gutty on that one.  I've tried every which way many times to get the best out them and it's simply impossible.  The JH13FP blows it away.

As for the 846, I'd say they play in the same ballpark w/ the other universals that MF mentioned but they each have their own set of trade-offs so are subjectively sidegrades IMHO.  Compared to the best at the same price ranges, the UERM, ES5, and JH13FP blow the 846 away for my metrics.  If you are going to cram that many drivers into a shell and charge that much, one should be able to hear an accurate rendering of strings without smearing.  The Shure timbre thing seems to be something that bothers some more than others.  For me the question when comparing new gear to my personal references is, under what circumstances would I would prefer to use this new piece of gear versus what I already have?  In this case, as many others, I have to say zero.  But that's just where I come from perspective wise.
Logged
"If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading." - Lao Tzu

"The Claw is our master. The Claw chooses who will go or who will stay." - The LGM Community

"You're like a dull knife, just ain't cuttin'. Talking loud, saying nothing." - James Brown

music_4321

  • IEM tease
  • Pirate
  • **
  • Brownie Points: +3010/-6
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 211
Re: Shure SE846 impressions
« Reply #8 on: March 06, 2014, 09:14:40 PM »
Have had the 846s for the last 4 days. Only purchased them because, although I kinda expected I wouldn't be that impressed, I managed to get a good deal on the pair I have and figured I'd be able to sell them rather quickly here in Europe (£950/$1,590 in the UK!) if I didn't like them. I have to say that I even regretted the purchase as I didn't want to go through the hassle of selling them, but it was too late...

To my surprise, not only did I like them, but have been very, very, very impressed. I prefer the white (treble) filters, but the blue (so-called neutral) ones are still pretty good, though the bass becomes a little more pronounced due to how the treble is presented and how it blends with the mid & low freqs.

Those who know me (from Head-fi) will know I've heard—and owned—quite a few IEMs and a few cans (K3003, ER-4S,  F111, TG334, Parterre, FIBASS, FIBASB, IE800 , ES3X [customs], EX1000, EX800 & 7550, FA-4E, KAEDE, SE535, SE530, W4, UM3X, W3, UM2, CK100, CK10, SM3 [utter rubbish!!], HD800, HD600, AKG K141, etc).

My ears have been telling me the 846 is among the very best phones I've ever heard—without a shadow of a doubt—, and I'd definitely take it over the TG334, IE800, FIBASS, Parterre and all the rest of phones I've heard, except the HD800 (and possibly the HD600), the ER4S & K3003, though I'd need to have a proper A/B session (which I tend to really dislike) to determine whether I'd take the SE846s over the K3003s & ER4S (read: right now I cannot honestly say I prefer the ER4S & K3003).

Last night a did a pretty quick comparison between the ER4S & 846s and that's when I realised why I've been blown away by the Shures — the differences weren't that pronounced (ER4S with stock green filters & Shure olives AND a proper fit & seal, 846s with stock grey single-flange silicone tips & white filters).

For the record, I've never been a Shure fan (sold both my SE530 & SE535s within days/weeks after purchasing them, as well as the SE215) and have been very critical of the SEXX5 MMCX connectors & swivel mechanism — curiously enough, I get a better fit with the larger 846 shells than I did with the 535 & 215 shells.

http://grooveshark.com/#!/s/America+Is+Waiting/3LaNgC?src=5
« Last Edit: March 07, 2014, 08:36:39 PM by music_4321 »
Logged

lowdown69

  • Guest
Re: Shure SE846 impressions
« Reply #9 on: March 24, 2014, 01:55:55 PM »
The 846 can do anything you want them to do period. You can choose not to like them if that makes you happy but it does what the 535 can do and more. Best universal earphone out there period. If you prefer listening to a woman with a guitar then no need to go with this a single BA drive will handle that. If you want a whole band with multitude of instruments then this is for you. You want Jazz it can do it, you want classic rock it can do it, you want a night club it become a night club.
Logged
Pages: [1] 2 3 4
« previous next »