Shure SE115 Headphones Review - Usability

	Usability
• Modular cord that becomes normal length with extension. • Very portable. • Easier to maintain than a lot of in-ears. • Dont' require batteries.
	Introduction	Page 6 of 12	Shure SE420 Comparison

Cable Connectivity     (6.12)

With the extension cord added, the SE115s measure 55.75 inches. This is a bit longer than average for a set of in-ears; most users will have some slack tucked into their pocket. If you remove the extension cable, the SE115s are only about 1 foot, 5 inches long. This is a good length for hooking up to a media player in an arm band, but not much else. The main reason the SE115s come with such a short cord is so users can attach various in-line accessories, like volume changers, or a remote & mic for issuing commands to a media player or making calls on a cell phone. While other models in the SE series come with both these extras, they are separate purchases for the SE115s.

Portability     (9.75)

Without their extension cord, the SE115s are less than a foot and a half long, which is very, very short. If you're using the extension cable to bring the SE115s to a more realistic length, they'll be a bit longer than the average set of in-ears. Also, the Shure SE series has a slightly thicker cord than we typically see on other in-ears.
 
The SE115s come with a case as well, which is actually a lot more functional than the typical SE series porter.

The main change is a small cargo pocket to keep all the sleeves in check.

This is a relatively small fix, but the older cases would just vomit your sleeves everywhere when you cracked it open. We almost lost about 40% of the Shure sleeves we got in for review this way, although we concede this was partially due to our own lack of coordination.

Another new addition: this hooky, keychain thinger.

Maintenance     (3.50)

In-ears are usually hard to maintain, since there's no easy venue for do-it-yourself fixing. The tactics users typically have access to involve removing the sleeves for easy cleaning and cleaning tools. The Shure SE115s come with both multiple sleeves and a cleaning tool. The cleaning tool is just a bit of plastic with a wire loop on it. While its good for cleaning out the SE115s' open nozzles, it doesn't reach the entire way down through the nozzle. This being said, this tool is a great inclusion.

Other Features     (5.00)

Battery Dependency
The SE530s don't require batteries, which is enough to net them some points here. Some fancy headphones need fancy batteries to power their fancy features. While these features might be awesome, batteries rarely are. They're a pain to change or recharge.