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Home > Reviews > Shure > In-Ear
Shure SE210 Headphones Review - In Use
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By Mark Brezinski
Published on April 05, 2008
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Summary
The Shure SE210 headphones are definitely above average in terms of usability. They're comfortable for in-ear headphones; you can wear them for extended periods of time without feeling like your ears are stretching out. Other than that, they're typical in-ear headphones. They're easy to cart around from place to place as a default. The case helps out a bit, but the lack of a pocket for the sleeves means they might fall out when you try to remove the headphones.
Comfort (5.50)
For this section, we wore the headphones for an hour, after we'd customized the headphones to provide the maximum comfort. We chose the large-sized soft flex sleeves, and thought they were fairly comfortable. The main issue we ran into was that, since the nozzle protrudes at an odd angle, getting them to fit into our ears well was a bit harder than expected. Once in, however, The Shure SE210s are a fairly comfortable pair of headphones. Once they're in, there's extremely minimal pressure on the ear canals; though we never completely forgot we were wearing them, we never had a nagging reminder they were in, either.
The only issue we ran into was with movement. If you wear your headphones looped around your ear, the buds may only loosen a bit. If you just stick in the buds and let the cords drape down, however, these things are coming out when you go for a jog.
Extended Use (5.00)
This section is identical to the previous one, with the sole exception of the duration: for extended use, we wear the headphones for six hours. During this marathon session, we didn't really notice too much of a difference in how they felt. After about five hours we started to notice the pressure a bit more, but it still wasn't uncomfortable. Overall, we'd say the Shure SE210 headphones hold up well over time.
Connectivity (cable / wireless) (4.92)
The SE210s use a cable to pipe the sound from a source to your ears. This cable is remarkably short, as we previously mentioned: from cord guard to cord guard, the cable is about 18 inches long. Fortunately, a 3-foot extension cord is included, lengthening your tether to about four and a half feet. This isn't bad.
Portability (8.5)
The Shure SE210s are very portable for several reasons. First and foremost, they're in-ear buds, which are never very large. Second, the headphones themselves are ridiculously short, so if you don't need the extension cord for some reason they'll take up a fairly small amount of pocket space. Even if you do need the extension cord, a small case is included. The surface of the case is moderately rigid, but will definitely give if pressed.
The interior has no pockets or pouches for the sleeves, so if you lose their tiny plastic bag you'll have to unzip the case with care, or you'll be spilling sleeves and cables everywhere.
Customizability (6.50)
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| Soft flex |
Foam |
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| Triple-flanged |
The full line-up
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There are two boxed-in options for customization: sleeves and the extension cable. Since the headphones are so incredibly short to begin with, the extension cable is pretty much a must, so we didn't award it full points. The other options you have are in your choice of sleeves. There are three main types: soft flex, foam, and triple-flanged. The soft flex and foam sleeves each have three different size offerings: small, medium, and large.
Also, although minor, the adjustable neck split allows the degree to which your headphones choke you.
Maintenance (4.00)
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Nozzle after moderate use, after cleaning with the included tool.
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The SE210s come with a tiny cleaning tool. It's a small plastic stick with a thin wire loop on one end, and a plastic peg on the other. Both protrusions fit about 95 percent of the way down the open nozzle. While this tool will definitely help, it doesn't completely compensate for the issues the open-ended nozzle causes in the first place. We're not sure why they didn't simply offer a wax guard, since the nozzle is definitely wide enough to accommodate one. These headphones, like most in-ear headphones, are also not built for easy disassembly. This means that if something does manage to get inside the nozzle, you're stuck with inventing a new tool to scrape out the mess.
In terms of maintenance, while the headphones come with a good amount of sleeves, there aren't any same-size duplicates in the bunch. Fortunately, the nozzle doesn't let go easily, so it's not like you'll constantly leave a trail of lost sleeves in your wake. They are also made of good-quality material and should be easy to clean or wash if the need arises. The only exception are the porous foam sleeves, which are like tiny ear-cleaning sponges. More sleeves can be purchased direct from Shure, which charges $19.99 for a set of five pairs.
Other Features (5.0)
Battery Dependency
The Sure SE210 headphones don't require a battery to work or provide some super cool feature. Batteries are a hassle, so by avoiding them, the SE210s get some points.
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