Shure·earbuds
Shure SE215
Based on 10 credible posts from Bluesky & Hacker News.
Low confidenceFew owner reviews so far, so this score can still move a lot. How we score
Scored September 27, 2026
We may earn a commission from this link. It never affects the score.
Owner reviews
Overall owner mood
Owners mostly like it, with reservations: 50% of 10 reviews are positive, 50% mixed, and only 0% negative. Praise centers on battery & charging and sound. The most common complaint is sound (2 owners). Owners with 6+ months of use are more positive (67%), which suggests it holds up well.
What owners like
Battery & charging praised by 2 owners
“No connection issues, great battery life, and the passive isolation I get with the right ear tips is better than any ANC I've ever used.”
Sound praised by 2 owners
“They have a wide range of tips, and have worn well and still sound good.”
What owners complain about
Sound raised by 2 owners
“The sound quality is poorer, but not enough to make a meaningful difference when I’m listening to music that was mixed for consumers, or podcasts recorded in a closet somewhere - which let’s face it, we mostly are.”
What owners talk about
- Sound2 praise · 2 complain
- Battery & charging2 praise · 0 complain
- Price & value1 praise · 1 complain
Built from the reviews themselves — every quote links to the owner who wrote it.
Full text of every credible post we scored. Bot-like and off-topic comments are hidden.
Replaceable cables have always been a high priority for me. I've been using SHURE SE215 for almost 2 decades at this point.
I'm still using the same pair of Shure SE215's I bought 10 years ago, most of the time for drums. Commuted with them for a while to block out street noise too. I've replaced the cable once but the headphones themselves are still going strong
I do like the Shure SE215, I have also tried the SE315 and prefer the sound on the 215. I have used them in live shows as well as for mild hearing protection in a workshop, and have no complaints. I've replaced the cable once in about 7 years (nice that it's replaceable)
I have had a set of Shure SE215 for almost 10 years. They have a wide range of tips, and have worn well and still sound good.
Well, I have had them for about 2 years and would buy them again. [...] For a while I'd track drums with them over my shure se215, but I've started playing quieter and have found that something like an HD280 cuts stuff down enough to track drums while feeling more comfortable. On one hand, they are kind of expensive, bulky, and the mic isn't great. Also their "ambient sound" is not anywhere near as loud or controllable as the muffs I use for shooting. On the other hand, they pair well, sound okay, have a lot of noise reduction, and they seem pretty rugged. They run on AAs and Battery life is pretty good, too.
(TBF, BT ones also drop packets in RF-noisy environments, but they seem to be more resistant to it) I've experienced the opposite. The microwave will knock out my bluetooth completely, but the wired headphones are solid but in a decade of using both wired and wireless headphones I've never heard anything weird or staticy through the wired ones. My wired headphones were the Shure SE215, and now after a decade of using those they broke, so I have the Kiwi Ears Belle.
I have the Shure TW2 adapters and they work great. No connection issues, great battery life, and the passive isolation I get with the right ear tips is better than any ANC I've ever used. As an added bonus, if you order when they're on sale, you can get the TW2 adapters with a pair of SE 215 buds for the same price as the plain adapters.
I use Shure se215 IEMs inside my helmet together with a Cardo Packtalk (which includes a microphone mounted inside my helmet). The audio setup is not the problem. The problem is when I say "Hey Siri, cancel route guidance," it will say something like "…You must unlock your iPhone to do that." The entire point is that I can't take my gloves off, get out my phone, and unlock it, at speed, on a motorcycle.
I use se215’s for my band (probably 3 hours a week), and they’re fine. [...] Thankfully I bought a wireless receiver pack which negates that problem. [...] The sound quality is poorer, but not enough to make a meaningful difference when I’m listening to music that was mixed for consumers, or podcasts recorded in a closet somewhere - which let’s face it, we mostly are.
I believe those are MCX. My Shure SE215 IEMs (earphones) use the same connector.
The claims, and the evidence
What the brand claims
No published claims on file for this product yet.
What owners report
“Replaceable cables have always been a high priority for me. I've been using SHURE SE215 for almost 2 decades at this point.”
after 20 yearsView on Hacker News“I'm still using the same pair of Shure SE215's I bought 10 years ago, most of the time for drums. Commuted with them for a while to block out street noise too. I've replaced the cable once but the headphones themselves are still going strong”
after 10 yearsView on Bluesky“Well, I have had them for about 2 years and would buy them again. [...] For a while I'd track drums with them over my shure se215, but I've started playing quieter and have found that something like an HD280 cuts stuff down enough to track drums while feeling more comfortable. On one hand, they are kind of expensive, bulky, and the mic isn't great. Also their "ambient sound" is not anywhere near as loud or controllable as the muffs I use for shooting. On the other hand, they pair well, sound okay, have a lot of noise reduction, and they seem pretty rugged. They run on AAs and Battery life is pretty good, too.”
after 2 yearsView on Hacker News“(TBF, BT ones also drop packets in RF-noisy environments, but they seem to be more resistant to it) I've experienced the opposite. The microwave will knock out my bluetooth completely, but the wired headphones are solid but in a decade of using both wired and wireless headphones I've never heard anything weird or staticy through the wired ones. My wired headphones were the Shure SE215, and now after a decade of using those they broke, so I have the Kiwi Ears Belle.”
after 10 yearsView on Hacker News
Common Shure SE215 problems
Issues at least two owners independently report.
- Sound2 mentionsView on Hacker News
“Well, I have had them for about 2 years and would buy them again. [...] For a while I'd track drums with them over my shure se215, but I've started playing quieter and have found that something like an HD280 cuts stuff down enough to track drums while feeling more comfortable. On one hand, they are kind of expensive, bulky, and the mic isn't great. Also their "ambient sound" is not anywhere near as loud or controllable as the muffs I use for shooting. On the other hand, they pair well, sound okay, have a lot of noise reduction, and they seem pretty rugged. They run on AAs and Battery life is pretty good, too.”