KSE1500 Electrostatic Earphone System

I'm comparing the KSE1500's with the latest Etymotic Research ER4XD, Ultimate Ears 11, and Stax SR-L700's. The Shure's have superb definition as one would expect from an electrostatic transducer. The tonal balance is excellent, and the bass is nigh onto unbelievable. I have an unusual configuration in my ear canals and require the pediatric sleeves with the ER-4's. Because Shure doesn't offer such, I took advantage of their affiliation with Sensaphonics. I went to an audiologist, who made molds that I sent in. I received custom-made sleeves with a pocket for the transducers. The isolation is so good that I can wear these when I mow the grass with a conventional gas mower and I can hear the softest notes in orchestral music. The biggest difference between the Shure and Stax electrostatics is the listening perspective. Like all IEM's the KSE 1500's sound like they're in my head, where the Stax over-the-ear stats have an airier image. But for something small and easy to carry on an airplane or when walking, when I don't want to look like a spaceman waking down the street with over-the ear headphones, the KSE's are the best ticket! Battery life is better than I expected for an amplifier that puts out 200 volts. I've had several 2-hour listening sessions off of one charge. The sound is excellent using a USB connection to my LG V30 phone. These are costly, but if you are interested in in-ear-monitors, you won't be looking to replace these in the foreseeable future. They are good with head-banging rock and with Beethoven violin sonatas. One caveat: these are so distortion free that it's sometimes hard to know how loud they are playing. They will player louder than is safe for anyone's ears over the long-term, so don't try to make your eardrums bleed.

These IEM's really hurt your ears. Physical pain. The ear piece is so big that it stretches the cartilages in your ears. I have to be cautious to not put it in all the way deep into the ear canal, so the pain is minimized. Still, I have to be cautious to not open my mouth, be cause the jaw opening moves the TMJ. Pain when drinking or eating. Be prepared to enjoy the clearest music you've ever heard but torment through the pain. Sound-wise it's the clearest IEM I've ever heard, but I only come from the SE500. There is no tunnel sound effect. How clear is the sound? When listening to my DSD files, it's only a bit clearer than my denon D5000. Almost no improvement from my LCD-3. Magnet headphones create about the same quality sound for much less money. If you want the highest quality sound from an IEM, then I would suggest the SE846 and stay far away from the 1500 for ear pain reason alone.

An absolutely brilliant sound. Lacking in bass quality though. The fit is kind of finicky and to me was a bit uncomfortable as the wrap-around cables had to constantly be bent firmly around the ear. The ear tips need to firmly be in the ear without any air leakage, otherwise the sound becomes muffled and uneven. I found myself constantly having to adjust these to make the fit. This became an annoyance, and led to much discomfort around my ears. This ultimately led me to return the pair as I could not comfortable wear them more than an hour at a time. I think some excellent research went into these - and they sound incredible. I Just wish they had spent some more time making the cable material work better around the ear without having to constantly pinch it.

Very good set of electrostatic earphone system. I am not an audiophile but I am a bass head. For anyone who is a bass head or wants a lot of bass, these are NOT for you. For those of you who want clarity of sound, for musicians, for studios and alike, these will reproduce the sound exactly the way it was recorded. Of course, these should perform really good in the airplane if you travel often, they are recommended. But for myself, I need more bass so I will stick with my regular headphones.

very, very disappointing, not for the quality, which is one of the best ever experienced, but when you raise a little bit the volume it switches off automatically!!! ridiculous!!! when you pay usd 3k for a device like that , you want listen it loud!! that should be our/buyer option to listen it loud, and not the manufacturer to decide what volume max we should listen!! if i knew it in advance would not have bought it at all !!!!!!!

I can see why some people here have rated this product very low. This is a very sensitive iem that pairs with sources and pretty much absorbs its sound signature. Pair it with Chord Mojo and it becomes warm and musical; pair it with Hugo and its detailed and neutral and airy. Make sure you finest with the usb/line out options and your source, and once you do, the sound quality is unmatched, and personally, this is worth the price. It didn't really resonate with me the first couple of minutes that i was listening to this iem, because i was working and couldn't really concentrate on the sound. it took about another 3-4 hours of carefully listening when i realize that this iem is even more detail than all iems and closed back headphones that Ive heard. Its great to listen to a nice pair of cans/iem and you just can't quite put your finger on it; as it grows on you with every different song you listen to. I ordered this from amazon expecting to return it as a skeptic, hoping for it to wow me in the first minute with crazy bass or whatever. The Kse1500 is so much more worth it than say, something that wows you at first but you progressively loose interest as you mature into a more analytical listener-This is one of those experience!

Absolutely amazing sounding earbuds from Shure. The response is flat, a rich neutral, perfectly reproduces instruments, is very fast, and is portable. I've owned the Sennheiser HD 800 + HDVD 800, and the IE800 before and none of them compare to the clarity, speed, and realism in sound produced by the Shure KSE1500. I absolutely recommend it to anyone who is able to afford this.

I have lots of earphones, this one KSE1500 is the best! The best sound!