The cable length seems to assume the amplifier will be pocketed, but although a couple of wide rubber 'amp security' bands are provided (presumably to minimise case scratching), Shure don't supply a belt hook or pouch, which seems a bit stingy given the price of the system. Shure include a nice complement of cables for connecting to all your devices. Summing Up Go and buy a quantasylum qa401 for $450. The KSE1200 makes it so easy to focus on each instrument and latch on to their playing and clearly hear each note; there is no blurring of the notes or bleed into the lower midrange. The KSE1500 should not be confused with other hybrid models that use an electret driver which is not a true electrostatic design. Heres how it works. One of the advantages of this technology is that the diaphragm is virtually mass-less it certainly weighs less than the air surrounding it, unlike a moving-coil transducer design so it has negligible inertia and can respond virtually instantly to the subtlest nuances within a signal. It all sounds simple, but it's hard to get right thanks to the high voltages and other practical demands of electrostatic operation. The electrostatic transducer modules are encased in transparent bodies (although there's nothing interesting to see), and the cable entries have the usual stiffened sections which can be shaped tightly behind each ear. A major component of the experience is the ominous, almost transportative sound isolation. Cht m ca Shure KSE1200 thin V - lng m trm v m bng c nhn mnh; di m trung b y m lng xung. Headphones - IEM/Earbud. Shure's KSE-1200SYS IEMs certainly don't sound too polite, but their extended highs lack any hint of brightness or brittleness, and their superbly natural midrange and well-defined low frequencies make them a must-hear product. The charging process is not very fast with the micro-USB plug and one should expect between 3-4 hours to fully recharge the energizer once it is fully drained. Stereo imaging is also solid and stable, too, with binaural sources delivering a very realistic soundscape, and I found the cables transmitted almost no mechanical noise at all along to the earpieces. Has anyone compared the KSE1500 to campfire Solaris? The supplied Fit Kit includes five pairs of sleeves, made of Soft Flex rubber in small, medium, and large, as well as sleeves of Soft Foam and Triple-Flange sleeves. Shure KSA1500 ( KSA1500) . Bravia is one of Sony's best TV lines. A sweep-tone from 5Hz up to 22kHz provided a flat, consistent and seamless response across the entire bandwidth at least from the 15Hz to 17kHz range I can hear! -Leaves most iems in the dust in terms of resolution and detail retrieval. Some of this is down to their electrostatic nature. The difference between this experience and a previous listen of the song was night and day in its complexity. is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Shure KSE1500 vs KSE1200: Price. I'm afraid that wasn't something I wanted to test, but it was clear that the amplifier was capable of going way louder than I would ever need I rarely had the volume control more than halfway. Sound isolation 37dB. (This app only became available after this issue went to press.). The short lengths of cable connecting each KSE1500 earpiece to the yoke are stiffer and heavier than those of normal in-ear monitors (IEMs), which makes inserting the earpieces tricky. For example, 64audio's U12t model uses a dozen BAs in each earpiece and the company offer a model with 18 transducers, which has to be some kind of record! Clarity, refinement, dimension, dynamics, and sweet, sweet serenity. More recently I became an owner of Stax earspeakers too. Good though they can be, none get anywhere near the pristinely precise, seamless and effortless quality of the KSE electrostatics. The tonal balance is excellent, and the bass is nigh onto unbelievable. Most in-ear monitors employ either balanced armature drivers (tiny tubes wrapped around a voice coil) or dynamic drivers (the piston-like voice coil-and-magnet drivers commonly associated with speakers and headphones). Moreover, there are no inherent resonances or energy storage artifacts in the diaphragm, the transient response is incredibly accurate, and the transducer's harmonic distortion is typically an order of magnitude lower than that of an equivalent-sized moving-coil device at mid and high frequencies, and two orders better in the lowest octaves. Though thats hardly a practical portable solution, it certainly shows us the Shures true range of abilities. Because of their drive-unit size and position relative to the ear, in-ears dont tend to produce the kind of spacious sound good over-ear alternatives can. Pretty much any device with some decent hi-fi chops will get the job done well. I concluded my review of Shure's KSE1500 in November 2016 by saying that it was the finest-sounding in-ear monitor system I had experienced. Well add that weve yet to hear Audezes iSine LCDi4 planar magnetic earphones (which run $2,500) and we adored the sound of the $500 iSine 20, so they may be worth considering as a rival. Its all organised with impressive composure; the Shures sound confident and in control throughout. Shure's astronomically priced KSE1500 electrostatic earbuds get a reboot of sorts in the KSE1200, which drop the digital-to-analog converter, but keep all the lovely sound for a lot less green . More recently I became an owner of Stax earspeakers too. Focal sphear S: painful sibilance. On one end are the Lemo connector, an analog line-in jack, and a knurled volume knob that also acts as the power switch. It may not display this or other websites correctly. Youll need something that offers a higher quality signal to get the most out of these shockingly accurate earbuds. Focal Utopia: out of a pair of good sources, I was very . Shure claims up to 12 hours of use on a full charge, though much depends on the source material and volume level you listen at. Wondering if we could do even better, we end up with our reference Naim NDS/555PS music streamer combination feeding directly into the Shures (using a suitable adaptor cable). A well-engineered electrostatic driver will tend to have lower distortion and a faster response than any alternative technology, thanks to the diaphragms low mass and the fact that its entire surface is driven. 2001-2023 Head-Fi.org. The overall weight comes in at 6 ounces and while that might seem like something you dont want to carry around attached to your Android or iPhone, it actually doesnt feel that heavy when you carry it around. Shure Asia Limited, 22/F, 625 King's . The better the recording, the richer the experience, and in a lot of ways you really dont know whats coming in your own library, simply because most headphones dont have the accuracy and sheer sonic magnification required to understand exactly whats been recorded. Like the KSE1500, the 1200 tout a claimed frequency response of 10Hz-50kHz, with a maximum SPL of 113 dB. But you do need a dedicated amplifier that provides power for the unit to operate as well as delivering the music signal. Whereas ordinary earphones are plugged directly into the music source, these electrostatic earphones require a dedicated high-voltage amplifier to bias the transducer diaphragms. The electrostatic driver used here is a wide-bandwidth design having a claimed frequency response of 10Hz-50kHz (though no roll-off limits are quoted). I spent quite a bit of time stuck on a chair in the air this year. Even in the nerdified halls of audiophilia, thats a gulp-inducing number. If youre crazy enough to spend this kind of money on headphones and youre looking for headphones as portable as they are transformative dont hesitate. Shure KSE1200 Electrostatic Earphone System: Review. Thanks to the dedicated 200 Volt amp, you wont need to worry about impedance, and the unit packs up to 12 hours of performance per charge. JavaScript is disabled. Right-angled plugs simply rotate under tension and are far more reliable, in my experience. Watch the video to find out which headphones won the head-to-head shootout and how close the final scores were. Make sure to grab this TV before it completely sells out. Once you have the source sorted, theres little to complain about here sonically. $2,299 USD for IEMs? While such a design has many advantages, it never seems to render the more forceful aspects of music replay with the muscle of more conventional drive-unit technologies. 0. All of these produce music in a less fatiguing way than their counterparts. Der Shure KSE1200 bleibt fr lnger . Chic headphones in tnh nh m nht hin nay l Stax SR009 cng c mc gi ln ti 100 triu, cng l 1 chic headphone c gii chi hi-end nh gi rt cao. The KSE1200's clarity also placed the musicians solidly within the acoustic of Santa Fe's St. Francis Auditorium, which I'd subtly reinforced with some matching, Lexicon-derived artificial ambience (footnote 1). If something is sharp or sibilizes, we will hear it. The music signal is fed to those grids and the diaphragm moves back and forth between them as the polarity of the music signal changes, so moving air and producing sound. All products featured on Headphone Zone are backed by an original manufacturer's warranty. Here's Oratory's EQ settings for Harman IE 2017 target. For such a compact unit it's surprisingly heavy, at 155g, largely due to a large Lithium-ion battery pack. Considering the lack of quality of the older models DAC circuitry, thats not a great loss, nor do we much miss the originals range of equalisation features. In short, there is (currently) no better method of reproducing sound! Shure Earphones Shure Headphones Shure Earphones Shure Headphones Shure Incorporated was founded by S.N. Its not just music the KSE1200 magnify, either. Given that so far the KSE have no real competition within the single estat driver IEM category, and given the high cost that Shure reportedly sunk into the development, my . The specs also claim a maximum SPL of 113dB, at which point the total harmonic distortion reaches 3 percent (it may sound a lot, but it's really not in the context of loudspeakers!). The final recording I made at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, in 1998, featured Mozart's Piano Quartet 1 in g, K.478, with Pinchas Zukerman on violin, Cynthia Phelps on viola, Eric Kim on cello, and Marc Neikrug on piano. What's interesting here again, electrostatic technology flexes muscles because these sharpness is never annoying. Sound Finishes 1. Electrostatic headphones do take up some space on the desktop because you require both an amplifier for the headphones, DAC, and sources. Shure Incorporated, 5800 West Touhy . Shure SE846 Gen2 Earphones come in Jade, Graphite or Clear. . You must log in or register to reply here. Was gegen den Shure KSE 1200 spricht kann nur der Preis sein. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. AKG C414 The Ultimate Comparison: XLS vs XLII vs B-ULS vs EB, Sound Magic China Percussion, Chinese Percussion Instruments Collection, ModeAudio releases 'First Light - Vital Ambient Presets'. This was not the case with either the KSE1500 or KSE1200SYS earpieces, which played the low-frequency, 1/3-octave warble tones on my Editor's Choice (CD, Stereophile STPH016-2) cleanly and with full weight down to 32Hz, provided the sleeves were making good seals with my ear canals. The contents of this article are subject to worldwide copyright protection and reproduction in whole or part, whether mechanical or electronic, is expressly forbidden without the prior written consent of the Publishers. Shure took eight years to develop those original '1500s to the point . I planned to write down detailed comparisons to other headphonesthat I own (such as Campfire Vega, Etymotic er4xr, Etymotic er4pt, Massdrop Plus, Sony EX800st, Beyerdynamic T1, Beyerdynamic dt150), but at every head to head confrontation i realized it's just not makes sense. With the PS Audio, the pad again reduced the gain too much, so I lowered the DirectStream's volume from "100" to "84"ie, a reduction in level of 8dBwhich just turned the LED amber on peaks. Shure have designed an amplifier that can be attached to your smartphone or DAP and that took a lot of clever engineering to accomplish. These singledriver electrostatic Sound Isolating earphones provide an astounding level of clarity and detail for the most discerning audio aficionados. Yincrow x6: kinda cringe. KSE1200 Electrostatic Earphones are labeled KSE1500. Your email address will not be published. Theres no flinching here; poorer recordings have nowhere to run and, thanks to the impressive sound isolation, no place to hide. Despite the new model number, these are the KSE1500 in-ears with a simplified, analogue-only amplifier. The Shure KSE1200 Electrostatic Earphone System is priced under $2000. Problem solved? Did your favorite headphone win? The plates are fed static electricity to create variations in the membrane that are then translated (or transduced) into sound waves. Bass is great on KSE and it's already boosted from neutral and I personally would not want anything more however it will not be as pronounced, hefty and massive as in Atlas even with the EQ. In 2016, the KSE1500 headphones along with the portable amplifier the KSA1500 with DAC function were introduced with shocking price tag of 2999$. The KSE1500 has a four-band digital equalizer. Modern electronics have solved that problem, though. Both applications require high-quality earphones, and the market is awash with wired and Bluetooth designs at prices ranging from under a tenner to several thousand poundsdollars. How long does it take to construct something that has not been done yet? In some ways, the KSE1200s dumbed-down analog system may be more future proofed than their digital cousins, though with the continual demise of the headphone jack in phones, you may want to buy a dedicated player. These IEMs will not reproduce bass with enough impact to rattle your teeth (why would anyone desire that? If you want the best sounding in-ear headphones on the market, the KSE1200s are a good place to start. The TV's XR 4K Upscaling will let you enjoy HD content in nearly 4K quality, while XR Motion Clarity ensures smoothness and clarity even when there are fast-moving images such as in action movies and sports programs. Rechargeable battery providing up to 12 hours of operating life. Strangely enough, where the midrange really stood out for me was with rather complex and fast orchestral pieces that can be challenging for a lot of headphones and IEMs. NET QUANTITY. Those who think having to carry around the energizer makes them more trouble than they can possibly be worth are truly missing the point behind these. Upon repacking, the first thing I did was measured the EMF radiation from all sides of the Shure KSE1200 drivers. Thats amazing considering the high regard in which we hold those headphones. Now, Shure has a new earphone in the SE Model Series: SE112 at $49. CW-L05QD vs Shure KSE1200 (vs Zeus)? How do you find these compare to the Stax 002? But there are few products of either type that will do justice to these Shures. The overall soundstage performance is good; nothing is exaggerated but you will notice that the sound does move both outside and inside your head as musicians move around the stage. While the KSE1200s are not actively noise cancelling, their mechanical noise isolation is claimed to be around 37dB, which is a good amount. ecoustics is a hi-fi and music magazine offering product reviews, podcasts, news and advice for aspiring audiophiles, home theater enthusiasts and headphone hipsters. Great care has been taken to ensure accuracy in the preparation of this article but neither Sound On Sound Limited nor the publishers can be held responsible for its contents. Considering the layered and complex nature of the recording, this is no mean feat. How does it respond to EQ? And suffice it to say, even at two grand, were in love. Q. Report . Nevertheless, the cables are still very flexible and the usual sliding 'cable cinch' can be used to hold them securely at the back of the head. The same sections of the KSE1200s' cables seem more flexible than I remembered the KSE1500s' being, and while the Kevlar-armored section of the cable still tended to pick up clothing noise, this wasn't a problem when I sat still. The updated price of $1,999 USD is still on the higher side and whilst it is a lot more affordable than the original KSE1500 and some other flagship models within the segment it is still double the price of the Shure SE846 Gen2 IEMs and does it really deliver that much better of a sonic experience? Technology. The earpieces themselves are pleasingly slim and lightweight at just 44g, and are actually pretty much the same size and shape as most conventional Shure earphones. Use near state of the art performance on the cheap. Weight 44g. These singledriver electrostatic Sound Isolating earphones provide an astounding level of clarity and detail for the most discerning audio aficionados. The point - lack of coloration makes it less musical. Both use the same earphones, and the difference between them relates only to the amplifier pack and its facilities. Shure KSE1500 Review - Shure KSE1500 Sound Isolating Electrostatic Earphones, Has anyone had any experience of the Sony IER-m9 vs the 1500. Both of the supplied cables have straight plugs at both ends, but I much prefer to use right-angle plugs as I've found that straight plugs, when pulled sideways as they so often are, exert leverage onto the socket's contact springs, bending them and eventually causing poor and intermittent connections. A leather pouch with belt loop is available as an accessory for around $45! The battery performance has also been improved from the KSE1500; we managed to achieve an average of 11 hours of playback time with each full recharge. Don't sweat it, this Shure - KSE1200 comes with a 2 Year warranty from Shure that covers manufacturing defects. Shure KSE1500 (left) vs. Shure KSE1200 (right) An in-ear design is naturally biased towards being used out and about, so a typical source is likely to be a portable music player or smartphone with a quality portable DAC in tow. All rights reserved. The KSE1200SYS come with a two-year limited warranty for parts and products, and a one-year warranty for the battery. One of the best of that line, the Sony Bravia XR A90J OLED TV, is currently on sale at Best Buy. It was the pinnacle of Shures product lineup offering state-of-the-art performance with a rather high price tag. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Shure in 1925, who sold kits to build radios. The Shure KSE1500 IEM delivers world-class sound and can be used in a desktop setup on the go. In order to use the full potential of the headphones, it is definitely recommended to connect it via a line in input. 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