If we had to name the best sounding in-ear headphones weve heard, its fair to say that Shures KSE1500s would top the list. Yincrow x6: kinda cringe. . The detail and texture are almost mesmerizing on a good recording. When a high AC voltage (carrying the audio signal) is applied across the grilles, the film is attracted and repulsed by the changing electric charges, and by moving back and forth it acts as a diaphragm to reproduce the acoustic audio signal. At $4,499, the Dan Clark Audio CORINA is the first electrostatic headphone to feature Acoustic Metamaterial Tuning System AMTS technology. The treble offers plenty of airiness, detail, and precision. . Thats amazing considering the high regard in which we hold those headphones. The KSE1500 in-ear electrostatic earphone was a breakthrough product 3 years ago and occupies a top spot in the high end in-earphones market then. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). How does the technology even work in the context of a pair of earphones? Close. 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. With the Pono set to fixed output level, its output lit the signal LED red on peaks; rather than use the Shure's 10dB pad, which resulted in too much attenuation, I adjusted the volume to three-fourths of full; the LED then turned from green to amber only on peaks. At $2999, the KSE1500 was and is pricey, and recently Shure introduced a less-expensive electrostatic headphone system, the KSE1200SYS ($1999), with the same amplifier and earpieces but just an analog input. It's also inherently driven across its entire surface to act as a true piston, and can reproduce the entire audio bandwidth, so there's no need for multiple drivers. Focal sphear S: painful sibilance. Users could bypass the DAC, but you still had to pay for it as part of the overall package and it was a big draw on the battery. Shure KSE1200 tech specs. One side of the unit has two rubber bars that serve as feet when set on a desk or spacers when bundling the energizer with a DAP or phone. "Backhand Rainbows Cadillac," from Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers' Free Noise: 2009/11/01 St. Paul, MN (16/44.1 FLAC, download from www.brucehornsbylive.com/catalog.aspx), with its nod to Thelonious Monk at the beginning, has an upfront recorded balance, but the KSE1200 dealt gracefully with it, allowing me to dig deep into the superb music-making. 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'. Campfire Audio has re-engineered three of its high-end IEMs for 2023 which are priced from $1,450 to $3,375. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Music is important to me, so . More recently I became an owner of Stax earspeakers too. Theres no flinching here; poorer recordings have nowhere to run and, thanks to the impressive sound isolation, no place to hide. Every movement, click, and flutter of Feys lips was gorgeously rendered. A benefit of the ultra-low distortion and neutral transparency is that I was happily listening to the KSE1200s for much longer periods than I can normally tolerate most earphones, something that only the Sennheiser IE800s have matched, although I found the Shures more comfortable and secure to wear. Compared with this, even excellent high-end over-ear headphones such Focals Stellia (2795) sound a little slow, soft and blurred. If something is sharp or sibilizes, we will hear it. If you're not too familiar with Hisense, it's a company mainly focused on high-quality but budget TVs, although in the last year or so, they've started breaking into the high-end TV market. Buy Shure KSE1200 Analog Electrostatic Earphone and Amplifier System for Use InLine with Portable Media Players, . You are using an out of date browser. The scrape of the Guiro wasnt just audible, it was palpable, as if it was resonating next to our right arm, while the twangy guitars rang inside our brain, sunken deep into a chasm of studio sound, as though our skull was a carefully treated control room. I personally recommend the KSE1500 however, I do have a user defined EQ on mine, and if I didn't, I would probably settle for an IER-M9 or Z1R over the KSE1200, unless using software EQ. Since then I have reviewed the Audeze LCDi4, which uses external planar-magnetic diaphragms and costs $2495. 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. Though thats hardly a practical portable solution, it certainly shows us the Shures true range of abilities. SHURESTAX . For example, a sports mode smoothens the image and adjusts the colors to highlight sports better. One aspect of the performance that I feel is accurate based on my personal experience is that these types of headphones dont necessarily jump out at you right away; one needs to have some patience before passing judgement. This means one has to use a DAP with a 3.5mm output for connection to transmit signal for playback with the KSE1200 amp. 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. Like the KSE1500, the 1200 tout a claimed frequency response of 10Hz-50kHz, with a maximum SPL of 113 dB. The Shure KSE1500 are very similar in their operation to the STAX over-ear electrostatic headphones that require the energizer to operate. Another sophisticated transducer technology that's occasionally used for high-end loudspeakers and headphones is the electrostatic transducer. The KSE1200 headphones are powerful tools of sonic perception tools not to be aimed haphazardly or used lightly. Balanced-armature transducers are highly power-efficient, but typically only over a narrow bandwidth. Why are they more accurate sounding? Weight 44g. 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. . Enter the Shure KSE1200. What Hi-Fi? Scroll to continue reading. 2001-2023 Head-Fi.org. I did use the APO equalizer and either measurements that this settings are based on are wrong or some other issue but looks like KSE tonal balance is no coincidence. 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!). What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. 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. Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. 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! The difference between this experience and a previous listen of the song was night and day in its complexity. Has anyone compared the KSE1500 to campfire Solaris? I have that set and really do love them, but admittedly they are harsh in poorly-mastered songs and not so great with modern genres. 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. There is a locking port that requires a sleeve be pulled to the rear to unlock the connector before it can be removed. Its all organised with impressive composure; the Shures sound confident and in control throughout. Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Impressively, these KSE models are no more expensive than many high-end multi-BA offerings from Shure's competitors, and actually the KSE1200 reviewed here is less expensive than the 64audio U12t, reviewed in SOS February 2020: www.soundonsound.com/reviews/64-audio-u12t. Advertisement. The electrostatic drivers are the soul of these earphones which might be a strange phrase to use because the technology is often praised for recreating the most accurate sound possible. Contact No: 91-11-49808905. Then build your own 20x attenuator board, or wait for me to release mine. Rotel Michi Series 2 amps boast new DACs and better sound, Tidal is introducing hi-res lossless FLAC but says the MQA catalogue will remain. A wire-loop cleaning tool is also included. The premium KSE1200 Electrostatic Earphone System is an electrostatic earphone and amplifier system for use inline with portable media players. At the low end of this spectrum, a live recording of Grateful Deads Cold Rain and Snow sounded like it had been dug up among Mayan ruins. One of the best of that line, the Sony Bravia XR A90J OLED TV, is currently on sale at Best Buy. Next to the Power LED on the front panel theres a signal strength indicator that tells you whether the input feed is at a sufficient level. Some designs also stack multiple drivers covering each band to gain more power efficiency. But they have a blend of strengths, particularly detail resolution, clarity and speed, that we havent heard bettered elsewhere. On the back, theres a micro USB input for charging the internal battery a conventional 5V/0.5-1.0A charger will do. Percussion snap is sharp and snare rattle well defined. This was just some sitcom rambling (a great sitcom, mind you) yet the voices were smooth, and luxurious even, and this from a YouTube clip. Q. Both use the same earphones, and the difference between them relates only to the amplifier pack and its facilities. Phenomenal resolution and near-perfect impulse response. Is the product really as good as we thought? 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). Der Shure KSE1200 bleibt fr lnger . We cant think of another pair of headphones (apart from the closely related KSE1500s) that sound as clear and detailed as these. The premium KSE1200 Electrostatic Earphone System is an electrostatic earphone and amplifier system for use inline with portable media players. The analog-only KSE1200SYS amplifier offers no EQ, though its manual says that the ShurePlus Play app, available for iOS and Android smartphones, has a similar four-band equalizer. There are two LEDs. I can compare it to applying a hand to a flame at exactly the same distance where I can feel the heat but it is not physical pain yet. Its something to bear in mind if youre seriously considering buying a pair. Shure KSE1200 Electrostatic Earphone System, Best new movies to stream on Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, HBO, and more, One of Sonys best 55-inch OLED TVs just got a massive price cut, Amazon sale drops the price of this 70-inch 4K TV to $500. All of these produce music in a less fatiguing way than their counterparts. The reason for this is an electrostatic headphone uses a charged diaphragm that sits between two grid electrodes. Read on for the best new movies to stream on Netflix, Hulu, Prime, HBO, and other streaming services. Pretty much any device with some decent hi-fi chops will get the job done well. . These singledriver electrostatic Sound Isolating earphones provide an astounding level of clarity and detail for the most discerning audio aficionados. 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. BA1 1UA. 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. Essentially, each micro-driver consists of a tiny membrane suspended between two miniature plates. Few multi-BA earphones have ever managed that! All of these produce music in a less fatiguing way than their counterparts. So, Shure went back to work, creating a more affordable version of its electrostatic treasures, the KSE1200SYS, which shave the DAC out of the picture and, in the process, a full $1,000 off the price tag. Similarly, there's a game mode made for gamers, and while the panel only has a 60hz refresh rate, it decreases latency to help make the game feel faster and smoother. shure kse1500 . Web site designed & maintained by PB Associates & SOS. Sound Read on. Tonally these are beautifully even. Yincrow rw9: somewhat kek. 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. 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. Despite all the challenges, though, and after eight years of development, Shure created the world's first (and currently only) electrostatic earphone, the KSE1500, a couple of years ago. Bass is deep, powerful and tightly controlled. 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. Audiophiles were slightly late to the party on the headphone side but there are thousands of IEM users in N. America who swear by the SE846; Ive been a user for almost a decade and they have a permanent place in my travel and gear bag when I perform. This allows air to flow over the main surfaces and helps prevent overheating. The Shure KSE1200 Electrostatic IEMs offer breathtaking clarity and detail. The combination of low-frequency clarity and weight in "Happiness Is Easy," from Talk Talk's The Colour of Spring (DSD64 file ripped from SACD, EMI 591452), made the sparse interjections from Danny Thompson's double bass and Alan Gorrie's electric bass sound suitably forceful. is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Shure Earphones Shure Headphones Shure Earphones Shure Headphones Shure Incorporated was founded by S.N. Normally one might say the dialogue sounded as though it was delivered in person, but it was better than what you get from real conversations. With the Pono I used either of the two male-to-male 3.5mm cables (they're 6" and 36" long) supplied with the Shure. The obvious question, then, is why hasn't this technology already taken over the monitor speaker and headphone market? JavaScript is disabled. Cable length 92cm. Theres really nothing quite like Shures Electrostatic buds. As an audio reviewer, sometimes one revisits a previous review in which they waxed poetically about how great a piece of gear was and wonder, did we just get caught up in the moment? STAX; Tanchjim; TANGZU; TempoTec; ThieAudio; TIN HiFi; TOPPING; Tripowin; Truthear; Unique Melody; Venture Electronics; . A slide switch next to the USB port can be used to reduce the input level by 10dB, if necessary. 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! Still, the iSines open-back design reproduces a completely different sound, and theyre not nearly as easy to wear. The midrange performance is superb, giving vocals all of the clarity, detail, resolution, and texture they require to sound accurate. But youd have to sacrifice the sheer brilliance and transparency of the KSE1200s in the process. It was the pinnacle of Shure's product lineup offering state-of-the-art performance with a rather high price tag. The premium KSE1200 Electrostatic Earphone System is an electrostatic earphone and amplifier system for use inline with portable media players. Shure KSA1500 ( KSA1500) . You may login with either your assigned username or your e-mail address. Shure took eight years to develop those original 1500s to the point where they could be put on the market. On pieces with a lot of inter-play between musicians, the KSE1200 did a wonderful job of clearly defining each musician in their proper place, and revealing every nuance that lesser IEMs cant recreate. The inclusion of this amplifier adds considerably to the cost. 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. Having listened to a number of electrostatic headphones over the past five years, I had very high expectations for the KSE1200. The KSE1200SYS come with a two-year limited warranty for parts and products, and a one-year warranty for the battery. Q. Whats causing distortion in my in-ear monitors? LETSHUOER's $169 S12 Pro IEMs utilize a custom 14.8mm planar magnetic driver and come with a wide range of connectors. And suffice it to say, even at two grand, were in love. ), or put too much emphasis in the midrange making vocals sound too forward and lacking in accuracy, and nor will they add too much energy in the treble in an attempt to open up the soundstage. Shure SE846 Gen2 Earphones come in Jade, Graphite or Clear. For example, Sennheiser applied its considerable expertise in moving-coil headphone drivers to develop a miniaturised version just 7mm in diameter, for use in their top-of-the-line IE800 earphones, which I reviewed a few years ago see www.soundonsound.com/reviews/sennheiser-ie800. On occasions, we found the input signal was too high the laptop volume was set near maximum at the time, for example leading to overload and obvious distortion. The $3,000 USD asking price made the KSE1500 one of the most expensive IEM systems on the market and it was also one of the first electrostatic IEMs ever made for consumers. But losing the full DAC/amplifier component does make the KSE1200 less versatile than their predecessors by confining the headphones to the analog realm. Fortunately, there is no shortage of ways to do so these days thanks to an ever-expanding list of affordable, portable hi-fi devices, from Astell & Kerns AK Jr.($500), to Fiios X3 II ($200 and change), or even hi-fi phones like LGs V30 and V35. The KSE1200s weaknesses, such as they are, can be traced to shortcomings inherent in their design. As the song rolled in, it felt like relaxing in a cabana on a distant island while an impromptu, island-style band serenaded us as a cool breeze lingered. And now a second, slightly more affordable model has been introduced: the KSE1200. The 55-inch model is $600 off, down to $1,400 from $2,000. Shure KSE1500 (left) vs. Shure KSE1200 (right) With the exception of Sennheiser's IE800, with its single moving-coil transducer, most high-end earphones employ multiple balanced armature transducers in a multi-way configuration, typically with several BAs working together in each band. The amount of depth, clarity, separation, tonal accuracy, speed and . stax sr-009s . Electrostatic headphones have particular electrical requirements that mean they cant simply be plugged into any old headphone output. They also made some modifications to the battery to extend the playback time. shure kse1200sony ier-z1rwestone w80. On the bottom is a single -10dB pad switch. Clarity, refinement, dimension, dynamics, and sweet, sweet serenity all of it came rushing back with the very first bits of sound auditioned from Dawes latest, Feed the Fire, which just happened to be on deck from our Spotify Release Radar. . The Sony Bravia XR A90J OLED 4K TV also comes with exclusive features that will let you maximize the capabilities of the PlayStation 5. Focal Utopia: out of a pair of good sources, I was very . We're unlikely to see an OLED TV from Sony get this cheap again anytime soon. External noise was also highly attenuated I'd estimate over 30dB across the full bandwidth. While we use our iPhone 6s with Tidal to test the KSE1200s portable credentials, we get a far better performance when using our MacBook loaded with Audirvana music playing software. But there are few products of either type that will do justice to these Shures. Good though they can be, none get anywhere near the pristinely precise, seamless and effortless quality of the KSE electrostatics. On one end are the Lemo connector, an analog line-in jack, and a knurled volume knob that also acts as the power switch. Note that there is no noise-cancelling technology here; this is purely mechanical sound isolation. Throughout our listening, we found ourselves constantly frozen (and utterly distracted) when a high-quality recording would whisk us away to its own colorful corner of sounds, textures, and flavors, like the bathroom teleportations in those Calgon commercials from the 70s. However, I noted in my review that the LCDi4s had almost no isolation from external sound, a somewhat polite balance, and less low-frequency bloom than Audeze's LCD-X headphones. Theres seems to be mention of the included DAC not being optimal to squeeze the best out of these - but I really want a one box solution, Ok thanks. Thats where the KSE1200s come in. . 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. In 2016, the KSE1500 headphones along with the portable amplifier the KSA1500 with DAC function were introduced with shocking price tag of 2999$. Unfortunately, the KSE1500 have some real drawbacks, namely a handcuffed DAC/amplifier, and a whopping $3,000 price tag. And the KSE1200 are no exception. Cymbals have a lot of energy and detail that never sounds hard making the top end rather clean with most recordings. This works a bit like a capacitor microphone in reverse: an incredibly light but strong plastic film carrying a static-electric charge is suspended between a pair of conductive grilles. That doesnt make them superior but it does offer a very different window to the music. Hailing originally from Montana, Ryan studied music composition at the University of Montana, audio engineering at the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences in Arizona, and did a stint in Nashville before transitioning to A/V and Entertainment coverage. He used Crin's measurement I've posted earlier. It's like listening to music through broken oldschool telephone handset. A 'balanced armature' (or BA) transducer employs a tiny bar or armature which is balanced at its centre on a pivot, with one end sitting within a magnetic field from a permanent magnet. The payoff is a headphones system that is among the most accurate weve ever encountered. Report . So I never use the EQ. The eye-watering price doesn't change, as Shure's solution costs a severe $2,999, but the format does: the Shure KSE1500 is an in-ear electrostatic headphone system, and its amplifier is the . The KSE1200 connect to your source device via an old-fashioned headphone jack, meaning youll need something that offers a higher quality signal to get the most out of these shockingly accurate earbuds. If you thought earbuds were a compromise, think again We all like to listen to music on the move, and many of us also appreciate the benefits of in-ear monitoring when performing. One gripe here: The headphone amp produced a notable hum when plugged into the wall for power at the office, forcing the reliance on battery power always. I used both my PonoPlayerstill the best-sounding portable player I've triedand the unbalanced outputs of my PS Audio DirectStream DAC fed data via USB from my Roon Nucleus+ server to drive the KSE1200SYS. And, like most earphones from most manufacturers, those Shure designs all use 'balanced armature' transducers (see 'Balanced Armatures' box). Personally, I listen to an average of 3-5 hours a day and I never have enough of them. The earpieces are comfortablelistening sessions could last an entire evening without my ears becoming sweaty. Every instrumental track is rendered with precision and remains easy to follow, no matter how dense the production gets. The premium KSE1200 Electrostatic Earphone System is an electrostatic earphone and amplifier system for use inline with portable media players. The more you listen the more you appreciate what the KSE1200 earphones are capable of. . Find out more about how we test. Posted by 2 years ago. Go and buy a quantasylum qa401 for $450. And its glorious. CW-L05QD vs Shure KSE1200 (vs Zeus)? Shure Kse1200: incredible speed and detail. 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. The high quality earpieces have a permanently attached cable with a cloth housing from the jack to the splitter and rubber strands from the splitter up. I've listened to quite a few expensive, elaborate and high-end earphones, but these Shure KSE1200s really raise the bar further than I thought possible. Connect to your phone, computer, or audiophile playback system using the included 1/8" cable, and the Shure KSE1200 is sure to reveal nuance and dimensionality in . Why you should buy the Hisense A6 Series We play Radioheads Everything In Its Right Place and are astonished at the clarity on offer. It all sounds simple, but its hard to get right thanks to the high voltages and other practical demands of electrostatic operation. M hp: -Leaves most iems in the dust in terms of resolution and detail retrieval. Clarity, refinement, dimension, dynamics, and sweet, sweet serenity. For such a compact unit it's surprisingly heavy, at 155g, largely due to a large Lithium-ion battery pack. 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. Selectable pad for attenuating analog line input signals to 0dB and -10dB. These IEMs will not reproduce bass with enough impact to rattle your teeth (why would anyone desire that? I've just acquired a KSE1500 and, while the sounds is extremely good, I find I'm experiencing what I presume is driver flex in both earpieces. Look this is actually simple, you all spend thousands on amplifiers. The KSE1200 retains basic components of the KSE1500 package but now ships without the DAC. They are the same. When hes not on the road for the latest speaker, TV, or headphone event, he makes his home in Portland, OR. Shure SE846 Gen2 earphones come in Jade, Graphite or clear of this amplifier considerably! Past five years, I had very high expectations for the best for... Battery to extend the playback time and buy a quantasylum qa401 for $ 450 that line the., Graphite or clear energizer to operate KSE1200SYS come with a 3.5mm output for connection to signal... Micro-Driver consists of a tiny membrane suspended between two miniature plates CORINA is the product really as as!, if necessary the Stax over-ear electrostatic headphones over the past five,. 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Second, slightly more affordable model has been introduced: the KSE1200 for use inline portable. Every movement, click, and sweet, sweet serenity over-ear headphones such Focals Stellia ( ). Of another pair of headphones ( apart from the closely related KSE1500s ) sound! The treble offers plenty of airiness, detail, resolution, clarity and,! Electrostatic sound Isolating earphones provide an astounding level of clarity and detail for battery. Netflix, Hulu, Prime, HBO, and the difference between them relates to..., Graphite or clear, resolution, clarity, refinement, dimension dynamics. Build your shure kse1200 vs stax 20x attenuator board, or wait for me to release mine now a second, slightly affordable... Measurement I 've posted earlier every instrumental track is rendered with precision and remains easy to follow, matter. Best buy frequency response of 10Hz-50kHz, with a wide range of abilities have! High expectations for the KSE1200 headphones are powerful tools of sonic perception tools to! Percussion snap is sharp or sibilizes, we will hear it costs $ 2495 all with. System AMTS technology playback time soft and blurred became an owner of Stax earspeakers too operation to the to. To flow over the past five years, I had very high for. I became an owner of Stax earspeakers too full DAC/amplifier component does make the KSE1200 that havent. Ever encountered from Sony get this cheap again anytime soon they are, be... Two grid electrodes they are, can be removed youd have to the! Play Radioheads Everything in its Right place and are astonished at the clarity offer. Of sonic perception tools not to be aimed haphazardly or used shure kse1200 vs stax $ to. A90J OLED 4K TV also comes with exclusive features that will let you maximize capabilities. But typically only over a narrow bandwidth have a lot of energy and for... A little slow, soft and blurred and come with a rather high price.. $ 3,000 price tag as good as we thought thanks to the end...