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Today's Bonus:
- Frequency Range: 25Hz - 18.5kHz
- Sensitivity: 115dB SPL/mW (@ 1kHz)
- Impedance: 26 Ohms (@ 1kHz)
- Input Connector: 3.5mm (1/8")
- Weight: 28g (.9oz)
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Allow me to preface my review by saying that prior to purchasing the Shure SCL3 'phones, I have bought and tried alot of headphones. I've had the Bose QC2, Bose over the ear, V-Moda Vibe, Sony MDR-EX85, Shure SE530 and of course the Apple stock earbuds. I had a reason for returning each and every one of these (Bose over the ears sound signature was way too "boomy " as were the Vibes, the Bose QC2 put undo pressure on the ears, the Sony MDR-EX85's although sounded pretty good had a weird assymetrical cable design and quite a bit of microphonics, and then the Apple earbuds, they were just asking to be upgraded. Which brings us to the Shure SE530's. The 530's sounded phenomenal, fit well and isolated great; but at price. These puppies cost around[..] which is way more than I payed for the iPod that I was playing my music through. So, sadly, I decided that those were not the best fit for me either. Along come the Shure SCL3 sound isolating earphones. The only thing I could say after hearing music through these for the first time was, " Holy Crap! " They sounded that good, these for me, are the greatest 'phones I have ever owned. Once a proper fit is acheived (which is key) they have rich lows, wonderful mids and terrific highs, simply a full spectrum sonic experience. The separation of instruments is apparent from the first listen and you will notice nuances in songs you never knew were there to begin with. The sound signature of the SCL3 is geared a bit more toward the highs but they respond well to equalization. Another problem I had with the SE530 was the modular cord. They require you to connect a cord extension to the earphones if you want length beyond what you would need if wearing your MP3 player on an armband or something of that nature. This cord extender adds bulk and actually ends up being too long for my taste. The SCL3, however, is a y-cord that is all one length (56"). An added bonus with the SCL3 is that they can be worn in three different ways: 1. the cord wrapped around your ears and draped down the back, 2. wrapped around your ears and hanging in the front or 3. the cord hanging straight down off the ears and dangling in front. The latter is not an option with any of the SE model Shure earphones. Long story short, DO NOT hesitate to buy this product!!! One final note, be sure to try all of the different sleeves that come in the fit kit to ensure that you are getting the best seal possible. This will greatly affect the quality of sound acheived from these earphones.Buy Shure SCL3 Sound Isolating Earphones with Single Wideband MicroSpeakers, Black Now
I've been searching for a pair of perfect sounding in-ear buds for some time, off and on. Sadly, these are not them. They call these "wideband" drivers, but that's only true if the band you're talking about is the mid-range part of the audio spectrum. I don't consider myself to be an audiophile as an electrical engineer, I snigger at things like bi-wiring and directional cables. I do like to think I know what sounds good and what's garbage. These aren't garbage, but they're not excellent either. Certainly not worth paying full price for you're basically paying for the name.I had just previously bought some Sennheiser CX300B's from Amazon for 20 sheets and they actually sound quite good, but a couple of things made me look for something better (see my review of the same).
I saw the Shure SCL3's on sale at a big box guitar store for 60% off, so I thought I'd give them a go. (I was gutted that I missed their SCL4 blowout earlier in the year). Mine are the white ones, which were being discontinued, hence the huge discount. I tried them in the shop on my MP3 player, and I thought they sounded really good. I forgot to bring the Sennheisers to compare them with which was foolish because had I done that, I'd have probably stuck with the CX300B's and kept looking. Having spent the money, I now need to wait a couple of years before I can resume searching.
Trying to make an objective choice on audio equipment purchases, based solely on subjective web reviews is hit and miss at best. Peoples tastes in frequency response characteristics of transducers is almost as varied as their taste in music, so one man's 5 stars might be one star to me and vice-versa.
The only scientific way to show how good or bad a pair of headphones are is to produce a frequency response graph with the earphones poked into a standard, dummy human head. Some manufacturers do this Etymotic for example. If all manufacturers used the same setup, you could compare like for like but they don't. Another problem is that the perceived frequency response of earbuds varies so greatly depending on how and by whom they are worn. I can wipe out the bass or treble complelety on my SCL3s by changing the tips and the insertion depth into my ear canal. Even the diameter and shape of the listener's ear canal will change the sound somewhat.
All I can do is say what I've found to be good and bad without using too many nebulous HiFi reviewer cliches.
The Good:
* Sound isolation is excellent. I can mow the lawn with these in, and still listen to my MP3 player at about 40% volume (I'm normally a 20% guy). I recently wore them for the whole IAH to LHR flight; even when I had no music playing.
* Vast selection of tips to customize the fit to your lugholes
* Thick cables reduce microphonics to practically nothing, and are suitable for rough use e.g. while performing. They are supposed to be musicians' monitors after all.
* Chunky square 3.5mm, 90° plug and strain relief should last a long time
* Sound is very clear, for want of a better word. Noticeably less distortion and mangling of the individual instruments than the CX300 or my old Koss "The Plug's". 7 times better (the price difference)? I'm not sure.
* Bass isn't overpowering or nauseating like the CX300. It's definitely there, but barely audible if there's lots of ambient LF noise, as there is in a car or airplane.
* earpiece wires are symmetrical equal weight hanging off both ears means they don't keep falling out. The buds cork in quite nicely
* There's a clear plastic sleeve round the earpiece wires which you can slide up and down to keep the wires hanging together, under your chin
* Weird zippered carrying pouch does actually work but it's a tight fit. You first have to wind the cable round 2 or 3 fingers to make the ball of wire the right size.
The Bad:
* The frequency response is not flat by a long chalk:
~ They really are a little light on bass. EQ makes a little difference
~ Treble is subdued For example, hi-hat sounds seem distant. Treble on the CX300 is stronger, which surprised me given the price difference.
~ Mid range is too strong for my liking (but clean sounding). Perhaps this is why the bass and treble seem so much less pronounced
~ I have tried to balance the sound with EQ but after a few minutes of listening I invariably go back to a flat EQ and live with it. The digital EQ on modern players is not very good. I like a proper analog circuit that actually boosts its band rather than simply cutting all the others
* Some people might not like the thick wires. They're about 2-3 times the diameter of my cheaper earbuds
* Some people might not like the over-the-ear wire routing. I find it perfectly comfortable.
In summary, I do quite like the sound and comfort of fit but my quest is not over...Perhaps it's the fact that I'm a semi-professional musician and have heard music through fantastic (and massively expensive) studio monitors as well as my own high-end headphones, but I've never understood people that will spend hundreds of dollars on an iPod or other MP3 player but listen with the cheap, horrid sounding, and uncomfortable prepackaged earbuds that come with them. That's why after my last set of "upgraded" earbuds literally fell apart while working out that I found the found the Shure SCL3 Earphones at a massive discount on another site (), sprang for a set and have been ever-so-happy since.
The sound quality from these are the absolute best I've ever heard from a set of earbuds, and come amazingly close to my high-end Audio-Technica studio-reference headphones. A good deal of that comes from the sheer amount 7 of differently sized and designed (several different type of foam to soft and molded plastic) sleeves that can be interchanged to both fit inside your ear canal as tightly as possible and thus increasing all areas of Frequency Response as well as sealing in the music and sealing out the outside noise. That might be the only negative as well: they shut outside noise out so very effectively that your safety while bike riding and other outside activities could be compromised. As a musician, I'm considering purchasing a second set for use as a In-Ear Monitors while performing on-stage using the set of sleeves that almost completely block outside noise specifically for that purpose.
These are a great deal compared to other brands of earbuds, give sound quality very close to studio-level headphones, and are outfitted with a large number and type of sleeves that allow you to make them the most comfortable for the user to wear... typically the bane of earbuds. I'm ecstatic that I purchased the Shure SCL3 Earphones, and would absolutely recommend them to anyone looking to massively upgrade their Portable Music Player experience.
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Work has me constantly flying around the country. I can deal with delays and airport food, but the screaming kids are too much. "I'm insane spending this much money on headphones!" I thought to myself as I placed the order. After the first flight however I'm sold. These things are amazing! They manage to block out almost everything with no music on. With music, you're in your own little world. I opted for these (noise isolating) over the Bose (noise canceling) as these are much more portable important when trying to travel with only carry-on luggage. The Bose also block out mainly engine noise, you can still hear people (and the aforementioned screaming kids).After a year of use, I still find these headphones priceless and never go on a trip without them. Highly recommended as essential gear for any frequent traveler.
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