No.1 ⚠️ My Shure se215-cl review [2022]

Good morning, and thanks for visiting Midnightdrummer.com today and reading my Shure SE215-cl review!

In this blog post, I'd like to talk about my Shure SE215, which are great in-ears for drummers, for musicians in general and for other activities also.

So, if you are on the brink of buying new in-ear monitors whether you are a musician or not, this review is probably a great help for your buying decision.

If there are any questions or feedback, please leave a comment below.

Ready?

Here are the contents of the review:

My Shure se215-cl review

As you might have expected; this Shure SE215-cl review is written from a drummer's perspective.

Probably there are some things, which are more important for people who play drums than for other musicians and other people.

Anyway; here's what I have to say about the Shure SE215 (clear).

Product contents 

First, let's have a look at what's inside the box, when you buy the Shure SE215:

Shure SE215 Specs

Before I continue writing about the more practical part, here are some specs about the Shure SE215:

For me, the most important specs are the sound isolation aspect and the cable length.
The latter is essential to have enough room to move.

Sound isolation & ear protection  

When playing drums, the sound isolation feature is a must to protect my own ears.  

Keep in mind that you'll have to experiment with different sleeves to achieve the best protection possible. 

In my personal case, I had to buy separate sleeves, which I mentioned in my Shure SE215 replacement tips blog post to get the best isolation results and protection.

Detachable cable

The SE215 and all other Shure SE in-ears use detachable cables. That's fantastic – especially for replacement purposes when it is damaged.  

The Shure SE215 from a drummer's perspective

Of course, every musician has different expectations when buying a pair of in-ear monitors like the Shure SE215.

For me, the most important things are:

Does the Shure SE215 fit well?

To be honest and transparent:

Practice and be patient!

I really had to get used to wearing these in-ears. Due to the original cable, which is built to resist a daily musician's routine, it's at first difficult to put them on. 

The cable is very stiff.

Therefore, it takes some practice until you know how to put the earphone pieces into the ear canals and make them sit where they belong.

Recently, I bought this Shure cable, which is a lot more flexible than the original one.

But still it's not comparable to a conventional (flexible) cable from a cozy consumer's in-ear headphone, which – of course – doesn't last that long, as we all know. 

To keep these in-ears – and IEM in general – out of the way when playing drums / guitar / bass etc., it's necessary to put them on from behind.

Yes – as mentioned – this takes some practice, but finally you will know how it works.

Wearing comfort of the Shure SE215

It took me a while to get used to wearing the Shure SE215.

As mentioned above, they aren't very comfy at first and not that pleasant to wear in comparison to its consumer friendly brothers and sisters.

🙂

I really don't know if I am the only one who experienced this?

Please let me know in the comments how you felt, when you first used such in-ears as the Shure SE215.

Anyway, after a few days of practice, putting them on and wearing them wasn't a big deal anymore. My ears adapted to them and even wearing them for hours wasn't any problem, and still isn't. 

I even forgot them once and fell asleep wearing them.
Even that wasn't a big issue.

Shure SE215 sound isolation

Ear protection is the most important thing for me as a professional musician. I don't want to risk my hearing capacities due to unprotected ears when playing drums.

And everybody knows how loud this instrument can be.
At least, you should buy the best earplugs for drummers in case you don't want to spend more money on in-ears like the Shure SE215.

In many cases, I wear conventional earplugs to protect my ears.
And I also use conventional in-ears for less than $10,- and above them, I wear these, which make a great gift for drummers by the way:

Using these cheap components allows playing drums to your favorite music and to a metronome, or both at the same time. Still being able to listen what you play on the drums. 

The Shure SE215 does both:

For the best ear protection and sound isolation, you need to find the best fitting ear sleeves. I had to buy extra ones, because my ear canals seem to be larger than usual.

In case you pick the ideal sleeves, you will experience the best ear protection and sound isolation possible. 

This is really great, because the Shure SE215 soft case fits any pocket and carrying them with you isn't a big deal.

Shure SE215 sound

The Shure SE215 includes a single micro driver speaker.

A single driver means, that bass, mid, and high frequencies cannot get  accessed separately.

That's why the SE535 is quite a bit more expensive. This model comes with a triple micro driver speaker.

If that is important for you, the Shure SE215 is not what you are looking for.

Here you can check the latest price for the Shure SE535: 

Shure SE215 while playing drums

Yes, as mentioned, I had to get used to wearing these in-ears.

After a while, my ears got used to them and my drums began to sound great. 

When I record my drums, I also use my in-ears to monitor my own drumming. 

Therefore, I listen to the whole drum set, adding a bit of reverb added to the snare drum and tom toms. 

That sounds really neat!

Final thoughts & conclusion

Here's what I have to say at the end of this Shure SE215-cl review:

1st. 
The Shure SE215 doesn't cost that much money - click!
You only pay about $100,- at the moment, and this makes a purchase almost a no-brainer!

Almost!

If you need something more sophisticated, you should think about buying the SE535 instead.

2nd.
The Shure SE215 is a great choice for drummers, because of its sound isolation abilities and ear protection.
As far as I am concerned, the single micro driver is still enough to listen to a good sounding mix. Therefore, the Shure SE215 is a great choice for in-ear monitoring too! 

What are your thoughts about these in-ears?

If there's anything to add, please let me know your thoughts in the comments. I know that hearing and perception in general are very individual.

That's why this Shure SE215-cl review should only be considered as a little idea from a drummer's perspective.

Hope you like it and enjoy drumming!