Shure E500PTH Sound Isolating Earphones

Comment: I first purchased these earphones from "[...]" in March 2008. Unfortunately, they were lost about 3 months later, but the time I spent with them were the best of any earphones that I ever owned. Before these, the earphones that I have spent any meaningful time with were the Etymotics ER4's. While these are fantastic earphones, they lack the Shures bass depth & extreme highs. At one time I seriously considered the Ultimate Ears ue 10 pro's, but could not bring myself to plunking down a grand on earphones. These are by far (for the money) the best earphones i've ever had the pleasure of listening to. (By the way, I purchased another pair of the Shure se530's from Buy.com in November 2008 after losing my first pair). They are expensive but the time I expect to spend with them, will be worth every penny.

Comment: As this is an older product which has already been extensively reviewed and updated in model by its manufacturer, I won't belabor the points made by others. I'd mainly like to stress that these (and I'm assuming subsequent Shure models) are NOT made to withstand exercise during use and are NOT repairable due to their complex electronics.

I bought these second-hand but unopened and after an adjustment period to find the correct earbud fittings (vital!!!) settled in for about ten months of satisfying use. Unfortunately, the plastic wire coverings began to stiffen, crack, and eventually fray the wiring inside at about 1½ inches from the driver housing. Electrical tape and applications of Shoe Goo were only temporary fixes, but when the wiring split even the most capable repair shops here in Bangkok (they'll skillfully fix most ANYTHING electronic here; little is thrown away)could do nothing. Yes, I did buy these in the U.S., by the way. I settled for a shop rejoining the wires and putting a new, stiffer cover over the line, but this will be good for about 6 months maximum. Exercise sweat is likely what caused the irreversible breakdown, so even every day use will cause cracking where the over-the-ear loop points are with time. A shame; I'd have given this a 2.5 star rating, but when forced to choose I went downward to 2 due to the audaciously high price charged to this day, even on this earlier model. It would get just under the full 5 if this unjustifiable durability wasn't an issue, however.

On the positive side, they absolutely do deliver great sound. This is completely and utterly dependent upon finding the snuggest, deepest fitting earbud covers that you can stand for reasonable amounts of time. The replacements I've tried during their "stay of execution" don't even come close. A true pity to find all this out after laying out so much cash for an otherwise great product doomed not to last.

Comment: I went from the E3Cs to these in November last year. I could not believe the improvement in sound quality: the tonal response is smoother and flatter, and the dynamics jump out at you. Really, REALLY good.

And then a friend recommended the Sensaphonics custom sleeves to go with them. He let me try his -- OK, the fit was not very good, and it was a little uncomfortable, but with the sound being delivered further down the ear canal, I was truly astounded by how much better the listening experience was. I was hearing stuff in the music that I just had not known was there. Of course, I soon made an appointment to get my impressions taken, and the sleeves ordered.

At a total of $570 ($400 for the IEMs, and $170 for the sleeves) this is NOT cheap. However, the sound is superior, noticeably, to the sound I get from my $2500 speakers driven bi-amped from my $4000 CD/pre/power setup (listening from the headphone jack on the pre-amp).

I really can't say enough good things about this combination.

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!!!

Comment: For people who are not satisfied with the free earphones that came with your ipod and for those who believe that listening to quality music demands quality equipments then the Shure E500 Noise cancelling Earphones are for you.


I plugged the E500 to my ipod and pressed play, the sound quality was beyond any I had ever heard from a pair of headphones. The best way to describe the listening experience would be , like having music wired straight to your brain. The isolators are very good in cancelling outside noise, it is so good that shure developed a voice port module that would enable you with just a flick of a switch, and the outside world come back in, thanks to a microphone embedded in the line.

Another downside would be that it has a lot of wires to contend with especially when the voice port module is connected. I find this to expensive for an earphones, because of its high quality. So if you are serious with your music and have the extra money, this would be worth every dollar.

Comment: I have owned the Shure E500PTH for 4 months now and would definitely spend $379 to purchase them again.

I use them mostly for going to the gym and working out with free weights, elliptical machine, and Stair Master. They nearly eliminate the clang from weights, noisy AC, and loud background music, and leave me with crystal clear, well balanced, full range music from my iPod. The cord is not microphonic and produces no added noise, even at a fast pace on the elliptical machine.

The E500PTHs are so clear that I can hear the difference between low and high bit rate music. In fact, I have gone back and encoded most of my CDs to Apple Lossless format.

As many other reviewers have commented, I can hear background instruments, vocals, and effects that I never knew were in my music.

I took the advice of other reviewers and gave the E500PTHs a 20 hour "burn in" with my iPod on 3/4 volume. I noticed a huge increase in clarity and tone after the "burn in" period.

I also read the manual for proper insertion of earbuds, and have found that the best technique for getting a good seal is to pull down on the bottom of my ear lobe while pushing the earbuds into my ear canal.

I do not use the PTH module since it is too bulky to wear at the gym. It is very easy to get the earbuds back in and quickly get a good seal. I tried the foam, hard rubber, and soft rubber inserts in different sizes, and have found the soft rubber to get a perfect seal and stay in my ear despite a fast pace and sweaty face.

These earbuds are very durable. They have been dropped, sat on, and sweat on for 4 months and still look brand new.

The accessory kit is awesome. I love the durable aluminum case. The included wax removal tool works perfect. There are many different sizes and types of inserts. And best of all, the included cords and adapters ensure the earbuds will work in almost any environment.

Over 500 miles of cardio and 100 trips to the gym and I am still in love with the E500PTHs!