Shure SE102MPA Sound Isolating Stereo Earphones / Headset

The earphones are average at best in terms of sound quality and comfort. If you could get them for $40 instead of the $99 I foolishly paid, it might be worth it with the understanding that there are no replacement earbuds available anywhere.

Even the replacement buds that came with the SE102s do not fit because they do not have the attached sleeves required to make them stay. They slide on like a size 8 ring on a size 4 finger.

Looking through the Shure website, they have replacement buds for every model except for the SE102. Sure, there are some marked as fitting SE102 but if you click on the product page, the first 2 things you will see are 1) they obviously would not fit as they are missing the required sleeves/flange to fit over the exposed pipe, and 2) the specific product page then states "Not compatible with SE headphones"

Yes, to reiterate, the earbuds specifically marked as being for SE102 on Shure's own website do not actually work...Read more

I bought a pair of these ear buds a year or so ago and really enjoyed them. I used them at work and while mowing the lawn to block out the sound. Since they were noise reducing, I was able to listen to my Zune without blasting the music. I particularly enjoyed the Orange foam sleeves.

However, I've just now started to have problems with the audio cutting out. I made sure that it was happening with different sources, so I tried the Zune and my PC. It seems that there was some connection that was failing, because when I rattled the cord, the noise would go in and out. Also, I was a little disappointed that the orange foam sleeves that I enjoyed so much deteriorated after a few months of use.

Overall, I liked the product a lot when it was working, but normally don't spend $100 on ear buds and felt like they should be more durable for that kind of money.

The good news: Sound quality is pretty good, and they are very comfortable to wear. Shure replaces these promptly when they go bad. (although you have to pay shipping back to them)

The bad news: Unless I got very unlucky, these headphones are not well made. I had to send back the original pair, as well as the replacement pair, because the left earphone stopped working. I am now on my 3rd pair, and wondering when this one will also go bad.