Shure Headphones • Shoreline Music

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Shure Headphones were originally designed for stage musicians who demanded in-ear monitors that both sounded good and blocked external sonic interference. The design worked—in fact, Shure phones pull this off better than any other in-ears I've tried onstage. Of course, it became clear pretty quickly that stage musicians weren't the only ones who wanted to take advantage of sound-isolating phones. Our experience bears this out—probably 99% of folks who buy Shure headphones from us are looking to use them with their iPods, on airplanes with a DVD player, on subways, etc.

While the overall tone of these headphones will never be confused with the dead-on accuracy of Grados (that's unfair, though, because nothing touches Grado) it's a whole lot better than generic iPod earbuds, and it is also better than any other in-ear monitor I've tried. And, of course, there's the main reason people buy these phones: They block out external noise, whether you're on a subway or onstage, so that all you hear is the headphone signal.

Here's how they work: While many "noise-canceling" headphones use onboard electronics to cancel incoming ambient soundwaves, the Shure headphones use a much simpler principle: You stick them inside your ear, and the phones act like earplugs to block (rather than cancel) external noise. And because the headphones are so effective at blocking out most external noise, you can actually listen to them at a lower volume, which prevents further damage to your hearing. I say "further damage" because if you're like me, your hearing was permanently damaged long ago with years of being in loud bands, going to Who concerts, etc. But even if you never did damage your hearing, you'll appreciate the tonal improvement that comes from not overdriving your iPod to distortion-producing levels just to hear it above external street or airplane noise.

It should be noted that the tone of these relies on your ability to fit them properly in your ears. When fit properly, they boast a full low end and great clarity in the highs. When inserted improperly, they sound thin and weak. This is why Shure includes a whole bunch of extra earpieces with the headphones, so that with a little tweaking at the outset, you can get a great fit with any of the models listed below, no matter how big or small your ears are. In fact, if you already own a pair and find the low end lacking, it is unquestionably the result of poor fit, a situation easily remedied with a litte extra fiddling with the earpieces (we find ourselves recommending this remedy a lot—with fantastic results).

Shure Headphones:

SCL2 - This is Shure's entry-level earphone, and it's our best-seller of the bunch. The dynamic microdrivers do a remarkable job for a $75 set of phones (as long as they're inserted properly), and the sound isolation with these phones is as good as any Shure model up to the SCL5. Available in Black or Clear.

SCL3 - The two main improvements you get when moving up to the SCL3 are a more natural (and easier to insert) earpiece, as well as speaker drivers that cover more of the audible spectrum.

SCL4 - Same with the SCL4s: An improved driver delivers an even wider audible spectrum than the SCL3. The earpieces on the SCL3 and SCL4 are very similar.

SCL5 - The Shure SCL5 is the top of the line, and, at least in our shop, it outsells even the SCL3 and SCL4. While it may be a bit of a luxury to spend $400 to get great tone out of your iPod, it is not a whole lot extra to spend on stage gear, especially when you consider the cost of the full stage monitor rig that these headphones replace. With dual drivers (how do they fit those in there?) to reproduce the full audio spectrum, you simply won't find a better in-ear monitor.

Every Shure headphone sold here comes with a collection of extra earpieces and a carrying case.

Every Shure headphone order is shipped free, regardless of size.

Shure Headphones	Description	Price*
SCL2	Affordable noise-canceling earphones	$75.00
SCL3	Similar to SCL2, but with improved earpieces and frequency response	$150.00
SCL4	Similar to SCL3, but with improved driver	$220.00
SCL5	Shure's top of the line, with dual drivers	$400.00

*All Shure headphone prices include free shipping anywhere in the US. CO residents add 2.9% sales tax (7.4% in La Plata county). Please see our Shipping page for additional shipping information.