Recording - December 2013 - 29

the case of the SE846), designed to combine
and produce the best possible sound in your
ear canal; this seems like black magic, when
you consider the issues involved in reproducing accurate bass from even a small
monitor speaker, so when a manufacturer
gets it right, it's quite a shock... and Shure
has definitely got it right with the SE846.
My pair of SE846 in-ears came in a
portable zipper case. My test model didn't come with the full package's sturdy
crushproof, water-resistant case, spare
42" cable, airline adapter, inline volume
control, cable clip, or 1/4" adapter for its
miniplug, but the manual states those
accessories will be included with the
SE846 when purchased. I did get a 64"
detachable cable, noting that the earpieces detach with a snap and are free to
swivel, a form of strain relief that should
greatly increase comfort and cable life.
The SE846 comes with a Fit Kit-a variety
of eartips for the most comfortable listening
experience, including several sizes of rubber
flex sleeves, two kinds of expanding foam
sleeves (closed-cell in three sizes plus universal-fit open-cell), and triple-flanged sleeves. I
did my listening with the medium-sized black
closed-foam inserts and found them very
comfortable for long listening sessions. Shure
claims "up to 37 dB noise attenuation" but
that probably depends on the frequency
being measured and the type of insert used;
in my tests, at a very rough estimate, I had
noise-reduction performance about equivalent to that of my Etymotic ER25 ear filters,
averaging roughly 25 dB. One or two other
specs to note: a 15 Hz-20 kHz frequency
response (no tolerances listed), 114 dB
SPL/mW sensitivity, and a minuscule 9 ohm
impedance, meaning these in-ears get earbleeding loud with practically no audio voltage input at all. Mind your ears when using
a powerful headphone amp!
The SE846 also came with an odd little
metal tool attached to a sealed case with
several mysterious little plastic pieces.
Reading the manual, I learned that these
were replacement nozzle inserts that allow
the user to fine-tune the frequency response
of the SE846 to personal taste. The SE846
came fitted with a pair of blue nozzle inserts
for "flat" frequency response, but there were
also white and black ones for "bright" and



 




"warm" responses, with a 2.5 dB boost or
cut between 1 and 8 kHz. I didn't have time
to test these, but would imagine that recording musicians would wish to stick with the
"flat" inserts; a 2.5 dB swing right in the critical midrange might be great for recreational listening, but not for accuracy!
My listening sessions were a revelation.
There were none of the "usual allowances
made" for these being in-ear monitors; they
just sounded fantastic-wide open, crystal
clear, solid and tight in the bass even when
hearing acoustic bass and gran cassa
drums, with smooth believable mids and
extended but non-brittle highs. This is the
sort of sound that makes you look askance
at your cheaper in-ears and accidentallyon-purpose step on them.

I tried tracking and mixing music with
them, and discovered surprisingly few
tweaks needed when playing back a rough
mix done with the SE846 over my big studio speakers. The bass wasn't quite perfect
and there was some rebalancing needed in
the low mids, but by and large these little inears delivered a sound that beat a fair number of studio monitors I've worked with!
Combined with a really good DAC like
those in the Apogee or Gefen products
reviewed in this issue, the Echo Digital
Audio Echo2 (reviewed October 2013),
or the great portable DACs from
CEntrance like the AxePort Pro (reviewed
June 2009), the SE846 puts world-class
sound in your pocket. These in-ears are so
good it's scary.
Recording - December 2013

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