Shure KSE1500 - Subjective review and durability

[HD800Fan]

This is the flagship Shure electrostatic IEM system, the KSE1500, and it retails for $2999 MSRP.

I bought these used for around $1000 where the first and previous owner had used them for close to two years in mostly a desktop application with a Chord Mojo for some reason, even though the DAC in this is probably better. They were in good condition when I first got them, only the shell of the left earpiece had a slight wobble to it. The previous owner had had the earpieces with the attached cable RMA'ed and replaced a little less than a year before because the cable had developed a lose connection.

The sound: What can I say, subjectively this is the best thing I have ever heard. It's incredibly fast with deep extension while being flat. I thought this was my endgame portable listening experience.

The durability: This is the bad part. Over the course of little over a year I would use this together with a short micro-USB to USB-C cable connected to my phone and in my inside jacket pocket. Amazing sound experience on the go but issues started developing. The micro-USB connector of the unit would become increasingly lose such that it would lose the connection and turn off the music from the phone unless held at an certain angle. In the end the connector would completely rip off the PCB and the unit becoming unchargeable. I have opened the unit and resoldered the micro-usb back on twice now, and this third time I stopped bothering.
The shell of the earpieces increasingly deteriorated. There was a small wobble in the shell of the left ear piece when I first got them but they looked fine. But over time, using them outside, the glue holding the two shells together of both earpieces have completely deteriorated and yellowed, probably due to light and moisture. Not that I have let them get soaking wet but they have seen some light rain. Right now, the shell of the left ear piece just falls off easily, as the only thing holding them together is the small friction clip in the back.
After about a year of use the cable also started to develop a lose connection near the connector to the DAC/energizer such that if the cable wasn't held at a certain angle you would hear loud cracks and distortion or no sound at all. When the micro-USB ripped off a third time that was when this thing got put in the drawer. Now that I pulled it out for this review I think the DAC/energizer could make for a nice paperweight.

So in summary: Amazing sound, durability of the unit is poor. Not for portable use, but even then the previous owner who used it for desktop had to RMA it.

 

[IAtaman]

I was curious, so looked it up. It graphs, well, interestingly.

 

[HD800Fan]

I was curious, so looked it up. It graphs, well, interestingly.

I don't really trust IEM measurements. You can find other measurements and they all look wildly different.

 

[Ambient384]

Still view a Etymotic ER4SR with EQ would be a much better choice than a IEM that seems to fall apart from bad QC.

 

[HD800Fan]

Still view a Etymotic ER4SR with EQ would be a much better choice than a IEM that seems to fall apart from bad QC.

I don't think it's bad QC. It's just this thing is not designed to last at all.

 

[Dialectic]

I don't think it's bad QC. It's just this thing is not designed to last at all.

I had some expensive Shure dynamic IEMs some years ago, and they were shockingly badly designed, falling apart after a couple of years of light use. I think this is a characteristic of the brand.

 

[herr.jemine]

In Germany the device costs much more directly from Shure, 3639€ (3952$ USD)

 

[jacko]

I have this in the KSE1200 version (no DAC). The sound belies any measurement curves (albeit IEM curves seem to be a work in progress) though my theory is it hugs the inverse equal loudness contours of around 80-85 dB. This produces more detail in that certain frequencies are more readily heard. The effect however is very natural. I use it with various types of room virtualization algorithms and it works completely transparently which in theory ought to make it fairly ideal.

The shell durability is a big concern however. Shure's other high end IEMs are all (optionally) metal-hulled while this one is the clear plastic I suppose they also use on their lower end stuff. Helps with the electrostatic nature of the device but durability is poor as has been noted. I think they use rigid PVC plastic which degrades readily with heat, handling, and in contact with the various organic compounds exuded by the skin in the ear. I replaced my earphones once under warranty after the plastic started softening at the seams which probably would've come apart eventually, and my next pair have already already lost a little bit of plastic at the hard edges on the seams so they feel rough to the fingertips in certain areas. Looking at it with a microscope will probably show they are slowly falling apart also in the tenuous spots, so I am thinking about using cyanoacrylate super glue as a lacquer if I notice any further structural issues. Will probably work but many will find that unacceptable on a $1500 product.