ShureShure SE215 PRO Wired Earbuds - Professional Sound Isolating Earphones, Clear Sound & Deep Bass, Single Dynamic MicroDriver, Secure Fit in Ear Monitor, Plus Carrying Case & Fit Kit - Clear (SE215-CL)

I purchased these IEM's and after reading lots of reviews I wanted to state the following: all earbuds with dynamic drivers need some break in time, please believe this. If you think that they will sound the same right out of the box, as opposed to after you listen to them for many hours, you are wrong in that assumption. I own several pairs and purchased these for their boost in bass response over the less expensive Shure model. I listened to them out of the box and then after every ten hours of break in. You can use white noise CD's or the like but here's what has worked for me breaking in 4 to 5 pairs in the past 6 months. Get yourself an adapter plug and plug your IEM's into your receiver or your boombox or your radio. Put them on and raise the sound level to where they are comfortable then take them off and crank it up to where you can hear them while you're holding them in your hand. Play talk radio for 10 hours, rock music for 10 hours, classical music for 10 hours and after every 10 hour session listen to the IEM's. The difference with the SE215's after 30 hours was striking, no sibilance, the midrange and the lows were so much clearer and deeper. After another 30 hours I can honestly say that for 100 bucks these buds are definitely worth it. Now having said that, I also have to state that a pair of Monster N-Lites that I paid 60 bucks for after 20 hours of break in sounded almost as good as the Shure SE215-K's I purchased. What's my point? There are a lot of really good earbuds in the 50 to 100 dollar range. the Shures are excellent and I use them at home for their superior bass and I use the N-Lites for the gym and running. I own and highly recommend the RHA-MA750's, the HiFiMan's for 99 bucks, the Klipsh Image S-4's and the Monster Turbos that I paid 100 bucks for. I am a bit of a fanatic when it comes to my music and just like speakers I find that headphones and IEM's all seem to have sonic signatures all their own. The SE215's are a superior product, with a 2 year warranty, replaceable cords and once broken in, sound quality above the purchase price. When I listen to my laptop through my Dragonfly DAC and the Shure SE215's I am one happy camper. Folks, I can be more technical and try to impress you with terms that make me sound like the audiophile I am but what's the point of that? These are for 100 dollars worth every cent.After break in I had to turn the volume down even lower and was amazed at how well these IEM's performed and gave that sense of being outside of my head. Audio is very subjective, what one person hears another may not, that's why I listen through differing pairs. That and the fact that I'm a bit maniacal about my music! When I am ready to spend more on IEM's the 315's or 415's will be the ones I buy from Shure and I must add, Amazon's service is beyond belief. I am extremely satisfied with my purchase and I reiterate, break them in for sonic bliss, a minimum of 40 hours before critical listening.

No helmet - sounds great up to 55 mph/88 kphHelmet - sounds great up to 75 mph/120 kphWhen going on long rides at high speeds I wear a helmet with ear plugs, this is why I purchased these ear buds. Wearing the Shure 215s in place of disposable ear plugs works out well(for me). They cut out roughly the same amount of wind from your ears as disposable foam earplugs while affording you the option of listening to music. For this use I would recommend buying a pair. There are a few things to consider though;No HelmetFor riders who do not wear helmets you can ride at 70 mph/112 kph with the earbuds staying firmly in place. I didn't try riding any faster because once they do pop out at those speeds it would be a total loss.On my first attempt I just pushed the earbuds into my ear with one hand and found that they started flopping around at 50 mph/ 80 kph. On subsequent rides I pulled on my ear lobe with one hand and pushed the device into my ear with the other. This seats the earbuds properly in your ear but...after an hour or so your ear will become sore. These come with 3 different sizes of ear attachments in foam and 3 in silicone. I started with the mid sized foam which is what is installed out of the package. I tried the small size next to alleviate the ear pain. This worked for just walking around but failed miserably when I rode a motorcycle. The wind noise was horrible, going 30 mph had as much wind noise as going 60 mph while wearing the mid size foam attachment. My head circumference is 24.25 inches/61.5 centimeters and the medium attachment is the proper size for me.Using the proper size attachment, wind noise isn't noticeable up to 55mph/88 kph. It will not become overwhelming if you keep your speed under 75 mph/ 120 kph. I can hear my single piston 650cc enduro just well enough to tell which gear I am in at low rpms although this takes some getting used to. No problem hearing my 1,000cc v-twin sport bike engine.HelmetI have had zero issues putting on or taking off helmets. The earbuds remain firmly in place and have never given a hint of coming out. Once my helmet was on the earbuds felt like they were in the same position as when the helmet was off. I wear a SHOEI GT Air for street and a Troy Lee for dirt, this was true for both. Wind noise was not an issue up to 75 mph/ 120 kph. I could still hear the music well into the triple digits although it was roughly a 60-40 wind to music ratio at those speeds. For all tests I kept the volume at safe levels. You could easily drown out the wind if you turned the music up loud.When wearing a helmet you do not need to seat the earbuds fully into the ear canal with both hands and thus you can wear them for extended periods of time without getting sore. If you ride a bike with factory exhaust there is a good chance you will not be able to hear your engine at low rpms while wearing a helmet. I would recommend wearing a pair of disposable ear plugs before purchasing this product, especially if you are a new rider. Try riding without being able to hear your engine before spending money on these, you may not like it.