Behind the ear, wired earbuds
Wired earbuds.. in 2025?? Why would I want this? Yes, I know it seems a bit odd. Basically, I wanted these to pair with my Rode PodMic to use as low-latency in-ear monitors so I could hear my voice clearly while speaking in meetings.
Up until now I used my AirPods Max along with the Lightning to 3.5mm audio cable but that setup was not ideal for a few reasons:
- I always had to make sure the AirPods Max were charged.
- On some occasions the AirPods Max would get into a weird state and not boot up, rendering them non-functional until I reset them.. which has unfortunately happened too many times right as I was joining a meeting.
- The AirPods Max aren't comfortable for long periods when I'm wearing my glasses.
My previous setup: AirPods Max with the Rode PodMic
I began looking for a pair of wired earbuds that were no-frills. I didn't want a mic on them or any bulky buttons on the cord. I just wanted a pair of earbuds that would plug into my Rode PodMic and allow me to hear my voice clearly. And I wanted to spend under $100.
There were too many options to choose from but ultimately I went with Shure as I was familiar with the brand and the reviews seemed solid.
They do the job, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention a few initial annoyances:
- The behind the ear design is nice in that the cable is snug and out of the way, with no risk of having them accidentally fall out. But that also makes them a bit annoying to put in.
- I don't really like any of the ear tips. It comes with silicone tips, as well as Comply brand foam tips. While the foam ones will provide the best isolatoin, they're definitely more annoying to put in and take out. This is a personal thing, but I'd rather have a bit of sound leakage than have to deal with the hassle of working with foam tips which require compressing before putting in. Nothing like the ease of using AirPods Pro for example.
- The sound response takes some getting used to—it feels a bit more flat than I had expected. I had compared the SE215 Pro to the SE425 Pro and chose the SE215 Pro as it was supposed to be more consumer friendly—Shure calls it a "warm sound signature" with "enhanced bass"—and not a true flat and balanced profile like you'd expect with professional IEMs. I'm using these basically only for meetings so it's not a huge deal (and I am using a third party app called eqMac to tweak to my liking), but if I was relying on these for listening to music I would just use my AirPods Max.
