Shure SE310 Sound Isolating Earphones (black)

When a company creates a product that's sufficiently remarkable to garner a spot among CNET's testing equipment, chances are that's a good direction to look for further quality products. Such is the case with Shure, whose E4c earbuds quickly become our headphone of choice for MP3 player audio testing. In fact, the entire E series is impressive, which is why the company didn't stray far from that blueprint when it created its new Sound Isolating line, the SE series. Shure's latest earphone collection, which offers new sound signatures and an improved design, includes the SE210, SE310, SE420, and SE530 (just a renamed E500). The $249.99 SE310 is the subject of this review.

On first glance, you might not notice the design tweaks that Shure has made to the SE line. But closer inspection will reveal that the SE310s have a more curvaceous earpiece than that of the E series. The material is also slightly different, giving it a more tactile feel. The model color--black or white--also applies to the color of the earpiece, rather than that of the cable. In the case of the white, the coloring is more silver than white, but I actually prefer the pearlescent sheen. These are subtle changes to be sure, but welcome.

The SE310 includes Shure's Deluxe Fit Kit, which includes everything you see here. Optional accessories include an airline adapter, a 1/4-inch adapter, and an in-line volume control.

Less subtle is the new modular cable. The main Y cable is just 18 inches long to accommodate listeners who carry their MP3 players in a shirt pocket or clip it to a bag strap. But Shure also includes a 37-inch cable extension for those who still prefer to stow their devices in a pants pocket or bag. The rest of SE310's Deluxe Fit Kit includes a sturdy canvas case, a "wax guard" (for cleaning the earpieces), and various ear tips: one triple flange, three sizes of soft flex, and three sizes of foam. The latter is now tapered for an easier fit, coated for easier cleaning, and black rather than yellow.

The innards of the SE310 aren't much different from those of the E4c. In fact, the technology is the same. Shure has just changed the name from High-Definition Driver to Hi-Definition MicroSpeaker to clarify that it is indeed a piece of hardware, as most people think of "drivers" as software. Unlike the V-Moda Bass Freq, which uses an inexpensive coil speaker (hence the low price), the tiny units in the SE310 are balanced armature speakers, which allow for more precise sound.

There is one internal factor that differentiates the SE310 from the E4c, and that's the size of the port. That is, the size of the hole where the music comes out is larger on the SE310, which means the earphones offer an enhanced low-end response. Truthfully, I expected it would be pretty hard to tell the difference, but I could indeed detect a noticeable difference: the SE310's bass response is weightier and more encompassing than that of the E4c.

As far as overall audio quality is concerned, the SE310s sound as you might expect from a $250 pair of headphones: fantastic. I experienced excellent response, range, and warmth across all genres of music. The triangle in Jem's "Finally Woken" pinged away with excellent clarity, and the underlying bass in The Chemical Brothers' "Block Rockin' Beats" made me feel rather as if I were inside a speaker. I did notice one potentially negative quality: the bass can overshadow other low-end sounds in beat-heavy tracks. In Kanye West's "Gold Digger" for example, there's a blues piano accompanying the rhythm. The piano is quite clear with the Shure E4c, but slightly less so with the SE310.

So the question remains: should you upgrade from the Shure E4c to the SE310? Well, that depends. The E4c earphones offer a more balanced sound spectrum overall; as a result, you get a bit more detail in your music. However, if you want to experience more bass response, the SE310s will please your ears the most.