Stephen Mejias

I mentioned that I'd had some trouble getting the Shure SE310 in-ear headphones to fit comfortably, and I wanted to experiment with different nozzle sleeves. Removing the sleeves from the SE310s took more effort than I'd imagined. Not that it was difficult like it can be difficult to carry a 50-lb amp up three flights of stairs, but more that it was tricky like it can be tricky to cajole speaker cable from a tight grip in a small space. I suppose it's a good thing that the sleeves hug their nozzles with such dedication. You wouldn't want them slipping off in your ear.

Shure's Deluxe Fit Kit includes a 3ft cable, three pairs of their new foam sleeves, three pairs of the popular soft flex sleeves, one triple flange sleeve, and a carrying case that fits fairly easily into your back pocket. I replaced the medium-sized foam sleeves, which were stock on my sample, with the small foam sleeves, making sure that the entire nozzle was covered. This was no sweat. The sleeves slid into place perfectly. I felt good about it.

And, I'm happy to say, with the smaller sleeves in place, the headphones rested much more comfortably in my ears. I wasn't as keenly aware of their presence and the fit seemed more secure. I guess I have small ear canals.

It's important to make sure that the fit really is correct, however. Mis-insertion — oh, horrid mis-insertion! — can lead to bad sound. For instance, I listened repeatedly to the same song — "Mad Flo," the opening track of my old band's last album, the impossibly brilliant¹, How Can A Man Be Tougher Than The World? — while replacing sleeves and experimenting with insertion, just as I might experiment with speaker placement. It's a fine art².

Shure recommends compressing the foam sleeves before inserting the headphones into your ears. Once they're in, you should hold them in place for a few moments while the foam expands and creates a tight seal. On one occasion, I think I got a little overzealous about my compression — I over-compressed! — and perhaps blocked the nozzle's sound hole³.

Things just weren't right. Our guitars were thin and tinny, not as powerful and glorious as I'm used to. Bass was missing. Cymbals sounded strangely muted. Jim Teacher sounded as though he was singing through an aluminum can. Re-adjustment corrected all of this, however.

With the right sleeves and proper insertion, the music sounds appropriately earth-shattering. Dave is a metronomic drumming wizard, we are guitar warlocks, and Jim Teacher's voice is monstrously beautiful.

"Mad Flo" is also the best song ever written.

I kid, of course. With the right sleeves and proper insertion, the music sounds the way I think it should. Dave's cymbals are suitably splashy, bass is taut and solid, the guitars are crunchy and well-defined, and Jim Teacher's voice sounds monstrously beautiful.

***

Footnote 1: I'm just kidding, dudes. No, seriously. We were awesome.

Footnote 2: Just kidding again. While speaker placement may be "a fine art" for some, I pretty much just wing it.

Footnote 3: Is "sound hole" even a word? What I'm talking about here is the hole at the tip of the nozzle from which the sound springs forth. Sometimes writing about this stuff really requires footnotes.