Digital Trends

The Shure SE310 canalphones are quite possibly some of the best headphones we have listened to in a while. Are they worth $299 though?

Snip:

"We tested the SE310s with a selection of jazz, classical, pop, rock, and techno tracks. All music was played through an iPod photo, iPod Classic, and a Creative X-Fi Elite, all of which were in MP3 format and encoded at VBR at 320kbps. We used both iPods because of some reports that the lower end roll off is worse than previous generations. As an aside, we could not tell much difference between the two iPods listening to the same track.

The general sound signature is punchy on the low end, offering plenty of energy and accuracy. Granted, there is a lack of boom and atmosphere on the low side, which is typical of single driver in-ear-monitors. (We have no doubt that the dual-driver models will fare better.) The highs are nice and accurate, but not shrill, and the mids sound clear. The balance across the spectrum is very smooth, and the soundstage adequately distant, but not too far away. Even the stereo effects are better than what we’ve heard in other options. Happily as well, the sound is not fatiguing, which can be a problem when isolated from environmental noises. "

Read our full Shure SE310 review