Shure KSE1500 Electrostatic Earphone System

The First Portable Electrostatic Playback System

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Shure's engineers have developed a world first: an entire electrostatic listening system that fits in your back pocket. The Shure KSE1500 consists of a pair of 10Hz-50kHz electrostatic earphones, an acoustically transparent, low-capacitance Kevlar cable, and an audiophile amplifier with bypassable parametric custom EQ. The amp connects to your phone or computer in two ways - via USB with hi-res 24/96 conversion for completely neutral playback, or with a traditional 1/8" auxiliary cable. Both cables are included, as are six sets of foam tips for a comfortable fit. And best of all, the earphones are isolating to cut out background noise. So whether you're on a bus, on a run, in the studio, or alone at home, the Shure KSE1500 delivers audio quality you can count on.

Related Videos: KSE1500 Electrostatic Earphone System

• A world first: sound-isolating electrostatic earphones that fit in your pocket
• An immersive listening experience
• Audiophile amplifier with custom 4-band parametric EQ
• Unparalleled frequency response and transient response speed
• Digital input means no loss in signal quality - for PC, Mac, iOS, and Android

Electrostatic technology has done some impressive things with audiophile headphones and speakers. Unfortunately, both the drivers and the energizers (amplifiers) tend to be rather large, and so are usually relegated to home theaters and studios. But Shure managed to shrink its KSE1500's electrostatic drivers down to the size of dimes, and its power amp down to the size of a last-gen smartphone. So now audiophiles can take their most demanding hi-fi system everywhere in the world.

Listening to Shure talk about the seven years of research and development that went into the KSE1500 system is inspiring. You can tell they're convinced this is the best personal listening system in the world. They engineered the KSE1500s to let music lovers experience their music the way artists and producers intended, with sounds that pop out of the stereo field and parts that come to life which had been there all along. The isolation on the KSE1500s feels pretty close to in-ears. Probably not good enough for the stage, but I expect you could mix music on a train with these and the results would translate reliably to other playback systems.

For each of its KSE1500 drivers, Shure sandwiched a razor-thin, electrically charged diaphragm between two conductive plates. These plates create a magnetic field when they receive an audio signal, which moves the diaphragm and creates sound. The nearly mass-less diaphragm and short excursion reproduce transients faster and frequencies fuller than traditional magnetic drivers. Mids and highs are rich and natural. Lows are beefy without being oppressive. And the stereo field is broad and dynamic.

Flat and neutral don't always deliver the best translation of the music you love. That's why the Shure KSE1500 includes five factory EQ presets to, for instance, boost bass and enhance vocal ranges. But they also give you four user presets to overcome shortcomings in your ears and in the recordings themselves. The EQ is subtle and mostly transparent - I could easily cut 3 or 4dB from a frequency range and not miss it. Sweetwater is glad to see the KSE1500 feature fully parametric EQ, which gives you a choice on both what frequency ranges to cut/boost and how wide the bandwidths.

Onboard 24-bit/96kHz converters let you listen to audio from your phone, mp3 player, tablet, or computer through your KSE1500s without signal degradation and coloration. But rest assured, vinyl lovers: the KSE1500's 1/8" stereo line input also lets you connect to analog playback systems with excellent headroom and your choice of EQ curves.

• The smallest electrostatic system in the world
• Creates an immersive listening experience
• Dime-sized electrostatic drivers reproduce fast transients and a full frequency range
• Isolating earphones cut out background noise - great for travel
• Audiophile amp has 5 factory EQ presets and 4 user presets - all bypassable
• Special Kevlar cable is strong, flexible, and low capacitance
• USB input accepts music from your Android/iOS phone or tablet, or Mac/PC computer with no signal degradation
• 24-bit/96kHz DAC/ADC presents your audio in living color
• 1/8" stereo line input connects to record players and other analog playback systems
• Impressive frequency response (10Hz-50kHz) and dynamic range - sounds great at any level
• Rechargeable lithium-ion battery delivers 7 (w/ EQ) to 10 (no EQ) hours of playback
• Selectable analog RMS limiter keeps music at a consistent level
• Includes a leather carrying case, wall charger,2 USB cables, 2 analog cables, and phone-fastening bands