Shure Music Phone Adapter - Mini Review

[SDMahan]

As an owner of Shure SE530 in ear monitors, I was extremely disappointed by the iPhone's recessed headphone jack. While the Belkin adapter helped a bit, it was akward and I lost the both the microphone and play/pause/answer button. But then I read the Shure press release that promised to solve all of these problems.

The Shure Music Phone Adapter is the perfect iPhone accessory for owners of Shure's new modular in ear monitors. It replaces the standard 3 foot cord with a new cord that a) fits into the iPhone's recessed jack, b) includes a high quality microphone, AND c) has a play/pause/answer button.

But there's more good news. This is also a great accessory for any headphones. It provides all the features described above and will work with any 3.5mm headphone plug. The one drawback: the added 3 feet of cable can get cumbersome.

Note: This is perfect for owners of Sony's MDR EX71's, which share a similar modular cable design as the Shure earphones.

I'll have a longer review with pictures on my blog, http://techgeekblog.com (which has been dormant a few months and is being resurrected this weekend).

Further information on this product can be found at Shure's Website.

 

[rittchard]

I received the adapter yesterday (ordered from the Apple store). Thus far I've only played around with a couple of earbuds I had lying around. My only complaint/issue is that the combined cable lengths end up being a bit unwieldy and heavy. I may check out those Sony ones you mentioned, or if anyone else has other suggestions I'd appreciate it.

The sound quality for me is night and day between the Apple buds and pretty much any of my other options, but as it stands the cabling makes the adapter impractical. Haven't tried out the microphone yet but I'll get to that eventually.

 

[SDMahan]

The Sony's work great with the Shure adapter. If you are looking for higher quality earphones, check out Shure's SE line. These are all modular, so you won't have the unwieldy cable length problem. I will admit that they are a little expensive, but overall, it is one of the most recommended lines of in-ear monitors. The SE530's that I have (extremely expensive at $500) are often heralded as one of the top 5 in-ear monitors by audiophiles. I'm so happy that I can now use them for both music and phone calls with my shiny new iPhone

I received the adapter yesterday (ordered from the Apple store). Thus far I've only played around with a couple of earbuds I had lying around. My only complaint/issue is that the combined cable lengths end up being a bit unwieldy and heavy. I may check out those Sony ones you mentioned, or if anyone else has other suggestions I'd appreciate it.

The sound quality for me is night and day between the Apple buds and pretty much any of my other options, but as it stands the cabling makes the adapter impractical. Haven't tried out the microphone yet but I'll get to that eventually.

 

[rebelace]

Just bought mine. Been looking forward to a shure product I can afford haha. Gonna start saving up for a pair of there earphones even though my vibe duo are doing pretty good.

 

[cmoney]

How well does the remote button work? Does it have the same functions as Apple's? ie, play/pause/answer call on one click, skip to next song on double click, switch lines with call waiting?

Since Apple's ear buds have never worked in my ears, I picked up a pair of Shure i2c's which has a built-in mic but no answer button.

 

[rebelace]

How well does the remote button work? Does it have the same functions as Apple's? ie, play/pause/answer call on one click, skip to next song on double click, switch lines with call waiting?

Since Apple's ear buds have never worked in my ears, I picked up a pair of Shure i2c's which has a built-in mic but no answer button.

yes from what I was told and from what I have read.

 

[rittchard]

How well does the remote button work? Does it have the same functions as Apple's? ie, play/pause/answer call on one click, skip to next song on double click, switch lines with call waiting?

I just checked the pause and play and double click functions all work fine on the iPod. I'm guessing if those work the other functions will as well...

In related news, I bit the bullet and picked up first the Sony EX71 and then later the Shure SE210s. I debated going higher in the Shure line but wimped out at the last minute. The price point of the 210, while high, was still low enough I could justify it after spending so much money lately. So far I love the sound on the Shures. I realize it could still be better but I'll upgrade at a later day. At least now I am confident that the cord lengths are very comfortable with the adapter.

The Sony's are OK but sound quality and overall fit/cable length etc are not as good as the Shure's. The Sony cable length is still a tad too long, but they include a small little pod thing you can wrap the cord around to adjust the length. While it's useful and light enough, the pod is awkward just hanging there, so the overall effect of the adapter plus pod is a bit too much. I'll probably keep them as a backup. FWIW, I also tried the Shure mic today for an hour and didn't hear any complaints; my friend just said it sounded like I was on speakerphone.

 

[iMerlin]

I just bought this for my SE530s and immediately came to this forum because I knew I would find some reviews on it here. Glad you guys like it, I cant wait for delivery.
One question, with the mic in the location that it's in, has anyone had complaints from callers on the other end of sound being to quiet? It seems far away from the mouth.