Shure ships E500PTH sound isolating earphones

You want boasting rights and flattering amounts of auditory detail? Look no further than Shure's E500PTH, what's shaping up to be the most hyped and wildly anticipated (or so we're led to believe) earphones of the season. Oh, did we mention they're finally shipping? Sorry kids, only in the UK for now. We spotted these flagship 'buds at CES and now Shure obviously intends to deliver, albeit a few months later than expected. Housing two woofer drivers and one tweeter, the design promises to "change personal audio the way HDTV changed television" (saywha?). Easily among the most elaborate of assurances we've heard, the E500PTH has a lot to prove: the Push-to-Hear (no, this isn't the flipside of PTT) technology lowers music volume to let "environmental ambiance" (um, noise?) seep in, while flipping a switch activates a "so real, you're there" vibe providing two ways to groove. If style's your thing, the E500PTH sports a black and chrome outfit and maintains a low-profile while blocking up to 37db of outside interference (until you hit the PTH switch, of course). If you're ready to hear the touted "revolution" in sound, listen up: this aural pleasure won't come cheap. For the Brits who can grab these immediaitely, it'll cost you £419, while Americans must await a late-July ship date to drop their $500.

[Ypocaramel @ Jul 19th 2006 4:40AM]

or reedeem your head-fi coupon!

[OlivierB @ Jul 19th 2006 4:48AM]

I'll tell you what's for "shure", they can stick it where the sun don't shine if they expect us brits to be ripped off with their £419=$500 crap.
I feel insulted that they a) they think they can get away with selling us +£400 headphones and b) that they can get away by chargin us nearly double qhat the americans pay.
People who'll buy these in the UK need to be sterilized and be removed from the gene pool.

[Gadget Extremist @ Jul 19th 2006 4:52AM]

I would be more than happy to wait knowing that for $500 I will be paying much less than those Brits. These buds cost £419 or $765.53USD.

http://www.xe.com/ucc/

[astutefool @ Jul 19th 2006 5:45AM]

Don't be so stupid. Shure are overcharging in Britain becuase they think they can 'get away with it'. They aren't overcharging full stop. If you look around oliver, you will notice that all HIGH-TECH electronic equipment is more expensive than in America. In America consumers don't have to pay value added tax 17.5% as well as other import taxes. Go and do your homework before you start ranting.

At Gadget Extremist, Brits don't get the headphones quicker at EXTRA COST as you seem to be suggesting. That would be the price regardless of when they were availible. The reason you have to wait is because most of these things are manufactured in Asia so they get here first, just like mobile phones : - )

[Jacon @ Jul 19th 2006 6:01AM]

Many will defend this price as including both UK tax and a buffer to account for currency fluctuations. So I have taken off UK tax. At today's rate that works out at $651. Therefore Shure are buffering the exchange rate by about 25%. They are careful folk and I am sure the decision is a good one. I for one won't buy them, but I would consider it if they only had a rate buffer of 10% which would equate to about £300.00. But hey, I am only one and most people aren't like me are they? I am sure this is a GOOD business decision. Well done Shure. After all people that have £400 to spend are generally quite stupid people.

[astutefool @ Jul 19th 2006 7:21AM]

Regardless, I'm sure these headphones will sell well.

[Wolfrain @ Jul 19th 2006 7:55AM]

Wait, people who live in the UK should just import these from America and pay 6 quid more and get a PS3. Thats atrocious that these ehadphones cost more than expensive gaming consoles and the mp3 players they will be plugged into.

[Adam @ Jul 19th 2006 8:01AM]

"After all people that have £400 to spend are generally quite stupid people." based on the success of the iPod that is a truly intelligent thing to say.

I daresay that another couple of reasons why we get so badly gauged by pricing in the UK is that we have a much higher cost of living generally and that the UK is a far smaller market. UK retailers don't have anywhere near the buying power of their US equivalents so don't benefit from the same economies of scale.

[duestown @ Jul 19th 2006 8:23AM]

Regarding the actual earphones instead of the exchange rate, the PTH button is actually a good idea. I have the Etymotic ER6i canalphones and taking them out to hear what anyone is trying to say to you, or to listen to announcements on trains or planes, can get somewhat annoying since it takes a while to get them fitted back in just right.

Unfortunately this button couldn't exist on the ER6i since they use passive noise cancelling, but I'd take that over active noise cancelling any day of the week, for sound quality at least (and price, weight, and the lack of need for a battery).

[F. Villa @ Jul 19th 2006 8:38AM]

This is probably one of the most humorous article and postings I've read lately. Wolfrain, my sentiment exactly. BTW, I'm content with my Etymotics ER6i,$90. (Shure price is US$549 on their site).

[chaoticset @ Jul 19th 2006 9:29AM]

I'm reasonably sure that, were someone a bit more clever than I, they could build a switchable device that consisted of a tiny inline amp along with a white noise feed. Plug your headphones into the amp, voila -- extra volume. Turn off the white-amp, voila -- Push To Hear.

Sure, that won't work as well and it's another whole damn battery -- but, on the other hand, it wouldn't cost five hundred goddamn dollars...

[Sam Sugar @ Jul 19th 2006 12:08PM]

I've been waiting for these phones and their noise cancelling IS passive. PTH activates microphones which feed their audio into the primary signal. It's the best of both worlds.

The pricing comments reflect a consumer mindset. These are competing with Ultimate Ears 3 driver units (as worn by professional musicians) which cost $999 a set. For hat they are, the Shures are cheap.

The UK pricing's a rip but London's the third priciest city on Earth and nowehre in the US is even in the top ten. Unfair but true...

[Mentallo @ Jul 19th 2006 1:15PM]

http://www.ecost.com/ecost/ecsplash/shop/detail~dpno~7002397.asp

[Jamie @ Jul 19th 2006 2:01PM]

I don't understand how you can defend the pricing of these in any way...

A 25% currency buffer?! You have to be joking me, that's extortion. I don't know how Shure can expect people to pay that much when importing would cost

[Jamie @ Jul 19th 2006 2:10PM]

...under £300.

The UK gets the short straw on price more often than not. And for once, here, there's no way the manufacturer can make excuses of higher premiums from fitting UK plugs and SCART sockets.

Sorry for the double post, i'd used a less than sign without thinking.

[beaulemite @ Jul 19th 2006 2:53PM]

chaoticset,

The PTH module will be sold separately for approx $50 (at least here in the US).

The price above is due to the quality of these IEMs... these are triple driver units competitive with the best of the best which can cost twice as much. They're quite a phenomal value.

[SR @ Jul 19th 2006 4:07PM]

You failed to even recognise what the point of PTH is. It is not to blend in "ambience," it is so that you can have conversations and listen to your surroundings without taking the phones out of your ears. Anybody who has ever used an IEM knows that taking those off just to hear an announcement or because some idiot wants their attention briefly and then putting them back on is a bitch.

[blackfeather @ Jul 19th 2006 5:23PM]

I use ETYs in the studio and have the exact same problem. The passive isolation is incredible, but it's impossible to have a conversation if I unplug from the headphone amp and walk around. I hope the PTH module is available separately.

[astutefool @ Jul 19th 2006 6:58PM]

I'm really looking forward to these. On pricing, income (should be) inline with income so its fair hat. Alternatively, wait till this are released in the U.S and then pick up a pair.

[chaoticset @ Jul 19th 2006 9:52PM]

beaulemite,

*The price above is due to the quality of these IEMs... these are triple driver units competitive with the best of the best which can cost twice as much. They're quite a phenomal value.*

I'm certain those components are *worth* what they're charging. I'm also certain that the average consumer probably cannot tell the difference between a simpler, cheaper mechanism along the lines of what I described and the worthwhile, expensive stuff.

If I were going to be a professional sound engineer, I'd want these. If I'm going to listen to music and I want something close to PTH without selling my body on the street, I'll buy something along the lines of what I described.

I'm sure that I'm missing the point, of course -- but, on the other hand, I like that *eating* thing I do every other day or so...

[beaulemite @ Jul 20th 2006 2:11AM]

One more time

"chaoticset,

The PTH module will be sold separately for approx $50 (at least here in the US)."