Shure SE210

On a recent trip overseas, I purchased a pair of Shure SE210 in ear phones. I originally wanted a pair of Etymotic ER-6, but after going to a number of shops, and could not find it, gave up. The use of these phones didn't seem as dramatic and difficult as I have originally read. It does take a little bit of time to sort out the right size and shape seal though. The first impression is that they really do block out the outside noise. I found this especially so for the typical machine or repetitive noises. I was sitting under a very noisy air conditioning unit, and could not hear but the faintest noise. Sitting on a train and bus in Hong Kong was very quiet. With the music on, it was hard to hear the noise around you. However, I did find that PA announcements were audible. On the trip home, comparing with the noise canceling headphones supplied on the plane, these were not as quiet, but still, the aircraft noise was quite soft, and I could still hear the PA. In terms of sonics, I found these to have really goo bass and mids, but somewhat lacking in the trebles. So in terms of balance, these favored the mids and lows. It is not as 'crisp' or 'clear' as my Sennheiser HD650's, but this is just the first impression. I will now trial them over a range of amps and sources to see how they compare. The next step is to develop and build a small headphone amp running on two 9V D cells that has top sonics and decent battery life.