• Shure earphones primarily use an earbud design.earphones image by Christos Kyratsous from Fotolia.com
  
  Shure is a company that specializes in audio electronics. Shure earphones originally were marketed as an accessory for the company’s monitor systems. Eventually, these earphones became a full product line. Sound isolation earphones are Shure's specialty. Most Shure earphones use a small earbud design, but Shure also produces full-sized headphones. Shure earphones use passive sound isolation, which makes them lighter than noise-canceling headphones that have active systems.
  
  

Shure Earphone Models

• An important part of using Shure earphones is selecting the proper model. Each line is designed for a specific use. The SE series are earbuds designed primarily for the consumer market. The SCL series are sound-isolation earbuds primarily designed for musicians to use with monitor systems while performing. The SRH series are full-sized headphones designed for musicians and studio engineers. All of these lines of Shure earphones have passive sound isolation.
  
  

Sound Isolation

• The passive sound isolation used by Shure earphones requires a proper fit and use to work properly. This is not an issue with the SRH headphones because anyone can put these over their ears and have them fit. The SE and SCL earbuds are a bigger issue. The earbud tip must properly fit in the ear for the sound isolation to work at all. The ear canal size from person to person can vary significantly. Users must use trial and error to find a proper fit with the various earbud tips. It is quite common for musicians to get custom earbud tips in order to get a proper fit.
  
  

Earphone Cord

• Even with a proper fit, it is still possible to cause the earbud tip to move out of place in the ear canal. This causes the passive sound isolation and speaker quality to be compromised. Adjusting how the earphone cord is situated can help to keep it in place. Wrap the cord over the top of the ear. Leave a little slack in the cord between the part touching the ear and the earbud speaker. This gives the wearer a margin of safety before movements cause the speaker to move in the ear canal.