It’s difficult to afford speakers that sound really great, then you’ll need a powerful amp or receiver to drive them, then a good CD player or turntable. Wait, you can stop right there. Everyone has moved away from buying CDs or LPs; digital downloads are mostly what we do. So for luxury in audio, it pays to think small. When it comes to audio earphones, I like Shure, the mass market version of the monitors that musicians wear on stage. The Shure SE115 earphones are a great introduction to high-end audio; solid bass and a crystal clear treble that makes voices and strings sound like something you never heard before. Street price is only about $65. They come with a case and a lot of different soft things that you can try putting in your ears. You have to jam them in pretty far to get the best effect. Shure’s customer service is first-rate as well. If you break the little things, they will probably replace them under warranty. They come in several colors, but not Apple white. I hope that doesn’t matter.
Affordability: 7 Luxury: 8
Available from Amazon
Want more luxury? That’s easy: Shure makes the SE425s ($300) and the SE535s ($500) so that you can have exactly as much luxury as you want.
