RMCE-BT2

WHEN USED WITH AN iPHONE 7 - which theoretically sounds as good as any iPhone/iPod.(IT PRESUMABLY DEFAULTS TO AAC Bluetooth - there is no way of knowing.)iPhone’s Bluetooth works moderately well with this Shure BT2. I'm using it with Shure SE535s and it is acceptable for relaxing travel music. It is certainly NOT good enough for critical listening but it’s not actively annoying either; just sub-par.Bass guitar is OKish, I’m not a bass freak, but double bass is too soft and ill-defined. LF texture and subtlety is simply missing. Bass drums are similarly softened. Treble completely lacks the ‘etched’ higher frequencies of a female voice, cymbals, etc. Try Carol Kidd – Autumn In New York.... ruined. Dire Straits – ‘The Mans Too Strong’, you almost ignore the mid-track ‘crescendos’. Orff – ‘O Fortuna’ is robbed of any drama. Orchestral music completely lacks the fine detail and any sense of power and space. Relaxing music sounds natural enough and is indeed relaxing but ‘exciting’ music is robbed of excitement.WHEN USED WITH A FiiO M7 which is a mid/low spec DAP.(IT DEFAULTS TO aptXHD Bluetooth but other protocols can be selected on the M7.)Wow! Dire Straits ‘The Man’s Too Strong’ was immediately vastly better. More ‘twangy’ right from the start and the drama and detail was back into the crescendos. Bearing in mind this is from a budget DAP instead of an expensive iPhone, it shows just how good the BT2 is. It also shows how bad AAC Bluetooth is - shame on you Apple!Carol Kidd got almost all her 'feeling' and ‘breathiness’ back and there was ‘air’ and texture again. Carl Orff got most of his emotion and drama back and orchestral music regained much of its power and detail. There was a welcome return of a appropriate sense of space and a very natural decay to the venue acoustic - which demonstrates that low-level information has not been discarded. Very acceptable performance via Bluetooth, it is not all that far behind a wired connection.AUDIO SUMMARYAll listening with 16/44.1 FLAC or ALAC ripped, and bit-checked, from the same original CDs using JRiver Media Centre.The bass response goes down as LOW as whatever is on the track but the bass volume/level is noticeably reduced from either player. I think the bass level, via aptXHD is very slightly lower than I got from the iPhone. Whatever the truth, the bass via the BT2 is quieter than it is from both players when using cables - so I think we must blame the BT2 for that. It's not a deal-killer for me but it is easily noticeable. The rest of the frequency range, via aptXHD, seems very flat. Voices are excellent.Despite Apple's awful Bluetooth implementation, this is nevertheless the best Bluetooth I have heard from an iPhone – which is a terrible shame for Apple. An iPhone is a superb digital source, if you can be bothered to carry an Oppo HA2 (for example) with you, but it is much easier to carry a cheap separate DAP - like the FiiO M7. I have had iPhones for years but I will certainly NOT be buying another one unless they improve their Bluetooth. Both LDAC and aptXHD sound just fine, Apple! Upgrading from AAC Bluetooth would cost you nothing, Apple!Thankfully, Android phones have aptX or aptXHD so they SHOULD sound great with the BT2. Even a low/mid-price DAP (my FiiO M7 for example) sounds excellent and is thoroughly recommended with the BT2. Do keep in mind an expensive DAP probably won't sound any better because, via Bluetooth, you are not actually listening to the up-market DAC and amp in your expensive DAP, you are listening to the miniature DAC and amp in the BT2. You really can't expect that to be as good as the expensive DAP.COMFORT & USENo microphony from the cables – whoohoo! What a relief after the awful standard Shure lead. The bend over the ears works better than the standard leads too. Softer yet more 'fixed'.I find the weight absolutely insignificant and so far I have never bothered to clip it to my clothes. I don’t find the clip easy enough to bother with. I wear it in front so that I can reach the controls. It is fairly small but it would probably be uncomfortable behind you and you couldn't reach the controls.The button functions are not all intuitive. Skipping tracks is almost impossible.VALUE FOR MONEYShure are currently selling this for £55 which is a bargain for anyone owning compatible Shure headphones. Perhaps they are about to update it but – I don’t care - it works well. I’m just happy that I managed to get mine from Amazon for £55 before they mysteriously put the price back up.

This is my first day impression after using with my iPhone X and SE425's that I've been using for 6 years. I love these headphones and am very familiar with how they handle my music.If you're looking at this product you're probably not ready to give up your SE's for Shure's wireless offerings or the other brands out there. And why should you? Yours work, they fit great and you enjoy how your music sounds through them. But technology is in that fun transition period where everything is moving to different ports and we haven't settled on one yet (Lighting, USB-C, traditional headphone jack).So when I went from an iPhone 6S to the X it was annoying having the little dongle to deal with when I used a device that didn't need it. But, there was no noticeable loss in audio quality at least. I just got the newest iPad Pro that only has a USB-C port and now things are annoying because that's a dongle that I'll only occasionally use. So it made sense to move into the world of wireless headphones and, as of writing this, they just came out with the BT 5.0 version a month ago so at least I'm getting the newest hardware.These tests are with Spotify using their maximum quality settings (Premium account) and Apple Music/personal collection (ripped at 256-320kbps AAC)Pros:They're lightweightSound quality is good enoughVolume is adequate (tho slightly lower)Cons:Remote functions could be betterHeadphone cable is integratedExpensiveClip could be easier to attachWire is a few inches too shortI am not an audiophile, but I do seek out well balanced headphones. Sound quality wise these, and really any wireless headphone right now, are good but can't match wired. I listen to a lot of Rock, Synthwave and Lo-Fi. Since everyone hears music differently the best way I can describe it is if the music you're used to through a wired connection had it's bass-to-treble range laid out over the United States, with San Francisco being deep, smooth bass and Boston being crisp, clean treble these would be more like Las Vegas to NYC. The range is there, but you know you're missing out. But it's not as bad as Albuquerque to Detroit lesser models produce. Considering I'm listening during my commute on a train or bus 90% of the time I'm probably not going to notice, and I'm sure amp is good enough to drive these but may not be enough for the higher models.A few reviews have mentioned these don't output the volume of being wired and I'd agree. They're probably 5-10% quieter than when I used them wired, which causes me to up the volume, which will then drain the battery quicker. Hopefully a firmware update can fix this.If you don't use the clip for the amp part of the headphone you won't notice any extra pull. on the cord. If anything it'll feel like the wired version more because those would naturally tug down some. I had to fiddle to get the clip to slide onto my shirts so anything thicker is going to be annoying. I typically wear button down shirts w/out the top buttons closed, so when it was clipped it felt like it didn't quite have the reach either.Also, and this is the biggest thing that gave me pause when buying these, is the headphone cables at the amp are hardwired in and not detachable like at the headphones. I know every few years I needed to swap out the standard cable because it would start to crackle at the memory wire bend. That was a $30 problem, now it's a $150 problem. So should that day come, and the battery is still giving me 8-10 hours, I'll seriously consider soldering some wire if I have to replace the cable.The remote is easy to use, I just wish the functions were changed up to be what I feel is a more natural interaction. Double click the volume to change tracks instead of long pressing, 2-3sec press the play/pause to turn it on/off (right now it's a 5 second press), double click the play/pause to activate voice controlOverall I'm happy with these and I hope they last me until the headphone world has solved the quality issues of the wireless era. By then I'm sure it'll be time to retire my 425's for better IEM's. But for those who need a wireless solution to their beloved IEM's this is it.

Using with Shure SE535-LTDs and these sound as good as wired to my ears streaming from Apple Music or Tidal (HI-FI). If you are an audiophile then perhaps you can pick up on the difference but the music sounds dynamic, detailed and artifact free to me. Nice sparkling highs, clear mids and deep, clean bass that you would expect from the SE535s, but wireless.Did some proper ABX testing between FLAC and AAC using the headphones wired and while using this adapter playing from Apple Music and Tidal. I was right only about 50%-60% which means I can't really tell!Tried pairing with AAC, APTX and APTX-HD (using a usb adapter I bought off Amazon, Reiyin brand) bluetooth protocols. AAC from my iPhone and MacBook Pro sound the best, and APTX-HD is just as good. APTX regular from my Macbook Pro seemed to lack some depth and clarity, but I didn't test it scientifically (could be a placebo). Using the bluetooth explorer on my mac, I could see that AAC was streaming consistently around 300kbps and spiking much higher, while APTX was about 400+ but again, AAC sounded better to me and many forums point to AAC being a superior codec at similar bitrates, and AAC is basically transparent at 192kbps+. I couldn't get a bitrate read on APTX-HD because I was using a USB audio adapter, but the adapter confirmed on its indicators that APTX-HD was active. The RMCE-BT2 seems to prefer codecs in this order: APTX-HD, AAC, APTX, SBC.Range and connection quality wise, AAC also performs the best in my testing (across the room or room over), while APTX and APTX-HD had drops while in my pocket in close range.If you are considering this over the RMCE-BT1, this is a huge upgrade in sound quality and connection due to the supported audio codecs (AAC, APTX-HD) and Bluetooth 5.0 (for stability and range).I had concerns about the pendant, but functionally it actually makes sense when listening because it is relatively light weight. I wouldn't want it wrapped behind my neck if I was lying down. It can be tucked inside your shirt or clipped on. It works for working out, but isn't optimal because the clip doesn't work well with a standard crew neck shirt (the clip is really, really firm) or the pendant bounces too much unattached. I find Shure IEMs with the foam tips isolate way too much and create a claustrophobic feeling when exercising anyways. The cable is light and the memory wire works nicely to help keep my IEMs in place.This isn't perfect however due to some odd design choices from Shure. First, the remote controls are awkward. There is a big delay after you press the button to increase or decrease volume. You have to hold the volume up/down for 3 seconds to change a track (the old remotes worked better, where you double press the center button for next and triple press for previous). When you use voice control, there is a big delay and the Siri audio comes in at super low quality. Secondly, the battery life indications are not precise at all. On my iPhone, it basically says 100%, 80%, 60%, 40% or 20% only. When you start the RMCE-BT2, it will say "more than xx hours remaining", at a max or 8 or minimum of 2 in 2 hour increments.Final gripe is the price. It's a great, useful cable that I listen almost exclusively on but I just spent $600 on a pair of headphones and I have to spend another $200 for a proper bluetooth cable? Sub $100 would be far more appropriate and I'd imagine lots of SE215 users would get this too if it didn't cost more than the SE215 itself considering how bad the RMCE-BT1's reviews are.Pros:- Amazing sound quality worthy of higher end Shure IEMs- Supports high end codecs (AAC, APTX-HD, APTX)- Great battery life (8-10 hours)- Good build quality- Comfortable to wear- Good range and connection reliability using AAC codecCons:- Remote control button combinations are awkward, and slow- Battery life readings are weird at 20% increments- Pendant clip is really, really firm and hard to use- Micro-usb in 2019- Price. $200 is too much. Would sell far more closer to $100.

I'd read many reviews about the 1st gen version of this device and decided against purchasing, however I was far too tempted with the new model and decided to give it a go. I've used many different brands of Bluetooth wireless buds and really wanted to get a Bluetooth solution for my wired IEMs.Firstly, they are very well built without being too cumbersome. The Bluetooth receiver/Housing is a little inconvenient, but I suppose it had to go somewhere. It is quite small though and it does have a strong clip to attach it to your clothes. I fired up the device once I had it connected to my buds and it immediately went into pairing mode. This is just the usual procedure and they connected quickly to my phone. No problems there. I work in a bakery with a lot of metal and machinery. Also there is a wireless mesh network in the building which can give any bluetooth device a good workout. With my Phone in our office, I managed to walk about 12 metres away with two walls in between and only then did the connection begin to falter. Other than that, I've been really quite impressed by the connection. Top marks so far.I've used them with my Shure 535's and also my CA Polaris V2's. Coming from my previous setup of the Radsone ES100, I've found the sound a little flatter than the ES100 (which is set to flat). It's minimal to barely noticeable, but i believe it may be more to do with the memory wire affecting fit rather than any major difference in sound. More on that later. There is no audible hiss or hum. Very good quality and for my less than perfect ears, just as good as wired.I've seen some mentions of the inline remote being useless and I have to admit that that's not my experience. As I've said, I've used a lot of Bluetooth headphones and to be frank, they are all a little lacking. These function more like a traditional line in remote. You can skip forward and back through tracks, use voice assistant and change volume, pause and play and also answer a call. Overall what I'd expect. Doesn't seem to be possible to Fast Forward or Rewind, but I usually find that pretty useless on digital tracks anyway. Call quality was surprisingly good and my wife is always quick to complain if she's struggle to hear me.All in all a brilliant device and I thoroughly recommend it. Reliable Bluetooth, good quality sound and easy to control. So why the 4 stars....?Comfort. Urgh. Just not great at all. I hate memory wire with a passion. It's awful. Perhaps if you live in a warmer climate it'd be more pliable, but for me it's always a fight. A fight to get it onto my ears; a fight to get it curved properly; a fight to get it to play nicely with my glasses; a fight to not force the IEM in a direction that I haven't chosen.I use silicone tips and their grip isn't as strong as foam. If I used the foam tips, I'd probably not have this problem...but it seems to be a constant battle to rearrange and fit these into my ear. They pull my IEMs out time after time and it's just depressing trying to fix it. what a let down. To the point that I'm on the fence about returning. They are just so awkward. Although my setup with the Radsone ES100 is a bit more complex and cumbersome...the comfort is just a different thing altogether. So much nicer without memory wire.All in all a device that is so good. Almost perfect apart from comfort for me. I would imagine if you're happy with your comfort for the standard wired Shure setup then you'll be cockahoop for these. They are arguably expensive for what they are, but in comparison with other products and adding the convenience then I think it's a reasonable price.

Short Version: Great value, decent sound, annoying but usable clip, annoying but usable softwareFor the current price of $50, this is a great value to ease the transition into a wireless world where 3.5mm jacks are being hunted down and removed. If you already have a pair of Shure IEMs, and you're trying to make the transition to bluetooth, buy these. Sound quality is obviously reduced over using a wire, but I'd say the total reduction in is quality is more of a volume/power reduction, which makes sense given the amplifier needs to fit in the clip.Talking about the clip, I'm not sure who decided to use the clip design they did, but they were obviously worried about it coming off whatever it's clipped too. The clip is so tight and inflexible that it makes it difficult to clip it onto anything. It's a tricky two-handed operation that requires strength and dexterity that often alludes my feeble fingers. It's usable, and once you get it on something it's not going anywhere, so at least there's that.The other parts of the interface (the remote) has satisfying buttons, but it could be improved on the software side. Battery life seems good (likely anywhere from 6-8hrs) depending on volume. The software (as others have noted) is annoying. Shure tried to cram too much functionality into 3 buttons without following the standard 3 button controls most are familiar with. The center button acts as a power button, play/pause, pairing, and voice assistant activation. The functionality that's triggered is dependent on the length and cadence of the button press. This sounds good in theory, but means that in practice you'll end up activating the voice assistant accidentally when trying to play/pause, or turn it off when trying to access the voice assistant. Next/previous track is held by holding the +/- volume buttons, respectively. There's a delay in this process that makes it easy to accidentally skip multiple tracks or just end up changing volume. Finally, the most annoying aspect of the device is the battery reduction notification, which during the middle of your song or call, will reduce the volume and make a beepboop type noise indicating some reduction in the battery life. It'd be better if this was just removed and the only indicators were the light on the side of the remote and the percentage indicator on your phone. While all of these things are annoying, they're still usable if you're not insistent on using the in-line remote for every possible function.I've had no issues with connectivity, and audio quality is as good as I'd expect given BT 5.0. The software and associated in-line remote functionality is annoying and prevents this from being even better. If you're ok dealing with some quirks, you'll be more than happy with this product. Considering that most bluetooth headphones are double or triple the price of this cable, I think this is a great value and product that allows you to have all of the benefits of bluetooth without the cost and ecosystem lock-in that comes with other wireless earbuds.