Shure Debuts Earphones, Microphones, Adapter

By Staff -- TWICE, January 8, 2009

LAS VEGAS — Shure will be launching a pair of earphones at International CES, along with two side address condenser microphones and an XLR-to-USB signal adapter. Shure can be found at booth 21532 in the South Hall.

The SE115, the most recent addition to the company's Sound Isolating line, is offered in four colors — blue, pink, black and red — for a suggested $99. Features include the company's second-generation Dynamic MicroSpeaker, sound-isolating technology, and the Shure fit kit that provides interchangeable earphone fit and cable options.

Also being introduced by Shure at the show are the PG27USB and PG42USB side address condenser microphones and the X2u XLR-to-USB signal adapter.

XLR is the standard electrical connector for microphones, Shure said.

The PG27USB and PG42USB microphones are designed to connect professional-caliber Shure microphones to any USB computer port with plug-and-play performance. The cardioid condenser microphones feature built-in headphone monitoring with zero latency and monitor mix control, enabling users to instantly hear a recording through headphones and make adjustments on the go, the company said. Both microphones feature a dark gray body.

There are a few key differences between the PG27USB ($199 suggested retail) and PG42USB ($298) microphones. The PG27USB features a flat, neutral frequency response for natural reproduction of a wide variety of instrument and vocal sound sources, while the PG42USB was specifically engineered to reproduce the subtle nuances of lead vocals. It features a larger diaphragm for higher sensitivity to clearly reproduce refined performances.

Other features of the PG27USB and PG42USB include a large diaphragm capsule that reportedly provides wider dynamic range, clear highs and strong lows; integrated pre-amp with microphone gain control, which allows control of input signal strength; and zero latency monitoring for real-time playback and multi-tracking without disorientation.

Both also have a headphone jack and a monitor mix control.

Finally, the X2u adapter ($129) is a modular accessory that reportedly connects any XLR microphone to a computer to create better-than-CD quality recordings. It offers USB plug-and-play connectivity, an integrated pre-amp with microphone gain control, zero latency monitoring, a headphone jack and monitor mix control.

All of these products are scheduled to be available in the spring.