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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want a sealed, noise-isolating in-ear monitor you can wear anywhere and tune to taste with swappable filters, choose Shure SE846; if you need an open-back, over-ear planar-magnetic headphone built for long, relaxed listening sessions at a desk, choose SENDYAUDIO Apollo Open-Back Planar.
• Shure SE846 — biggest strength: a quad balanced-armature, three-way driver system with four swappable nozzle filters, so you can shift the tuning from deep-bass to bright treble without buying a second pair.
• Shure SE846 — biggest trade-off: it's a wired in-ear design, so it lives or dies by getting a proper seal with the right sleeve, and the cable is a 3.5mm MMCX setup rather than a wireless-first one.
• SENDYAUDIO Apollo — biggest strength: a large 68mm planar-magnetic diaphragm in a wood over-ear housing, tuned for a wide, transparent sound stage and comfortable long-wear sessions.
• SENDYAUDIO Apollo — biggest trade-off: it's open-back, so it leaks sound both ways and offers no noise isolation at all, and it needs a 2.5mm x 2 dual-entry cable connection.
• Who each pick is for: the SE846 suits commuters, musicians and anyone who needs isolation and tuning flexibility; the Apollo suits home listeners who want an open, spacious over-ear experience.
The SE846 is an in-ear monitor first and foremost, and that shapes everything about it. Shure builds it around four balanced-armature drivers in a three-way configuration, with a dedicated low-pass filter that pushes the low end toward what the company calls true subwoofer performance. Spec-wise you're looking at a 9-ohm impedance and 114 dB sensitivity, with a frequency range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz. A 9-ohm load is low, which means it's easy to drive from a phone or a small dongle — you don't need a desktop amp to get volume out of it.
What really separates it is the filter system. Gen 2 adds an "extended" filter on top of the original balanced, warm and bright options, so you have four sound signatures in one pair. Swap the nozzle filter and the frequency response changes — more bass weight for one genre, more treble sparkle for another. That's genuinely unusual, and it's the reason someone would pick this over a fixed-tuning IEM. The sound-isolating design blocks ambient noise, and Shure ships a serious fit kit: Comply foam sleeves in XS, S, M and L, soft flex sleeves in S, M and L, triple flange sleeves, and yellow foam sleeves. Getting a good seal matters here, and the range of tips makes that realistic for most ears.
The detachable 3.5mm cable uses MMCX connectors, so you can swap to a wireless adapter or another accessory. The over-ear cable routing keeps things secure and out of the way. There's a media control remote on the cable, a soft carrying case, a 1/4-inch adapter, and a 2-year limited warranty. In my opinion this is the pick for musicians, mixers, commuters and anyone who needs isolation plus tuning control in a low-profile, all-day-comfortable shape.
SENDYAUDIO Apollo Open-Back Planar: Who It's For
The Apollo is a different animal entirely: an open-back, over-ear planar-magnetic headphone with a wood housing and a black finish. The design story is the steel mesh — black and nickel layers catching light, which is where the "Apollo" name comes from. The headband is ergonomic and the brand claims it wears light with no fatigue over long sessions, which matters because over-ear headphones are a marathon product, not a sprint.
The headline spec is the driver: a 68mm planar-magnetic diaphragm. Planar drivers typically trade the punchy, compact character of dynamic drivers for speed and a flatter, more even presentation, and SENDYAUDIO says this one was developed over more than three years of experiments to balance the magnetic circuit and magnetic distance and control resonance. The composite diaphragm uses a high-damping base material, which the brand credits for natural, soft vocals and solid bass. The claimed result is bright treble with clear detail and a transparent, clean sound stage.
Numbers: 16-ohm impedance, a frequency range of 20 Hz to 40 kHz. That 40 kHz ceiling is well past what you can hear, but it's the kind of figure planar fans look for as a sign of treble extension. The 16-ohm load is low, so it isn't a hard-to-drive headphone in impedance terms — though planars generally reward a bit more current than a phone's headphone jack alone.
The cable is a 6N OCC braided design with a spring strain relief intended to extend cable life, and it terminates in a 2.5mm x 2 dual-entry connection, so it's not the standard single-entry 3.5mm you might assume. There's no noise control of any kind — open-back means open. Sound leaks out, ambient noise leaks in, and that's the point: it's a design choice for spaciousness and a natural sound stage, not a flaw.
Who should buy it? Home listeners who want an open, airy over-ear presentation, who value comfort across hours of listening, and who like the wood-and-metal aesthetic. Who should skip it? Anyone who needs isolation — commuting, noisy offices, shared rooms — and anyone who wants a simple 3.5mm plug-and-play cable out of the box.
• Best for noise isolation → Shure SE846. The sealed in-ear design blocks ambient noise; the Apollo offers none by design.
• Best for tuning flexibility → Shure SE846. Four swappable nozzle filters give you four sound signatures from one pair.
• Best for open, spacious sound → SENDYAUDIO Apollo. A 68mm planar driver in an open-back wood housing is built for a wide, transparent stage.
• Best for long desk sessions → SENDYAUDIO Apollo. Over-ear with an ergonomic headband and a light-wearing claim for fatigue-free listening.
• Best for travel and commuting → Shure SE846. Low-profile in-ears with a secure over-ear cable and a full sleeve kit.
• Best for driver technology preference → balanced armature and three-way crossover if you want precision tuning (SE846); planar magnetic if you want speed and an even, airy presentation (Apollo).
• Best for cable flexibility → Shure SE846. MMCX detachable cable allows wireless conversion or accessory swaps; the Apollo uses a fixed 2.5mm x 2 dual-entry connection.
• Best for warranty coverage → Shure SE846, which carries a 2-year limited warranty versus the Apollo's 12-month coverage.
If I had to pick one, I'd buy the Shure SE846. The four-filter system means it adapts to my mood and my music instead of forcing one house sound on me, and the isolation plus the extensive sleeve kit make it usable in far more places — on a train, in a café, at a desk with a fan running. The 2-year warranty and MMCX cable flexibility are the kind of practical details I'd want in a long-term purchase. In my opinion the Apollo is the better choice only if you specifically want an open-back over-ear for a quiet room and value that wide, natural planar sound stage over portability. For most people who want one headphone to do everything, the SE846 is the safer, more versatile buy.
FAQ
The SE846 is built around a dedicated low-pass filter and quad-driver system the brand describes as true subwoofer performance, so it's designed for deep, controlled bass in a sealed in-ear. The Apollo's planar driver is described as solid, deep bass with natural vocals. They're different flavors rather than a clear winner.
No. They're open-back by design, with no noise control, so they leak sound out and let ambient noise in. If isolation is a priority — commuting, shared offices — the Shure SE846 is the better fit.
Yes, in a sense. The detachable 3.5mm cable uses MMCX connectors, so you can swap to a wireless adapter and convert the setup. Just note the base configuration is a wired 3.5mm connection with a media control remote.
The Shure SE846 includes a 2-year limited warranty. The SENDYAUDIO Apollo carries a 12-month warranty through the brand's guarantee program.
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