Shure True Wireless Secure Fit Adapter Gen 2 Review

January 18, 2022 4:20 pm

Shure is mainly known for developing all kinds of pro audio gear, like headphones, mic, and other accessories. Their growing library of IEMs in the SE and AONIC series has proved useful for performers, sound mixers, and even the casual listener looking for an accurate representation of their music. With the True Wireless Secure Fit Adapter, there is an appeal to Shure’s casual base, providing an accessory meant for those who wish for the Shure experience without the cables. For $189, does the experience using the Secure Fit adapter hamper the sound signature, or is it everyday usability enough to warrant its value.

What You Get

1 – RMCE-TW2 Wireless Adapter Set
1 – Charging case
1 – Micro-USB-C Charging Cable

Look and Feel

There’s a specific style that Shure sticks to with their wireless accessories, and this isn’t the first time dabbling into true wireless. Some True wireless adapters have bulky designs, but here the aesthetic is sleek and fitting for Shure’s selection. You get a classic ear loop, with the circular body at the end, which is where you’ll find the adapter’s controls. This part of the device is sizable, but not unfavorable to the level of comfort the Secure Fit delivers. These are called Secure Fit for a reason after all, and they definitely live up to their name. They are barely noticeable when worn around your ear, with the only difference depending on what IEM’s you choose to use with them.

I also want to mention the charging case, which is unique in being a zipper case. The case is the perfect size for a coat pocket, and its interior will also fit naturally with any Shure IEMs you might be using with it. Any IEM could potentially fit for that matter, provided they use the MMCX connectors of course.

Design and Functionality

The Secure Fit functions as any true wireless product just without the housing and driver. Most of its ability lies within Shure’s companion app, which houses a variety of features that control how the Secure Fit operates. Instead of a touch-sensitive interface, the Secure Fit opts for traditional buttons which are very responsive after a short delay that naturally fades your music in and out. Every sequence of presses activates a different action, and are completely customizable within the Play app, including environmental mode activation, voice assistant, and even EQ toggle. When answering phone calls, the adapters go right into their mode where you can pick up the phone with just a single press on either side.

In terms of Bluetooth capabilities, the Secure Fit supports multiple CODECs, including Qualcomm aptX, AAC, and SBC. You can get up to 30 feet of range, and shouldn’t experience any dropout or imbalance between channels. Battery life should also last you around eight hours, with three additional charges from the case adding up to about 32 hours of playtime.

Sound Quality

With most true wireless adapters such as the Secure Fit, it is easy to accept that you won’t be hearing everything your IEMs have to offer. However, they still do their best to provide a listening experience that still allows you to enjoy their sound signature as a quality of life improvement. Even though cables can make a difference when it comes to texture and fidelity, some listeners just want to enjoy their music without having to connect a cable. This rings true especially now that most smartphones don’t even carry headphone jacks anymore. So, the options for mobile IEM listening are either wireless adapters like the Secure Fit or DAC adapters.

Thankfully, with Secure Fit, Shure provides more involved participation in shaping the sound signature thanks to their Shure Play companion app. This application gives you access to not only an easy to use EQ, but if you’re using a pair of Shure IEMs with the Secure Fit, you can set which model is currently connected, so that the adapters might do a better job optimizing the output to its most ideal sound signature. For most of my time with the Secure Fit, I listened to the Shure SE215, which I found as an option under the personalization settings.

There ended up being a clear difference in timbre and tonality when operating this setting, and it greatly impacted my thoughts on the devices as a whole. With this setting deactivated, the sound signature didn’t particularly impress me. They did their job well for what I expect of a Shure product, giving me a flat and balanced frequency response with solid imaging that felt accurate to the mix without appearing too bland and uninteresting. It’s a well-rounded tone, with bass that delivers good punch and a midrange with clarity. However, these elements don’t reveal as much about the tracks, but the detail lost in translation to Bluetooth isn’t as detrimental to the resolution of the frequencies.

Although this is an uncomplicated and inoffensive sound signature, my impressions changed significantly when I properly optimized the sound within the app. I selected the proper model, and the first thing I felt was the sound coming closer to me, increasing its body with bigger imaging and more weighted notes. The positioning of the sound elements remains unchanged, but the size of them is increased. It keeps a sense of accuracy while articulating the sound signature more effectively than when selecting a different model.

Using the EQ I was also able to bring out certain characteristics, such as increasing the height of vocals with a high-shelf or reducing some low-mid bloat for increased clarity. While these aspects helped with shaping the timbre to my personal preference, this is still a relatively surface-level experience, following a linear soundstage and frequencies with not a whole lot of power behind them. However, I found that certain qualities were consistently highlighted, such as midrange balance, low-end neutrality, and smooth treble.

Summary

I enjoyed my time with the Secure Fit adapter quite a bit, and for the price tag, it’s more than worth it if you have a pair of Shure IEMs. Otherwise, other MMCX IEMs aren’t meant to be as compatible with this adapter even if you can get some good sound out of them. The ShurePLus Play app is the biggest standout for me, giving you tons of options for customization, and providing one of the best in-app EQs available with any true wireless device. If you have a pair of Shure earphones, then this adapter is a must for a wireless experience.