Shure SE535: Reviews and First Impressions Thread - Page 76

Quote:

Originally Posted by music_4321 

The seller is from the Philipines and the product is only available to buyers from the USA. All feedback comes from only 19 buyers, all of whom are from the Philipines.

 

On top of that on 20th August he left feedback for seller cyber_worlds after he bought...er... the SE535 for $479.99! --  the day he left the seller feedback is the same day he paid for the article, only 4 minutes later!

yep thats me

my family friend works for shure thats why im here to try to help you guys get it at a good price

Quote:

Originally Posted by koonhua90 

 

^ I was going to say that the seller's name is the same as your account name here. By the way, if I may ask, where do you get the stock? If it's original I might take a look at it.

straight from the factory

its genuine

Quote:

Originally Posted by music_4321 

The seller is from the Philipines and the product is only available to buyers from the USA. All feedback comes from only 19 buyers, all of whom are from the Philipines.

 

On top of that on 20th August he left feedback for seller cyber_worlds after he bought...er... the SE535 for $479.99! --  the day he left the seller feedback is the same day he paid for the article, only 4 minutes later!
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2rooi123 

yep thats me

my family friend works for shure thats why im here to try to help you guys get it at a good price

If your "family friend" works for Shure, why did you buy a new pair on eBay for $480? Why didn't your "family friend" sell you a new set for $300 or less?

Why did you leave feedback only 4 minutes after pressing the Buy It Now button -- which doesn't mean you actually paid for the  item-- before you even received the item?

And 3 days after leaving feedback you're selling a whole bunch of SE535s, "More than 10 available"? Why are you only "trying to help" American "guys"?

Suddenly, out of the blue, yesterday comes a "head-fier" called Dcha, who:

-- joined head-fi 8 months ago, in December 2009

-- whose first post only came on 2nd August, only 3 weeks ago and after 8 months of joining head-fi

-- who only has 7 posts, 6 of which talk about eBay, prices, and so on...his only other post is in the For Sale forum.

Forgive me, 2rooi123, but I find it very hard to believe you when you say: "im here to try to help you guys get it at a good price".

Yeah but which factory?
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2rooi123 

 

straight from the factory

its genuine

i didnt get to buy from cyber_worlds because he listed it at a wrong price

i just recently found out my fam friend works in shures factory in china after they visited me here in the philippines

he brought the se535 and its genuine and if you find it hard to believe then no problem dont buy it

many people are waiting in line anyway

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2rooi123 

i didnt get to buy from cyber_worlds because he listed it at a wrong price

i just recently found out my fam friend works in shures factory in china after they visited me here in the philippines

he brought the se535 and its genuine and if you find it hard to believe then no problem dont buy it

many people are waiting in line anyway

-- And when exactly is "recently"? 4 days ago you bought (apparently) from cyber_worlds and 2 days later you've already found out about your "family friend" and already have a stock of over 10 units to list them on eBay?!

-- You left feedback after 4 minutes (not paying necessarily) after you clicked on Buy It Now. One never leaves feedback until one receives an item. And for minutes later?!!

-- You say "many people are waiting in line anyway", but I see you haven't sold a single set yet.

-- Why sell only to US buyers and not "help" other "guys" elsewhere? And probably even help your fellow countrymen where $300/ $400/ $500 (+ shipping to the Philippines) is a fortune.

-- You say "if you find it hard to believe then no problem dont buy it", if this is a scam you can just keep the money -- plenty of it -- and close your bank account before PayPal attempts to get their money back from you. The dispute and eventual refund process is quite slow, enough time for a scammer to get plenty of cash and get away with it.

its not a scam

my feedback dont lie

he left me one

i never left him a feedback

i paid for the item and got refunded so its mustve been an automatic feedback system when you pay

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2rooi123 

he left me one

i never left him a feedback

i paid for the item and got refunded so its mustve been an automatic feedback system when you pay

My mistake, you're right about feedback - he left you, but you never left him any.

But feedback for this particular item is not the only thing that makes this eBay listing highly suspicious.

Back this morning from a long-weekend break. My new UM3X arrived soon after I did. Here's a few photos. Will post impressions later.

Please note I sold my SM3s at the weekend they were shipped earlier today. I managed, however, to do a quick 30-minute comparison between the UM3X and SM3. So, I won't be able to do more direct A/B'ing which would include the SM3. But, I still have the 535s and later today I'll A/B them against my UM3X, which are currently burning-in for a few hours.

More photos of the UM3X and UM3X side by side with the SM3 here:

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/422240/westone-um3x-appreciation-thread/3195#post_6877320

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/504607/the-all-new-earsonics-sm3-appreciation-discussion-and-review-thread/855#post_6877305

Hmm wires look the same. I could have sworn that I've seen thicker cables that are braided like the Westone they were also clear to.

Thanks music_4321.

Good to see that the wires are the same (or look the same) as the SM3 / UM2.

But I see they have wires at the earpiece. How do they compare to the wires and casing of the SE535?

Also, kind of hard to see from the photos, but how do the nozzle lengths (& thickness) compare between the 535 and UM3x?

shane

I'll start off saying that if you want to make friends, better not be 100% honest 100% of the time. But since I didn't join head-fi to make friends or improve my social life, I can afford to be...myself.

"Get on with it, what's the f***ing verdict?"

The UM3X is the best universal IEM I've ever heard and they give my ES3X a run for their money, pure and simple. So, if you're one of those who disliked or hated the UM3X sound, my advice is to never consider the $850 ES3X, as you'd 'only' be getting a slightly improved version of the UM3X.

OK now, let's get to the boring part of this most long awaited post (and nearly as much as last year's excitement over HeadphoneAddict's 3-way shootout between the ES3X, JH13 & UE11.)

Improvements:

Westone certainly listened to their customers with the new UM3X, and unlike Shure, they made some changes only a year after the original UM3X. Shure, by contrast, took much longer to change their SE530 (3 years, I think).

The # 1 improvement has to be the addition of removable cables, which unlike Ultimate Ears who used a lower quality cable for their Triple.fi 10 & Super.fi 5 to that found on their customs, Westome uses the same 50" braided black cable used in their ES (custom) series.

The Y split, unlike last year's cable which was too close to the chin (just like the SM3s), is just like the customs cables with a very decent distance from the earpieces to the Y split. The difference being about 2" (5cm) longer between the old UM3X (and SM3). Also the ES series cable is more tightly wound than the older UM3X & W3, identical to the SM3.

Now Westone include the same tips that were included with the W3, ie now you get 10 different eartips. Last year's model only  came with Comply tips.

The new Westone case is better than last year's UM3X's and the original W3's case (don't know if it's changed), not only in its shape, but also in the workmanship. Last year's case felt quite cheap by comparison and the W3 was far too soft for such an expensive IEM.

The new UM3X packaging is much smaller and much better designed than last year's very tacky looking packaging. Also, it's more environmentally friendly as it's not 100% plastic like before.

Comfort-wise, the SE535 & UM3X are very, very close, but the swivel mechanism on the 535s just makes the whole inserting process too long and awkward and a little frustrating at times. The indestructible 535 cable remains a bit too stiff for my taste but very nice to look at, and it causes some microphonics, but not a lot. Also, the memory wire on the new UM3X isn't quite as long and bulky as the SE535's - this is a good thing. Both UM3X & SE535 are a little more comfortable than the SM3

The SM3 cable is exactly the same quality as the UM3X, except for the Y split distance to the shells and the obvious removable feature. Apart from that, the rest is identical. I'm sure EarSonics get their cables from Westone or from the same manufacturer.

On the box the SE535s state: "Made in China". The SM3s: "Designed and Made in France". The UM3Xs only: "Assembled in the USA"

The sound:

Seems my memory isn't as bad as I thought. Well, not really. I always remembered quite well how close my UM3X's sounded to my customs, hence the good memory. But I can now confirm that all the comments I've made re SQ comparing the UM3X with the SE535s & SM3s still stand.

The UM3X sounds closer to the SM3, but the SM3 is the UM3X but with a veil (or blanket) over it. The whole sound presentation sounds muffled.

Compared with the SE535s, the UM3X bass has authority, quantity, quality, and impact. The bass on the 535s is too polite. I still find the treble on the 535s a bit too pronounced and 'thinnish' (for lack of a better term). The UM3X treble is not recessed at all, it's just about right, pretty much in between the 535's & SM3s. Mids on all three are excellent, but the SM3 has that veil on all 3 frequencies. The mids are great on the 535s but feel kind of 'naked' or stranded as the bass and treble don't do the 535's mids justice.

Great to confirm again the excellent instrument separation coming from the UM3X, which remains one of it's greatest assets, VERY close to my ES3X - simply incredible!

I don't hear that closed/ boxed-in sound that a handful of people have described.

On the whole the UM3X sound fuller, more convincing, balanced along the whole freq spectrum, neutral and they ARE a joy to listen to. Now I don't feel I'm missing out.

Ah the cable that I thought was the Westones customs series was actually the twag cable (much thicker and braided).