[Burma Jones]

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Just another perspective as I had owned SE535 almost 5 months.
 
Perhaps a flip flop in preference since I did have rave reviews for SE535 but after many months with them...I have sold SE535 and came back to W3 and definitely prefer it and here is why.
 
Shure clearly capitalizes on the fact that most of the music falls in the midrange frequency and that is fine.  But I tend to listen on the loud side (not sure my opinion would change much if I didn't listen loudly) and a forward midrange definitely gets fatiguing on the (my) ears over time.  It's the "shouting at you" factor.  Granted the SE535 treble is improved over the SE530 but it is often difficult to distinguish it because the midrange literally bleeds into the highs and lows.  What it seems like you end up with is an IEM that really plays it safe by giving you 60% of your sound from a benchmark forward midrange and 20% on bass and treble. 
 
After 10 -15 minutes back with W3 I didn't feel the midrange was really recessed.  Vocals actually sounded fine.  But what I really noticed was a clear and articulate much further extension on top (crispness) and bottom that is just not there with SE535.  Or it may be there but it is a little in the background due to so much midrange being presented.  I would almost gauge W3 as 35% bass and treble and 30% midrange which (to me) is much more exciting and engaging.  Don't get me wrong....SE535 is a fine IEM...very refined and smooth sounding but certainly a personal preference thing of what I describe above.  Just my $0.02

I completely agree. I've tried everything (Eq, tips, volume) and I just can't find a happy place with the 535's.  I can tame my W3's anytime I want, but I can't add what I feel is missing in the 535. The extension is there with the Shure's, but I find the decay is too short on the bottom end. The W3's are boomtastic, but their decay is spot on.  They are as close to a dynamic (IEM/headphone/speaker) as I've heard in a BA. Even the W2, which lacks in extension compared to both the W3 and 535, has a more natural decay than the 535's.  If I don't go the custom route, I'll probably pick up another pair of W2's and be done with IEM's.

Hey Joey, I see that you had owned the IE 8. Can you tell me the difference in the bass (quality and quantity) between the IE 8 and the W3? Thanks.
 

 
The IE8 is a dynamic IEM, so it literally moves air.  That gives it an edge in the thump factor.  However, I prefer the bass of the W3.  Westone nailed the decay of the W3.  It sounds more like a dynamic than a BA.  The W3 has great range and impact (you'll swear they are moving air) and they are much more detailed than the IE8.  Some people claim that the W3 has a mid-bass hump like the IE8.  I disagree.  I hear a mid-bass presence (that can easily be EQ'd if you find it overwhelming) that doesn't effect the lower mids like the IE8.  While I loved certain aspects of the IE8 (bass thump - soundstage), they lacked detail throughout and couldn't satisfy me with their mids and highs (I heard the veil).  The W3 has the best bass I've heard in an IEM.
 

Hey thanks for your advice Joey. I did auditioned the SE 535 but I prefer the sound signature from my FA DBA-02 and my Null Audio Lune cable TF-10. The SE 535 are excellent universal IEM, but I just find them too genre specific for what I'm looking for. Now that my recabled TF-10 has become very balanced I just want something fun and dynamic to add to my collecton. I've also auditioned the Klipsch X-10i, they are also very good but not in the same caliber as the others. So, in the end it's between the W3 and IE8 because I listen to every genre from baroque classical music to electronica and soundstage is just important as details to me.

 

[aangen]

I am currently listening to Joy Division - "Closer" with the 535's. The computer is playing the FLAC file feeding my E7. Damn the sound that comes out of these things with this recording is REALLY nice. Somber as hell but wow, very interesting.
 
Sorry for blowing up, just sayin...

 

[Young Spade]

Great phones aren't they? The sound is so full and powerful... Detailed and fast.

 

[Skullbox]

What is the color of yours 535? not show in your album!

 

[Skullbox]

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Yeah, looks better than the bronze I think

Agreed!

Hi, what is the color you chose your 535? no pict of it in your album!

 

[hiplytragic]

I ordered mine from electronics for less up here in Canada as a Christmas gift to myself.

 
Being a traditionalist I am waiting for Christmas before opening them. I feel just like a little kid because I can hardly wait - especially now that my old SF5Pros have bit the dust.
 
Can someone tell me though if these would benefit from some burn in time and if so what tracks are out there that would be useful for this?

 

[moseboy]

Yo, just wanted to post an update on my continued SE535 impressions over the past few days. Friday night, I was going to walk over to a friend's place, and I decided to do a stress test on the new cable by listening to music on my iPhone on the way. It was 26 degrees Fahrenheit, so I knew the cable was going to get somewhat stiff like any other cable. But I was actually very impressed how flexible they managed to stay. They also didn't curl at all, which is something I can't really say about my SE530s anymore. Over time, I assume my SE535's cable will get more beat up, but hey, at least it's replaceable now
 
However, as I was walking over, unlike Thursday night when I posted my review, I kept losing my seal. And even when I got my seal back, I kept noticing sibilance even at low volume levels, which hardly ever happened with my SE530s. Talk about a moment of buyer's remorse. So when I got to my friend's place, I put my earphones away. The next day, I took them back out and listened to more music. Again, I kept getting an inconsistent seal, and even when I did have a good seal, I kept hearing sibilance. I was like, "What the hell is going on??" So finally I decided to try a different style of tip to see if that would help my fit and reduce the sibilance I was hearing.
 
...Into the freezer went the earpieces....
 
I tried the yellow foamies, the silicon tips, the hard flex tips, even my bi-flange tips. None of them helped. They actually made things worse, so I went back to the olive foam tips. I was honestly feeling pretty hopeless. Finally I thought, "Well, the seal I got with the SE530s was never incredibly 'tight,' which is why isolation was never amazing for me.... Maybe I should try a different tip size...." Now, in the past I've always used the medium olive foam tips because the large foam tips seemed to make everything sound muddy with the SE530s, but I remembered how differently the SE535s fit and thought why not give it a try?...
 
Absolutely fantastic. Just amazing. I can't believe how much better they sound now that I'm using the right size of tips. Call me a n00b if you want for not figuring it out quicker, I don't care. Now I get a perfect seal all the time (with the help of the wire in the cable, which I'm starting to appreciate), fantastic isolation, no sibilance (even IF I crank it past 11), and everything else that I've always loved about my SE530's (most notably the mids) with the more refined aspects of the SE535 (better lows and highs). Everything is great now, and I am very happy.
 
One last thing. I think I mentioned this in my review, but I'll say it again.... To ME, compared to the SE530, the SE535 is just brutal to bad files/recordings. Things that I could have sworn were in FLAC with the SE530 sound straight up bad with the SE535, and without having to crank up the volume to notice.... I don't know whether that's a credit to the SE535 or a bash on the SE530, but I'm just calling it like I hear it. Now, take my experiences with a grain of salt (always). But if I were asked by an SE530 owner whether the upgrade to the SE535 is worth it, this would be one of the first things I'd mention.
 
Ignorance can be bliss.

 

[Cayman]

Just have a question:  I keep reading about people putting their Shure SE535's in the freezer to remove the earbuds.  Is this normal?  I would not want to put my 535s in the freezer.  Can someone help me with this.  I just ordered the SE535 and find this extremely curious.  I also, was wondering if anyone was experiencing any problems with the connection where the cable connect to the phones.  I always wondered when something can disconnect and swivel, there might eventually be some static or degradation.  Thanks for any response.

 

[DrWebster]

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Just have a question:  I keep reading about people putting their Shure SE535's in the freezer to remove the earbuds.  Is this normal?  I would not want to put my 535s in the freezer.  Can someone help me with this.  I just ordered the SE535 and find this extremely curious.  I also, was wondering if anyone was experiencing any problems with the connection where the cable connect to the phones.  I always wondered when something can disconnect and swivel, there might eventually be some static or degradation.  Thanks for any response.

Some owners had problems with the tips getting stuck to the nozzles so badly that, when trying to remove them, they'd inadvertently break the whole nozzle off. Putting the earphones in the freezer is, as I understand, a recommendation that came directly from Shure as a way to make it easier to remove the tips -- when the earbuds freeze, the nozzles contract ever so slightly and the tips slide right off. I also believe part of the recommendation involved putting the earphones in a Ziploc bag so as to help avoid condensation. This isn't a SE535-specific problem; owners of previous models experienced it too.

 

[Cayman]

Thank you Dr. Webster!  This forum is really nice where people like yourself can help a person out.  If I could ask, wouldn't putting the phones into the freezer cause some future damage to the unit?  That just sounds pretty extreme.  I haven't read much about this being an issue with other phones, just seems to show up on Shure forums.  Thanks again for your response.

 

[MacedonianHero]

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Yeah, looks better than the bronze I think

Agreed!

Hi, what is the color you chose your 535? no pict of it in your album!

FTR, mine are clear. They look incredible IMO.

 

[moseboy]

For me, the problem only seems to be with the included olive foam tips with the SE535. Right now, I have olive foam tips that came with my SE530 on my SE535 and I have no problem taking them on and off.

 

[moseboy]

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Yeah, looks better than the bronze I think

Agreed!

Hi, what is the color you chose your 535? no pict of it in your album!

FTR, mine are clear. They look incredible IMO.

x2

 

[Skullbox]

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I've found that modifying the tri-flange to a bi-flange and trimming the stem improves the treble significantly over most of the other tips.
 
I don't think burn-in makes much difference  on BAs.
 
I agree about the microphonics of the new cables, but I find them more comfortable because you can bend the memory part so that it doesn't sit directly on your ear.

David.
Thanks. I have a bit of an issue with the tri-flanges. They never seem to give me the seal I need or the isolation I want. I just tried them again and yep... don't work for me. They also increase the microphonics, which is thankfully reduced with the Comply-type foams.
 
Having done some more experimenting I found the best highs were with the large black Shure olives. Good seal, highs improved... slightly... but whoops! What happened to that glorious bass?? 

 
The good thing about having had past IEM's is the collection of tips (assuming the same diameter hole).
 
As for no break-in. That's too bad. I thought everything (mechanical-moving) broke-in... if only slightly. Oh well. I hope I find the right tip and configuration.
 
shane
 

Go for UM56 then! 

 

[aangen]

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Thank you Dr. Webster!  This forum is really nice where people like yourself can help a person out.  If I could ask, wouldn't putting the phones into the freezer cause some future damage to the unit?  That just sounds pretty extreme.  I haven't read much about this being an issue with other phones, just seems to show up on Shure forums.  Thanks again for your response.

The idea to put them in the freezer was first offered by a Shure Support tech. They hopefully wouldn't suggest it if they thought it would damage their product.