Shure SE535: Reviews and First Impressions Thread
May 24, 2016 at 7:38 PM Post #3,796 of 4,022
Can someone give me an idea of how the 535's compare to some of the newer competition like RHA T20, Flare R2pro, Grado Gr10e. I know these shure were considered the best of their time, but how do they compare to some of the newer stuff that gives you insane bang for you buck like Trinity Atlas's for example?
 
Am thinking of getting a pair of 535's for around 350-400$, but idk how they stack up to the newer IEM's.
 
Jun 25, 2016 at 9:45 PM Post #3,798 of 4,022
Just picked up a pair of 535s after not using IEMs for ages  (and even then, it was a pair of custom Ultimate Ears).
 
They do sound fantastic, but I just can't have them in my ears for more than a couple of minutes.  I've bought several different tips for them, but even the smallest size I can find, still cause a fair deal of discomfort.  I'm not a small guy at 6'2,  but I just can't get the 535s to sit in my ears comfortably.
 
The smallest tips I could find were the Westone 11mm x 11mm.   Does anyone know of smaller or have any other ideas?
 
My fallback pair are Ostry KCO6A  I got via Massdrop a couple of months ago, and they fit fine, but the sound isn't a match for the Shures  (at a tenth of price to be fair.)
 
Jun 25, 2016 at 10:21 PM Post #3,799 of 4,022
Does it have to be a form of silicone tips? If not try a set of small Comply's.


Quote:
  Just picked up a pair of 535s after not using IEMs for ages  (and even then, it was a pair of custom Ultimate Ears).
 
They do sound fantastic, but I just can't have them in my ears for more than a couple of minutes.  I've bought several different tips for them, but even the smallest size I can find, still cause a fair deal of discomfort.  I'm not a small guy at 6'2,  but I just can't get the 535s to sit in my ears comfortably.
 
The smallest tips I could find were the Westone 11mm x 11mm.   Does anyone know of smaller or have any other ideas?
 
My fallback pair are Ostry KCO6A  I got via Massdrop a couple of months ago, and they fit fine, but the sound isn't a match for the Shures  (at a tenth of price to be fair.)

 
Jun 28, 2016 at 4:31 AM Post #3,800 of 4,022
  Just picked up a pair of 535s after not using IEMs for ages  (and even then, it was a pair of custom Ultimate Ears).
 
They do sound fantastic, but I just can't have them in my ears for more than a couple of minutes.  I've bought several different tips for them, but even the smallest size I can find, still cause a fair deal of discomfort.  I'm not a small guy at 6'2,  but I just can't get the 535s to sit in my ears comfortably.
 
The smallest tips I could find were the Westone 11mm x 11mm.   Does anyone know of smaller or have any other ideas?
 
My fallback pair are Ostry KCO6A  I got via Massdrop a couple of months ago, and they fit fine, but the sound isn't a match for the Shures  (at a tenth of price to be fair.)

How do other IEM's generally fit you? In my experience, the Shure tips and shell are both pretty small. 
 
Jul 1, 2016 at 1:03 PM Post #3,801 of 4,022
Hi everyone I'm thinking of picking up the SE 535's and am trying to get a good deal on one. I searched around on Ebay and someone is selling them but the box appears to be an old version. Do you think this is just new old stock or are they possibly fakes?
 

 
Jul 1, 2016 at 1:17 PM Post #3,802 of 4,022
  Hi everyone I'm thinking of picking up the SE 535's and am trying to get a good deal on one. I searched around on Ebay and someone is selling them but the box appears to be an old version. Do you think this is just new old stock or are they possibly fakes?
 

I wasn't aware that there are fake se535,i know about fake i80,i800.
 
Jul 1, 2016 at 8:41 PM Post #3,805 of 4,022
  Hi everyone I'm thinking of picking up the SE 535's and am trying to get a good deal on one. I searched around on Ebay and someone is selling them but the box appears to be an old version. Do you think this is just new old stock or are they possibly fakes?
 

 
 
  No problem,that is the same box from my 2013 se535.

+1 this box like mine too .... no problems .... i bought them from an authorized dealer ... may be this is the packaging outside USA or so 
 
Jul 2, 2016 at 3:52 AM Post #3,806 of 4,022
There are fakes Se215, SE535 and SE846. BUT the fakes NEVER come in transparent shell (CL). So the ones in the picture are legit.
 
Jul 6, 2016 at 6:01 PM Post #3,808 of 4,022
Jul 7, 2016 at 1:08 PM Post #3,810 of 4,022
I've been doing some tip rolling lately and I thought I'd share my thoughts.
 
I will say that I was no fan of Comply tips, as I felt they significantly rolled off the treble in every single IEM I've tried them on. However, trying them on these and the Etymotic ER-4S, the effect is minimized (and nonexistent on the Etys). The narrow bore of these two IEMs aren't as susceptible to the foam covering the soundhole and muffling the sound. I'll just run these down in order:
 
The Best:
1. Etymotic grey foam tip
Easily the best of the bunch - great fit, flawless isolation, no negative sound impact. These are the best foam tips on the market because Etymotic has a freaking brain and made the rubber channel extend all the way to the end of the foam, hence no foam over the soundhole. Yes, the Ety bore is longer than the 535 bore, but it's not nearly as significant as you'd think. I will be using these exclusively with the 535 from now on, lest they wear out and I run out of spares.
 
2. Grey silicone stock 535 tip
Decent fit, great sound, fair isolation. Easily my favourite stock tip, and what I would use before I tried the Ety foam tips. The best all-rounder that will never wear out.
 
The Decent:
3. Comply Tx-100
Great fit and flawless isolation, but a slight softening of the sound. Maybe 15% the effect it has on larger bores. Absolutely no advantage over the Ety tips.
 
4. Shure yellow foam tip
Almost identical to the Ety tip, just a bit shallower. Extremely itchy, so I won't be using these. Found the foam a little overly soft as well, so they didn't feel firm in my ears. If they don't itch on you and you find them firm enough, they're no worse than the Etys.
 
Not a fan:
5. Westone grey foam, black sleeve tip
Great fit, great isolation, well behaving foam, quite comfortable. The foam does extend past the bore but it's rigid enough not to interfere with the soundhole - however, to my ear the length of the channel introduced a strange resonance in the midrange. There was almost this "blowing on a beer bottle" thing going on in the background.
 
6. Shure triple flange
These fit nicely and isolated well, but they introduced some weird wah-pedal-like frequency response. Very unnatural sounding.
 
Need to revisit:
Shure Olives
Never really spent a lot of time with them. Had difficulty getting the tips off, so I stopped experimenting with them. Recently read about the 'freezing trick' so I can revisit it later.
 
Westone foam tips
I only tried the black sleeved one. Bought a whole set with different sizes, so I'll see if different sizes get rid of that strange resonance.
 
Hope this has been helpful.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top