[LuigiPichardo]

Hi everyone, this is a slightly complicated situation. I have a pair of Shure Scl4 IEMs and am looking to replace them. This is due to the top part of the cable being slowly ripped away. I talked to a Shure representative via email and he said that the store I bought the earphones from (Steve's Music Store) will honour the warranty. 
 
However, (as many of you know) the Scl4's are discontinued. I talked to the Dj department of Steve's via phone and he said I would get an in-store credit. The thing I'm worried about is what if the stripping of the wire isn't good enough to earn an in-store credit? Have any of you been through the experience of getting your earphones inspected? Another thing is that the earphone nozzles have blocked a lot of the sound. I've used the ear wax removal tool but it's still clogged. I hope they don't tell me to just buy new nozzles...
 
What are your thoughts on my situation? Any input would be appreciated!

 

[Mooses9]

sounds like its going to depend greatly on the person inspecting them and the policies at to how they handle the situation at hand. if the nozzles are clogged they will probably discern that more as a maintenance issue than a warrenty issue.
 
although the stripping of the cable sounds like shure's signature issue. i had a pair of shure e3c that did that to me after about 1500 hours of use. 

 

[davidcotton]

If the drivers are still in good condition then you could always think about getting them reshelled into customs.
 
Cheers.

 

[LuigiPichardo]

I'm pretty sure that the drivers are still in good condition. However, I really don't want to use these things any more because of the stripped cable. Something is bound to happen to them sooner or later. Also, if I replace the nozzles, they'll build up again with invisible earwax. SCL4s are Shure's only iems that comes with an extra pair of nozzles. It's obvious that these are bound to get clogged! I really want this in store credit so I can go for the SE 535s. I would get about 200 bucks off them! 

 
Is there anything I can do to them that would ensure I get the in store credit? I know it sounds nuts. But if I don't get this in store credit, I'll be buying another set of earphones anyways.
 
If all else fails, maybe I should send them back directly to Shure? Besides, I've seen threads where someone brakes off a nozzle (which isn't replaceable) and Shure gives them a full new set!

 

[Mooses9]

 
Quote:

I'm pretty sure that the drivers are still in good condition. However, I really don't want to use these things any more because of the stripped cable. Something is bound to happen to them sooner or later. Also, if I replace the nozzles, they'll build up again with invisible earwax. SCL4s are Shure's only iems that comes with an extra pair of nozzles. It's obvious that these are bound to get clogged! I really want this in store credit so I can go for the SE 535s. I would get about 200 bucks off them! 

 
Is there anything I can do to them that would ensure I get the in store credit? I know it sounds nuts. But if I don't get this in store credit, I'll be buying another set of earphones anyways.
 
If all else fails, maybe I should send them back directly to Shure? Besides, I've seen threads where someone brakes off a nozzle (which isn't replaceable) and Shure gives them a full new set!

 
doesnt sound like there is anything you can do. it sounds like you want to damage the iem's farther to insure a return is imminent.
 
determination of the iem's are going to come from the store you got them from, i wouldnt recomend damaging them any farther. it may not warrent any more of a return than the current state they are in.
 
if you reshelled them into customs then you would get a new cable. however the scl4 isnt really a great iem to reshell. for 1, its going to cost around 100.00 for impressions, then the cost of reshelling, then cost of shipping. for that price you could get new scl4 so reshell really isnt worth it. if they were a se530/535 or even a 425 i would say reshell is a option, but this isnt really that high end of a iem for reshell imo.
 
all in all you are up to the mercy of the store/shure, if they are defected then im sure they will warrent something, if not. then you are out of luck

 

[LuigiPichardo]

Yeah, I guess I'll just hope for the best. It'll just be really dissapointing if I don't get it since it's an hour's drive to the store. One thing I can do is print off a screen shot of an email from the Shure representative saying the store will honour the warranty.
BTW Mooses9, have you had any experience with the SE425s and/or SE535s? I know there's a ton of threads but what's your opinion on them? 

 

[Mooses9]

 
Quote:

Yeah, I guess I'll just hope for the best. It'll just be really dissapointing if I don't get it since it's an hour's drive to the store. One thing I can do is print off a screen shot of an email from the Shure representative saying the store will honour the warranty.
BTW Mooses9, have you had any experience with the SE425s and/or SE535s? I know there's a ton of threads but what's your opinion on them? 

 
yes i have owned basicly all the shure line with the exception of the e5.
 
ive owned the e3c,se310,315,420,425,535 in bonze and the se535-ltd-j
 
as far as the 425 they dont hold a flame to the se535. the se535 are true to form, they are the top tier and rightfully so placed there. the 535 have the best sound quality out of any of the shure line. thus top tier. the mids are forward,the vocals are forward, the highs sparkle with slight roll off, the lows are bottomless very tight, controlled its a quality bass not a quantity. but i listen to nothing but dance,trance,dubstep,house ect, and feel they have ample bass amped. they are very very detailed. imo one of the best universals you can get.
 
the 425,420 on the other hand are i found boring in comparison, they have more of a neutral/flat signature, compared to the se535 the 535 are not neutral, they are fun, the 4xx series i just couldnt get into.
 
i highly recomend the 535 they are very capable iem.

 

[LuigiPichardo]

Jesus Christ lol. It seems you've heard them all so I'll take your word for it!  However, if I don't get much of a discount off of my return, I think I'll settle for the SE425s. I've been pretty happy with the SCL4s, so I reckon moving to the 425s would be a satisfying step up.
 

 

[Mooses9]

 
Quote:

Jesus Christ lol. It seems you've heard them all so I'll take your word for it!  However, if I don't get much of a discount off of my return, I think I'll settle for the SE425s. I've been pretty happy with the SCL4s, so I reckon moving to the 425s would be a satisfying step up.
 

 
yeah i mean the 425 are'nt bad iem's they are good. but shure's iem line follows suit, as you go up the better the sound quality, imo but if you can get the 420,425 or the likes you will be at at upgrade form the scl4

 

[LuigiPichardo]

Cool, thanks man! I'll let you know how it goes down. Just gotta wait for these snow storms to stop.

 

[LuigiPichardo]

Got my SE 535s in Bronze today Received the credit from the store. They didn't even look at them!
 
These things sound pretty good. The best mids I've ever heard. The treble is crystal clear as well. No too impressed with the bass however. I'm not one of those super crank dat bass kind of guy but I wish it had a little more punch. I listen to various forms of rock/metal/post hardcore. I'm listening through an Ipod at 320kbps. Any suggestions for EQ? Does burn in work with these etc?
Extremely happy with the fit of these. Don't fall out of my ears if I shake my head as hard as I can. 
 
Don't know how much of a difference there is between these and the 425s, but I must be honest and say these are NOT worth 500 bucks. Maybe I should settle for a little less and save some money.
 
Any thoughts?

 

[Mooses9]

well i am glad that you didnt have to go through any hassles, and that they gave you a pretty good upgrade.
 
i must say the 425 are not the 535 and imo it would be a definite downgrade in sound quality.
 
its 50/50 people say there isnt any burn in with the balanced armature drivers. however i do believe there are burn ins with the cross overs. personally i feel there was a difference in my 535 after a period of just playing music through them....also if you are coming from a more bass heavy phone, they will sound like the bass is more recessed however, if you give your brain a period of time to get used to the sound. the bass will possibly sound different.
 
although i also must say the se535 has more natural bass, but its bottomless they get very low and present the bass in a natural presentation that isnt a over emphasized overly synthetic sounding bass. its not overpowering, but i feel the 535 bass mimic the said track at hand. 
 
also are you using a amp or no? with a amplifier such as the fiio e7 the bass seems to be more emphasized but not over emphasized. overall the 535 amped the bass is emphasized imo even with more transparent amps.
 
you would be sacraficing a great deal if you go ahead and downgrade. i know its tempting to sell them and make a little money and have a lesser headphone. but imo without going to customs there isnt a better universal...some say the westone 4 but its sound is more veiled and takes a decent source and amp to really get that veiled sound lifted..
 
thats just my opinon.
 
glad you got a good upgrade thats a hell of a upgrade from the scl4 to the se535...

 

[LuigiPichardo]

No, I'm not using an amp. I may consider one down the road, but I really can't think of a time when I would use it 

The only times I would use these iems are at the gym, drumming with my band and doing chores around the house.
I don't consider myself an audiophile. However, I do appreciate good sound quality and I can definitely hear new things in my music today (especially aux. percussion). The instrument separation is also the bomb. The vocals stand out so much more. 
 
 I have 2 questions atm. I have an iPod Nano right now. I'm assuming there are better mp3 players out there but would the sound quality differ by much? Lastly, do you have any tips on taking care of/using these things?