[GlynH]

I am a long time music/hi-fi/live sound guy (who also does sound engineering for a singer/songwriter friend of mine) who appreciates good sound.
 
I have never really listened to music through portable headphones as my ear canal is quite small and earbuds never fit properly and feel uncomfortable.
 
I did play around with a pair of Etymotic & Shure IEM's @ 2009 as they used better tips but ended up loaning them to a friend and never got them back.
 
I do listen occasionally to my hi-fi through a pair of HD600 and did purchase a pair of QC15 mainly for their noise cancelling qualities on flights etc. but have never been a fan of Bose for listening to music!
 
Recently I tried a pair of their noise cancelling in-ears but again they felt uncomfortable and I wasn't impressed with their sound quality so I took them back.
 
Last weekend though I listened to a pair of Shure SE535 and was impressed enough by their fit & sound to want to give IEM's another try but here's the thing.
 
I live in the UK where the price is £389 although I can get them from my usual live music suppliers for £319 in either clear or bronze where they are marketed as stage IEM's.
 
But I read on here and other places that the SE535 Special/Limited/Red Edition do actually sound better and I can buy  a pair of these 'Reds' from suppliers such as Simply Electronics (yeah I know) for £289
 
The price is attractive as is the fact that they are supposed to sound 'better' so I was wondering in a nutshell if it would be worth getting the reds over the standard clear/bronze versions?
 
I have read a great deal on here but some of these threads are such a horrendous size that I am unable to wade through all of the posts!
 
If I was to go for the SE535 should I just suck it up and get the standard clear/bronze which are readily available in the UK or would it be worthwhile tracking down a pair of SE/LE/Reds or whatever they are called for their sonic improvements and what looks to be a shorter cable?
 
Any hints/tips/opinions would be appreciated.
 
Thanks & kind regards,
-=Glyn=-

 

[GlynH]

Anybody?
 
I am still confused as to which way to go here and am bursting to own a pair!
 
It appears as if the Special Edition/Limited Edition/Red are slightly 'better' compared to standard clear or bronze but I see references to two different Reds; Asia vs US.
 
Also I read somewhere the Red have a shorter cable 42" (or was it 48"?) vs the 60-64" of the standards which would suit me better but ion an advert for the Red on Simply Computers their description for the Reds refers to a 64" cable.
 
From reading other threads I see that you can experiment with fitting different nozzles but I really want a 'plug & play' approach and prefer not to risk breaking anything.
 
I am guessing not many places would take IEM's back if things didn't work out sound wise or if I can't get on with the fit least of all a faceless internet box-shifter such as Simply so I would be stuck with them.
 
I would love to get a listen to the SE846 vs SE535 but am afraid that the advantage of the 846 would be lost using an iPhone as a source most of the time and as they are bigger they might not be such a nice fit as the 535.
 
I called into ACS the other week to try their T1 but the visit was a disaster and the promised callback never materialised so reluctantly I have decided to give them a miss.
 
I have to say the finish and appearance of the ACS seemed very poor compared to the Shure and although I am buying them to listen to and not look at this along with my first hand experience of ACS has put me off although I am still interested in trying a pair of custom ear moulds from ACS on whichever Shure earphones I decide to get.
 
I might pay Shure UK themselves a call as they were extremely helpful when I was deciding which of their stage condenser microphones to buy and they also allowed me to compare the three QSC K Series active speakers for live use.
 
Thanks & kind regards,
-=Glyn=-

 

[Jackson9696]

Hey man, if you are interested in the shure 535 in clear, I can sell you mine for 250$ if you can pay for shipping. Pm me if your interested thanks

 

[davidcotton]

  Anybody?
 
I am still confused as to which way to go here and am bursting to own a pair!
 
It appears as if the Special Edition/Limited Edition/Red are slightly 'better' compared to standard clear or bronze but I see references to two different Reds; Asia vs US.
 
Also I read somewhere the Red have a shorter cable 42" (or was it 48"?) vs the 60-64" of the standards which would suit me better but ion an advert for the Red on Simply Computers their description for the Reds refers to a 64" cable.
 
From reading other threads I see that you can experiment with fitting different nozzles but I really want a 'plug & play' approach and prefer not to risk breaking anything.
 
I am guessing not many places would take IEM's back if things didn't work out sound wise or if I can't get on with the fit least of all a faceless internet box-shifter such as Simply so I would be stuck with them.
 
I would love to get a listen to the SE846 vs SE535 but am afraid that the advantage of the 846 would be lost using an iPhone as a source most of the time and as they are bigger they might not be such a nice fit as the 535.
 
I called into ACS the other week to try their T1 but the visit was a disaster and the promised callback never materialised so reluctantly I have decided to give them a miss.
 
I have to say the finish and appearance of the ACS seemed very poor compared to the Shure and although I am buying them to listen to and not look at this along with my first hand experience of ACS has put me off although I am still interested in trying a pair of custom ear moulds from ACS on whichever Shure earphones I decide to get.
 
I might pay Shure UK themselves a call as they were extremely helpful when I was deciding which of their stage condenser microphones to buy and they also allowed me to compare the three QSC K Series active speakers for live use.
 
Thanks & kind regards,
-=Glyn=-

Thomann.de have decent returns on iems.  They also have the shure se535's in clear in stock for £313 right now.  They are based in Europe so delivery wouldn't be as quick as amazon, but you should be able to return them much more easily.  Best to read their terms and conditions or shoot them an e-mail before ordering just to be shure (see what I did there? )
 
In terms of sleeves for the shures, there's also sensaphonics that do them as well.  If you have a look at http://www.head-fi.org/t/723306/review-sensaphonics-custom-sleeves-in-crystal-blue-for-the-shure-se846 that should give you all the info (and more!) you need to know.  I know that's for the 846 but the tips should be more or less the same.

In terms of ACS it sounds like you might have had a bit of an escape there.  As quite a few headfi members recently have reported cable failures and the like.
 
Just one more thing to consider is that by the time you add up the cost of the shures AND sleeves you could be looking at some more expensive models, or ciems themselves solo.  Just something else to consider.  Of course the 535/tips combo could be exactly what your after so stick with it, only you know.
 
Welcome to headfi, sorry about your wallet!