Shure SE535-V Earphone

THE GOOD
 
Shure products are durable and well constructed. The cables are supple but very resilient. The IEM housing is durable as well as the MMXC connectors. Overall the construction is good.
 
Shure tips never come off and only with a struggle. You are  given a good variety of tips. 
 
They are good balanced IEMs where they excel mostly in good mids and decent lows and highs. 
 
I have sent in Shure IEMs three times and have them processed ASAP with care. No complaints here.
 
THE BAD
 
The bass feels a little enveloped or compressed. I am not sure what's happening but there's a noticeable drop off.

THE UGLY
 
I am not aware of anything really bad. Maybe paying full price?
 
OVERALL
 
These are my fallback IEMs and they deliver consistently good playback on most types of music.

Quite good. I wouldn't use the term liquid gold in ear that Tyll did (I don't get that excited about audio...) but he has a point they really are very good. Like all other options there will always be some who says otherwise. You'll find a lot of people say the Westone (W40 for example) are better. I don't know I didn't try them yet.
 
I picked these because I find that while I enjoy the presentation of my Beyer t50ps they do tire me after a while and I suspect a few light headaches were caused by them as well. Looking at the measurement plots I can see the frequency response of the W40s has a familiar treble hump (just like most beyers). And I wanted something that's a bit more smoother. At the same time the bass on my Beyer while there was never great but I don't want anything bloomy. Again looking at the plots the 535s looks like they are pretty flat and the square response suggest that as well.
 
So I got them. And the first thing I did was run a bunch of different genre of tracks through them (Rock, pop, classical and Jazz). So here's what I found:
 
1) Bass is what I wanted, they are they and not the boosted bass you get in some phones. They are forward on tracks mixed that way and laid back on tracks where they should be
2) I can really hear classical with separation of the instruments! Nice
3) Vocals are great, mids are smooth and rich
4) Trebles are there when it should and not excessive nor tiring
5) Don't notice yet any graining to the sound as multiple BA IEMs can have that issue
6) The source is matters a lot. My nexus 4 now really does sound bad.

These earphones are slightly overpriced compared to some competitive earphones. I think.
 
I love the over-ear construction and the isolation is superb. 
 
The sound quality is impressive and you really need to upgrade your music collection to at least 192kbps. I def hear difference between 128kbps songs and 256kbps. So I've imported al my music with AAC @ 256kbps.
 
As for the bass. It can be quit thin sometimes. Don't get me wrong, the bass is def there when you pick a bass-heavy song. Toto - Africa is an good example. 
 
But it are the mids that stand out the most. Vocals sound very very clear and the soundstage is huge. I discovered details I thought I already should have heard with my Sure SE215! 
 
Some people complain about the "bulky cable". I don't understand since the cable is just great! It's thick indeed but very soft, flexible and truly feels it will last a lifetime. I couldn't say that about the Westone W4.. I mean, look at how thin the cable connecting to the earphones looks? Doesn't look solid at all to me.
 
Still I don't like the L plug Shure is using all the time but it will have it's reason. 
 
My ears are average in size. And for me the SE535 are a perfect fit. Yes they are a bit bulky but again, at least they have great build quality and do not look like mainstream earphones
 
I am no audiophile as you probably can tell, but I know how music should sound and what good sound quality means. And these earphones are just impressive, clean, detailed and does have very fair and balanced sound (with some minor lack in the lows at some times).
 
I could have saved like €140 buying the Senheiser IE8, which I believe, are (almost) as good as the Shure535. So if you want to save some money, you might want to consider these as well. I didn't have a specific reason for buying the SE535 over the IE8. Though I think the SE535 looks better and has beter isolation/fit (the cable and connetor on the IE8 looks kinda cheap to me).
 
Westone W4 are hard to get in my country and the build quality doesn't look as good as the SE535, too.
 
Anyway... great earphones! Really happy with them and a big improvement compared to the SE215 (which are really good too, at least for less than 100 bucks!)

Not to repeat myself. You can read the review/comparison here:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/605222/review-phonak-pfe-232-vs-shure-se535

*I have listened to the Shure SE535 using iPhone 4S and the latest iPod Classic (6^th Generation). The below sums up my listening experience from these sources only.*
 
To my ears vocals sound better through the Shures than any other earphones I’ve heard. Voices are rich and clear. I often listen to audiobooks or Radio 4; just listening to people talking is a joy. However, I find the lower frequencies too thin. Bass is there, and is textured well enough to be able to distinguish between bass instruments, but it just doesn’t hit my ears with enough oomph to be pleasurable. I’m no ‘bass head’ but I do like to feel bass, not just hear it in the distance.
 
That the mid frequencies are louder that the bass or treble is one reason I sold my 535s. I noticed as time went by I wasn’t using them much; I was forcing myself to listen to them rather than being unable to take them out of my ears. I was listening to, rather than feeling and enjoying, music.
 
Physically, the Shure SE535s look good and appear to be well-made. Like Logitech’s newer UE 900, the earpiece has an unusual connection to the cable, which allows the earpiece to rotate when attached. I find that this, along with the long memory wire, is an unnecessary feature that makes them cumbersome to fit and insert. I much prefer the simple two pin plug of the Westone 4R. The cable itself is sturdy, but for me it is too thick and far too long. I like an earphone cable’s length to reach from trouser pocket to ear with a little slack. This one hangs down to my knees.
 
The nozzle you insert into your ear is quite long. With the right tips, this ensures good sound isolation. Many people like the foam “olive” tips. I do as well, but they can fit too tightly on the nozzle, making them difficult to remove. I snapped the nozzle off one earpiece when trying to twist a tip off.  [TIP: if the tip is stuck on the nozzle, put the earpiece in a bag in the freezer for a few hours. I’ve done this a few times and the tip comes off easily without damaging the earpiece.]
 
If you are looking for your first pair of ‘quality’ earphones, I recommend Logitech UE 900. I find that the Shure 535’s mid-range sound is wonderful and they block out more external noise, but the Logitech’s are a better overall package. Their sound is more balanced and they come with a very good accessories package.
 
If you already own the Shures and are looking for something a bit different, try Phonak’s Audeo PFE 232. The sound is like an inverted Shure SE535 sound signature, with excellent, strong bass and louder treble. I find their sound airy, fun and interesting, though they do not isolate sound well enough to be used in noisier environments.

Bass hit enough to my ear with accurate of level and frequency.
Its bass responds so good and can feel when you
change bass fre. just 5Hz! Very detail bass it is.
Mid is very concentrate and forward field.
Treble clear,clean, but a bit hi-cut due to 19Khz support only.
That is better than some others give plus freq for high but feel like
too metalic. Right?
One thing I dont like is the capble. Rotation joint is good but wire is quite hard.
It reduce the satisfying of the main body

 
Intro 
I'm no audiophile so sorry if I don't use the appropriate terminology within my review. I'm just a guy who likes to enjoy his music where ever I go. I usually commute most my life (to university and work) so I want a really good pair of earphones that will last as my companion for as long as possible and are compatible with my iphone 4, these are my requirements. 

The path to the shures se535 
First I bought the shures se315 and I weren't really impressed with them so I changed to these. I've come from a few high end headphones (for me anyway): 

Shures SE115m+ - I really liked them but I was looking for something better so I gave them to my girlfriend which she is currently using moved on. 

Bose Quietcomfort 3's - I couldn't justify the price for the average SQ and noise cancellation that hurts you so I just had to return them. 

Monster Turbines Pro Gold - These were really good, clear and bright music but lasted only 6 months, so I am currently waiting for a replacement which I'm deciding to give away once I get. 

Sennheiser IE 8 - which had amazing SQ and bass but the Sennheiser logo came off and put me off the build quality. 

I then bought the shures se315's to replace the IE8's but was very disappointed with the sound quality as it sounded very muddy and it lacked bass (it could've been just my pair that I got that were faulty) so I had to send them back. Then I decided to take the plunge and buy the se535's due to all the good reviews on the net. I couldn't find a single bad review about them so I thought it'll be an investment as I've come through so many headphones already. 

First Impressions 
Coming from the disappointment of the SE315's sound quality, these sounded like heaven when I first plugged it into my iPhone to play "Just can't get enough" by BEP. Comparing it to the Sennheiser IE 8's I had previously (from what I remember) the detail that I hear in songs is much better in the SE535's. The only downside is that there isn't as much bass as I hoped but it does have a very good amount to enjoy music to. With the bass I guess it depends on the individual's tastes of how much bass he/she enjoys but I think the bass in the se535 is perfect for the majority but its just me that likes it to have just that bit more to make the tracks a bit more exciting. 

Cabling 
The main reason for purchasing the SE535's is because of the removable cable. The reason for changing headphones most of the time is because the wire at the jack end slowly breaks in my jean pockets (where I always keep my iphone) and causes sound to cut out from one of sides of the earphones. Now this solution will save my buying a new pair all the time and instead just get a new cable. So investing in good earphones such as these is more logical than getting the SE315's or anything lower (well that's what I told myself anyway). I bought the replacement cable that enables song skipping and answering calls and I really find it very irritating. With the Shure SE range you're pretty much stuck with wearing the wire over your ears which as most reviews say "isn't for everyone". So wearing the new replacement cable I got, it didn't have the kevlar support as the original cables had that came with the earphones so I found the cable coming out of place very often. It got so annoying that I switched back to the original and downloaded a tweak for the iphone to skip tracks by holding down the volume keys (like the blackberry range). The kevlar coating on the original cables are AMAZING. They mould to the shape you want so they'll hold on your ears. I don't know why Shure didn't implement this on the iphone replacement cable as well seeing as it costs £50 for a replacement cable. The iphone replacement cable is also thinner than that of the original, where the original seems much more durable. 

Sound 
I've used these for the past two days now and they do make me want to carry on listening to them whenever I get the chance to (or maybe it's the price that makes me want to justify their use!). They do sound crisp and I do hear things that I didn't with some previous earphones. I've yet to "burn" into them as most reviews suggests but if they do get better then they'll sound even more amazing then they currently are. I read one review that said that these earphones don't have that "blow you away" effect and I completely agree. After these two days I'm slowly appreciating the sound of these earphones a little more and more and hope to carry on doing so. As I said above, I think it should have that bit more bass to give it a bit more punch to my music. The range of music I listen to is usually RnB and the old school songs like backstreet boys (it reminds me of my school days). I also listen to my Thai tunes (Thai classical instruments and Thai pop and RnB) but I don't think not many people who read this would relate to me. That's why I think it lacks that bit of bass as RnB requires a slightly high amount of bass to get into the fee of the songs. However, my old school songs Thai Songs sound really great. It feels like the instruments are separated so you can hear each and every one. 

Comfort and Isolation 
Wearing the these correctly does make a difference in the sound you get back from them as they give the appropriate seal. I liked the foam tips that come with them, but I upgraded to the comply TX-100 foam tips instead as I saw in reviews that they were apparently amazingly better than the shures'. In my opinion they are actually a bit more comfortable as they're more soft and they also have the wax guard but apart from that there's no other perks so I recommend to stick with the shures' foam tips. Another recommendation is to not where the kevlar hooks too tight on the ears as they start to hurt after a while, just hook it enough so that it holds. Sitting on the bus and tube in London, there's so much unnecessary noise that people make, but then again, that's public transport for you, and that's where these earphones are a godsend. They block out majority of the noise so with the music playing, it does cover up pretty much all the sound. 

Conclusion 
In the end of it all, I still believe I need more time with these earphones, but my initial impressions on them are that they are really worth having. I know i'm no music artist but as I said, I really do appreciate my music. The price tag still doesn't justify what the earphones offer but I'm hoping that over time that it will. My recommendation is that if you can afford it, then get it as I do believe that it will be an investment as there aren't many earphones with replaceable cables out there. I also don't have any experience with others so I've yet to try the others. Hopefully I won't need to as these ones will last!

It amuses me when I come to this section and see these wonderful earphones in 85th place. The only reason this can be is the folks who buy these just enjoy them and don't feel the need to write about them. But then you head into the forums and they are at least one of the most discussed items. Odd.
 
Well I'll speak up then. I have owned the SE 500s, which needed repair at some point after the warranty expired. Shure sent me SE530s for a modest fee. When the SE535s  appeared I read what I could and finally found a pair at a price I was willing to pay. I have been using them foe some time now and I am very pleased with them.
 
The differences between the 530s and the 535s may seem subtle to many, to me they are most obvious. In my ears the 530s, with their rounded body are more comfortable. The 535's are noticably less comfortable in my ears. It isn't a major difference but it's there. But the cable system on the 535 is wonderful. I strongly prefer the short bit of memory wire and the 360 degree joint. They are so easy to put in and they stay put nicely. I am also pleased that I will be able to replace the cable rather than the entire earphone when the cable wears away.
 
Sonically, I am so happy when I have the 530s in, I just love the sound. But then I reach for the 535s and I immediately enjoy a greater level of satisfaction, not subtle at all. Warmer bottom, absolutely stellar mids, and a nice high end that never leaves me wanting. It's just so much nicer and more involving with the 535s. I use the 530s in the gym, and the 535s elsewhere. The only reason I do this is I prefer the very short cord on the 530s in the gym. (plus, they are perfectly good phones, why not keep enjoying them?)
 
If I want to really listen to music and enjoy it to the fullest, I reach for the 535s.
 
Other phones I own include Koss Porta Pros, Etymotic ER-4P, Audio-Technica ATH-M50S, Ultimate Ears Triple.Fi 10.
I have long enjoyed the Porta Pros, Before I bought the Shures I enjoyed the Etymotics, (still have them, never use them) and the M50s are new and I like them quite a bit as well. The Ultimate Ears are not for me. No sir.
 
Hopefully some other people enjoy these 535s and maybe we can drag them out into the sunshine where they belong.