[yours truly]

Hello,
 
I'm looking to purchase a new pair of earphones as I managed to damage the cord on my old ones (CX-300). After searching the forums, the two IEM's that keep popping up are the Westone 4R and the Shure SE535 but from what I've been reading they can both benefit from being amped for them to really shine (maybe less so for the SE535?). The trouble is, I'd want to plug them directly into an iphone 5 or my old ipod classic.
 
The price for the Westone 4R is about £390 and the lowest I've seen for the SE535 is £315, so there's a £75 difference between the two. I don't mind paying the price for good sound - my limit is around £400, but at same time I don't want something that is overkill for my needs. I really want either the Westone or Shure's but my concern is my iphone/ipod won't be getting the best out of them and I don't know if I'd be better off spending a lot less and look at the lower end of the market.
 
My music taste ranges from electronica, rock and hip hop. The sound I like is balanced, maybe slightly tilted toward the bass and not overly bright.
 
Any advice as to what I should be looking for is welcome.
 
Thanks

 

[TekeRugburn]

The iems aren't.... The iPhone is though.

 

[meat01]

There are a lot of people happy with the output of the iphone or touch with W4s or W4Rs without an amp
 

 

[tinyman392]

Quote:

The iems aren't.... The iPhone is though.

 
Why do you think this? 

 

[TheGame21x]

No.
 
I don't know where the notion that the iPhone is a bad source came from but it's not. Output impedance is a bit of an issue on some models but plenty of players I'm not going to mention have worse output impedance issues and they're still revered. I'm not saying the iPhone is in the same league as players in the upper echelon but it's perfectly fine, even for higher end IEMs.

 

[noxa]

I've listened to most of the iem's in my sig unamped though an iphone at some point and have never been dissapointed.

 

[maguire]

Simple answer " NO...... It will just enhance your listening experience"   

 

[mark2410]

well just using a phone is a bit of a waste.  youll hear the difference but using a better source would get the most from a better iem.
 
as for your 2 short listed IEM's you may want to think about the IE8's (or IE80 now) as i suspect they may be more to what your looking for.

 

[yours truly]

Thanks for the advice people.
 
Quote:

well just using a phone is a bit of a waste.  youll hear the difference but using a better source would get the most from a better iem.
 
as for your 2 short listed IEM's you may want to think about the IE8's (or IE80 now) as i suspect they may be more to what your looking for.

 
Yeah this is my concern. Someone said on a thread, buying expensive earphones for an iphone is like buying $2000 tires for a $500 car. I spent 14 hours yesterday searching the forums and it was comments like that, which threw me.

The IE80's look good but people mention they are a bit too heavy on the bass. To be honest, I'm not overly fond of Sennheiser. None of their headphones I've tried have really done it for me. But then again the IE80's are half the price of the W4R's.

I know this is subjective but do you think the Shure SE535 would a good choice for me?

 

[LFC_SL]

I would get the WR based on your musical tastes and taking a guess based on personal experience as to what you are likely to prefer blind (I won't say why, there are plenty of comparison reviews and posts on the forum)
 
I do not think there is anything wrong with listening straight out of a smart-phone. They are what they are and indispensable (or near enough) for many in 2013. You still have the option to save up for dedicated dacs and amps if you so wish and enhance your IEM listening even more.
 
If you are in the south I would advise you to go to hifiheadphones or handheldaudio

 

[Brooko]

You're going to hear a lot of different opinions on this 

 
SE535 (Ltd Ed) owner - and my main portable source is an iPhone 4, and an iPod Touch G4.  I've also owned Cowon & Sony DAPs before.  When I first started, I followed all the 'hype' and thought that I had to make sure I used an amp (these have included a few Fiio, an expensive PortaTube, and an Arrow 4G) - how else would I experience the 'increased sound stage, bass definition, clarity etc'.  What I now use is the SE535 - mostly my iPhone 4 - no amp.
 
What I found (YMMV) - 

1. The SE535 is very sensitive and ridiculously easy to drive
2. IMO amping this IEM does nothing extra for it.  I don't need the extra volume, and with my tests, I found no audible difference in quality between amped and unamped.
3. While you'll get plenty who will malign the iPhone as a source, it is:
    - extremely low impedance (not sure about the 5 - but the 4 definitely is)
    - has (for my set-up) an essentially black background - no hiss
    - is pretty much flat from bass to treble
    - does what it is supposed to do - gives you the music with no colouration.
4. Add a decent EQ app - such as EQU or Equaliser (I prefer the latter) - and you can tailor the SE535 to suit your needs.  It responds really well to EQ - and I have been very surprised how much bass you can get with no distortion with a properly applied EQ curve

 
Mark2410 may be correct on the IE8/IE80 - as the Senn is supposed to have more bass as it's default signature.  I haven't heard the W4.  But I can tell you that if you don't mind applying an EQ, the SE535 is a wonderful IEM straight out of an iPhone (4) - and I have no real interest in upgrading either my DAP or my IEMs. 

 

[yours truly]

Thanks LFC and brooko.
 
brooko your post is what I wanted to hear..sort of. I quite like the iphone. I hate itunes but as a music player the iphone is slick and easy to navigate. My thought process is, if I end up getting the W4, I'll always think my iphone is holding them back. I don't really like the idea of carrying around a separate amp or dac in my pockets either.
 
Is it worth taking the risk and going for the SE535 reds from ebay Japan or just get the regular ones over here in the UK?

 

[music_4321]

Quote:

You're going to hear a lot of different opinions on this 

 
SE535 (Ltd Ed) owner - and my main portable source is an iPhone 4, and an iPod Touch G4.  I've also owned Cowon & Sony DAPs before.  When I first started, I followed all the 'hype' and thought that I had to make sure I used an amp (these have included a few Fiio, an expensive PortaTube, and an Arrow 4G) - how else would I experience the 'increased sound stage, bass definition, clarity etc'.  What I now use is the SE535 - mostly my iPhone 4 - no amp.
 
What I found (YMMV) - 

1. The SE535 is very sensitive and ridiculously easy to drive
2. IMO amping this IEM does nothing extra for it.  I don't need the extra volume, and with my tests, I found no audible difference in quality between amped and unamped.
3. While you'll get plenty who will malign the iPhone as a source, it is:
    - extremely low impedance (not sure about the 5 - but the 4 definitely is)
    - has (for my set-up) an essentially black background - no hiss
    - is pretty much flat from bass to treble
    - does what it is supposed to do - gives you the music with no colouration.
4. Add a decent EQ app - such as EQU or Equaliser (I prefer the latter) - and you can tailor the SE535 to suit your needs.  It responds really well to EQ - and I have been very surprised how much bass you can get with no distortion with a properly applied EQ curve

 
Mark2410 may be correct on the IE8/IE80 - as the Senn is supposed to have more bass as it's default signature.  I haven't heard the W4.  But I can tell you that if you don't mind applying an EQ, the SE535 is a wonderful IEM straight out of an iPhone (4) - and I have no real interest in upgrading either my DAP or my IEMs. 

 
Excellent post (yet again). Personally, I'd take the W4 over the SE535 SQ-wise. Also, if isolation is important, I'd advice against getting the IE80. I'd also look into the new German-made Stage Diver 2 & Stage Diver 3 (£300 & £407 respectively).

 

[Brooko]

Quote:

Thanks LFC and brooko.
 
brooko your post is what I wanted to hear..sort of. I quite like the iphone. I hate itunes but as a music player the iphone is slick and easy to navigate. My thought process is, if I end up getting the W4, I'll always think my iphone is holding them back. I don't really like the idea of carrying around a separate amp or dac in my pockets either.
 
Is it worth taking the risk and going for the SE535 reds from ebay Japan or just get the regular ones over here in the UK?

No probs.
 
The W4 vs SE535 is going to come down to sonic preference.  Unfortunately I've never heard the W4 - so I can't advise difference.
 
Compared to the standard SE535 - the 'asian' Ltd Ed reds (my impression) are very similar just with more high end (tilted upward) - however I've never found them sibilant.  The added treble is something I really like (YMMV).  The sound stage is intimate rather than expansive - but jazz club type intimate - not 'up on the stage' like a typical Grado.
 
What surprised me about the 535 was the bass.  I was expecting more impact and slam - but it's actually a quite balanced IEM with the typical forward (dare I say lush) mids that Shure is renowned for.  Bass is there but not emphasised.  No mid-bass hump.  Good extension.  If anything I would prefer a little more bass - but I was genuinely surprised by how much bass you can apply if you don't mind tweaking the EQ.  People who prefer a bassier signature are going to consider these very bass light without EQ.
 
Again though - may pay to listen to the people who have heard both W4 and SE535.  They both get terrific reviews, and I don't think you could go wrong with either.

 

[angelo898]

I believe you should go for the um3x rc. The w4r does have quite some improvement from a good source and amp. I power my IEMs from my iPhone or iPad and feel like the amount of hassle involved in having an audiophile rig is much more than the loss of quality from a good rig. That said, you should probably invest in a desktop setup to use them at home as well