First purchase. is it SE535, JH5, ... or Other?
Sep 12, 2010 at 11:13 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 17
pacobsd

pacobsd

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I've been reading through some posts over the past month in my downward spiral of excitement and fear into this little known to me realm of IEM's.  I've been putting aside some cash for an upgrade to something decent.  I'd be using them for music listening, sound isolation practicing (guitar/vocals), recording/composing/mixing and jamming along with tunes (DAW). My musical preferences are summed up with there being two types of music, ... music I like and music I don't like.  My cd collection consists of classical, flamenco (Paco DeLucia - guitar maestro), jazz, and metal/rock/folk/other. With the cheep (under $50 cnd) headphones i've used up to this point, I always find myself going to the EQ and pushing the low end up a little as well as the highs. Don't know if its just because the phones couldn't push them the same as the mids? but I think i'd rather hear a clear bass with a little boom rather then a rattling one in my purchase.  Which brings me to the point of this post/inquiry. I've been leaning toward the se535, and recently started considering the jh5's and with a trip to the audiologist the price would be comparable. Now without knowing exactly what I'm going to like/notlike with the soundstage and other terms equally unfamiliar to me (I did do some minimal lookups to help me try to understand some posts, and there are next to no posts out there comparing these two), coupled with the little personal background I opened with. Would I get the closest match to what I may be looking for in the se535 or would the jh5 be the way to go (too bad there is no place for me to test out some of the different hardware in my area). Possibly something else i've put off based on other posts leading me to think a particular IEM is not what i'm looking for.  I won't be able to afford much more then the current price of the se535 ($500 cnd), and I know that most of this is personal preference in nature but any insight and feedback would be greatly appreciated.
 
Sep 13, 2010 at 10:07 PM Post #2 of 17
If you're going universal IEM, my vote is for the SE535 (my favourite). You can look into my profile for the long list of IEMs I've owned.
 
If you're going custom, none are better than JH.
 
Sep 13, 2010 at 10:50 PM Post #4 of 17
When I first started reading up I got the gut feeling that the se535's where what I wanted.  But then after reading through some posts on this site I got thinking about customs and the JH5.  So now im at a dilemma, the added expenses of international shipping, posible refitting issues ... I wonder if the JH5 are going to really be what I want over the se535. I can order the se535 and have in two days no shipping cost just the listed price + tax, hopefully with its assortment of tips, I'll have no problem with discomfort.  My only real concern is some of the comments about it's low end leading me to think it might not be punchy enough, whereas say the ie8 would seem to be overkill for me.  Does the JH5 have really present itself with the lows that I'd enjoy more then the se535.  If only I could find a local store that I could try them both out.
 
Sep 14, 2010 at 1:01 PM Post #6 of 17
I think JH5Pro are step above than SE535 for clarity, details, soundstage and bass. But if you want universal IEM with rich, deep bass and shows great details in mids, highs then FX700 are amazing and SM3 another option.
 
Sep 14, 2010 at 9:16 PM Post #7 of 17


Quote:
zarim said:
 But if you want universal IEM with rich, deep bass and shows great details in mids, highs then FX700 are amazing and SM3 another option.
Click to expand...


Neither of these are up to the standard of the SE535s IMHO.
smile.gif

 
Don't get me wrong, they are great IEMs, but not as balanced.
 
Sep 15, 2010 at 11:39 AM Post #8 of 17
My money is starting to burn a hole in my pocket so I think I might just go get the SE535's I'll have them by the weekend .... I doubt I'll be disappointed as I have no real comparison to make so I might as well just take the plunge and hopefully I'll surface in pure audio bliss
smily_headphones1.gif
  I'll make my final decision soon.  Thanks to those who expressed their opinions.
 
Sep 15, 2010 at 11:54 AM Post #9 of 17
You might want to also consider the UM3x. I've never heard them, but they're in a similar price range and are said to be very good.
The SE535 are great, but for me, had their issues.
 
Just sayin'...
 
Sep 15, 2010 at 1:58 PM Post #12 of 17


Quote:
pacobsd said:
Just curious to the issues you found with them.
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Mostly fit / ergonomic
I don't do well with ear-wires and the plastic covers on them. I wear glasses and the microphonics are elevated.
I found the cable too long and unwieldly. I also found the earpiece fit to be difficult in general.
Sound quality wise, they are very good. Very clear and natural.
 
Hope that helps.
 
 
Sep 15, 2010 at 7:13 PM Post #14 of 17
You won't be dissapointed.  I auditioned several IEMs before making my purchase and my first pair of "nice" IEMs were the Shure SE530.  They are an excellent headphone with silky smooth mids.  To this day I can't get my wife to listen to anything else.  However, I lost my pair a couple weeks ago on a flight back from NYC to Seattle and decided to give the JH5s a try.  I just put in my order and I'll let you know what I think.  From what I heard of the demos the JH5 are very airy compared to the Shures.  They also seem to extend higher than the Shures.  However, they aren't as smooth sounding.  I think either way you would have gone you would have been extremely happy.  It wouldn't have been a story of which one is better, just which one you prefer. 
 
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