[MorAase]

I wonder - this Fiio 17

- isnt it overkill for my casual listing, on the sub on my way to work, when I m hospitalized or just walk the dog. Never use my headphones at home, havin an expensive hometheater ...

What other dac / amp should I look at. E7 ? iBasso products?
Do they need to be as expensive as Fiio 17?

I listen to beatles, dire straits, elton john and Gasoline.

 

[char0x]

The se535s dont need an amp because they are so sensitive but they will definitely benifit. you dont need an e17 to drive them, the e7 , e11, e6, govibe mini box are all cheaper alternatives and will drive the se535s fine.

 

[ostewart]

Those DACs won't work with the iPhone, so just get an amp. JDS Labs C5 would be your best bet

 

[char0x]

Quote:

Those DACs won't work with the iPhone, so just get an amp. JDS Labs C5 would be your best bet

Cant he use a lod cable to connect his iphone to the amps?

 

[Brooko]

Quote:

The se535s dont need an amp because they are so sensitive but they will definitely benifit. you dont need an e17 to drive them, the e7 , e11, e6, govibe mini box are all cheaper alternatives and will drive the se535s fine.
 

 
I'll address the easy one first - please explain exactly how they benefit?  I'm an SE535 Special Edition owner with an iPhone4, and I'm genuinely intrigued by your comment.  Please explain in detail  - how they benefit from amping ......
 
 
Quote:

I wonder - this Fiio 17

- isnt it overkill for my casual listing, on the sub on my way to work, when I m hospitalized or just walk the dog. Never use my headphones at home, havin an expensive hometheater ...

What other dac / amp should I look at. E7 ? iBasso products?
Do they need to be as expensive as Fiio 17?

I listen to beatles, dire straits, elton john and Gasoline.

 
OP - the 535s are an extremely easy to drive and very sensitive IEM.  The biggest issue you may have would be audible hissing.  The output impedance of the iPhone 5 seems to be ~ 3.8 ohms (quite a bit higher than my iPhone4 at just under 1 ohm).  The Se535 have a 36 ohm impedance (@ 1kHz), and a sensitivity of 119 dB SPL/mW.
 
Basically you don't want to be using a source with an output impedance of higher than ~ 4.5 ohms.
 
So your iPhone 5 unamped should be fine.  On my Iphone4, I can't go much higher than about 25% volume straight out of the iPhone jack without it getting painfully loud.
 
If you are getting plenty of volume from the 535s straight out of your iPhone with no audible hissing - then you are good to go.
 
Just for the record, I tried an E7, an E11, and even my current Arrow 4G with the 535s - and I am yet to notice an improvement over the H/O in the iPhone.  All you get are hardware EQ's - and they can easily be performed via software instead by a decent parametric equaliser like the Equalizer app.
 
One of the problems you may have with using an amp is channel imbalance - because you'll need to have the amp so low in volume because of the sensitivity.
 
Quote:

Those DACs won't work with the iPhone, so just get an amp. JDS Labs C5 would be your best bet

 
Quite correct - and from what I understand with the C5 is that the stepped attenuator will avoid the imbalance issues.  So this would at least be a viable option if you are getting hissing (the C5 output impedance is significantly lower @ 2.2 ohms).  However the E17 would still be an option with an even lower impedance (0.3 ohms) - you just wouldn't be using the DAC section.  The E07K may be better still (cheaper but similar features) with same low output impedance.
 
But again OP - from my own experieince, I'm not really sure if you will see any gain by amping the 535s.  I never use mine with an amp.  The Arrow I have is only for use with my DT880, K701, and HD600.

 

[ostewart]

He can use LOD, but why buy amp+DAC if he can't use the DAC. Might as well go with just an amp.
C5 has digital stepped volume control so it does not have channel imbalance at low volumes.

 

[Brooko]

Quote:

He can use LOD, but why buy amp+DAC if he can't use the DAC. Might as well go with just an amp.
C5 has digital stepped volume control so it does not have channel imbalance at low volumes.

 
Again - not disagreeing with you rk.  I'm suggesting:

• He doesn't actually need an amp
• JDS C5 is good at ~ $190 retail
• E17 - despite having a dac as well also has lower impedance, stepped volume control - and comes in considerably cheaper at around the $140 mark.
• E07K - has the same low (0.3 ohm) impedance as the E17, same tone controls and stepped attenuator, and is only ~ $90

 
If he decides he really wants an amp - then rather than spending double the amount of money (for something he doesn't need anyway IMO) - may as well get the cheaper E07K.  At least then he gets to experience it for himself without blowing the bank.
 
For the highly sensitive SE535 out of a low impedance source like an iPhone - I'l restate yet again - IMO an amp does exactly nothing except add bulk and cost to a portable set-up.

 

[ostewart]

I agree Brooko, they dont gain much with amping. But if he is looking at an amp, the Fiio are a little warm and we all have personal preference. If he already enjoys the sound of the SE535, the C5 won't fundamentally change the sound, just refine it a bit, which is what I personally want in an amp, transparent sound.

 

[Mooses9]

Quote:

I agree Brooko, they dont gain much with amping. But if he is looking at an amp, the Fiio are a little warm and we all have personal preference. If he already enjoys the sound of the SE535, the C5 won't fundamentally change the sound, just refine it a bit, which is what I personally want in an amp, transparent sound.

 i agree with you on the c5 being transparent. 
 
i definitly feel although they are sensitive iems. they still do benifit from a good amp, opersonally when i had my se535 i was using a ibasso p4 warbler and a lme49990 it might be a little more than what you are looking for but the sound quality was amazing.
 
i feel people get caught up in iems that are sensitive and feel like listening to them straight out of a iphone or ipod is ok. it is and you can. however you can extract better sound quality from the iems with a better cable, add a amp, add a lod......add a dac ......but we are getting ahead of ourselves here.
 
but i dont feel like its doing the 535 justice to just listen to them through a iphone or ipod. if you hear them through a amp,lod,dac,upgraded cable, you will not go back period. 

 

[youngarthur]

I have used the 530,and 535.  FOR ME,adding a C5,seemed to give a more forward sound,and a wider soundstage,so FOR ME,this has been a great improvement. I have since bought the Westone 4r which again FOR ME,has improved the overall sound yet again It would appear that we all hear things differently,and what is ok for some,might not be ok for others.I find that if you can find something that you like,regardless of what other think,then good for you. It also very much helps to get advice from these forums,as there is a lot of experience on here.

 

[Mooses9]

Quote:

I have used the 530,and 535.  FOR ME,adding a C5,seemed to give a more forward sound,and a wider soundstage,so FOR ME,this has been a great improvement. I have since bought the Westone 4r which again FOR ME,has improved the overall sound yet again It would appear that we all hear things differently,and what is ok for some,might not be ok for others.I find that if you can find something that you like,regardless of what other think,then good for you. It also very much helps to get advice from these forums,as there is a lot of experience on here.

did you feel with the c5 that the slight push forward in mids, put the 535 mids too far forward? i know from my own expierence i found the 535 mids to be really forward. just wondered how much farther forward it pushed them.
 
now with the c5 and the w4r i found that the push forward was really subtle but was a nice touch for the w4r. all in all yeah the c5 is very transparent and doesnt add any kind of coloring to the sound......love the build quality

 

[warrenzn]

I have the Shure SE535 Ltd-J Red which I bought earlier this year and I also got the JDS C5 Amp and an ALO Audio CRYO SXC-18 Line out dock and I have to say the sound coming out of this setup together with an iPod Classic is a considerable improvement over listening to the SE535 Ltd straight out of an iPhone 4S or iPod classic. I am talking night and day difference here, there really is no comparison. And that is with the stock gray colour cable that came with the SE535. I am looking at upgrade cables to improve the sound even further. At present I am looking at the DHC Symbiote SE Litz cable or the Hybrid Litz Pure OCC silver + Pure OCC copper cable to complete my setup.
 
 

 

[muziq]

  I am talking night and day difference here, there really is no comparison. And that is with the stock gray colour cable that came with the SE535. I am looking at upgrade cables to improve the sound even further. At present I am looking at the DHC Symbiote SE Litz cable or the Hybrid Litz Pure OCC silver + Pure OCC copper cable to complete my setup.

Just recently getting into nice portable audio, I opted to sink some funds into an Alo Audio International amp/dac + camera connector + iPhone5, and while I wouldn't go so far as to say night and day difference, there's definitely a noticeable positive change in the sound I'm getting out of my 535s.  I further tweaked with different dampers and Oyaide HPE-SE cables, and the sum total of the changes is definitely noticeable.  I feel like amping isn't necessary with the Shures as other posters have indicated, but I definitely am getting my investment in these upgrades and tweaks back in the form of a more engaging listening experience with my Shures.