[Krisman]

After having Ultimate Ears Triple Fi 10s for just over a year I thought I would take the plunge and go up to the reverred Shure 535s. I borrowed some for a couple of days and enjoyed the extra resolution and 'air' so thought I was making the right decision.....
 
It is gradually becomming apparent that maybe I have not made the right decision! I have been trying both sets of earphones with comply tips for a reasonably fair comparison.
 
I would love to hear other peoples opinions on comparing these two but my overall impressions on the 535s so far is:
 
-Great resolution across the frequency range
-Suffer from a muddled sound when there are lots of instruments playing together
-Have very low bass (yes a better fit might help this)
-Very 'shrilly' high ends can be VERY bright and uncomfortable to listen to over long periods
-Seem to have a lull in the upper mids
 
I am not sure I can put up with their sound signature and so my search continues. Would any of the Westone range be a good alternative giving the resolution of the 535s and the overall uncoloured large sound of the Triple Fi 10s?
 
HELP!!!

 

[RealSlimSeto]

Yes the SE535 gets overwhelmed by busy tracks easily. I dunno, the UM3X or W4 might be a good compromise.

 

[ProjectDenz]

Make sure that you are definitely getting a good fit. I sneered at the SE530 with it's aparently muddled sound even trying all tips. One year later and I decide to use a pair of Atrio M5 tips on it...and hot damn.

 

[Krisman]

Interesting...I have tried numerous other tips that came with the 535s but I am not getting any change to the overall signature. The highs are still too shrilly.
 
Maybe a cable change is the way forward as suggested in the other thread about the Baldur Mk2 cabling...

 

[jjb3]

I have the 535s and had the W4s. The W4s are more detailed and articulate than the 535s esp. in the mids and bass, but have even less bass quantity. Plus the treble is not as sharp.

 

[jjb3]

Oh, and yes I agree with ProjectDenz that the fit on the 535s affects both bass and separation of instruments/muddiness. This is odd to me because usu. fit only affects bass for me, but I did find an enormous improvement in bass presence, clarity, and also sharpness of treble once I got a full seal with the L olives.

 

[guhmo]

 
I may have a sliiight bias for the UM3X.... But it's deserved .

-Great resolution across the frequency range

It rivals the SE535 in terms of resolution and clarity (it's meant for stage monitoring, it has to!)
 
 

-Suffer from a muddled sound when there are lots of instruments playing together

Instrument separation of the UM3X is probably the best there is if we're talking universal IEMs.
 
 
 

-Have very low bass (yes a better fit might help this)

UM3X have (for me) a perfect amount of bass.  Nowhere near the Turbines' or IE8's overwhelming bass and slightly more than the W2.
 
 
 

-Very 'shrilly' high ends can be VERY bright and uncomfortable to listen to over long periods

I think by "shrill" you mean sibilant - it's extremely hard to make the UM3X sibilant (I've tried).
 
Again, the UM3X were designed for stage monitoring, so its mids are great.
I know I'm singing the praises of the UM3X, but seriously, it's that good

 

[Krisman]

Quote:

I think by "shrill" you mean sibilant - it's extremely hard to make the UM3X sibilant (I've tried).

No, I do mean shrill. The sound is too piercing at times, not sibilant in the respect that naturally sharp sounds sound even sharper. Some of the highs are extremely bright so maybe playing with different ear buds may help.
 
Never remember having such bud issues with other IEMs!
 
I will take both sets of earphones along to the Bristol Sound and Vision show this weekend and try them against the Sennheiser IE80s and anything else I can get my grubby hands on...
 
 

 

[guhmo]

Ah, I see. My bad!  Have you tried Complys?

 

[Krisman]

lol sorry guhmo, didn't mean to sound dismissive then!
 
Yeah I have complies on both the UE TF 10 and the Shure 535s. I wanted a fair comparison. This afternoon I got a few people in the office to try out both sets of earphones and the verdict was unanimous....the UEs gave a more enjoyable sound
 
This has put me back to square one on my mission to find the best non custom IEMs!

 

[Spyro]

I kind of agree.  Shure treble has never been liquidy smooth.  Always kind of nasally.  I prefer SE530 to the SE535 even with the rolled off treble.
 
And the E4 was such a great single driver.  My first great IEM.  Shure has certainly not faired well with the multi-driver (except the lone SE530) IEM's.

 

[SoundFreaq]

I second trying the Westone 4. The highs are lush and smooth, still very present and highly detailed, but never sibilant. The mids are beautiful, and the bass is of high quality. They have slightly less bass impact than the Shure sans EQ, but if you're willing to use some EQ, trust me, the W4 will satisfy the basshead in you. 

 

[joelk2]

if you enjoy the TF10's sound why change? why not use the cash and get them made into customs?

 

[Krisman]

Thanks guys! Appreciate the input....
 
The only thing the TF10s lack for me is detail. They have a balanced sound which I like. The remind me of my Sennheiser HD650 headphones in that no part of the spectrum is elevated.
 
I would love to do a swap with someone with Westones for a week just to see how they sound. I am in the UK and there are not many places that stock them, let alone have any you can actually try out!

 

[Chris_Himself]

I HATE anything with an artificial treble rolloff (the shrill grainy treble). It's like shaving the treble off just to make it seem more warm and organic artificially.
 
The muddy sound you're describing is what happens when you have a forced treble cutoff and enhanced mids. It's hard to pick stuff apart.
 
As for bass, it's got enough, it's probably a fit thing or you're used to headphones. The TF10 is not balanced, they're the polar opposite of the SE535 which is why you must hate this so much going from the TF10. TF10 has boosted treble and bass and the mids aren't recessed, but they're just not boosted. It's what makes them more exciting and possibly more accurate sounding.
 
If you want something in between, go UM3X or even better, Earsonics SM3v2. I love both of those IEM's.