[ProjectDenz]

Quote:

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.

Pretty much summed up my thoughts and experiences.
 

 

[Krisman]

Thanks for the feedback! Reeaaaallly want to try the Westones after all the things I have read.
 
Will keep the Shures for a couple more weeks and see how I get on with time but if I can get my hands on some Westones in those couple of weeks I cannot wait to do a comparison!

 

[guhmo]

Quote:

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!

The U shaped signature of the TF10 probably appeals more to the mainstream public ;p
 
And oh yes, you (hopefully) won't be disappointed by the Westones

 

[Chris_Himself]

Mids are really the meat of the music though I can see why Shure did what they did. It just doesn't translate into the IEM environment well when you don't give the mids room to breathe like the headphones that are mid-centric (HD650, HD598, Grado, LCD-2, HE-500) so it'll all sound blockaded. The multi driver custom IEM's use black magic to fix this which is the only way I can explain how they sound open yet are even more closed off than the triple drivers (lots of drivers firing through a tiny sound tube)

 

[Spyro]

But if you tend to listen to music on the loud side a forward midrange or midrange-centric IEM will be pretty fatiguing.  The U-shaped or V-shaped sound sigs are much more forgiving in this regard.

 

[Swiftay]

I have the 535s at the moment and I don't really feel I get the same sort of shrill you speak of. Maybe it is more the fact you came from the TF10 sound sig. It might also be fit, as others have suggested. However I'm still using the medium sized tips that came with it. (I liked those tups so much I bought another 10 of them lol).
 
Also, the best IEM will always be subjective.

 

[KimChee]

UM3x had the best instrument seperation Ive ever heard in a universal.  It had better microdetails and more bass, than TF10, but I didn't like the treble-it wasn't prominent enough, and the ss was so closed in I didn't like that much either..

 

[Azathoth]

If I bought the SE535 at their current price ($450-550), I'd be disappointed too. I think they should just be at the $300ish range to be a good value, because I quite like their deliciously lush mids and they have this knack of just letting you enjoy the music in an easygoing manner and not search for the areas where they do fall short.

 

[Rakan]

Quote:

If I bought the SE535 at their current price ($450-550), I'd be disappointed too. I think they should just be at the $300ish range to be a good value, because I quite like their deliciously lush mids and they have this knack of just letting you enjoy the music in an easygoing manner and not search for the areas where they do fall short.

i think so too, at the price of 550$, SE535 didnt impress me at all.
 
@krisman : i suggest you try the Phonak 232 

 

[Krisman]

Quote:

i think so too, at the price of 550$, SE535 didnt impress me at all.
 
@krisman : i suggest you try the Phonak 232 
 
Will do, just bought some Westone UM3Xs and I am liking them so far. Great 'big' sound with nice detail and deep bass extension. Not as 'sparkly' on the highs as the 535s but for long term listening that is not bad thing. Getting my ear impressions made next week to get some custom sleeves made. Looking forward to hearing the results....

 

 

[Matt head 777]

on the goldenears.net website the westones don't seem too impressive.

 

[Krisman]

Quote:

on the goldenears.net website the westones don't seem too impressive.

Any website that has the slogan 'Truthful review based on measured data' is immedialtely suspicious. Would I buy a car purely based on 0-60 times or other precise measured data.....err no.
 
The Westones have arrived and they give me a lot more satisfaction, even with the crappy hard rubber tips. The Shures will never be able to justify their price tag I am afraid, measured data or not.
 

 

[Matt head 777]

should also say westone seem a popular brand.

 

[ianmedium]

I have the TF10's and have tried the Shures, both old and new, can't speak for the westones as I have never heard a set. I also have ER4S's Victor FX500's and just recently FAD's Heaven S.

As a personal preference I find multi driver IEM's unless very well executed to be on the whole muddled. The Heaven S's are so far the best IEM's I have heard. Razor sharp detail, absolutely zero smearing of instruments, deep, tight bass, liquid mids and once burned in extended and crystaline treble.

I now find the TF10's all but unlistenable due to their muddled and veiled nature in comparison to other IEM's and in particular the FAD's. If you want clean, clear and accurate musical presentation with bags of emotion I would seriously take a look at the FAD's. The don't win on HIFI nerd bragging rights of multiple drivers but what you do get is thoughtful design, superb quality and excellent driver matching! Oh, and the build quality puts the plastic IEM's to shame!

 

[guhmo]

Quote:

 
The Westones have arrived and they give me a lot more satisfaction, even with the crappy hard rubber tips. The Shures will never be able to justify their price tag I am afraid, measured data or not.
 

Glad you're enjoying the Westones.  Try them with the Shure Olives, I find that they make the Westones better all-round.