[GSurge]

Hi, I haven't had much luck searching for this problem. A few people complaining about it, but no solutions. The right cup is much, much quieter than the left. It also appears to be missing the little white mesh piece that is present in the other nozzle. I used the little cleaning tool to check for wax, but no go. I tried using them without the extension cable just to be sure, but it's the same. I also used a different source, same result.

Any ideas? Has this happened to anyone else?

 

[camaro322hp]

I've had 2 pairs of SCL3's go bad in the past year for that exact same reason. One side goes quieter than the other. There is no wax buildup, and I cleaned them out the best I can, but no luck.

Hopefully you're still under warranty. My 2 pairs were replaced without question by Shure.

 

[ccfoodog]

Try massaging the cable near the plug and see if it changes. My original 500s had a cable issue there in addition to the cracked cable issue.

It seems if the quiet side is the one w/o the filter, that there might be wax inside where you can't reach.

As Camaro suggests, in either case, probably the best solution is to get Shure to repair/replace. There is a form on their web site that you fill out and return to them with the units.

-john

 

[spinali]

More Shure cable problems. They just don't stop. If you're not in warranty, I'd love to know how to recable these sorry things.

 

[IEM_DOCTOR]

This problem is normally not a defect in workmanship for any IEM regardless of manufacturer. Sound loss is mostly attributed to the amount of earwax clogging the nozzles or even condensation saturating the mesh dampers in the nozzles (these dampers should be bright white and NO OTHER COLOR)

When sound loss occurs you should first remove the sleeve and check the nozzle for debris, if the damper is intact and bright white without discoloration you should let them sit out for approx. 48 hours to dry as condesation could have entered the nozzle during or after use. Sound loss is a preventable issue, if the IEM's are cleaned on a regular basis (after use) this problem will not happen. If the earphones are used an not cleaned, over time this problem may become more and more apparent.

Most customers experiencing this issue will complain of hearing less sound in one ear opposed to the other, some hear no sound at all. Over time the sound will deteriorate more and more if not cleaned and the earphones will seem like they are failing, example: hearing 25% less sound in left vs. right earbud.

Shure is very generous regarding this issue and is known to replace products with sound loss due to earwax issue's without question, however this is not a defect and is not covered under Shure's two year warranty.

Shure provides a cleaning tool with every purchase and this tool is expected to be used on a regular basis to prevent this issue.

++++++++++++++++++++

If you are hearing mild distortion in your earphones along with less sound the problem is most likely due to shock of some kind (dropping the earphones or banging them against something on accident). If you are hearing distortion along with less sound you should send your product to Shure for replacement if your product is covered under Shure's two year warranty. If you purchased your product from E-bay your earphones may not be covered under the warranty, you can e-mail shure to check warranty validity at support@shure.com

Cheers,
The IEM DOC

 

[Sr.Burns]

It's a cable problem, a lot of Shures and UEs have these...

 

[IEM_DOCTOR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sr.Burns /img/forum/go_quote.gif It's a cable problem, a lot of Shures and UEs have these...

Actually sound loss without distortion is very far from a cable problem! A cable problem would sound like an intermittent connection or you would have lots of distortion coupled with the sound loss. Cable problems that would cause sound loss will normally start with an intermittent connection that is very apparent while listening to music, then after a while the sound may be completely gone.

Sound loss is still not due to cable issues, unless distortion is present then there is a possibility that the cables caused the sound loss, however this is normally not the case.

 

[ILikeMusic]

Yes, almost certainly not a cable problem, which would cause a total and intermittent outage (which could probably be triggered by manipulating the cable) rather than a continuous reduction in sound.

If you are totally missing the white mesh piece (the filter) then you will probably have to go to Shure for service. For others with this problem (but having the phones intact in all other ways) I can suggest what has worked for me when I had a similar problem (caused by wax contamination of the filter)... I place a drop of denatured alcohol in the tip and let it soak for a few minutes to dissolve the wax, then draw it out again with a tissue. You may need to repeat this several times, but it has always been effective for me. BTW if any alcohol gets into the driver it may produce little or no sound for a while, but fear not... let it sit for a while to let the alcohol evaporate and things will return to normal.

Under no circumstances should you physically touch or rub the filter which can damage it. My personal opinion is that Shure (and UE) products should have user replaceable filters like Etymotic line, but what can I say...

 

[bryanh]

I had this problem with my SE210s and cleaning one of the nozzles with the supplied cleaning tool sorted it oit.

 

[Colmyster]

Guys
 
I know this thread started a long time ago but I am one happy camper.  I read your comments and decided to try and fix my SE530s which were quiet in the right ear...... success! I fixed them.
 
I had left mine in my car on a very hot day 36C. Suddenly they had gone quiet. 
 
The trick, I think, is that the diffuser, the little white thing you can see when you look down the inside of the tube is there to stop the ear wax going into the unit. The ear wax must have melted into it.  The trick is to use a very small screwdriver like you would use for spectacles, I used a 1.4mm Stanley.  The diffuser is housed at the bottom of a small metal sleeve.  Dont push down on the white part but put the screwdriver into the metal tube, push to the side and drag it up and out.  If it does not want to come heat the unit with a hairdryer then try again.  Take the tube and diffuser unit and put it into a cup with near boiling water and shake it about for a few minutes.  Dry it off insert it back in, dont push down on the inside white part but the top end of the metal tube and dont push too hard. Shazam, sorted headphones and back to the best sound going.
 
Hope this works for you.

 

[nedzo]

Quote:

Guys
 
I know this thread started a long time ago but I am one happy camper.  I read your comments and decided to try and fix my SE530s which were quiet in the right ear...... success! I fixed them.
 
I had left mine in my car on a very hot day 36C. Suddenly they had gone quiet. 
 
The trick, I think, is that the diffuser, the little white thing you can see when you look down the inside of the tube is there to stop the ear wax going into the unit. The ear wax must have melted into it.  The trick is to use a very small screwdriver like you would use for spectacles, I used a 1.4mm Stanley.  The diffuser is housed at the bottom of a small metal sleeve.  Dont push down on the white part but put the screwdriver into the metal tube, push to the side and drag it up and out.  If it does not want to come heat the unit with a hairdryer then try again.  Take the tube and diffuser unit and put it into a cup with near boiling water and shake it about for a few minutes.  Dry it off insert it back in, dont push down on the inside white part but the top end of the metal tube and dont push too hard. Shazam, sorted headphones and back to the best sound going.
 
Hope this works for you.

 
Amazing.  I had a pair of Shure SE530s that were significantly quieter in the left ear.  I had tried cleaning out the wax, sucking & blowing (not recommended I now see) to no avail.  Now they sound perfectly balanced thanks to you, kudos brother.
 
Also I found a 1.4mm flathead jewellers screwdriver to be perfect for removing the metal tube.

 

[wotblake]

This thread just saved me hundreds of dollars. Thanks everyone, especially Colmyster. My 530's were about to go in the trash. 

 

[willbeeston]

Hey guys,
 
I was having this same problem so I took the metal tube and filter out and cleaned them. I managed to lose the filter in doing so and having searched my floor endlessly I cannot find it... I am now using them again and the sound is good (slightly less bass from the right one, although this could be me imagining this), the left one with the filter as normal and the right one with no filter. Should there be any noticeable sound differences between the one with the filter still intact and the one without a filter? And is it safe to use the right headphone without a filter?
 
Any replies would be much appreciated.

 

[angrycustomer]

This year I came into a bit of money and wanted to reward myself with really nice headphones. I have used good headphones for years, but always stayed in the 100-150 buck range.

After some days of intense research I decided to buy the shure 535 headphones.

On day 2 of use, after about 90 minutes of total playing time, the right earphone went almost completely quiet.

Let me be the first to say that whatever the reason, this is completely and 100 % inacceptable. I have used headphones for decades now, and not a single one of those cheaper ones had that problem.

I dont want headphones that I have to maintain for two hours after one hour of use. This is not a top fuel dragster, these are headphones.

The reason might in fact be build up of wax, but the you effing morons have to find a solution for that!

This obviously is a known problem, and these things cost way too much for this kind of design flaw to appear.

I have been using them for about two weeks now, and since yesterday the right speaker is quiet again. For the third time....

I guess I will have to switch to sennheiser, they seem to know what they are doing.

Oh and an official shure rep coming here and telling us that our damned ears are in fact at fault ist borderline ridiculous.

Anyway, I just had to vent and write this. I have never spent so much on headphones, and that is why my dissapontment over this really stupendous design flaw is so big.

I really hope to hear of an official fix for this!!!

 

[onebigunion]

  Hey guys,
 
I was having this same problem so I took the metal tube and filter out and cleaned them. I managed to lose the filter in doing so and having searched my floor endlessly I cannot find it... I am now using them again and the sound is good (slightly less bass from the right one, although this could be me imagining this), the left one with the filter as normal and the right one with no filter. Should there be any noticeable sound differences between the one with the filter still intact and the one without a filter? And is it safe to use the right headphone without a filter?
 
Any replies would be much appreciated.

Yes, it is safe.  When I owned the 530, I removed both the filters, and thougth the sound improved dramatically, as it at least had some semblance of treble extension without the filters.  You do have to be careful not to get wax down in the body of the earphone though.