Well.....
After I had found back my SE535 I was able to do a comparison SE535 vs. SE846. Obviously the 846 was going to win but there's definitely something to say about bang-for-buck ratio. Whereas I found the
SE215 really outstanding for only 100 bucks, the SE535, 4 times the price of the SE215 isn't really 4 times better. Just noticeable better in clarity and soundstage.
Same goes for the SE846. 2 times the price of the SE535 but ... not 2 times better. There are a few things that I've noticed:
- The SE535 has an overal thin base at given moments and lacks warmth because of that. Yet it's extremely clear in the mid range and great for vocals. I am not saying they haven't any base and that they're cold as ice, they just aren't base heavy.
- The SE846 is definitely a better pair and can be really breath taking when listening to some specific songs. I really enjoyed London Grammar because it's so smooth in the mids while having that warm low frequency at the same time. Also classic rock music like Queen. I have listened to a lot of genres and found the SE846 superior for all genres. Classical music sounds outstanding on the SE846.
Let me walk you trough some songs and what I have noticed
Queen - Save Me
0:00 - 46:00 Very clear vocals for both the SE535 and SE846. The SE535 is slightly brighter and perhaps a little bit more detailed than the SE846. But the SE535 lacks some warmth here because of having no serious lows. It only has 3 drivers. The SE846 has a fifth for "true sub-woofer performance".
0:47: here's where the SE846 comes in. Solid and rich base, not too overpowered with the blue tips. Vocals definitely remain while base is doing it's work. The highs are a little bit tamed here.
1:10 - 1:30 Very nice rounded base for the SE846 but a little bit too much for my taste. I think. The SE535 does a very good job here, actually!
Toto - Arica.
This intro is really my benchmark for base. The SE846 is one hell of a swaggerer here. It's tight, it's heavy, it's aggressive, it's tangible. The SE535 does a very good job here too but quite modest. Some may even prefer the submissiveness of the SE535 here. Again, it's good base, just a little bit on the thin side and not so pounding as the SE846
London Grammar - Strong
0:18 - 0:43 - SE846 really shines. VERY warm and nice base.
0:42: base comes in and leaves immediately. Hannah Reid starts singing. This is the ultimate clarity test. Here's where I am not very impressed by the SE846 over the SE535. Vocals are obviously extremely sweet but the SE535 holds up very well because it doesn't need to show off base performance here. There isn't a very significant difference in sound quality here. SE535 has slightly more clarity here. The 846 just enhances the overal vocal experience with added warmth, which sometimes, in sake of the mids and highs. Of course this can be tweaked with custom filters and EQ.
So overal I can say that the SE846 are definitely better which is not a surprise because it's $400 vs. $999. SE535 will never beat the SE846 in terms of overal experience but it holds up really really well when it comes down to clarity and vocal quality. Again the SE846 surely can sound even better than the SE535 if you swap the filters to your taste and doing some AMP/EQ tuning.
But it's not that the SE846 puts the SE535 to shame. Most of the songs I have listened to did sound a lot better because of the SE846 base and warmth However, there are songs that did sound annoying on the SE846 because the base can be slightly growling. But that's more the way a song is mastered. Like some fellow mentioned earlier, the SE846 can be really dependent on the input. with the SE535 on the other hand sometimes you wished there was slightly more base at certain moments.
Overall.. After listening to the 846 for 4 days, I found that the SE535 sounded somewhat thin, which obviously is because of all of the bad ass base I have listened to. But I didn't feel the need to keep the SE846 either. It's a hell of a bruiser when it comes down to lows while maintaining mids and highs like a champ, but it's not worth the additional $600!! Especially when it comes down to vocals, the SE535 isn't far ahead at all. There may be people who actually prefer the SE535 for vocals. Again, the SE846 can be a little too much sometimes and really exhausting for your ears! I had to give my ears some serious rest after 2 hours of SE846!
ANYWAY! Just my 2 cents people.
Notes: All songs I've listened to were ripped straight from CD into ALAC! Songs above I listened on my Macbook Pro on iTunes without EQ and without any additional sound processor other than my Macbook.
Peace out
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