[Robgo]

Want to echo what Zool was saying. I've been using the brown dampers all day and I feel they also are too boomy/muddy. You lose clarity and impact of individual instruments. It's too warm. I have a fairly bright source with the HRT Microstreamer but it's still too warm. The sound reminds me of wood housed IEM's I've used in the past and a bit like Axiom speakers I've used as well. (Wood housed with metal drivers). Low mids are pushed forward and there is too much of a veil on things like vocals or string vibration. Much less depth and separation is what I'm finding. I've been listening to everything from Metal to slow Acoustic folk music and it's not making any genre sound better to me.
 
I'm using the greys dampers now and prefer them. I like the clarity and separation. Hearing little things like string vibration on the bass does it for me. With the grey dampers I'm drawn into the music. Maybe a placebo effect but I was finding the stock plastic dampers fatiguing (which is why I tried the brown dampers first) however I don't seem to be getting that with the greys. I'll give these a day and see how I like them overall.
 
 

  i stick them with glue (UHU) just add a very little with a toothpick just at the entrance, and insert the damper
on my 425 i have them glued and half of the damper shows outside.
on my 535 it just sits in site without a problem

 
On my 535 they are a bit loose for my liking. They sit in ok but would come out a little too easy. Maybe if I use a tiny amount of something like dental wax on the damper shell it can give a bit of a better seal

 

[Mmet]

Thanks a lot for all of you guys .... your useful opinions and experiments .... today i removed the stock dampers of my SE535 clear ....  i didn't order any dampers yet ... but i wanted to try it without dampers first ... i removed the stock ones very easily with a needle blunt end without any problems .............. 
 
the sound without the dampers is a bit more airy but fatiguing ... very loud !! ... non differentiated sound stage ... with the stock dampers is better indeed .....
 
i will order the grey,brown & green filters soon ( thinking of red too but worried about the muddiness ) and will update
 
*my main source : Fiio x3 with grey silicon & black foam sleeves 

 

[Marco Angel]

  Thanks a lot for all of you guys .... your useful opinions and experiments .... today i removed the stock dampers of my SE535 clear ....  i didn't order any dampers yet ... but i wanted to try it without dampers first ... i removed the stock ones very easily with a needle blunt end without any problems .............. 
 
the sound without the dampers is a bit more airy but fatiguing ... very loud !! ... non differentiated sound stage ... with the stock dampers is better indeed .....
 
i will order the grey,brown & green filters soon ( thinking of red too but worried about the muddiness ) and will update
 
*my main source : Fiio x3 with grey silicon & black foam sleeves 

Yeah, i used my se535 (now sold) with the brown filters, very good sounding but having like an 10% of slight muddiness. it was directly with my dx50 (a little bit brighter than the x3) so i guess the grey will be the ones (maybe the browns) its all about taste and what you are willing to sacrifice with high ohm filters
 
Share your comments once your filters arrive!!

 

[Mmet]

 
Yeah, i used my se535 (now sold) with the brown filters, very good sounding but having like an 10% of slight muddiness. it was directly with my dx50 (a little bit brighter than the x3) so i guess the grey will be the ones (maybe the browns) its all about taste and what you are willing to sacrifice with high ohm filters
 
Share your comments once your filters arrive!!

thanks for your reply .... i will indeed but some people here complained that the dampers don't fit in the tube of the iem and it is a bit loose !! why was that ?? 

 

[kokolino23]

I'm wondering where can I get a replacement cable for 535s. Would shure replace them if they're out of warranty? I don't know how long it's the warranty for them though

 

[Marco Angel]

get the Fiio cable for the shures, they are quite well made, good looking and improves the sound too =)

 

[Mmet]

i am thinking of changing cable too ... but after the damper mod ... i am considering  Effect audio cables but there are cables from 50$ to 300 $ or more !!!!!!! why is that ??!! is the 300$ cable improve the sound that much or what ? 

 

[Robgo]

  get the Fiio cable for the shures, they are quite well made, good looking and improves the sound too =)

I have the fiio cable. TBH it's not very good. It's very stiff and has bad microphonics because of the design. It also doesn't work very well with my dac because the way the plug is designed. 
 
I tested it next to the stock shure cable for sound quality. It's probably placebo but I thought the stock shure cable sounded better. I'm still using the Fiio cable for the time being but have a stock shure cable on the way. You can buy the shure cables from Amazon and ebay. I've read some reviews for designer cables and there are a lot of complaints, so I've just gone to stock cables again (my original stock cable broke on one of the over the ear parts). 

 

[B0nk3r5]

Hi Folks,
 
This is my first post. I have watched this thread (and others) with a lot of interest.
 
I have ordered the Knowles grey, brown and white dampers, however my 535's are only a couple of months old and I am wondering if changing the dampers would invalidate my warranty.
 
I am using double flange contour tips and my sources are HTC One (M7), equalizer pro (to lift the highs a little)and Qobuz (streaming). I do have Flacs locally that i play using poweramp or default music player and Equalizer pro.
 
I must admit I like these IEM's however I feel my sources isnt doing them any justice, and I do experience a bit of hiss when EQ-ing. I bought the dampers so that i can use the grey ones to lift the highs and add more clarity so I can stop using the EQ. I am not a basehead and feel there is enough in these IEMs to suit me. I prefer detail to migrane.
 
I wouldnt mind hearing from someone who also uses the HTC one as a source, as i would appreciate any tips on eq, apps or anything in general that would enhance my experience. I am open to suggested other sources. I apologise if this isnt the right thread but need advice on the dampers first.
 
Thank you,
 
B0nk3r5

 

[Mmet]

  Hi Folks,
 
This is my first post. I have watched this thread (and others) with a lot of interest.
 
I have ordered the Knowles grey, brown and white dampers, however my 535's are only a couple of months old and I am wondering if changing the dampers would invalidate my warranty.
 
I am using double flange contour tips and my sources are HTC One (M7), equalizer pro (to lift the highs a little)and Qobuz (streaming). I do have Flacs locally that i play using poweramp or default music player and Equalizer pro.
 
I must admit I like these IEM's however I feel my sources isnt doing them any justice, and I do experience a bit of hiss when EQ-ing. I bought the dampers so that i can use the grey ones to lift the highs and add more clarity so I can stop using the EQ. I am not a basehead and feel there is enough in these IEMs to suit me. I prefer detail to migrane.
 
I wouldnt mind hearing from someone who also uses the HTC one as a source, as i would appreciate any tips on eq, apps or anything in general that would enhance my experience. I am open to suggested other sources. I apologise if this isnt the right thread but need advice on the dampers first.
 
Thank you,
 
B0nk3r5

congratulations on your 2 purchases the iem & filters 

  i ordered too  the grey, brown , green & red .... but it will take a bit time because i am importing it and not available in my country .... when i get it and test i will update here 
 
 About the warranty i guess yes it voids it so be careful when removing and installing .... if you can reach the etymotic replacing filter tool the job will be easier ... i don't have it and succeeded to remove them without damage and installed them again as a test 

 my shures are relatively new too ..
 
 for more sound quality ... i think you would benefit from an external DAC and amp unit(s) for example : JDS LABS C5D is a very good option and there are a lot of expensive ones out there and all are nice .. and more sound quality and less to no hiss ... in my case i go for a dedicated player way 
 
 also give the grey silicon sleeves a try ... they could help the treble a bit ... i know they can be quite annoying at first 

 

[B0nk3r5]

Couldnt get a seal with those sleeves. Struggled to get a seal with anything other than Shure large foamies and the flange types. Found the triple flanges to be too muffled and the large foamies stripped out a lot of treble. Cant get a seal with the complys either and I really dont have big ears lol.
 
Will have a look at the external DAC and amp units, thanks for the tip. A little concerned at losing my warranty if i make a mess of removing the stock dampers, I understand that a lot of people shred them when trying to remove. Might be a show stopper if I cant get rouind that, though I know that when the dampers come I will probably change them anyway

.
 
Will I still be able to stream from Qobuz (worst android app ever but good tunes.) if I go with an external DAC?
 
Thanks,
 
B0nk3r5

 

[Mmet]

For silicon sleeves you may try westone star tips ..many people uses it with shure and they said they got a better seal and better treble

I don't know about qobuz app thing .. But you can ask in jds labs c5d forum about that ..if you can make it with jds labs you can make it with any other one because they work the same way

 

[B0nk3r5]

Thank you I will give that a try

 

[Mmet]

You are welcome.. good luck and happy listening

 

[B0nk3r5]

Dampers arrived yesterday and as I predicted I waived all warranty caution to the wind and installed the greys.
 
I have to say at first I was in awe of the highs and the detail was absolutely amazing..but...All the base has gone. Now I dont like a lot of base but wanted to retain the base that stock provided. I almost reached for the EQ and had to force myself to stop

 
I am assuming, and this is my question, that the tips I am using to bring out the highs (double flange contour tip) are the main reason for the base drop off and not the fault of the grey dampers?
 
I am willing to try the white and brown dampers but dont want to lose the highs in order to bring the base back, Perhaps new sleeves (I ordered the stars as reccomended previously)? Or do I apply a little EQ (sorry!) to bring the base up a bit, though I am trying to avoid this.
 
I put the dampers in filter side down so I can remove them easily, Will putting them in the other way change the SQ at all? I dont mind doing this, though I am aware I may /absolutely will damage them if I need to remove them agan, but at a pound odds a damper Im not really bothered as they are so cheap.
 
My wife has the same IEM's and had a listen of mine yesterday and she now wants the upgrade. She didnt try listening to dance music though and I think she might be a little dissapointed if I dont find the stock base level again before ripping her stock filters out.
 
Thanks for all your help with this.
 
B0nk3r5