This is my first post on Head-Fi. I've been a lurker for a few months now and have purchased a couple of items on the 'For Sale / Trade' forum. I've also interacted with a few of the folks selling gear and have had some very enjoyable 'back and forths'. This is a GREAT site and the depth of knowledge accumulated by the members is incredible. Very nice and very friendly people too and I've learned a LOT of really useful and very helpful things here. THANK YOU, one and all, for every word you post!
Since I've had some experience with both the latest and greatest of nearly every version of the Shure SE535, I thought I'd provide some information on what I've learned, at least some of which might be relevant to this thread. In a few cases, I've seen mention of the SE535LTD-J and it NOT being equipped with 'filters'. I have current and past experience/ownership of the SE535 (bronze US version), the SE535LTD (red US version), SE535LTD-J (red Asian/Japan version) and the SE535LTD-CHN (red Asian/Chinese version). The last two (LTD-J and LTD-CHN) are both made in China, regardless of what it might say on the box or in the title/description. They are also among the versions referred to (globally) as Shure's "International Versions", many of which are and having been appearing on Amazon and other sites.
You can read all about those versions on Shure's Asia website @ www.shureasia.com, if you are so inclined. I was curious as to whether that website really is owned and operated by Shure, so I ran a 'WhoIs' lookup on the domain. The domain admin and Registrant Organization is indeed Shure Incorporated, 5800 West Touhy Avenue, Niles, IL 60714-4608. So, it's the real deal and if you have any doubts that the various "International Versions" of Shure's IEMs are fake or not, they are actually the real thing. They're just not made for the US market. There is even a link to the Asia website on Shure's main webpage at www.shure.com.
So, should the question ever pop up in conversation or thread, the answer is 'YES' --- there really are TWO distinctly different versions of ALL of Shure's IEMs; one version is made for the US market and the other version is made for the Asia market. Shure also has a website for their Europe, Middle East and Africa markets (link on their main page), but I haven't looked at that (or those) site(s) or checked whether or not there are also separate/different European, Middle East and/or African versions of their IEMs. Somehow, I don't think there are. Just a hunch.
Of the Asian / International Versions I've seen so far (SE535LTD-J and SE535LTD-CHN), both of which I purchased brand new in sealed boxes, NEITHER of those two IEMs came equipped with filters/dampers in the nozzles, and in fact, the ID (Internal Diameter) of the nozzles are smaller than the US version of the SE535 (LTD.or otherwise) By the way, some of the Asia versions of Shure's IEMs come in black and in blue. One of the pictures I've seen (on Amazon, I think) of the US version of the SE535LTD shows a breakdown of the various parts and pieces that comprise a single earpiece. It's kind of an 'exploded' view. It's not immediately visible but if you look closely, you can see the filter/damper between the nozzle and the ear tip (sleeve) shown in that picture. The US version also comes with TWO cables; one standard cable and one with cell phone controls, along with all the other accessories that ALL the US made SE535s come with; 1/4" adapter, volume control, sleeves, case, etc.
The Asia / International Version, however, comes with only ONE cable (black or gray) that does not have the cell phone controls on it. It also does not come with either the yellow foam or the white triple flange sleeves (ear tips). They do, however, come with all the other accessories. And again, there are no filters/dampers in the nozzles AND the internal diameter of the nozzles is smaller than the ID of the US made SE535. The plus side of the Asian / International Versions of the SE535LTD is that they are (in many cases) HALF the price of the US versions, IF you consider that a plus.
So, what does all this mean? Well, for starters, the Knowles .208 diameter 'dampers' will NOT fit in the nozzles of the Asia / International Version of the SE535LTD. While Knowles does indeed manufacture and sell smaller diameter dampers, I have no idea which size might fit the Asian / International Version of the SE535LTD. I wasn't curious enough to order any in the two smaller diameters I saw listed on DigiKey and sent back both the NON-US SE535LTD IEMs for full refunds. I happened to have a bunch of .208 Knowles dampers on hand and there just wasn't any way to insert them into the smaller diameter nozzles. I didn't try hard enough to break anything, which is fortunate (for me), but it was immediately apparent that they would NOT fit. Not even close.
Sound quality wise, however, they (the Asia / International Version SE535LTD) were very good. I only tried the 'stock' cable(s) on each briefly, and it was terrible. I swapped out the stock cable for my Moon Audio Sliver Dragon cable, and it sounded remarkably good on both those 'Asian' IEMs, although not good enough to keep them. They have a completely different sound signature than the US market IEMs But, if you want to save some money and IF you're okay with the Chinese versions AND you have a good quality cable to attach to them AND you're okay with NOT doing any filter/damper rolling, unless of course you want to spend the additional money to figure out which (specific) version / diameter of the Knowles dampers MIGHT fit in those nozzles, then obviously, you get what you get AND what you pay for. I knew I had something non-standard (meaning non US made) almost immediately and sent them both back to the sellers. And yes, I did get full refunds.
My US made SE535 is the bronze version and my US made 535LTD is red. Both came with dampers/filters/wax guards (no idea what they're REALLY called) already installed. I ordered two complete sets (plus spares) of Knowles dampers from Digikey (I think), along with the Etymotic damper / filter extraction tool, which, by the way, works remarkably well. I've never tried any other method of removing the filters, so I can't comment on what others have done. The tool fits perfectly inside the SE535 nozzle and after a couple of quick clockwise twists to 'capture' the filter, they just pop right out. It takes all of about 10 seconds (if that) to remove one and it's a totally NON-destructive process. Also, the tool comes with 4 new white (external case color) filters, all of which look identical to the stock Shure SE535 filters. I have no idea if they are (internally) or not, but they really do look identical, right down to the black line that circles the white casing.
The OBVIOUS benefit of purchasing the Etymotic tool is that if you already dug out your stock filters and, like most people have done, destroyed them in the process, AND if your SE535 is still under warranty and you need to send it back for service .... well, I'm sure you can see where the Etymotic tool and the 4 filters (they come in a small tube with a cap on it) might come in VERY handy. I bought the tool + filters on Amazon for about 11 bucks, and although my stock filters are still in perfect condition (after extracting them), it at least LOOKS like I have some spares. It's highly doubtful that I'll ever actually use them, but maybe some day I'll put them back in and then compare the sound to that of the filters the Etymotic tool came with, just out of curiosity. IF I do that (don't hold your breath), I'll post my results.
My bronze SE535 IEMs have had the brown, gray and white Knowles dampers in them. I'm using my Silver Dragon cable (2.5mm TRRS balanced version) with them, which sounds best with the gray Knowles dampers (to my ears). My LTDs have the white version in them, just for something different, and I'm using the stock cable with it. I'm driving my bronze SE535s with my Cayin N5 DAP, via the balanced output. I also have the Cayin C5 portable headphone amp, although the SE535 is pretty efficient and I don't normally use the C5 unless I'm driving my AKG K712 Pro cans or some other low-efficiency IEM or headphone. Mostly though, I keep my SE535s plugged into the Cayin N5 balanced output, which sounds fantastic. I listen primarily to DSD64, DSD128 and 24-bit/192KHz FLAC files, all of which sound incredible through my SE535 IEMs. It's a really great combination of everything; modded SE535 w/ gray Knowles dampers, Silver Dragon cable, Cayin N5 DAP and about 240GB of high resolution music files.
All things considered, the US made SE535 is probably your best bet. I've seen them used (on Head-Fi) for as little as $200 (with no accessories), although average used prices hover around $250 to $275 or so. Considering that's HALF the price of a new pair AND that you can pick up a used Silver Dragon cable (or something else just as good, if not better) for around $100 (or less), total outlay plus the Knowles dampers and Etymotic tool is pretty reasonable. At least I think it is. Just make sure you can return anything that doesn't work out for you and ASK LOTS OF QUESTIONS before you take the leap!.
Cheers!
AL
