[Spyro]

I owned the SE535 when first released back in 2010.  Enjoyed them for 6+ months before I sold them for no real reason other than to explore and help fund other high end IEM's.  I just purchased another pair because I was intrigued to use with my Westone "star" tips.  Wow!  It's a match made in heaven.  Absolutely love it.  I want to take a couple days to experiment with all kinds of music and amped versus un-amped etc. and will report back with direct comparisons with the other above IEM's in a day or two.  Most here know I am a huge Westone fanboy so I think I can give fair comparisons.
 
In the mean time, one of our great contributors here on Head-Fi posted a really great and insightful comparison with W4 on Earphone Solutions website.  I really haven't heard this type of comparison here on HF but I agree with him 100%.  (but I actually like the cord...virtually tangle proof)
 
From our friend "Imackler":
 
"The W4 is stellar. Seriously. And the SE535 could learn from it. The W4's bass is super clean and treble well extended, though in comparison its mids are still a little dull for my taste.While the W4 is technically very impressive, the SE535 moves my heart more. Subjectively, I can say the SE535 is about the music; it's not just that it's "fun" but that it's emotional, while still faithful to the source material. It's clean and yet powerful. The W4 is too restrained, almost emotionally stunted. It's not that the W4 is analytical...it's just missing passion. The SE535 oozes passion. The W4 strikes me as more about doing everything perfectly. I'm not dissing it. The W4 is awesome, but it draws in more of my mind and,  in comparison to the SE535, leaves my heart alone. It's a museum not a show.   Comparing them, I feel like I'm comparing to recordings of the same classical piece. One performer manages technical precision but is still a little...boring and uninvolving. Another performer can play with restraint and still make you weep. The second is the SE535. It is a beautiful thing.   To me, the SE535's biggest hindrance is still the cord. I'm slowly getting used to the ear guide, which I find just uncomfortable... One thing I do like about [SE535's] ergonomics in contrast to the W4 is that the earpiece is longer and not as shallow as the W4's, making it easier to get a seal. I have no idea why the W4's stalk is so short..."

 

 

[Spyro]

Just a couple quick things.  The SE535 has a nice big thick meaty presentation.  Wanna add bass EQ?  go ahead...it won't distort.  Wanna turn it up?  go ahead...it won't distort.   Can handle any volume or EQ without breaking a sweat.  Reminds me of JH16 in this regard.  Such a simple thing.  I wish more IEM's would be this way, especially when you are spending +$300.  This is very important to me but may not be for others.
 
It's more neutral than I remember.  Audiophiles go ahead and cringe but I am actually using "rock" setting on the Ipod which boosts bass and treble with zero distortion.  This makes the forward mids not quite as forward and makes everything a little more "electrifying."   Nothing laid back about it.  This IEM is for people that want to turn it up, rock out, toe tap, air guitar (or drum) and just get an adrenaline rush from the music with truly exceptional clarity.  Through very extensive beta testing Earphone Solutions does rank SE535 as THE BEST IEM in their vast product range.  Having said that I would rank it as good as it gets for virtually every type of music except classical because SE535 presentation is a raw, "live" kind of sound.
 
 
As efficient as it is (using with Ipod Classic) I definitely notice some increased clarity when paired with my Ibasso T3 analog.  (I used "unamped" back in 2010).
 
 
So "star" tips + amp immediately make SE535 a better IEM....much better clarity being the main thing.
 
More to come later....

 

[imackler]

Thanks for the kind quote, Spyro! I may have actually wrote that on headfi way back and I think Flavio asked to post it to the website.
 
Its funny I've been back and forth between the SE535 and W4 a few times over the last couple years. Eventually, the SE535 became the easy choice. Now to be honest, I have a Sennheiser HD600; the Senn's do amazing w/ string quartets, and well, all strings really. Classical quartets was always the Achilles heel for me w/ the SE535. Now, I've got the SE535 for any time I want to listen to anything...except string quartets (If it weren't for the HD600, maybe I'd have to land on the W4...maybe.) But I'm loving my SE535 again. Just loving them. Great detail, clarity, and nice balance across the frequency range. I agree about the stellar bass; I've always been a strong advocate of the quality bass, though the mids get the most praise.
 
I've been amping them w/ the C5 and I couldn't be happier. The combo is stunning. I'm enjoying everything I'm listening to, and my tastes are pretty diverse.
 
And I agree about the Star Tips. Definitely, the tips I've always looked for; I got a sample set to try what size I wanted and then ordered a full set of the size I liked. (I've always been a L Sony Hybrid guy and I thought the black star tips were a great replacement..well, actually better. Best fit I've ever had in an eartip.)
 
And I have to say, one of the things I love about Shure is the build quality, build quality Shure is so confident about that they post the replacement prices on line if something were to break: $85 an earphone (per side). That's a deal! And that's the out of warranty price. I've asked Westone about their out of warranty prices..and got a mumble, mumble, muble.
 
In the past, I've not been fond of the cable. I've found I like the black cable on the bronze earphone quite a bit more than the white cable on the clear. Maybe if you've stayed away after trying the clear...try the black cable. Its not a night/day difference, but I do find them more comfortable.

 

[Spyro]

Imackler - I agree about the bronze cable.  It seems softer and not as abraisive as the white/grey one I had first time around a few years back.
 
 
(I use EQ with virtually every IEM I have ever owned so these comments are based on tweaking an IEM to my liking.  I try to refrain from saying one is better than another.  This is just my perspective for what I like so DO take that into account)
 
The SE535 soundstage is as large as any other universal I have heard.  I would also say it has the best bass I have heard as well.  Not overdone or bloated or spiked in any way anywhere but when a drum is hit, you certainly hear it.  The timbre is authoritative but doesn’t carry that heaviness quite like a UM3X or W3.  It’s tight and very linear sounding.  In fact the whole presentation sounds quite natural.  Transients are fast with no sluggishness.  All three (3) drivers seem to be tuned very straightforward.  The panning from left to right from where you hear instruments is eerily realistic.  Quite frankly I am having a very hard time coming up with ANYTHING I would change in the sound.  I am really digging it. 
 
Just pointing out the most noteworthy differences……SE535 compared to:
 
 
W4:  This is probably the most difficult description as I would consider W4 my next favorite after SE535.  The W4 lower mid boost provides a very intimate lushness that works best with vocal and acoustic.  SE535 is also lush but seems a little bit less in your face and intimate yet still absolutely glorious with vocals, acoustic, jazz, pop, etc.  SE535 also has better overall clarity.  W4 is the 6” bookshelf speaker and SE535 is the 3-way 8" woofer floor speaker.  I guess I consider W4 a bit more of a niche IEM where SE535 does better across the board and doesn’t sound as bland.
 
UM3X:  SE535 is what I think many wish UM3X sounded more like.  SE535 has a bit less bass, but tighter bass (yes, tighter than UM3X).  I think SE535 treble extends farther as well.  Where UM3X focus is on the midrange and lower register, the SE535 focuses on everything top to bottow.  Then throw in a MUCH larger soundstage and SE535 is clearly the winner here.  While the UM3X has insane instrument separation, the much larger soundstage of SE535 makes this left to right and front to back panning of instruments just sound a lot more natural and not so "boxy" like UM3X.  I will call midrange and vocals a draw.
 
W3:  Was my favorite universal for a long time.  As I got into more vocal music and my experience with W4 made me realize how “artificial” sounding W3 actually was.  Both have pretty big presentations but SE535 sounds much more natural and controlled.  Next to SE535, W3 bass is a mess, midrange is lacking, more treble but plasticky sounding.  I much prefer SE535.
 
UE900:  Did not really care for UE900.  The veil and it’s willingness to distort at even moderate volumes made me return it within a couple days.  Sounded a bit slow and sluggish too.  Just too restrained, delicate and conservative for me.
 
 
[size=11pt]CONCLUSION:  We often throw around “great all-arounder” pretty easily but SE535 really is a great all arounder  IMHO.  Any kind of music, any kind of volume, any kind of EQ’ing….it will do whatever you want it to do and does it effortlessly.  Whether slow acoustic, straight ahead jazz, jazz fusion, rock, metal….SE535 does it all without breaking a sweat.  I think I am the only guy on Head-Fi that likes these cables.  It gives me a great sense of security and I like that they are virtually tangle proof.  A little long but I will deal with that.  With 2 dual drivers, 2 triple drivers and a quad driver in their line-up, I can find something to complain about with each Westone model.  You'd think after covering all those bases one would be perfect for you?   In the case of SE535, I am having a really hard time picking out anything I do NOT like about it at the moment.  Unless you go 3 drivers+ custom....I don't see how Shure can improve upon SE535.  [/size]

 

[InsideTM]

Just wondering, have you had chance to compare the star tips to the other shure tips yet on the 535's? I've been using the triple flange recently, mainly for convenience vs the olives but I also prefer the sound. I'd be very interested in the star tips if they gave similar benefits with less ear violation than the triple flanges.

 

[Spyro]

Quote:

Just wondering, have you had chance to compare the star tips to the other shure tips yet on the 535's? I've been using the triple flange recently, mainly for convenience vs the olives but I also prefer the sound. I'd be very interested in the star tips if they gave similar benefits with less ear violation than the triple flanges.

Because the star tip opening is larger I find the sound a bit more open, a little more treble but no siblance I get with tri-flanges but that can vary from person to person.  It basically sounds like a olive but without the muted treble effects.  Bass is just as plentiful.

 

[InsideTM]

That's really useful to know thanks. Will keep an eye out for them in the UK. I get a bit frustrated with adjusting the fit when I'm wearing the olives.

 

[LFC_SL]

Really do not get the bickering over the SE535 cable myself either. Sure it is thicker than other manufacturers but beyond that do not get the focus. It melts away inside my shirt like all my other IEM. Would still prefer manufacturers did away with memory section entirely but other than the length being a smidge longer than desirable actually prefer the Shure implementation to hard plastic sleeving typically used by others

 

[kimvictor]

which nozzle size fits the SE535?

 

[Spyro]

Quote:

which nozzle size fits the SE535?

??
 
You mean tip?  Westone, Shure and Etymotic tips all fit each other.

 

[kimvictor]

Quote:

??
 
You mean tip?  Westone, Shure and Etymotic tips all fit each other.

oh, i got the diameter confused with nozzle size. sorry for that.