[DerStig]

Hello,
 
I have been doing a lot of research for this for the past few weeks and nailed it down to pretty much to these two IEMs. Before you say they are vastly different, let me explain.
 
I want to upgrade from the Bose MIE2i that I have been using. I will use these IEMs exclusively with my iphone 5s and using Spotify 320 kbps. They will rarely see any other device. My question is, for someone like myself who is not a professional music producer, can my untrained ears see the difference between these two IEMs? I know they are $400 apart in terms of the price, but is that difference very visible?
 
I am a firm believer of paying top dollar for something that is worth. I have no problems spending $549 for the 535 LTD if I believe that it's worth the price - to my "unprofessional/untrained" ears The reason why I have 215 in the mix is because I am either going to get something entry level and be okay with it and if not, I will get the best money can buy and enjoy it. I would like to know how different these two IEMs sound and how much of an improvement 535 is over the 215.
 
That being said, I'm a bit worried that I will pay a lot of money for the expensive IEMs and not realize the difference. The problem is, I have been to a lot of shops, including B&H, Adorama, and J&R, and none of them allow you to try these on. The only thing I can do is to come here and ask for advice.
 
I mainly listen pop, rock, country, and metallica. My ears are a little big, so the size of the 535 is not a problem.
 
I also want to add that I did consider Westone's W4, IE80, and even PF232, but they all had their shortfalls. Quality control problems and not so good seal (or at least, not as good as 535's 37 db seal) were a few of the problems. That being said, feel free to recommend another brand. I am willing to pay up to $500, as long as it's justified.
 
I am using my AMEX card for this purchase and I hope to double the 2 year warranty to 4 which is a good amount of time to keep these headphones.
 
Thanks for your time.

 

[ryanjsoo]

Westone 4r`s are now on sale for $299, removable cable, superior sound to 535 LTD, I would probably go with that, in between both in price but greater than both in performance.

 

[double07]

I too, recommend Westone 4R.  I just got this IEM over the weekend and I very happy with.  I got Shure SE530 many years ago and I still have it.  I never like Shure SQ.  I am Shure 535 has improved SQ, but I am not digging it.  The best way is to buy from the place where you can return/exchange in case you don't like the sound.  If you like Sennheiser HD580-650 or Ultimate Ear TF10 SQ, you might like Westone 4R.  I have not tried Bose.

 

[M Coupe]

4R always seemed more sterile in sound to my ears. I like them...don't get me wrong they are just not my cup of tea. For this reason, I would say go and listen for yourself. I personally love midrange done well because I like vocals/acoustic/rock genres...that leads me to the Shure products. Your musical preference and ears may lead you a different direction. If you do go for the 535s, I would say plan to buy some silver cables.

Due to my taste, I ended up with the 846s and Audeze LCD 2.2s. Again, your ears may lead you a different direction and that is half the fun. The other half is examing whatever new gear you get

 

[DerStig]

Unfortunately with no way of really trying these IEMs out, I can't really tell what my ears like
 
I actually loved westone 4r from its reviews and overall looks and such. The only problem, and it's a pretty big one for me in fact, is that it has no iphone integration. I know there are aftermarket cables (which apparently don't work half the time), but I'm not going to buy a $300 headphones and worry about something as simple as iphone integration. If there is a way around this problem, please let me know.

 

[kookoo]

In which case wait for the Westone W40 which (should be) the same as the W4R but with a magnesium body and mic + controls.
For me personally W4R first and SE535 second which is why I own one but the added benefit that the Westone is cheaper right now is a bonus

 

[DerStig]

M Coupe,
 
Just off topic, is that an E92 M? I drive a E90 ZCP M3 myself

 

[DerStig]

W40 sounds very promising and it says October 15 which is something I can do. Maybe I'll just wait till then.

 

[revolutionz]

Another one to look at IMO would be the UE900.  I like those more than the 535's or the 4r's.  I actually preferred the SE425's over the 535's. I also moved up to the SE846's, and haven't looked back since.  I feel I will be selling all of my other IEM's in the near future.

 

[DerStig]

I actually like and use Logitech products quite a lot. All my speakers in my home (a 500 watts home theater and a 200 watts speaker), PC wireless headphones, and many other small things such as webcams are all logitech. I have been using them for years now. They are cheaper, good quality, and so far, have not been broken.
 
That being said, the UE900 has some worrying reviews about connection issues. It seems like there is a fundamental flaw in the design. I may be wrong about this in which case please correct me.

 

[revolutionz]

I have had mine for approximately 6 months now with zero issues. Same with all 3 of my Shure IEMs. Never had an issue with those connectors. I do not change or remove the cables frequently though, so that might be why some have issues? 

 

[DerStig]

  I have had mine for approximately 6 months now with zero issues. Same with all 3 of my Shure IEMs. Never had an issue with those connectors. I do not change or remove the cables frequently though, so that might be why some have issues? 

 
Well, you may be lucky, I don't know. What I do know is, reading the reviews in amazon and the posts in this site and others, this is not just bad luck, but fundamentally there is a problem with Logtech's design of connectors. There are just way too many people complaining about the same issue, the same way. I don't think I'm willing to take that risk for a $400 headphones. 
 
Westone's W40 looks extremely promising. As I said, I was going to go with 4r if it weren't for its iphone integration issue.
 
That being said, I am still looking forward to someone explaining the actual real life differences between the 215 and the 535 and if the difference is that visible and distinct to someone who is not a music professional.

 

[kookoo]

SE215 is a micro driver (which means nothing really in terms of sound), the SE215 has bass and I mean a lot of bass, it has quite a deep treble rolloff. The SE535 is has quite a lot less bass, perfect for my ears, YMMV. It has a slight peak in the upper mids/lower treble which gives a really nice sparkle to female vocals and to piano keys however it still has a treble rolloff in the highs.
The W4 is much flatter in the mids but that also means it's a slightly better all rounder IMO

 

[Mooses9]

535 are very mid forward iem's they have a tendency to be slightly bright. 
 
ive owned both the 535 and the W4r and imo the W4R has more of a referance sound more of a audiophile sound.
 
its really going to depend on your other equipment. the w4r have ALOT of potential, and are not as sensitive as the 535 so the 535 might be better straight out of a source vs the 535.
 
the 215 are dynamic drivers the 535 are balance armature drivers.

 

[revolutionz]

   
 
Westone's W40 looks extremely promising. As I said, I was going to go with 4r if it weren't for its iphone integration issue.
 
 

Not sure how much you've looked into these, but they use the same removeable connectors as the Logitech and the Shure.  If you get these, you could get the iphone cable from either company and use it with the westones