livinginlondon
New Head-Fier
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- May 28, 2011
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This review is based on using these phones on the move. I don't use them for 'critical' at home listening. I enjoy all kinds of music, from Tallis and Mahler via Simon and Garfunkel through the Pet Shop Boys to cheesy pop power-ballads (you'll have guessed I'm over 21). On the move (walking/commuting) I use an ipod classic, apple lossless files from CDs and for the past couple of months the bronze shure se535. I have used all kinds of phones over the years, including in ear shure, but the se535s are by far the most expensive.
I find the se535s very well made in all aspects. Compared with other in-ear phones I have used they are very comfortable even in long term use and don't seem to 'microphone' cable sounds back to the ear. The sound isolation is excellent and while it varies according to tip selected, it is never 100%, which is good for commuting. Some reviewers have suggested the sound is not significantly affected by tip selected. I fall into the other camp. In use I found different tips made very significant differences to the sound. My advice would be to experiment if you are not happy. Especially if you consider the sound muffled in any way.
The sound is of course affected by so many factors that it can't be the same for everyone. I find the sound (compared to other on-the-move phones) expansive. They never seem to struggle with huge dynamic shifts and complexity, such as with Mahler. Sustained chorister treble notes are also delivered with seeming ease and retain a human quality rather than the hard edged 'digital' tone of lesser equipment. I don't find them entirely 'neutral' or 'natural', I find the tone slightly warm, almost analogue (for me that's a compliment). They are very 'easy' by which I mean they have no 'wow' factor. They just present the music clearly in a balance way without pumping it up or squashing it. I don't agree with some of the more enthusiastic reviews here that refer to wide soundstage etc. On the move I find extraneous noise disturbing which is why I have opted for an isolating in ear phone. This results in an 'in head' soundstage, but I am more than happy with what is delivered here. Even complex and loud orchestration is presented in a way that allows you to hear the whole orchestra when lesser phones would struggle and present a 'wall of sound'. This is equally true of quiet, bass passages which on lesser equipment can be a muddy monotone or lost altogether. Richard Strauss - Also Sprach Zarathustra illustrates both points. At the other extreme, well engineered electronic pop is handled with equal aplomb (Pet Shop Boys).
The down side is that a poorly engineered recording or low quality file will be reproduced as exactly that. The contrast between a well engineered, recent recording and a poorly compressed older one can be stark and disappointing for old favourites. On the other hand some surprises can arise. Some 70s Harry Nilsson tracks for example are startlingly good. Some very recent 'classic pop' is revealed to be badly 'cut and pasted'. The dreaded auto-tune is also revealed in all its synthetic nastiness at times. So I agree with others about a revealing approach to music, tending towards the analytical, presenting all the elements, but stopping shy of sounding clinical.
I am delighted with these phones. Value for money? I'm afraid I don't see this as a relevant question when you consider the price point. For at-home listening I don't think they come close, as an enjoyable experience, to good open backed phones at a third of the price (grado or sennheiser). On the move, I can afford to indulge myself and I'm not disappointed. While they are significantly better than shures at half the price, in my opinion the difference can't be justified by price alone. If value is important to you, think carefully. If this is your price range, then they should be very high on your short list.
I find the se535s very well made in all aspects. Compared with other in-ear phones I have used they are very comfortable even in long term use and don't seem to 'microphone' cable sounds back to the ear. The sound isolation is excellent and while it varies according to tip selected, it is never 100%, which is good for commuting. Some reviewers have suggested the sound is not significantly affected by tip selected. I fall into the other camp. In use I found different tips made very significant differences to the sound. My advice would be to experiment if you are not happy. Especially if you consider the sound muffled in any way.
The sound is of course affected by so many factors that it can't be the same for everyone. I find the sound (compared to other on-the-move phones) expansive. They never seem to struggle with huge dynamic shifts and complexity, such as with Mahler. Sustained chorister treble notes are also delivered with seeming ease and retain a human quality rather than the hard edged 'digital' tone of lesser equipment. I don't find them entirely 'neutral' or 'natural', I find the tone slightly warm, almost analogue (for me that's a compliment). They are very 'easy' by which I mean they have no 'wow' factor. They just present the music clearly in a balance way without pumping it up or squashing it. I don't agree with some of the more enthusiastic reviews here that refer to wide soundstage etc. On the move I find extraneous noise disturbing which is why I have opted for an isolating in ear phone. This results in an 'in head' soundstage, but I am more than happy with what is delivered here. Even complex and loud orchestration is presented in a way that allows you to hear the whole orchestra when lesser phones would struggle and present a 'wall of sound'. This is equally true of quiet, bass passages which on lesser equipment can be a muddy monotone or lost altogether. Richard Strauss - Also Sprach Zarathustra illustrates both points. At the other extreme, well engineered electronic pop is handled with equal aplomb (Pet Shop Boys).
The down side is that a poorly engineered recording or low quality file will be reproduced as exactly that. The contrast between a well engineered, recent recording and a poorly compressed older one can be stark and disappointing for old favourites. On the other hand some surprises can arise. Some 70s Harry Nilsson tracks for example are startlingly good. Some very recent 'classic pop' is revealed to be badly 'cut and pasted'. The dreaded auto-tune is also revealed in all its synthetic nastiness at times. So I agree with others about a revealing approach to music, tending towards the analytical, presenting all the elements, but stopping shy of sounding clinical.
I am delighted with these phones. Value for money? I'm afraid I don't see this as a relevant question when you consider the price point. For at-home listening I don't think they come close, as an enjoyable experience, to good open backed phones at a third of the price (grado or sennheiser). On the move, I can afford to indulge myself and I'm not disappointed. While they are significantly better than shures at half the price, in my opinion the difference can't be justified by price alone. If value is important to you, think carefully. If this is your price range, then they should be very high on your short list.
