[visualguy]

 
Bass quality is a good indicator. If you hear good bass, then the seal is good. Bass pretty much disappears when there's even the slightest problem with the seal.

 
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Actually you can't. I only knew that I got a much better fit with my SE530, when I started hearing much better sound out of them. Sometimes (actually most of the time) I was very disappointed with the sound even though the IEMs were comfortable and isolated very well. But there were times when I put them in and the sound was suddenly amazing and my jaw just dropped. I just couldn't believe the difference some seemingly insignificant changes in fit could make to the sound - it was night and day. I really don't know how to explain this, but I think that these IEMs are extremely picky about how you position them in your ear - the angle at which the nozzle is inserted into the ear canal has to be just right. It's kind of like listening to speakers - the acoustic properties of the room have to be just right and you also need to sit in a certain sweet spot in order to hear the speakers perform at their full potential.

 

[Pianist]

 
Quote:

 
Bass quality is a good indicator. If you hear good bass, then the seal is good. Bass pretty much disappears when there's even the slightest problem with the seal.

 

 

That's only a small part of what can happen. With a bad fit, the bass can actually become even stronger and can overpower the mids, and the treble can become muffled as well. Lots of other weird things can happen - you may hear resonance that shouldn't be there, soundstage may collapse, bass definition can suffer, midrange may become overly forward and "shouty," or distant and "foggy," detail resolution can decrease significantly, etc.

 

[echosf]

For a good fit, an easy and even the best way to go is to get custom molding sleeves. I was not sure about the reason why custom sleeves were necessary, but now I certainly know.

 

[visualguy]

 
Quote:

For a good fit, an easy and even the best way to go is to get custom molding sleeves. I was not sure about the reason why custom sleeves were necessary, but now I certainly know.

Yes - standard non-custom sleeves can be tricky. With my SE535, I found only two standard sleeves that work for me. One is the large olives, and the other is the yellow foam. The medium olives don't give me a good seal, so I lose the bass. I can't get any of the other types of sleeves to work right either.
 
Overall, I prefer the yellow foamies to the large olives, but both have their advantages and disadvantages:
 
Large olives
+ Better isolation
+ More secure in the ear
+ Looks better
+ Lasts longer and can be cleaned
- Less comfortable - some pressure in ear canal and makes case push too much against earlobe
- Slightly exaggerated bass
- Slightly smaller soundstage
- Slightly worse highs
 
Yellow foamies
+ Slightly better sound
+ More comfortable
- Needs to be changed frequently
- Isolation is ok but not great
 
I'm glad the yellow foamies exist. Otherwise, I would need to go with customs.

 

[SpecialJ]

Hopefully, the SE535s that I ordered won't give me much trouble. Because of so many fit issues people are reporting, I've started looking at my ear lobes in the mirror, trying to picture how the 535s will sit in there. Lame, I know, but I can't help it. I invested a lot of money into it, so I'd rather not waste more money having to send it back. They did make the case smaller on the 535s than the 530s, so that should help people with smaller ears.

 

[audiophileforlife]

there is no problem with fit on the shures

 

[SpecialJ]

I would sure hope not.

 

[echosf]

Quote:

Large olives
+ Better isolation
+ More secure in the ear
+ Looks better
+ Lasts longer and can be cleaned
- Less comfortable - some pressure in ear canal and makes case push too much against earlobe
- Slightly exaggerated bass
- Slightly smaller soundstage
- Slightly worse highs
 
Yellow foamies
+ Slightly better sound
+ More comfortable
- Needs to be changed frequently
- Isolation is ok but not great

Almost same as my experience. I did not use new black foams because of narrowed soundstage, rolled-off high, and boomy bass. Thus, my favorite was triple flange and yellow foam sleeves.

 

[visualguy]

 
Quote:

They did make the case smaller on the 535s than the 530s, so that should help people with smaller ears.

Not really - the case design of these two is quite different. The SE535 case is designed to sit nestled in the earlobe cavity around the ear canal - it sits flush with the earlobe just like a hearing aid. If your cavity is too small or it's not shaped like the SE535, then you may suffer discomfort and pain. I have that problem when using the large olives, but not so much with the yellow foamies. The large olives cause the SE535 case to press too much against parts of my earlobe.
 
The SE530 are designed to protrude somewhat, so they don't apply pressure on your earlobe. I can use large olives with my SE530 (I own both the 535 and the 530) without discomfort or pain. On the other hand, the large olives don't give me a good seal on the SE530 - I lose the bass. They do work fine for me on the SE535 in terms of seal, but they are uncomfortable.
 
I find the SE530 to be more comfortable than the SE535 even with yellow foamies.

 

[Onza]

    Quote:

there is no problem with fit on the shures

There is no problem for you, a number of people, myself included, had fit issues. It's of no use to anyone to say there are no fit issues with it. When well fitted, they are great headphones though

 

[shane55]

Quote:

    Quote:

There is no problem for you, a number of people, myself included, had fit issues. It's of no use to anyone to say there are no fit issues with it. When well fitted, they are great headphones though

Yep.

 

 

[visualguy]

 
Quote:

    Quote:


There is no problem for you, a number of people, myself included, had fit issues. It's of no use to anyone to say there are no fit issues with it. When well fitted, they are great headphones though

They're one of the best IEMs currently available, but there are headphones out there that sound much better... I just spent some time listening to my Stax Omega 2 after spending a long time listening to the SE535. The sound quality of the Stax is at a completely different level. IEMs have a very long way to go to match that. I actually forgot how much better the O2 was - I hadn't listened to it for a long time...

 

[echosf]

Quote:

They're one of the best IEMs currently available, but there are headphones out there that sound much better... I just spent some time listening to my Stax Omega 2 after spending a long time listening to the SE535. The sound quality of the Stax is at a completely different level. IEMs have a very long way to go to match that. I actually forgot how much better the O2 was - I hadn't listened to it for a long time...

I think IEMs and headphones are totally in different leagues. It is a bit absurd (maybe only for me) to make one-to-one comparison between them. 

 

[Skullbox]

Quote:

 
Having owned the SE535 for just over a month (prior to recently selling them) I thought I'd post some quick points on the SE535
 
Build quality: The build quality of this IEM is pretty phenomenal, these are by far the most robustly built IEMs I've owned. The cable is thick and strong, yet plyable. I doubt the cracking issue from earlier models will plague this IEM, but even if it does, the cables are replaceable.
A head-fier commented that these cables are so thick that you could probably 'jump rope with them and not break them' - I agree, the cables are thick, strong and quite long! There are beefy strain reliefs across the whole IEM
 
Fit: Fit is clearly a personal thing, so my experiences may not ring true for others reading this. The earpieces are somewhat smooth though they are a few ridges on them (including the imprint of SE535 on the inside). I'm not sure what caused my fit issues but I found I couldn't wear these IEMs for much longer than an hour without the insides of my ear getting really tender and hurting. I think the insides of my outer ear are smaller than the average and a part of these IEMs dug into them causing irritation. I didn't have a big issue with the ear guides on these, though some might.
 
 
The SE535 sound in 3 words: authoritative, mid-focussed, full
 
Highs: These iems have good treble detail but the treble isn't crisp, instead its smooth and somewhat understated. This may result in less perceived clarity than some other brighter phones. Don't be fooled though, the treble is there and it is well extended, its just that the way its presented may sound a little dull. The treble produced by these allows for fatigue free listening. depending on treble tastes this could be a pro or con 7.5/10
 
Mids: Dominant and smooth. Very clear and revealing. Given that these iems are quite mid focussed; they can sound somewhat unusual at first, depending on how comfortable you are with Shure house sound. Once you do get used to it, it really does allow you to pick out new details in  the music, and at least in my case, identify a very unique sound signature to music 8.5/10
 
Lows: good bass extension without an over-emphasised impact. If the song requires a lot of bass, these will produce it. But they'll never drown out the rest of the music (unless it was intended that way). The bass is also fast and textured. There is rarely any boom to it. I lobe the bass on these. I think they are just right in the main. If I'm listening to dub step, hip hop or any other bass heavy music, these wouldn't hurt to have another few dBs on the bass. 8/10
 
Soundstage: These iems have a very good soundstage/head stage, its not artificially wide, but its wide when it needs to be. Sound placement is also great, as one would expect at this level, you can easily locate sounds in 3D space; whether that be forward and backwards or above and below your ear line. 8/10
 
If I could change these IEMs soundwise I'd increase the treble sharpness by a few notches, as I think its just a tad underepresented. Saying that changing the sound characteristics of an IEM is no simple task, modifying the treble response would likely affect the lovely midrange, and the way the overall sound is presented. In addition, this may result in an IEM that is fatiguing to listen to. 
 
 
In summary these are incredibly well built IEMs that produce a unique, mid centric, yet balanced sound, if you are a fan of the Shure house sound you will really love these. The recommended retail price for these IEMs are very much on the high side for universals, but if its the Shure sound you want then this is it. They work well with certain genres of music but not so well with others for example such as electronica.
 
Anyone thinking about getting these IEMs should really think about the kind of sound they are after, I don't think these are for everyone, but if its a detailed, balanced sound with a lovely smooth midrange these are a great fit. However don't expect deep pounding bass and sparkly treble here.

Hello!  My question... upgrade to the SE535 ( return my 530+50. $) or keep my lovely SE530
 
regards
 
merci beaucoup
 

 

[Skullbox]

Quote:

 
Quote:

They did make the case smaller on the 535s than the 530s, so that should help people with smaller ears.

Not really - the case design of these two is quite different. The SE535 case is designed to sit nestled in the earlobe cavity around the ear canal - it sits flush with the earlobe just like a hearing aid. If your cavity is too small or it's not shaped like the SE535, then you may suffer discomfort and pain. I have that problem when using the large olives, but not so much with the yellow foamies. The large olives cause the SE535 case to press too much against parts of my earlobe.
 
The SE530 are designed to protrude somewhat, so they don't apply pressure on your earlobe. I can use large olives with my SE530 (I own both the 535 and the 530) without discomfort or pain. On the other hand, the large olives don't give me a good seal on the SE530 - I lose the bass. They do work fine for me on the SE535 in terms of seal, but they are uncomfortable.
 
I find the SE530 to be more comfortable than the SE535 even with yellow foamies.

Hello, having the SE530 for a year now, i love it. Shure accept to upgrade them to SE535. I have to return the 530 + 50. $
Am listening those music genre; Jazz,soft/pop rock,folk,r&b,alternative,electronica, Am using UM56 with my SE530.
If am upgrading to it, do i appreciate my music type again?
 
send me ur answer at that thread: 
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/497285/shure-se535-reviews-and-first-impressions-thread/1680