[hsk9146]

Hi I just bought a pair of Shure SE535s and the truth is that I'm fairly disappointed in them
The thing is that I owned a Cowon S9 and a pair of 530s and they matched perfectly by boosting the treble in the EQ to make it completly flat.
Then my S9 broke and the cables on the 530 started to crack until it stopped working.
So I decided to buy the new 535 waiting for it to match the quality of my old 530's, but sadly it didn't.
Because I no longer have my S9, and because i own a Mac now, I used iTunes to play some lossless files and the sound was not lossless.
the detail is horrible, all the frequencies bleed, making it muddy and some recordings sound so bright that I can't listen to them. 
Also the bass sounds quite problematic because I can here the punch but the detail and the body of the "late" bass is missing, not completely but definitely missing compared to my old 530s, it's missing by much. 
Also I don't think my shures even sound like shures they sound bright and don't have that lush rich mids. 
I'm starting to think that It may be Apple's DAC, and I'm thinking of buying a Fiio E17 now, but I'm not sure if want the E11 or the E17. 
would amping alone make things better or do you think that a DAC is necessary? 
Also I'm considering returning these and get a pair of Grado GR10s. Do you guys know anything about them and how would the GR10s be different from SE535s? 
 
Thanks in advance! I'll wait for your advice

 

[hsk9146]

another alternative I was thinking is a buying a E11 and a E10 instead of a E17

 

[ostewart]

Just get the E17, it will pair well and you get EQ to play with

 

[planx]

Still have the SE530? Re-shell it at UM and save your money! Re-shell it to it's current setup or add additional drivers to truly WOW you. Much more cost effective alternative than having both the SE530 and SE535

 

[ZARIM]

The UE900, Westone 4 and CK100Pro are great balanced sounding IEMs.