[Xstream]

Thanks for your reply.
I used the iAudio J3, but because of a virus on a computer during my travels it's broken now. Reformatting solves it, but the second time i connect it's back and it's crashing. 
I have an iPod Nano (V6), but the sound to me just sounded terrible. Maybe it would improve with an amp?
 
Also i'm looking at players with amp/dac included. Like HifiMan, HisoundAudio Rocoo and Colorfly C4. Which might be a good solution.
Another option with be another iAudio, which i really enjoyed, and add an amp. 
 
Hard to just guess at it. Sure, i read reviews, but they are more or less all positive. There's no store around here where i'm able to test it. 
 
 
 
 

 

[maverickronin]

Quote:

Thanks for your reply.
I used the iAudio J3, but because of a virus on a computer during my travels it's broken now. Reformatting solves it, but the second time i connect it's back and it's crashing. 
I have an iPod Nano (V6), but the sound to me just sounded terrible. Maybe it would improve with an amp?
 
Also i'm looking at players with amp/dac included. Like HifiMan, HisoundAudio Rocoo and Colorfly C4. Which might be a good solution.
Another option with be another iAudio, which i really enjoyed, and add an amp. 
 
Hard to just guess at it. Sure, i read reviews, but they are more or less all positive. There's no store around here where i'm able to test it. 

How did you think the Nano compared to the J3?  I'm wondering exactly what you're looking for because both of those are fairly good players AFIK.

 

[Xstream]

Well, i used to have the iAudio 9. I loved it, but lost it on the plane on my holiday.
I decided to buy the Nano there, because iAudio wasn't sold there. With a bit of scepticism though, because i used to have an iPod (2nd gen) and sold it back then after a few weeks because i hated how it worked with iTunes and wasn't impressed with the sound.
 
But i figured, maybe they've improved by now. But again, the Nano, didn't impress me at all compared to the iAudio. 
To describe it best on how it sounded to me is just "plain flat". 
I felt there was no depth or musicality. The lows were thin and didn't have that deep impact the iAudio had. And i'm no basshead by any means, it just felt i lost a part of the bass range. So it lost a bit off depth on that end. The mids are great though, but the highs was very hissing and sharp.
 
When i started playing with the Nano's EQ it only got worse. It felt i was only tuning the treble. So when i added bass it just sounded unnatural, foggy. When i lowered the high freqs it just numbed the sound and lost it's openness. So that just didn't work for me, with the Shure's at least.
 
What i liked about the iAudio, although i loved the sounds signature straight away, were the possibilities to tune the sound with their BBE+ and other enhancement features. It just made the music more loose and rich. Gave it more depth. 
 
So i guess the conclusion is i think the Nano is just too clynical/flat for me. I love a more rich sound, without loosing details.
But i hear many people say the iPods really shine with an amp added to the mix. To give it more power and control. It might cause the highs to be more controlled and less sharp, and give the bass just that little extra dynamic, control and power. 
 
Hope that makes things more clear  
 

 

[maverickronin]

It sounds like its really the EQ you're after AFIK all the ipods have pretty crappy EQs and the Cowon players have some of the best.  You're probably best off with another Cowon if that's the case.  No amp without its own tone controls or EQ will be able to change the sound like you seem to be looking for.
 
I'm not up on which of Cowon's current players is best so you'll have to ask someone else for help in deciding on one.

 

[Xstream]

True, i love the iAudio EQ. So that't one thing. 
But even with the iAudio i felt it wasn't top notch  
I'm not sure if it's the headphone, which i generally like very much. I love the soundstage and sound balance. I only felt it lacked a bit of drive and punch. A little more dynamic in the sound. Sharper timings. 
 
I've been orientating on headphones, amps, players etc to give myself a better picture of what's on the market, and what would be a good setup for me. And it's very hard, with all those options, without being able to test it myself, to figure out what's the right way to go. 
iAudio is still a very serious option. But i'm also curious what other devices there are which might be even better But maybe it's just the audio virus talking
 
I recently added a amplifier to my home setup and that made a huge difference. So that made me think about a mobile amp as well. But i'm not sure what the impact would be on an amp for mobile devices.
 
 

 

[AudiofileMaster]

Hello all,
        I am a current owner of the SE530PTHs from Shure. I purchased them back on 2/2011 on Ebay in New sealed condition for $247 and the cord leading into the earphone piece start to harden and then eventually crack exposing the wires on both the left earphone and the right earphone. I use them to workout, I workout a lot, and they started to crack right where the cord is supposed to bend over the top of your ear.
 
So  I called Shure customer service and they told me to fill out the form and provide a reciept of proof of purchase.
 
I sent them in, the day after they recieved them I got a call from them telling me that they will be replacing my SE530s for a new set of SE535s at no charge based on the terms of their warranty coverage of 2 years from the date of purchase. I got my choice of clear or bronze.
 
I chose the bronze ones, the clear ones look like hearing aids with cords attacked to them and I figured they would get a dirty appearance quicker.
 
Can't wait to get them and compare the differences. But for those of you who are concerned by purchasing from vendors on ebay or amazon if Shure will honor their warranty agreement....don't be. As long as you make sure they are a new and sealed set they will be covered under the standard 2 year warranty from Shure.
 
 

 

[Keevs]

Does anyone feel as though buying a pair of the 535's is worth it coming up from the 215's?
I recently bought the latter, and I've grown a liking to the sound signature, so I'm considering picking them 535's up when I go overseas.
Also, does anyone have an experience with the Limited Edition models? From what I've read, they're a little bit more tweaked, and would it be worth trying to find those over the 'standard' pair? 
 
iirc this is my first post, and many thanks

I first bought the SE215, and liked it a lot. I received the SE535se (the red edition) this week. Managed to listen to it for about 3 or 4 hours, and my initial impressions are:
- the SE215 has more bass, although less tight and muddier then the 535. It has a warmer more recessed sound to my ears.
- the SE535se have better imaging and separation. Not as forgiving with bad rips of songs. Better details. The mids seem more forward then the SE215. And the bass is tighter, but a thinner to my ears then the SE215. I think overall sound is more neutral.

The jury is still out for me at the moment. Not sure which I prefer. This last 2 months has been my first foray into >$100 headphones/earphones. So not sure what to expect. Ultimately, if a pair of headphones, earphones can sound close to my home rig, I'd be very happy.

 

[IpodHappy]

I just got my SE535s yesterday, the clear version.  I was surprised and disappointed to find the cable has an exterior texture, meaning the microphonics while walking and exercising are higher than I would have expected.  Does the cable on the bronze version have a similar texture or is it smooth?

 

[tienbasse]

Quote:

I first bought the SE215, and liked it a lot. I received the SE535se (the red edition) this week. Managed to listen to it for about 3 or 4 hours, and my initial impressions are:
- the SE215 has more bass, although less tight and muddier then the 535. It has a warmer more recessed sound to my ears.
- the SE535se have better imaging and separation. Not as forgiving with bad rips of songs. Better details. The mids seem more forward then the SE215. And the bass is tighter, but a thinner to my ears then the SE215. I think overall sound is more neutral.
The jury is still out for me at the moment. Not sure which I prefer. This last 2 months has been my first foray into >$100 headphones/earphones. So not sure what to expect. Ultimately, if a pair of headphones, earphones can sound close to my home rig, I'd be very happy.

SE215 being dynamic driver (microdriver), bass is certainly different from SE535SE (triple BAs). Honestly, it's up to personal preference. SE535SE bass is well controlled but rather bland when opposed good dynamic driver IEMs. EPH-100, which are using similar micro-driver to SE215, have better bass than SE535SE. I don't have the SE215 so I can't really know if they're similar to EPH-100 bass-wise.
 
I don't think that SE535SE qualify as neutral without EQ-ing, the mids are very forward. I had to use a V-shape EQ to have them sound more neutral and now I like them a lot more.

 

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

SE215 being dynamic driver (microdriver), bass is certainly different from SE535SE (triple BAs). Honestly, it's up to personal preference. SE535SE bass is well controlled but rather bland when opposed good dynamic driver IEMs. EPH-100, which are using similar micro-driver to SE215, have better bass than SE535SE. I don't have the SE215 so I can't really know if they're similar to EPH-100 bass-wise.
 
I don't think that SE535SE qualify as neutral without EQ-ing, the mids are very forward. I had to use a V-shape EQ to have them sound more neutral and now I like them a lot more.

 

How are these mids "forward"?
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/ShureSE535.pdf
 
They're very flat and linear. The problem might be coming from an IEM where the mids are "recessed", then the SE535's mids may sound forward...but to my ears and Tyll's measurements, they are fairly flat.
 

 

[Inks]

They're forward because the treble is laid back on the Shures. It;s relative to the other frequencies as well. 

 

[LostMySelf]

The mids are definately forward on the SE535, I can't believe people say otherwise.

 

[spkrs01]

They are most definitely forward with a copper cable!!!
 
Totally Agree with you Inks
 
 
Quote:

The mids are definately forward on the SE535, I can't believe people say otherwise.

 

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

They're forward because the treble is laid back on the Shures. It;s relative to the other frequencies as well. 

The treble may be laid back, but from 1kHz down to 20Hz its ruler flat.
 

 

[Inks]

No theres a boost it's not ruler flat there, it's a bass boost. Tylls graphs are just stretched out so it's hard to notice. See headrooms, it's well done, very slight boost. Still, the mids are forward because neither the bass or treble are a step above the mids. Forward mids doesn't mean that the mids are boosted forward, the tuning happens in the treble and bass, the mids presence are a result of the balance between the two. I think flat iems that have the needed treble filtering are going to be mid forward. I don't like the label though, more like mid-centric is a better way to put it but it is pretty flat. Very natural sounding IEM, that's for sure.The bass boost isn't overpowering enough to take much precense over the mids and the treble is laid back, that's what causes what some call mid-forward. 
 
The mid-forward label does get used for iems that boost the higher mids to make things even more confusing, but it's clearly not the case here.