[ayaflo]

how about the fiio e 11 ?? is that a good upgrade?

 

[maverickronin]

It would probably help some.  You can't charge it while you're listening to it which is kind of impractical for laptop use though.
 
What's your budget and what problems, if any, are you trying to fix from you're current sources?

 

[ayaflo]

i want the highest amount of clarity i can get from these ....what would you recommend ?? and my budget is around a 100 dollars 

 

[Xstream]

In my experience you would get much more upgrade with another IEM. 
Having about 36 Ohms impedance, power is probably not much of an issue (depending on source). 
But since you have a iPod it could make a difference changing the source as well, because in my experience it's one of the poorer sounding Mp3 players (with lack of functionality/file support) around. Although i'm sure it depends on what model. My Nano is just terrible. The bigger ones might be better. But my Sandisk sounds better than my 5 times more expensive Nano. 
 
I had the same issue you are asking now not too long ago in this topic. After reading loads of info and reviews. I decided to change IEM and try out some different sources and i'm just much happier now. Actually i'm completely satisfied. In my case it wasn't a matter of amplification.
 
The thing is, with such low impedance headphones, is that a amplifier will only provide a lot of headroom, which is nice, because it will keep tighter and controlled on higher volume. But the question is, do you use these volumes? It might make just a little difference in composure. But generally amplification is for headphones with higher impedance to give it the power it needs. I think another IEM would be a bigger change. 
 
But it might be worthwhile to try out a Fiio, because it's a relatively low investment to see if it makes the difference you're looking for. 
 

 

[maverickronin]

Quote:

i want the highest amount of clarity i can get from these ....what would you recommend ?? and my budget is around a 100 dollars 

 
Without knowing more about the spec of what you're using now it would be hard to come up with a recommendation.
 
From a technical perspective what you want for an IEM is a low output impedance, a low noise floor, and low gain and/or a very precise volume control.  Some DAPs or built in headphone jacks come fairly close by themselves.
 
For less than $100 you're best bet is probably an 18V 2 battery cmoy with a JRC4556 opamp configured with 1X gain since you don't need the extra voltage and lower gain will give you the lowest distortion and lowest output impedance.  That amp will will only be good for very efficient headphone like IEMs though.  Its a trade off because higher gain will give you less precise volume control (very important with the 535s), a higher output impedance and higher distortion.  You'd also want to go with the 18V version because the usual rail splitters used in single battery cmoys are really weak and usually contribute extra distortion with low impedance loads like IEMs.

 

[Leo888]

Hi guys, need some suggestion for a replacement cable for the 535. Can someone let know what is the kind of material used on the stock cable (copper or something else)? There are copper, silver and silver plated copper available but would appreciate some input as to which will works best with the 535. Many thanks.

 

[W0lfd0g]

My 535s are up for sale if anyone is interested.  Will consider offers.

 

[s1rrah]

Quote:

My 535s are up for sale if anyone is interested.  Will consider offers.

 
If they were bronze, I'd be all over it. My bronze 535's got ganked from the gym yesterday. Talk about grief stricken. I was careless, though so my fault, really. 
 

 

[Mooses9]

Quote:

Hi guys, need some suggestion for a replacement cable for the 535. Can someone let know what is the kind of material used on the stock cable (copper or something else)? There are copper, silver and silver plated copper available but would appreciate some input as to which will works best with the 535. Many thanks.

im not sure what the stock cable is made with. imo i feel the stock cable is great in its own right.
 
if you can get a silver cable i suggest that. its what ive been using with my ltd-j's and personally i cant find a fault with it. silver seems to do everything better than copper or silver plated copper.

 

[W0lfd0g]

I can't believe that you're blaming yourself - Sometimes it makes me sick that we live in a world where we have to watch our backs and our gear all the time. 

 
Whoever stole them probably has not idea of their worth or quality. 
 
Hope you are able to find another pair soon, s1rrah.

 

[Leo888]

Quote:

im not sure what the stock cable is made with. imo i feel the stock cable is great in its own right.
 
if you can get a silver cable i suggest that. its what ive been using with my ltd-j's and personally i cant find a fault with it. silver seems to do everything better than copper or silver plated copper.

Hi Mooses9, I also think that the stock cable is great by itself but the weight is really uncomfortable for long listening session. Silver seems to be a popular choice and have read that it has a brighter sound compared to copper. What's the changes you experience on the SQ with silver cable as I see in your signature you own a silver cable. Many thanks.

 

[Mooses9]

Quote:

Hi Mooses9, I also think that the stock cable is great by itself but the weight is really uncomfortable for long listening session. Silver seems to be a popular choice and have read that it has a brighter sound compared to copper. What's the changes you experience on the SQ with silver cable as I see in your signature you own a silver cable. Many thanks.

 
well my cable is the pure silver ''dream'' cable such as this one http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dream-Cable-MK2-6N-OCC-Pure-Silver-Upgrade-Cable-Shure-SE535-SE425-SE315-SE215-/320904639263?pt=US_Headphones&hash=item4ab768331f
 
at fist i did think that the cable was bright. i put about 700 hours of burn in and my impression changed drastically along with the sound quality (for the better)
 
with the silver cable:
 
mids are super lush very forward, crisp clear and detailed very smooth
 
highs are phenomenal remember im using the se535-ltd-j but the high extension is amazing. with cymbol crash you hear the full extension of the frequency no roll off. imo this creates alot of height with the highs they are also very clear and detailed
 
lows have excellent extension imo amped its bottomless. very tight,punchy,very controlled, imo ample ammount of bass for me.
 
vocals are closer on the soundstage. both male and female vocals feel like they are right up in your face. you can hear every breath the singer is taking, for instance i can hear erykah badu lick her lips before she starts to sing. also vocals are'nt on and off, its almost like the words hang in mid air and drift away, imo vocals are phenomenal. detailed,crisp,clear,smooth
 
soundstage is wider and imo clearer, you can discern where the singer is in relation to the band, you get great imaging as to where the guitar is or drums, you feel some things as if they are coming from behind you. overall the soundstage is immersing.
 
instrument is phenomenal. there is detailed separation, you can easily discern each and every instrument, and complete separation of the instruments, nothing is blended together or sounds. just amazing separation overall
 
imo the ''dream'' cable is a all be all cable, i cannot really fault it, sometimes when i listen to my 535 its hard to believe they can sound that good with this cable. overall the silver is extremely detailed,crisp,clear,phenomenal.
 
 
i didnt mind my liking too much with silver plated copper. i could easily discern the difference between the pure silver vs silver plated copper cable.

 

[Leo888]

thanks Mooses9 for the insight, appreciate it. Any idea how Toxic Cable compares to the Dream Cable. Thanks.

 

[Mooses9]

i personally have no expierence with the toxic cables. but have heard nothing but good things with them. i assume the sound signature should be somewhat the same. or at least have some of the same atributes.
 
its cheaper to buy say the toxic cable,oyaide connector, silver solder and build a cable yourself. assuming you have the solder abilites and whatever else you may need to build your own cable...the toxic cable with oyaide connector could be made for around $150.00
 
the ''dream'' cable is expensive, but taking into consideration the time to build the cable,braid,shrink tube,solder,buy the solder, buy the cable buy the connector, wait for all of it to come in then construct it. imo convenience is worth the price. but obviously anyone who is DIY will say otherwise.

 

[Leo888]

i personally have no expierence with the toxic cables. but have heard nothing but good things with them. i assume the sound signature should be somewhat the same. or at least have some of the same atributes.

its cheaper to buy say the toxic cable,oyaide connector, silver solder and build a cable yourself. assuming you have the solder abilites and whatever else you may need to build your own cable...the toxic cable with oyaide connector could be made for around $150.00

the ''dream'' cable is expensive, but taking into consideration the time to build the cable,braid,shrink tube,solder,buy the solder, buy the cable buy the connector, wait for all of it to come in then construct it. imo convenience is worth the price. but obviously anyone who is DIY will say otherwise.

Thanks Mooses9, guess I'll be going for the convenience route as I'm not good with my hands. Thanks for taking the time to provide me the info and will read a little more into this before making a decision. Silver will brighter and the thing I will like to avoid is sibilance which I'm sensitive to. As we all hear differently in one way or another, I will wait for more feedbacks before I place the order. Many thanks to you.