[MacedonianHero]

I will invite you to read the research papers that Etymotic FR curve is based on just to prove my point, but we already know you are not buying those...

Funny you should mention those papers. In my travels I talked to an engineer from a major hearing aid company who dabbles in IEMs. He certainly didn't agree with the "science" they presented and subsequent FR curve. Furthermore, regardless, I could never reconicile what I was hearing with my Ety's vs. how real life actually sounded.

FWIW, I did own them and couldn't sell them off fast enough.

Can we now please return to the topic at hand?

 

[Saraguie]

One of the things I like about dealing with Shure (and I have no experience yet with other premium brands but soon that will change) is the customer service. The cable at the bend where it extends to go over the ears split on my 530s after a 4 or 5 years of use. Shure replaced them about a year ago with new Bronze 535s for $220, give or take a few dollars.
 
I hope if the AKG 3003s and/or Senn IE 80 I will be replacing them with, should ever have problems, those manufacturers will act in kind.

 

[Add1son89]

I've been looking for a new IEM's for a long time. I went to listen the SE 535 Ltd Ed in some shops and i am amazed by the vocals and the mids. However, some people are saying that the senn's IE80 is as good and cheaper in terms of price. 
Anyone has an idea on the sound signature of the IE80 and how it compares to the SE 535 Ltd Ed
 
Thanks

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

I've been looking for a new IEM's for a long time. I went to listen the SE 535 Ltd Ed in some shops and i am amazed by the vocals and the mids. However, some people are saying that the senn's IE80 is as good and cheaper in terms of price. 
Anyone has an idea on the sound signature of the IE80 and how it compares to the SE 535 Ltd Ed
 
Thanks

The IE80 and IE8s are fine IEMs, but they are pretty far from neutral (to my ears and subsequent measurements on Headroom). They have a lot of bass and IMO, too much that they bleed into the mids. I much prefer either the SE535 and W4's more balanced presentations.

 

[darkdawn00]

anyone want to sell their stock cable
wiulling to ship to philippines
 
please pm me
 
 
preferable black
must be in very good condition
 
thanks

 

[Littleted]

 
So when one is listening to say someone with a jackhammer, the Ety's portray what real life sound? 

 Sorry, not to my ears...rather far from it. Real life has bass, mids and treble and for me the Etys and RE272s miss the boat in that balance. YMMV, but sorry...I don't buy "that science". 

 
I can also clarify the Etys were the worst headphones ive ever owned, I had the Micropro 4P with so called extra Bass, ive heard more bass come from a milk bottle. Scientifically they may be what one would call true sound, but I lined up all my headphones on the floor and spent 2 hours listening to many tracks on my Iphone ( as this is the medium I use ) and the Etys were terrible, even my wife said they sounded poor. I tested them against beyerdynamics 101s Sony MDR Ex 500 Ultimate ears 700 Sony MDR Ex 1000 What worries me people actually bang on about how good they sound, try a pair of UE700s or Ex1000 and see how much you actually don't hear with the Etys. In the defence of all the Ety lovers, I agree everyone to there own, but after extensive testing with the Wife, and 3 friends, we all agreed that the 4Ps were very poor for use with the Iphone/ipad etc. the other contenders were great. with the MDr Ex1000 taking the top spot. what also grinds me is so called audio experts who constantly quote graphs and wave forms, its all Bull just listen to them, Ive wasted countless 100s on headsets that quote a good graph, to be sorely disappointed. sighh As for shure not really tried any, hope there good for the money. I do however own a pair of Shure 840s of which I love to bits, the EX1000 are equal to them in stage, and for an IEM that's good

 

[truckdriver]

Man, as hard as I tried not to believe in burn-in, the evidence just keeps slapping me in the face.
 
First, my 2^nd 535 (the replacement) was far from clear sounding when I first received it (towards the end of April (or early May). By (say) July, it was getting better (in the clarity department). However, since I was having a problem with my Galaxy S2 phone, I wondered if it was the culprit.
 
Three weeks ago I received a new T-Mo' Galaxy S2 (under warranty) for the headphone jack (that I thought was defective), and Voila! 3D returned! The lead singer in the first song I played appeared to be located near the back of my throat with background singers slightly beyond my ears. Then the nozzle broke off my left-side earpiece just one week later. Shure sent me a new one (no questions asked—I LOVE their customer service). It was a 6 day turnaround.
 
Now I have a left side earpiece (new) to go with the right side (burned in for months). The left side sounds pretty bad. The lead singer imagining leans to the right now. The right side still sounds 3D and the left side does not. The right side sounds crisp and clear; the left's fuzzy and distant. I now leave it connected to a music player day and night (in the hopes the left side will catch up someday soon).
 
I've always been of the belief that if there was such a thing as “burn in”,  the manufacturer would put it in the manual (if not conditioning it before selling it). The improvement is dramatic. If Ford sold a car that got 25 mpg initially, then 50 mpg after the first 1000 miles, surely they would advertise and brag about it. It's a feature worth talking about, right? Do they not know? Maybe I should start paying attention to cable talk as well, eh?
 

 

[mclover]

Quote:

Man, as hard as I tried not to believe in burn-in, the evidence just keeps slapping me in the face.
 
First, my 2^nd 535 (the replacement) was far from clear sounding when I first received it (towards the end of April (or early May). By (say) July, it was getting better (in the clarity department). However, since I was having a problem with my Galaxy S2 phone, I wondered if it was the culprit.
 
Three weeks ago I received a new T-Mo' Galaxy S2 (under warranty) for the headphone jack (that I thought was defective), and Voila! 3D returned! The lead singer in the first song I played appeared to be located near the back of my throat with background singers slightly beyond my ears. Then the nozzle broke off my left-side earpiece just one week later. Shure sent me a new one (no questions asked—I LOVE their customer service). It was a 6 day turnaround.
 
Now I have a left side earpiece (new) to go with the right side (burned in for months). The left side sounds pretty bad. The lead singer imagining leans to the right now. The right side still sounds 3D and the left side does not. The right side sounds crisp and clear; the left's fuzzy and distant. I now leave it connected to a music player day and night (in the hopes the left side will catch up someday soon).
 
I've always been of the belief that if there was such a thing as “burn in”,  the manufacturer would put it in the manual (if not conditioning it before selling it). The improvement is dramatic. If Ford sold a car that got 25 mpg initially, then 50 mpg after the first 1000 miles, surely they would advertise and brag about it. It's a feature worth talking about, right? Do they not know? Maybe I should start paying attention to cable talk as well, eh?
 

I think that's channel imbalance. 

 

[truckdriver]

Quote:

I think that's channel imbalance. 

Thanks for the reply. What exactly is channel imbalance? Is it a headphone problem?

 

[mclover]

Quote:

Thanks for the reply. What exactly is channel imbalance? Is it a headphone problem?

When one side is louder or clearer then the other, burn in wouldn't account for such a large difference between the two sides.

 

[Audio-Omega]

Mine will arrive next week.  I couldn't wait for Ultimate Ears UE 900.  

 

[truckdriver]

Quote:

When one side is louder or clearer then the other, burn in wouldn't account for such a large difference between the two sides.

Hey, I didn't see this reply. These threads disappear behind all the other conversations, it's hard to keep up. But yeah, after about 150 hours of "burn-in" (if you will), both sides sound about the same now. Man, it's great! I hear more detail on the left earpiece now for sure (than on day one). Mind you, I played it on day one and set it aside to play on a separate player connected to the wall (running day and night).
 
My reasoning (I imagine) must be terribly hard to follow. I first got the 535 more than 2 years ago when Shure sent me a replacement for my 530 (still under warranty). For two years, I had the same 535 and it sounded fantastic (to me). It started occasionally losing sound in both earpieces. I sent it back to Shure in April. They sent me a new 535. The new 535 sounded bad. I compared it to my IE8 and the IE8 was more natural sounding with a better soundstage. After about 4 months, the 535 starting sounding better than the IE8 (even the soundstage was better). It's like it opened up, got clearer, with better imaging and detail. Then the nozzle broke on the left earpiece. I sent it in and Shure sent me a replacement. It sounded bad on the left side. Now after many hours playing on an outlet in the kitchen, it sounds great.
 
I'm in no hurry to get a top-of-the-line bass-thumping model for $1000 or more yet because this 535 is sounding pretty good NOW.
 
Quote:

Mine will arrive next week.  I couldn't wait for Ultimate Ears UE 900.  

Your 535 will arrive, or your UE900?

 

[Audio-Omega]

My 535.  I wasn't going to wait for UE 900 to be released.  

 

[truckdriver]

Quote:

My 535.  I wasn't going to wait for UE 900 to be released.  

I see, enjoy.
 
I like to see the progress being made in the space. 3 and 4 BA IEMs are coming out (left and right) along with the hybrids and "new tech" single-dynamics. It's all  good. Competition will keep every one innovating. I want to hear those other earphones competing in the same space as the 535, but I have no real interest in a lateral purchase. If I buy another IEM, I want it to be THE best I can get for my particular sound preference.
 
I was listening to Brian McKnight live concert album and the soundstage depth (with him singing and playing the piano and the crowd) was enveloping. I wondered if it could sound any better than that. Maybe it can, but that was a good feeling to have.

 

[177261]

If you count out the size of the SE535's the cable is the weakest part. I've e-mailed my Shure dealer to get it replaced for a third time!! Damn **** is useless and will brake after just 6 months of use!