[M Coupe]

Wow. Now I know the Roxanne is way too big for my ear. The 846 is a tight fit.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

I just started laughing at "It is simply a SE535 with a subtle subwoofer". Legit belly laugh.
 
I'm sorry you're not a fan, but if you can't hear any difference between the SE535 and the SE846 except a "subtle subwoofer" then... well, godspeed and I hope you're happy with whatever you land on. I bought the SE535, upped to the SE846 and did not even for a split second consider going back.
 
As for your whole thing about volume and energy, I'm constantly listening to metal with these things. Yes, they have a bit of a bump at around 8KHz with the blues in (did you try the black?) but it's far from a spike.
 
Also I'm not even sure what you're saying. First the mids are too forward, then there's a spike in the highs, then all they did was add a subwoofer. If the first two were truly problems, then the added subwoofer would have fixed a rather EGREGIOUS problem with the SE535s in that they'd have big mids and fatiguing highs with no lows. Based on what you said, the SE535 must be a TERRIBLE headphone because it sounds exactly like the SE846 with its overly forward mids and fatiguing highs but NOT the bass. Yikes, they must be awful! But then you say they aren't worth the upgrade?
 
So let's review (based on what you said):
 
- Excellent clarity
- Subwoofer-like bass
- Potent mids
- Strong highs
 
Fatiguing is a personal thing, and again I'm sorry you find them that way. It's now 9:14pm, I put mine in around 9am today and took them out periodically when the day required it, but I'll generally have mine in for 10-12 hours a day listening to books and music, and unless I'm absolutely cranking the volume I feel good about it.
 
Once again, if you don't like them you don't like them, I just find the criticisms you're leveling against them rather incoherent. 

 

[SomeGuyDude]

   
And thus is the line between addiction and passion (albeit a very fine line).
 
On a side note would it not be possible to put a Custom Sleeve on a Roxanne and have the "best of both worlds". Thou I can't imagine JHA endorsing it through a recommended third party. They would, I imagine given their size, REALLY stick out..
 
I really need my SCS back. "Resting" my ears is like watching daytime television.

 
Yep. Addiction is no good because it undoubtedly will lead to futile hunting for more more more simply because one cannot be happy with what one has.
 
I enjoy my SE846 enough that there is an increasing chance that the Pandoras are going to be leaving my possession soon. I haven't worn them in a while. 

 

[hertzsogood]

  I use my 846 4+ hours a day to include heavy uses during workouts. Has anyone had any issues with the stock cables? Does anyone have any recommendations for a heavy duty aftermarket cable for workouts? I've looked at a lot of after market cables but none of them look like workout cables. 

The stock would be the best to work out with but I would not recommend working out with expensive earphones.

 

[spook76]

OKAY!  I have heard enough of the SE846.  I figured it all out and I will be sending them back and maybe considering W50 or W60.

Bottom Line:  I listen relatively loud to really engage myself into the music (but certainly not deafening volumes).   Regardless of how good the bass is and even the midrange clarity of SE846 which is also excellent.....there are 2 issues that no tip or amp or EQ will ever cure that do not sit well with me.
1.  Midrange is too forward for my tastes (but this is what Shure does).  
2.  There is surely an upper midrange spike I do not like.

Combine #1 and #2 with decent volumes and you have a very fatiguing earphone.  Granted, I am not ripping Shure or anything, this is just my personal take based on the kind of sound presentation that works for me based on my music and listening habits.  But it is also well worth noting.  I stick the W40 back in my ears and yes, it is darker...but the treble still shimmers and it is SO much easier on the ears and quite frankly....just as engaging.  Being lighter is also a plus.  The better bass of SE846 is not enough to trump W40.  I am not sure I would even trade SE846 straight up for W40.  It's that close IMHO.   

Really not much else to say other than I am sure Shure invested a lot of R&D in making SE846 but based on what you get with SE535 at about $400....man, I just do not see a over double price upgrade EVEN considering the law of diminishing returns which I am well aware of.  

I will re-iterate from earlier post, the SE846 has nothing on the JH13 or JH16.  Not even in the same class.  It is simply a SE535 with a subtle subwoofer while still maintaining EXCELLENT clarity.  Nothing more.

I might say be careful trusting ANY review where a reviewer was comped the IEM's.  Huge bias going obviously.

IMHO if my W40's had a little bit more clarity in the midrange it might be the perfect IEM.  It is soooo close to perfection.  Bass is fine.....maybe 20% less abundant as SE846 but just as textured and detailed, no question.  Let's not forget...when they made W4 it was about a "better" more detailed and textured bass (2 drivers) with a very transparent and neutral IEM.  Then with W40, they bumped up the bass about 15-20%.   What more would a person want?

On my way to go research W50 which would be waaay easier on the pocketbook.

Good luck with the W50 from all reviews it is a bloated bass cannon.

I think from having heard both the W60 or JH-13 will be more to your liking. That is natural as the W40 is more of a reference sound as is the W60 and JH 13. To me Shure has always been and remains more impactful and musical than the Westone. BIf you read my comparison between the W60 and the SE846 that was one of my main reasons for liking the SE846 more than the W60 (other than the atrocious build quality and fit issues). Some favor musicality over reference and neither is truth as both reprent idiosyncratic choice.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

  The stock would be the best to work out with but I would not recommend working out with expensive earphones.

 
TBH I don't even think there's a point to it. You're gonna be moving around a bunch and probably in a loud environment AND not focusing on the music. Just get some nice Bluetooth headphones and enjoy the background music. Otherwise it's like drinking expensive Belgian ale through a beer bong. 

 

[truckdriver]

  OKAY!  I have heard enough of the SE846.  I figured it all out and I will be sending them back and maybe considering W50 or W60.
 
Bottom Line:  I listen relatively loud to really engage myself into the music (but certainly not deafening volumes).   Regardless of how good the bass is and even the midrange clarity of SE846 which is also excellent.....there are 2 issues that no tip or amp or EQ will ever cure that do not sit well with me.
1.  Midrange is too forward for my tastes (but this is what Shure does).  
2.  There is surely an upper midrange spike I do not like.
 
Combine #1 and #2 with decent volumes and you have a very fatiguing earphone.  Granted, I am not ripping Shure or anything, this is just my personal take based on the kind of sound presentation that works for me based on my music and listening habits.  But it is also well worth noting.  I stick the W40 back in my ears and yes, it is darker...but the treble still shimmers and it is SO much easier on the ears and quite frankly....just as engaging.  Being lighter is also a plus.  The better bass of SE846 is not enough to trump W40.  I am not sure I would even trade SE846 straight up for W40.  It's that close IMHO.   
 
Really not much else to say other than I am sure Shure invested a lot of R&D in making SE846 but based on what you get with SE535 at about $400....man, I just do not see a over double price upgrade EVEN considering the law of diminishing returns which I am well aware of.  
 
I will re-iterate from earlier post, the SE846 has nothing on the JH13 or JH16.  Not even in the same class.  It is simply a SE535 with a subtle subwoofer while still maintaining EXCELLENT clarity.  Nothing more.
 
I might say be careful trusting ANY review where a reviewer was comped the IEM's.  Huge bias going obviously.
 
IMHO if my W40's had a little bit more clarity in the midrange it might be the perfect IEM.  It is soooo close to perfection.  Bass is fine.....maybe 20% less abundant as SE846 but just as textured and detailed, no question.  Let's not forget...when they made W4 it was about a "better" more detailed and textured bass (2 drivers) with a very transparent and neutral IEM.  Then with W40, they bumped up the bass about 15-20%.   What more would a person want?
 
On my way to go research W50 which would be waaay easier on the pocketbook.

 
Spyro, (back when I first got my 846) I remember advising you against spending $1000 if you were already happy with what you had. I remember thinking (and posting) that the 846 had louder but not deeper sub-bass than the 535. LOL, man was I wrong.....Source matters with the 846 and so do tips and location in the ear.
 
It's hard comparing universal earphones that are shape differently yet use the same tips. I even find that the 535 will sit incorrectly in my ear after using the 846 exclusively for a while. There is no spike in the upper mids. If anything there is a dip in the region on the charts but if the 846 is hard on your ears, it's probably not seated correctly. I too get that “spike” with most tips, but then again my ears are such that I can (and don't) wear anything but the triple-flanges.
 
I am so sensitive to upper mid peaks that I usually already have 3.5 to 4K lowered on the EQ from the start. That region is not lowered on my iPod Touch 5G, but there's still no significant spike there. It gets irritating to me at about 50% volume on the Touch. With or without EQ, it is not there on the Note 3 (source matters).
 
I don't blame you for sending it back though. I didn't think it would be for you from last year. Going from a mid-tier to upper range in IEMs is not “mind blowing”, it grows on you. Next thing you know, it's the only thing you use. I still love the 535, Now (with V4A the 535 sounds better than ever).  I just don't have any time for it.

 

[hertzsogood]

Well maybe he likes the flat sound and an earphone that does not produce bass and focuses on the treble. 

 

[SomeGuyDude]

One HUGE reason I'm glad I scrapped the memory wire is it makes it easier to "aim" the nozzles of the SE846 more properly. The memory wire kept pulling them awkwardly. 
 
I also readily admit I'm a lucky SOB because I have not had many headphones that DIDN'T sit well in my ear just with regular ol' medium tips. So I think that may make a big difference. To me, the bass situation alone makes the SE535 look feeble. The SE535 had "deep" bass in that it reached down very low in the spectrum but it had little power. The SE846? Well, it's like that subwoofer is there and acting in full force. It does indeed sound like a full range speaker set.
 
I can't speak about soundstage because, honestly, I think soundstage is an overrated attribute. I don't really want to feel like I'm sitting in a gigantic concert hall. I want to feel like I'm up front and able to smell the sweat on the band's flesh. The SE846 puts the music in the center of my skull and that's where I want it. Enormous soundstages feel weird to me. So if you LIKE that, well then yeah the SE846 might not amaze you. Me? Gimme intimate. It's not cramped by any stretch, just I wouldn't rage about it being all wide and deep. That's not a flaw, either. It's a design choice.

 

[truckdriver]

Yeah, to each his own on soundstage. I like it big. I like a big sound and a big soundstage without resorting to high volume.
 
For me, the 846 is decently wide and nicely deep and off-set from my ears. I don't like the sound to come directly on ear location (slightly behind is okay). I had it on random play today (as I drove) and an old Supremes song came on with the bass off to the side. I had never heard the song before and I looked around because I wasn't use to bass coming from far to the right side.
 
I also like the holographic imagining that has improved (for me) with the black filter. It adds a little weight for a better 3D-like effect throughout the spectrum. I max out the Viper4Android room size to get that whole thing to work. I now have a renewed interest in the Roxanne to compare.

 

[jlbrach]

the more i listen to my 846 the more i love them..simply fantastic

 

[SomeGuyDude]

  Yeah, to each his own on soundstage. I like it big. I like a big sound and a big soundstage without resorting to high volume.
 
For me, the 846 is decently wide and nicely deep and off-set from my ears. I don't like the sound to come directly on ear location (slightly behind is okay). I had it on random play today (as I drove) and an old Supremes song came on with the bass off to the side. I had never heard the song before and I looked around because I wasn't use to bass coming from far to the right side.
 
I also like the holographic imagining that has improved (for me) with the black filter. It adds a little weight for a better 3D-like effect throughout the spectrum. I max out the Viper4Android room size to get that whole thing to work. I now have a renewed interest in the Roxanne to compare.

 
Man, that's one thing that's almost made me call it a problem with the 8's, LOL. Any recording where there's panning involved, it's readily apparent. SO many metal albums have a drum kit that's not quite centered and it can leave the whole mix sounding faintly lopsided. But it's not the 8's, it's the dang recording.

 

[burtomr]

  Otherwise it's like drinking expensive Belgian ale through a beer bong. 

 
Ok, no beer bong, but is this OK?
 

 

[Spyro]

  I just started laughing at "It is simply a SE535 with a subtle subwoofer". Legit belly laugh.
 
I'm sorry you're not a fan, but if you can't hear any difference between the SE535 and the SE846 except a "subtle subwoofer" then... well, godspeed and I hope you're happy with whatever you land on. I bought the SE535, upped to the SE846 and did not even for a split second consider going back.
 
As for your whole thing about volume and energy, I'm constantly listening to metal with these things. Yes, they have a bit of a bump at around 8KHz with the blues in (did you try the black?) but it's far from a spike.
 
Also I'm not even sure what you're saying. First the mids are too forward, then there's a spike in the highs, then all they did was add a subwoofer. If the first two were truly problems, then the added subwoofer would have fixed a rather EGREGIOUS problem with the SE535s in that they'd have big mids and fatiguing highs with no lows. Based on what you said, the SE535 must be a TERRIBLE headphone because it sounds exactly like the SE846 with its overly forward mids and fatiguing highs but NOT the bass. Yikes, they must be awful! But then you say they aren't worth the upgrade?
 
So let's review (based on what you said):
 
- Excellent clarity
- Subwoofer-like bass
- Potent mids
- Strong highs
 
Fatiguing is a personal thing, and again I'm sorry you find them that way. It's now 9:14pm, I put mine in around 9am today and took them out periodically when the day required it, but I'll generally have mine in for 10-12 hours a day listening to books and music, and unless I'm absolutely cranking the volume I feel good about it.
 
Once again, if you don't like them you don't like them, I just find the criticisms you're leveling against them rather incoherent. 

PLEASE!  Put the bong down!  Did you read my post?  The Shure mids are forward and that is the house sound regardless of what the bass is.
There is an upper mid spike instead of naturally extended highs.  That is the Shure house sound!   Please find ANY DATA to dispute these two truths!  and find me data showing SE846 is anything more than a SE535 with a subwoofer.   I'm still waiting after a year now.....
 
I did the original review here on HF on the first SE535 6 years ago.  Owned the SE535 two times for a total of about a years worth of listening so I know what I am talking about.  I have no reason to bash Shure.  I have been to their factory about 40 minutes from my home.  Have owned E2, E3, E4, SE420, E5, SE530, SE535, SE846.   I was very specific to NOT say, the SE846 sucks....but to explain what I personally did not like about it.
 
Again, if you took the time to read my post, I was VERY specific saying that these were my findings and not gospel and golden rule for everyone.  Listening (and reading) is a skill.  Work on it.  As a newbie, you probably don't realize I have some crediblity here after 12 years and dozens of reviews.  And as a newbie you might learn that you have similar likes and dislikes and hear things similarly to other posters.  These are the posters you want to follow and identify with.  It can be very helpful and can shorten the learning curve (and money expense) in finding the best thing for you.
 
I'm glad you found your holy grail.  My comments are just one man's opinions....but surely valid opinions.  Lighten up son.

 

[hertzsogood]

  PLEASE!  Put the bong down!  Did you read my post?  The Shure mids are forward and that is the house sound regardless of what the bass is.
There is an upper mid spike instead of naturally extended highs.  That is the Shure house sound!   Please find ANY DATA to dispute these two truths!  and find me data showing SE846 is anything more than a SE535 with a subwoofer.   I'm still waiting after a year now.....
 
I did the original review here on HF on the first SE535 6 years ago.  Owned the SE535 two times for a total of about a years worth of listening so I know what I am talking about.  I have no reason to bash Shure.  I have been to their factory about 40 minutes from my home.  Have owned E2, E3, E4, SE420, E5, SE530, SE535, SE846.   I was very specific to NOT say, the SE846 sucks....but to explain what I personally did not like about it.
 
Again, if you took the time to read my post, I was VERY specific saying that these were my findings and not gospel and golden rule for everyone.  Listening (and reading) is a skill.  Work on it.  As a newbie, you probably don't realize I have some crediblity here after 12 years and dozens of reviews.  And as a newbie you might learn that you have similar likes and dislikes and hear things similarly to other posters.  These are the posters you want to follow and identify with.  It can be very helpful and can shorten the learning curve (and money expense) in finding the best thing for you.
 
I'm glad you found your holy grail.  My comments are just one man's opinions....but surely valid opinions.  Lighten up son.

The specs on the 846 are not the same as the 635. Treble is higher and so is the lows.