[ubs28]

  I'm talking about harsh vocal grains. If you 846 owners do not hear it,  that's fine.  

With what DAC + AMP? I don't hear it. 

 

[ubs28]

  There is definitely zero grain on my pair and I can't make sense of people reporting the mids being forward either. 

I agree. The Shure SE846 sounds very natural / balanced.

 

[y2jdmbfan]

   
Is Roxanne brighter than Shure 846? That's all I want to know to pull the trigger.  

I demo'd the Roxanne's today, and I don't feel they are brighter than the Shure 846 with the White Filter. I think I am going to pass on the Roxanne's...

 

[arnaud]

I think you are correct. If you have no reference point of any other IEM it would be easy to overlook. I don't have the 846 but the se535 certainly has that trait. It is a spike in the upper midrange and is part of the Shure sound sig. It's there way of compensating for a treble that rolls off too early. Absolutely it's grainy. I hear it....

Actually, i also heard this slight emphasis when i compared the 535 to 846 and i would not call this a part if the house sound. My 315 did not have it, the 846 doesn't. A good quality midrange is what shure is about at the very least, to my ears that is.

Arnaud

 

[coolant8]

Might look into a pair later if I visit the states. Have only used TF10, UE 600, RE0 before, so haven't tried the Shure sig. 
 
That said the signature of all my previous IEM just wasn't right, I know I'd definitely prefer more vibrant signature than RE0, wider sound stage than UE 600 - and better mid / vocal / low response than TF10. That sort of leaves 846, UE900, W40 (maybe W50/60 later? )  UE900 is about 1/3 the cost of 846 in the UK - but I didn't really like TF10's handling of the mid, and read that 900 hasn't improved it dramatically, so will stay away. Moreover, as TF10 was on similar performance as SE530 - getting the SE535 might not deliver such a big boost in SQ. (even though I know the sig will be better) From what I can read - the Westone sig is more accuracy focused than Shure - i.e. closer signature to UE900 / TF10 than SE846 - I tend to prefer warmer sig so the Shure would be preferable still. Really not sure about the IE800.
 
This all points towards the direction of Shure. Do you guys think SE846 is worth the premium over 535? I'd rather spend it once and spend it right - than having to upgrade again later. 

 

[Solude]

Back to researching
 
The three couldn't be more different.  The Westone one sig is to have a scooped out presence region.  Very laid back and smooth.  The UE has a bass shelf where everything around 800Hz and down is boost... a lot.
 
The 846 is almost perfect when put up against the Olive-Welti standard or the GoldenEars target.   The other two are was off to the tune of 10dB in places.

 

[Whazzzup]

You just can't cheap out. Flagship always.

 

[j-project]

  Might look into a pair later if I visit the states. Have only used TF10, UE 600, RE0 before, so haven't tried the Shure sig. 
 
That said the signature of all my previous IEM just wasn't right, I know I'd definitely prefer more vibrant signature than RE0, wider sound stage than UE 600 - and better mid / vocal / low response than TF10. That sort of leaves 846, UE900, W40 (maybe W50/60 later? )  UE900 is about 1/3 the cost of 846 in the UK - but I didn't really like TF10's handling of the mid, and read that 900 hasn't improved it dramatically, so will stay away. Moreover, as TF10 was on similar performance as SE530 - getting the SE535 might not deliver such a big boost in SQ. (even though I know the sig will be better) From what I can read - the Westone sig is more accuracy focused than Shure - i.e. closer signature to UE900 / TF10 than SE846 - I tend to prefer warmer sig so the Shure would be preferable still. Really not sure about the IE800.
 
This all points towards the direction of Shure. Do you guys think SE846 is worth the premium over 535? I'd rather spend it once and spend it right - than having to upgrade again later. 

 
I have not heard the UE900, but agree with Solude above that the sound signature of the Shure and Westone are quite different.  From the description of your preference I think that the SE846 sounds like it will be a better fit, but you should definitely test them if you can before deciding.
 
From people I have talked to and from the reviews it seems to be pretty much a consensus that the SE846 is a noticeable upgrade and improvement over the SE535.

 

[ubs28]

With a $350 DAC + AMP, a Shure SE535 can sound really good to similar levels of the Shure SE846 (I still prefer the Shure SE846 though).  The soundstage, bass and mids of the Shure SE535 greatly improve with a good DAC + amp. 
 
So $1000 for the Shure SE846 is actually not a bad price considering the DAC + Amp needed to make the Shure SE535 sound really good. 
 
So I would just go with the Shure SE846.

 

[j-project]

  With a $350 DAC + AMP, a Shure SE535 can sound really good relative to the Shure SE846 with a bad source, but the Shure SE846 is still better without using a DAC + Amp. The soundstage, bass and mids of the Shure SE535 greatly improve with a good DAC + amp, the difference is night and day. 
 
So $1000 is actually not a bad price considering the DAC + Amp requirements of the Shure SE535 to make it sound really good. 
 
I haven't heard the Shure SE846 yet with a DAC + AMP that plays well with it. Still have to buy a DAC + Amp or perhaps a new DAP such as the AK240 for the Shure SE846.

 
Which DAC + Amp have you tried with the SE846 and what did you find the problems to be (when you mentioned it doesn't play well)?  I do find that the source makes a difference with the SE846 as I prefer the AK120 pairing to the F887 when I tested them.  However, still trying to figure out if there are still better pairings for the SE846 to get the most out of the IEMs.

 

[ubs28]

   
Which DAC + Amp have you tried with the SE846 and what did you find the problems to be (when you mentioned it doesn't play well)?  I do find that the source makes a difference with the SE846 as I prefer the AK120 pairing to the F887 when I tested them.  However, still trying to figure out if there are still better pairings for the SE846 to get the most out of the IEMs.

I have an Apogee One which I bought as a mobile soundcard for mobile music production. But it works nicely as a DAC + AMP for the Shure SRH 1840 headphone and the Shure SE535. However the Shure SE846 has an impendance that is too low. The problem is that the Shure SE846 gets a massive bass boost. So I'll have to buy a dedicated DAC + Amp for it or a new DAP such as the AK240

 

[vkalia]

Thanks for the comments on the 846 vs 535s.
 
Has anyone also compared the 846s to CIEMs like Noble K10, Heir 8Ais or JH Roxannes/16s?   

 

[joshuachew]

  Thanks for the comments on the 846 vs 535s.
 
Has anyone also compared the 846s to CIEMs like Noble K10, Heir 8Ais or JH Roxannes/16s?   

 
I compare the Roxannes and the SE846's in pages 128 and 129. You may check it out and post here if you have any more questions that were not covered in those two pages. 

 

[vkalia]

   
I compare the Roxannes and the SE846's in pages 128 and 129. You may check it out and post here if you have any more questions that were not covered in those two pages. 

 
Thanks for that comparison.  I find it interesting that you say that the 846s are like the LCD2s, Roxannes like the X/XCs.  I love my LCD2s!     I compared the Roxannes to the K10s, and I thought the K10s were a little more accurate and balanced, compared to the Roxannes.    Now if only i can 
 
Can you comment on which of the two IEMs has more dynamic impact and slam?

 

[joshuachew]

Thanks for that comparison.  I find it interesting that you say that the 846s are like the LCD2s, Roxannes like the X/XCs.  I love my LCD2s!     I compared the Roxannes to the K10s, and I thought the K10s were a little more accurate and balanced, compared to the Roxannes.    Now if only i can 

Can you comment on which of the two IEMs has more dynamic impact and slam?

The Shures would have more dynamic impact and slam.