Shure / SE535-CL/Clear

I bought these as a mobile replacement for my long-running Sennheiser HD650s. I wanted something pretty good to listen on the go, and something that provided excellent sound isolation. I paid $433 for these on Amazon, and here is my bottom-line, no-nonsense review. First off, I have to admit that using these on popular mobile players like iPods, iPhones, smart phones, etc are overkill. Chances are, these are much more capable than your run-of-the-mill players, and probably deserve much better audio files than the typical 192kbps (or worse, 128kbps) compressions on most players, although space is becoming more than adequate for uncompressed or lossless versions. If you're buying these, chances are you're not short on cash for affording the space. In terms of sound quality, I've been desiring something that can really match my Sennheiser HD650s (which used to be a pretty good overall reference headphone, but now much overshadowed [in price only, and not truly by performance] by HD800s and a flood of other competitors). I've been using an Arcam rPac USB DAC for the laptop when traveling, and a Wooaudio WA7 for home use, so in terms of amps they at least match what these headphones are capable of. Overall, here's the bottom-line: if you're looking for earbuds that can replace reference-class headphones, then you will be disappointed. The Shures do NOT match the HD650s in terms of overall capability, sound clarity, bass and mid-range depth. But this is like saying, for example, a BMW M5 is disappointing because it does not quite match a Ferrari F430 in performance. This is really an unfair comparison: both are designed completely differently, and both have completely different intentions. I would say that in terms of portability, isolation (hands down excellent), and overall sound delivery, the Shures are worth the money IF you have the right equipment to play them. On the sound, the Shures are "relaxed" and do not shove things down your throat quite like the HD650s do, which tend to reveal pretty much everything with sharp detail and can be tiring to listen to at times. The Shures just deliver a good balance of highs, lows (surprisingly good for earbuds), and mids which give just enough clarity without being tiring. If you've been listening to music for a long time, you will know what I'm describing. The HDs are just that: high-def, but tiring. They're too sharp (think of it this way: cymbals clanging in-person is actually pretty nasty to listen to, and the same goes for many instruments). The Shures, on the other hand, give you musical depth and clarity without shouting about it. They offer a great balance. I personally would prefer a little more clarity though, but I'm figuring that if my wish were fulfilled, they WOULD become tiring like the HD650s. In addition, I must admit that the Shures are already on a very high performance level. If you're upgrading from, say, Bose earbuds ("blows," in my humble opinion - I can't believe that a company like that gets away with selling junk like those; then again, there IS a company called Monster Cable...), you will be entering a new world. Hidden details will suddenly be revealed, but that's if you have the right equipment to drive these. On typical iPhones or SoundBlaster XFi cards probably not as much as they deserve, but they're still a discernable step up from most earbuds in the $100-200 dollar range. Overall, I would definitely buy these again. I find myself listening to these for hours on end because of their comfort and incredible sound isolation. I could just wear these on planes and sleep because the foam buds are very comfortable. And the sound is just about right for long term listening without being harsh or too detailed. I can turn up the sound high and really relax and enjoy the music without my ears aching. One more CRUCIAL POINT: the cables are detachable and replaceable, adding substantial service life to these. If you wreck the cable (which might eventually happen from normal wear/tear), you just have to pay ~$60 for a replacement and snap them onto the buds = problem solved. This is a major bonus point. Overall: If you are looking for isolation, good enough sound clarity, and something unique, then these are for you. However, if you are looking for a complete mobile replacement for your big cans, then you will be disappointed. It's probably unrealistic to expect so. Trust me, I've even blown $1,300 on AKG's K3003s, and it was by far the biggest disappointment of my life - it's simply unrealistic to expect small buds to deliver the way big cans do (I returned them - I won't discuss them here because they belong in another review).

Wie immer alles perfekt von der Firma Shure - leider zahlt man für diese kleinen Dinger, die auf der Bühne aber nicht mehr wegzudenken sind, viel zu viel Geld.

Very detailed interpretations of any genre of music you're listening to! It has big soundstage just like listening to an over-ear headphones, its noise isolation is excellent too, obviously better than the Airpod Pro that I have. Also, in comparison to its younger sibling - SE530, which I owned for many years, it has better hi and lo which are always somethings left to be desired in it.

Melhor fone de ouvido para palco

I felt compelled to write a review of these IEMs having obsessed about them for months now. They are all very good! They should be for the price! Haha. So where do I begin? Most important, above all is sound quality. They are all good with certain signature differences. I have been using Etymotics for years. Using the Etymotic hf3. Excellent overall. Very accurate. Just not a lot of punch or presence to the bass. It's there but doesn’t hit you over the head. I tried other brands of phones and found them to sound inaccurate or sloppy. I had some older Shure IEMs and I wanted to see if their newer models sounded better. I tried the Shure SE315. and the Shure SE425. Didn’t sound as good as my old model. Back they went. Decided I would need triple drivers to get a significantly better sound. Bought the Shure SE535. Lots of money! And wow! Very impressive! Having come from the Etymotics, the sound is very different. Its warmer and slicker sounding. The voice range is a little less forward, which may be simply because the bass presence and detail is huge compared to the Etymotics. The Shure SE535s are very entertaining to listen to. More so than the Etymotics. With the Shures, you feel more like you are being washed with music. With the Etymotics, it just feels more like you are analyzing the sound. There is way more punch and space to the sound in the Shure SE535s. Almost too much punch on certain tracks. 😳 Let me go back to the Etymotics. I tried out the Etymotic ER4XR and the Etymotic ER4SR. Very little discernible difference. Maybe slightly more bass presence with the XR. I have been using the Etymotic hf3 for many years. In my opinion, the hf3 sounds as good if not better than the ER4XR. The reason is that the ER4XR has a higher impedance than the hf3. On an iPhone, you have to turn up the volume essentially all the way to get the full sound out of the ER4XR. This is not the case with the hf3s. They are good at 3/4 volume. Makes a significant difference! Other than that, there is maybe a slightly discernible improvement in separation on the ER4XR. But I mean slight. Overall the hf3 sounds better. And they cost way less! And there is another point. Comfort. This is a tricky issue when it comes to IEMs. After trying to use the triple flange cone tips, I gave up do to discomfort and the scariness of sticking a little plastic Christmas tree up your ear canal. I found that using the cylindrical foam tips created just as good a sealed fit and bass response as the "tree" did. So that is what I use. The Soft Flex Sleeves are also an excellent alternative. Really good isolation and amazing bass response! That brings me to the difference between the Etymotics and the Shures. The Etymotics are simply more comfortable. The drivers are smaller and weigh less than the Shures. Less of a pull on your ear structure. Shures design is supposed to route the wire over and behind your ear. I find this distracting and annoying in addition to being uncomfortable. My solution is to let the wires remain in front of my ears, hanging down in front of me. Much more comfortable. (See photos) This however, necessitates using a shirt clip to cancel out the weight of the cord pulling on your ears. I bought some from Amazon. Works well to make the phones as weightless as possible. With the Etymotics, this is less of an issue because the earpieces weigh so much less and the foam goes straight into your ear canal. The Shures have to kind of sit on your ear structure. Not so comfortable. I'm hoping over time that I will be bothered less and less by this slight pressure. It is worth it to get the sonic results that the 535s deliver. Back to the Shures. I payed a very large amount for the 535s. For me they are worth it for the spectacular performance they deliver. I can only imagine how nice the Shure SE846s sound. I just couldn't bring myself to spend one thousand dollars on IEMs. I do after all have a family to support! 😛 So I am happy I have both. I will probably usually use my 535s for my daily commute to Manhattan. But it's nice to switch out to the Etymotics for a lighter more Spartan sound signature. Hope this review helps some of you out there. With streaming music, it's like being a kid in a candy store every day. And with these headphones, You can hear the candy really really well! 😊 Edit to this review: October 9, 2016 This is an important addition to this review! I made a discovery about the importance of source input to the performance of the se535s. I had been listening to my music with Apple Music. I had been detecting a slight stridency to the overall sound of the headphones. Thought it was the phones. But then I tried using Spotify Premium with the 535s. No stridency! Virtually perfect reproduction of vocals, piano, strings, bass! As much as it pains me to say it, looks like Spotify delivers a more accurate dynamic signal. Both great music systems. But Spotify has a slightly warmer, more realistic sound. Wow!