Shure SE535 Sound Review
I've spent enough time with these to finally give these a mini review.
Gear used
Fiio X5
Chord Mojo
What you get
A load of tips
A metal case(for latest ones)
Build
So far so good, early days yet! these are plastic with removable cables!
They are so comfortable, my SE215's are also comfortable and my MA750i are inconsistent with comfort.
Sound
I'm new to IEM's but I understand sound so hopefully this review is of some help. The 215's I own are on the warm side, mids good but lacking definition..good treble but not prominent due to bass. Bass was excellent quality on the 215 for a cheaper IEM. MA750i, good, bit dry, not as bassy as the SE215 but more detailed.
The SE535 do not sound like the other two. They sound more linear, realistic and in a different league.
Bass - Goes really deep, good extension and body, really natural bass. I like how when the music calls for it, it can sound bassy but on other tracks, non existent. This is how you should expect bass if you like a more balanced sound. I don't know what neutral means to others but to me this is a definition of something that is neutral. It's on the warm side slightly, I believe all neutral headphones lean towards warm.
Mids - Glorious, there's a handful of headphones I use as a mid reference..HD650, HE-500, LCD-2, K501. These are added to the list. They fit somewhere in between the HD650 and the K501 for me. Slight warmth when called but can also be extremely down to business and near colourless. It's an iem though, so it doesn't quite have the depth and resolution of the full sized phones, but it gives you great intimacy. I hear everything in a singers voice, I feel these have more of a haunting sound as these block out background noise due to the crazy isolation. Mids are so smooth, effortless.
Treble - This area changes depending on which tips you use.
Stock tips(Comply) - Smooth, airy detailed. I feel it's a good balance, no fatigue..just good clean treble response if a tad rolled off.
Yellow tips - Rough, unrefined, stands out from the music rather than as a whole.
Rubber tips - Smooth, more rolled off?
Larger white rubber tips - Not tried these yet! I assume similar to the normal rubber tips? will try soon.
I use the stock comply tips, the yellow irritate my ears and the rubber don't isolate as much.
Regardless of tips, the detail is good compared to my other IEM's obviously compared to my HD650 it's lacking in micro detail and resolution.
Soundstage and Imaging - It's a small stage, it's all in my head but sometimes if the recording is more spacious it comes across that way. It is pretty good at imaging. It has a wider and better image than my other IEM's.
Cohesiveness I feel like it sounds as one for the most part, I find it weird going from full size to IEM as the sound is different, more in your face so you have to evaluate them differently. I think there's limitations here but I need to hear other top tier IEM's to understand it better.
Pro's
- Really Good FR
- Gorgeous Vocals!
- Deep Bass
- Natural tone
- Comfortable
Con's
- Tip dependant Treble
- Can sound a bit boring if used to a more coloured sound
Rating
9.1/10
I love this earphone. It has the perfect balance of pretty much everything. I hate the world neutral and I'm ashamed to use it but it sounds flat down to the bass with a slight warmth so that's gotta be neutral. I feel a neutral headphone should have minimal emphasis without sounding like it's complete dominant in one area. This is the nearest I've heard along with the Sennheiser HD6xx series although they miss out in the low bass but have a more natural sound field due to their open design.
I've spent enough time with these to finally give these a mini review.
Gear used
Fiio X5
Chord Mojo
What you get
A load of tips
A metal case(for latest ones)
Build
So far so good, early days yet! these are plastic with removable cables!
They are so comfortable, my SE215's are also comfortable and my MA750i are inconsistent with comfort.
Sound
I'm new to IEM's but I understand sound so hopefully this review is of some help. The 215's I own are on the warm side, mids good but lacking definition..good treble but not prominent due to bass. Bass was excellent quality on the 215 for a cheaper IEM. MA750i, good, bit dry, not as bassy as the SE215 but more detailed.
The SE535 do not sound like the other two. They sound more linear, realistic and in a different league.
Bass - Goes really deep, good extension and body, really natural bass. I like how when the music calls for it, it can sound bassy but on other tracks, non existent. This is how you should expect bass if you like a more balanced sound. I don't know what neutral means to others but to me this is a definition of something that is neutral. It's on the warm side slightly, I believe all neutral headphones lean towards warm.
Mids - Glorious, there's a handful of headphones I use as a mid reference..HD650, HE-500, LCD-2, K501. These are added to the list. They fit somewhere in between the HD650 and the K501 for me. Slight warmth when called but can also be extremely down to business and near colourless. It's an iem though, so it doesn't quite have the depth and resolution of the full sized phones, but it gives you great intimacy. I hear everything in a singers voice, I feel these have more of a haunting sound as these block out background noise due to the crazy isolation. Mids are so smooth, effortless.
Treble - This area changes depending on which tips you use.
Stock tips(Comply) - Smooth, airy detailed. I feel it's a good balance, no fatigue..just good clean treble response if a tad rolled off.
Yellow tips - Rough, unrefined, stands out from the music rather than as a whole.
Rubber tips - Smooth, more rolled off?
Larger white rubber tips - Not tried these yet! I assume similar to the normal rubber tips? will try soon.
I use the stock comply tips, the yellow irritate my ears and the rubber don't isolate as much.
Regardless of tips, the detail is good compared to my other IEM's obviously compared to my HD650 it's lacking in micro detail and resolution.
Soundstage and Imaging - It's a small stage, it's all in my head but sometimes if the recording is more spacious it comes across that way. It is pretty good at imaging. It has a wider and better image than my other IEM's.
Cohesiveness I feel like it sounds as one for the most part, I find it weird going from full size to IEM as the sound is different, more in your face so you have to evaluate them differently. I think there's limitations here but I need to hear other top tier IEM's to understand it better.
Pro's
- Really Good FR
- Gorgeous Vocals!
- Deep Bass
- Natural tone
- Comfortable
Con's
- Tip dependant Treble
- Can sound a bit boring if used to a more coloured sound
Rating
9.1/10
I love this earphone. It has the perfect balance of pretty much everything. I hate the world neutral and I'm ashamed to use it but it sounds flat down to the bass with a slight warmth so that's gotta be neutral. I feel a neutral headphone should have minimal emphasis without sounding like it's complete dominant in one area. This is the nearest I've heard along with the Sennheiser HD6xx series although they miss out in the low bass but have a more natural sound field due to their open design.
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