Review: Shure SE535 Sound Isolating Earphones

Started by DF400, February 28, 2013, 07:14:03 PM

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DF400

I have used in-ear monitors in the past, with varying levels of success. Having used Alien Ears and the Shure E5s, I thought I had experienced a some quality sets. I recently picked up the Shure SE535s and I must say, I'm impressed. At first listen, I was intrigued by how my music sounded "different."  After spending about 15 minutes listening to several songs in several genres, I realized that there were things going on in the recordings that I had not heard in the past - even with other quality in ears. Now, while this is typically a great thing, I also quickly noted the recordings of lessen quality or resolution - with an occasional hiss, or weird digital artifacts.
So, a little about the earphones:
They are vastly improved over previous iterations with the 3 drivers - which provides a very detailed bass response - although don't expect them to be booming on the bottom, they are much more balanced or neutral type of monitor. I can only describe the bass as tight, articulate and rich.
The mids are very well balanced - in fact, i turned off all eq's and much prefer a completely flat response. I would add that this is where I am hearing instruments that I had never heard before. Just brilliant.
Highs can get harsh if you are used to scooping your eq settings - again, I much prefer a completely flat setting, otherwise the highs can easily be over the top.
I also noted that the fit is much more comfortable that what I have learned to live with in other in-ears. The detachable cable is a nice plus. The cable is also less stiff that previous high-end Shure in-ears.
The price is a little steep at $500US, but compared to Ultimate Ears and what I consider a lesser quality product in the Alien Ears, it's a fair price. Besides, my experience has been that Shure is great at backing their products.
I would easily recommend these -