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Shure SE535 Limited IEM Review

Rate this IEM:

  • 1. Poor (headless panther)

    Votes: 54 33.1%
  • 2. Not terrible (postman panther)

    Votes: 83 50.9%
  • 3. Fine (happy panther)

    Votes: 24 14.7%
  • 4. Great (golfing panther)

    Votes: 2 1.2%

  • Total voters
    163
Etymotic still exist with ER4-SR and ER4-XR.
OT, but Etymotic “deep insertion” designs still provide outstanding isolation… That is, if you can stand it !!!
 
Last night, I switched back from my hidizs mp145 planar iem’s ($150) to my $50 truthear zero reds, and as much as I like the mp145, the zero reds still totally draw me in. there’s a smoothness and completeness top to bottom that I have never experienced with any other headphones. my hd800’s have less in-the-head sound, but they are really flawed, esp. when it comes to bass distortion. I LERVE the zero reds. just incredible.
 
I would love to see how the SE215 Pro perform, considering they only have a single driver and feature a fairly compact (comfortable) shell.
 
I have the Shure SE425 and they sound dull with those black tips. But with the white triple flange sleeves which reach way deeper in my ear channel they sound terrific. This obviously applies to other IEMs as well.
 
The 535 IEM ignores much of the research that indicates listener preference

It does not ignore it, it predates it by seven years. The Shure 535 came out in 2010 and the Harman Curve was first published in 2017. The 535 was a revision of the 530 with no changes to the sound. The 530 came out in 2006, so we are talking about an almost 20 year old design.
 
Thanks for reviewing what is positioned as a professional IEM.

I would be interested to hear about high level artist and studio/stage professional preferences. Do artists travel with their own IEMs? Are they using custom earmolds? Do studios/stage companies bring an assortment?
 
Thanks for reviewing what is positioned as a professional IEM.

I would be interested to hear about high level artist and studio/stage professional preferences. Do artists travel with their own IEMs? Are they using custom earmolds? Do studios/stage companies bring an assortment?
The majority of artists will travel with their own IEMs for hygiene reasons. Custom ear moulds used to be only for higher tier acts thing due to the expense however in these days of 3d printing the costs have come down so not sure how widely used they are these days.
 
Nope it's informed. He meant that buyers who know better will no longer go for expensive iems

I'm not an IEM user, but I've been following all the reviews - does seem like expensive IEM's are a thing of the past for informed buyers! We do alright!
I got the point, it is a question of grammar, "expensive IEM's are for... uninformed buyers" was my interpretation.
 
The majority of artists will travel with their own IEMs for hygiene reasons. Custom ear moulds used to be only for higher tier acts thing due to the expense however in these days of 3d printing the costs have come down so not sure how widely used they are these days.
Thank you for that information. ASR is a great resource because of professional expertise.
 
The Harman curve is sacrosanct here but is not the only way to skin a cat; maybe it does make female voices sound more ‘inviting’, but listen to well recorded acoustic bass through such a speaker or headphone and I’m sorry but acoustic bass just doesn’t sound like that. If the original recording has some EQ in place like Harman, which is possible because these parameters have been known for decades to make some things sound more inviting when you stack that on top of the coloration to another ‘layer’ that is designed into the transducer, it sounds muddy as hell.
 
The Harman curve is sacrosanct here but is not the only way to skin a cat; maybe it does make female voices sound more ‘inviting’, but listen to well recorded acoustic bass through such a speaker or headphone and I’m sorry but acoustic bass just doesn’t sound like that.
I listen to every headphone and speaker. My judgement fully includes that. Compare my EQ to without and I assure you vast majority people prefer them corrected with EQ. Indeed, that is what research shows. Of course some like more or less bass/treble. This is why EQ is something you may need to have.

Keep in mind that headphone/IEM experience is a poor substitute for the real thing (speakers or live music). What Harman target brings is a compensation for that. You don't feel the deep bass but you hear it better than vast majority of speaker systems due to how clean it is (no room modes) and how deep it goes. The extra treble energy gives better spatial abilities, reducing the impact of that "in head" sound that headphones have.
 
Thanks for your thoughtful and not-defensive answer, amirm, and for pointing out the lemons when you see them. The recent Hifiman Stealth review, which doesnt even match the performance of the same company’s 400 series at 10 cents on the dollar (let alone the Dan Clark Stealth, which Hifiman had to be aware of given all the attention that companies products have been getting) is a good example.

I own the Truthears Zero red and blue, along with periodic audio BE and Etymotic ER2, and I have owned the SE535. One of my reference instruments is acoustic bass. To me, the one that sounds the most accurate to my experience of acoustic bass is the Etymotic, which oddly enough is the one with the least bass. I am familiar with the Harmon curve signature because the truth is follow it very closely according to the reviews. More isn’t always better. and IMOneither is ‘more popular’. The Periodics, however, will put out bass that is much more impactful than any of the others I’ve had. We also don’t have control over how the original material is mixed and mastered. Sometimes I switch up headphones just because one sounds better (meaning ‘more real’) to me on a particular recording. A lot easier to do that with headphones, especially IEM‘s than speakers or full-size headphones. The universal best is not with us yet. After all, if two completely different headphones were both perfect, they would sound identical.

I meant to be constructive and maybe didn’t succeed. My current headphones system is, except for the periodics, based on ASR reviews. So I appreciate what you do. Thanks for keeping the manufacturers honest and pointing out the junk, of which there is a surprising amount, given the technology available today.
 
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This is a review, listening tests, EQ and detailed measurements of the Shure SE535 Limited Edition in-ear-monitor. It is on kind loan from a member and costs US $404.
View attachment 415861
I like the look and feel of the IEM and with larger tips (as shown), it fit my ears well. The cable is microphonic but sitting stationary, it wasn't too bad.

Let's see how it performs.

Shure SE535 Limited Edition Measurements
Let's start with the IEM frequency response and comparison to our target:
View attachment 415862
As expected from the brand, bass response is flat. I was surprised by the treble shortfall though. This is going to make it pretty bland sounding. EQ would be mandatory:

View attachment 415863

Bass correction will be easy. The treble correction will be hard to do manually but I tried (see next section).

Dynamic range is excellent allowing the IEM to get quite loud but there are a few imperfections:
View attachment 415864
View attachment 415865

Group delay is more or less uneventful as is typically the case with IEMs:
View attachment 415866

Impedance is low but fairly variable:
View attachment 415867

Sensitivity is excellent though so just about any source should be able to drive it:
View attachment 415868

Shure SE535 Limited Edition Listening Tests and EQ
Out of box tuning was "OK" on first female track I listened to. It wasn't until I developed the few filters that I realized how much better fidelity can be had:
View attachment 415869
Turning off the EQ made the sound very recessed, lacking any excitement. With it, my reference tracks all sounded very good. With volume at just -50 dB on my RME ADI-2 Pro, the IEM is sipping power even with my EQ and its negative gain.

Conclusions
The 535 IEM ignores much of the research that indicates listener preference. In absolute sense, it doesn't seem to bad, resulting in a non-fatiguing sound. But EQ it to proper target and you realize how much enjoyment is missing that could be there. The cost would have been a bit high a few years ago but now, you can get superb IEMs for $50 and less, leaving the Shure no where to hide.

I can't recommend the Shure SE535 Limited Edition IEMs.
Shure SE535 Limited Edition

Here are some thoughts about the EQ.
Please report your findings, positive or negative!

Notes about the EQ design:
  • The average L/R is used to calculate the score.
  • The resolution is 12 points per octave interpolated from the raw data (provided by @amirm)
  • A Genetic Algorithm is used to optimize the EQ.
  • The EQ Score is designed to MAXIMIZE the Score WHILE fitting the Harman target curve (and other constrains) with a fixed complexity.
    This will avoid weird results if one only optimizes for the Score, start your journey here or there.
    There is a presentation by S. Olive here.
    It will probably flatten the Error regression doing so, the tonal balance should be therefore more neutral.
  • The EQs are starting point and may require tuning (certainly at LF and maybe at HF).
  • The range around and above 10kHz is usually not EQed unless smooth enough to do so.
  • I am using PEQ (PK) as from my experience the definition is more consistent across different DSP/platform implementations than shelves.
  • With some HP/amp combo, the boosts and preamp gain (loss of Dynamic range) need to be carefully considered to avoid issues with, amongst other things, too low a Max SPL or damaging your device. You have beed warned.
  • Not all units of the same product are made equal. The EQ is based on the measurements of a single unit. YMMV with regard to the very unit you are trying this EQ on.
  • I sometimes use variations of the Harman curve for some reasons. See rational here and here
  • NOTE: the score then calculated is not comparable to the scores derived from the default Harman target curve if not otherwise noted.
  • Occluding IE devices generally must have very good fitting/seal in the user's ear canal for best performance.
    please spend a few minutes to pick up the best ear tip... Be sure to perform this step otherwise the FR/Score/EQ presented here are just worthless.
  • 1. more bass = better seal
    2. More isolation from the outside world = better fit
    3. Comfort
Good L/R match.

I have generated one EQ, the APO config file is attached.

Score no EQ: 54.9%
Score Amirm: 75.3%
Score with EQ: 92.9%

Code:
Shure SE535 Limited Edition Harman Full EQ
December252024-202557

Preamp: -12.10 dB

Filter 1: ON PK Fc 28.3 Hz Gain 9.53 dB Q 0.32
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 213.8 Hz Gain -2.34 dB Q 1.09
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 2510.8 Hz Gain 3.54 dB Q 2.64
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 4517.1 Hz Gain 6.15 dB Q 2.64
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 7752.2 Hz Gain -7.39 dB Q 5.99
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 12679.5 Hz Gain 12.11 dB Q 1.09

Shure SE535 Limited Edition Harman Full EQ.png
 

Attachments

  • Shure SE535 Limited Edition Harman Full EQ.txt
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Really, and Shure were the IEMs that supposed to be decent. Even if it was standard from a decade ago Maybe for vocalists monitor only.
 
Thanks for the excellent review, Amir.
I Have the SE425, SE535 (standard version) and SE846. I'm fairly sure that the SE535 LE version has a different response curve and was catered for the Far Eastern market, according to the UK distributor I spoke to when buying my 535s. I may be wrong, however.
 
Thanks for the excellent review, Amir.
I Have the SE425, SE535 (standard version) and SE846. I'm fairly sure that the SE535 LE version has a different response curve and was catered for the Far Eastern market, according to the UK distributor I spoke to when buying my 535s. I may be wrong, however.
That is correct. There are some small filters that can be changed in the sound tube. I have the tool and the filters for the standard version somewhere, I haven't tried changing them though. I am curious how you find the sound of the 846s vs the 535s?
 
In humans, a generation is considered 25 years, in dogs about 3-4 and in IEMs around 1-2. So this IEM measures like from several generations from the past, absolutely not competetive, neither in target adherence nor in price. At least the distortion is quite low....

TBF, it's the modern variant of a design that's 20 years old. Doubtful if this presents anything more than a slight change from the e500s. Back in that time only Etymotics claimed anything regarding a FR curve.
 
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