Shure SE535 Earphone Review

This is a review for the Shure Se535 noise Isolation in ear monitor (IEM), it will be difficult for me not to be biased while making this review, since these are one of my favorite earphones in the world, I’ve been using Shure earphones for nearly 9 years now, starting with the Se530 PTH, Se315, Se425, up to the one I’m reviewing now which is until recently was Shure’s flagship earphone. A few months back they’ve released their new flagship quad driver earphones the Se846 which I can’t wait to get my hands on it.

Manufacture’s  Specifications:

  • Type: In Ear Monitor (IEM
  • Drivers size: NA
  • Drivers Type:Triple High-Definition Microdrivers
  • Frequency Response: 18Hz-28kHz
  • Sensitivity: 119dB @ 1Khz 1mW
  • Impedance:NA
  • Maximum Input: NA
  • Weight:
  • Connector: 3.5mm gold plated
  • MSRP:499$

Design

The Se535 are triple drivers noise isolation earphones or what is  can be called as IEM (in ear monitors).

Out of the box

Shure’s didn’t hold anything back while deciding how to present the SE535, they come in a fancy metal black and silver box, with all types of accessories. After lifting up the lid you first find the earphones incased in compressed foam. underneath there is a black hard shell protective carry case, In it you’ll find and airplane adapter, 3,5 to 6.3 mm adapter, volume level attenuator, and several types and size  of foam and flex ear tips.

In the SE line Shure have upgraded their cables into kevlar reinforced detachable cable which is a brilliant upgrade that you don’t often find with earphones, this way you don’t worry about the life span of your earphones because you can always replace the cable, some audiophiles might also want to upgrade to an even higher grade cable for better audio performance.

The supplied cables are terminated with a ninety degree 3.5mm jack and not equipped with an inline mic and remote which is a one of the downsides of these earphones but since its possible to replace them with a a smart phone compatible cable that Shure sells separately, that matter can be resolved.

If this your first time using this type of IEM, It’ll take you around a week’s time learn how to put them in, once this is out of the way it’s only joyful music and great noise isolation along the way. The sound isolation SE535 provide is impressive, all you need to do is spend some time trying which ear tip size and type gives you the perfect seal, and you can easily sit in the noisiest environments without hearing a thing, but be careful not to use them in dangerous locations where it is essential to be aware of the surroundings such as biking or driving.

Style

I believe this to be the best design for earphones it elegant and modern at the same time though they are not what you call designers earphones. The se535 come in 3 color options; bronze, clear, a red limited edition which is the one I have and doing my review on. The limited edition was only sold in Japan previously and now shure released them to the international market.

Build quality

The Kevlar reinforced cables are really durable and able to handle any type of normal use. The earphones themselves are well built, you feel the built quality the moment you hold them, I’ve used the se535 almost daily for over a year and never had an issue with them. The compact carry case is pretty strong and long lasting.

Comfort

In my opinion this is the best fit that was ever made for earphones, once you’re able to choose the best ear tip for your ears, you can use them for long hours of listening without feeling any discomfort. I’ve used many types of high end Earphones such as UE triple fi 10, sennheiser IE80…. but still the shure fit is the most comfortable, I even fell asleep a many times while having them on, even though I don’t recommend to do that, but the se535 are that comfortable.

Supplied accessories:

  • Earphone.
  • Different types and sizes of ear tips
  • Earphone cable
  • Volume control(level attenuator)
  • Air plane adapter
  • carry case
  • 3.5mm to 6.3mm adapter

Sound

Hearing is believing, you won’t believe how good the Se535 sound till you try them on. It always a pleasure for me to see the surprised look on my friends’ faces when they try them. Just a quick advise if you are not willing to spend 500$ plus on earphones, don’t listen to these when your buying because they will ruin the listening experience of lower grade earphones for you. Everything sounds good on the se535, they shine with all types of music and movies also.

The sound is very well balanced, response is pretty quick, and almost no distortion at all. Some people might prefer a more bass emphasized earphones like the UE triple fi10, or some like a brighter sound and more treble, but as for my ears I think they sound magnificent. Here are some small examples of how good they sound; Tenderly by Jacintha: the vocal is great and you feel like you’re sitting next to the piano player.

The sound stage and instrument separation in Private Investigations by Dire Straits are impressive. Movies sounds brilliant on the se535, even though they’re not virtual surround earphones you never get the feeling that you missing any details or effects, you enjoy the movie experience to the max, try watching Pearl Harbor, Atonement, or Bourne Legacy and you would be amazed with the sound effects and the amount of details.

Bass: Bass is well balanced, strong, precise and where it should be. The bass response is accurate and fast, these are not bass heavy earphones. But I never felt they are short in performance, some might like a bit more bass.

Mid-range: Mid’s are crystal clear, vocals shine on the se535, shure did a great job setting them up.

Treble: All high notes are clear and sparkly but sometimes it feels like you need a little more, shure could’ve emphasized a little more on treble. Some listeners would prefer a brighter sound character. At the end it all comes back to your personal taste in music.

Sound stage and instrument separation: The se535 creates a spacious, wide  and very natural like sound stage, the second you start listing you’ll be immersed in the music like you’re actually sitting in a studio or at a concert. The instrument separation is well tuned, you will easily recognize every single instrument playing even the ones far in the background.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

  • Great noise isolation
  • Detachable cables
  • Triple High-definition Micro drivers
  • Extremely comfortable for long listening
  • Superb sound quality
  • Strong durable built

Cons

  • A bit pricey
  • Smart phone compatible cable need to be purchased separately

Conclusion

If you gotta have them, then you gotta have them, if you consider yourself an audio lover that won’t compromise on sound quality, and willing to spend 500$ on a pair of earphones. Look no more because you’ve found your catch. The Se535 are an amazingly sounding earphones, with an extremely balanced frequency response.

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