Shure SE535 Sound Isolating Earphones Review

At CES 2010 in January, Shure unveiled the new Shure SE535 as an improvement of their glorious Shure SE535. The previous Shure SE530, like I wrote before, were nothing short of magical. Top audiophile quality with no compromise.

The Shure SE535 earphones sit firmly in the second category. Stylish and good-looking they are not, but they do sound utterly fantastic.

At £350 they're certainly not cheap. If you're looking for some iPod-replacement earphones these probably aren't for you. They're bulky and can be a tad fiddly to put in your ears.

But if you're an audiophile or at the very least someone who appreciates well-rounded, natural-sounding high-bitrate music, these earphones are brilliant.

The units themselves are fairly chunky. They need to be – each one contains three separate drivers - two woofers and a tweeter in each one. This makes music played through the SE535's shimmer with crystal clarity.

The highs are crisp and clean, the bass is deep and silky smooth, while the oft-forgotten midrange is full-blooded, meaty and wholesome.

It's only when you treat yourself to a pair of earphones like this that you realise how good music can sound. That said, if you're listening to low-bitrate MP3s, you needn't bother.

These earphones show up the inadequacies of compressed music more than any other earphones out there. Unless you're listening to decent source, the extra money you'd pay for these isn't worth it.

Our test album for these earphones was a FLAC copy of The King of Limbs. It's a well produced album which does a great job of showing off the ninja audio skills of these high-end earphones.

However, as we alluded earlier, they can be a bit of a fiddle to use. It takes a bit of practise to perfect the installation of each unit into your ear. And if you've got long hair, it's even more difficult. Like other Shure earphones, the bud is inserted into your ear drum and the cable is designed to go up and over the back of your ear.

The Shure SE535 are my top recommendation if you are looking for the best sound quality. Their clarity and definition, coupled with great comfort, are unmatched by any pair of universal-fit in ear headphones.

This awesome quality comes at a high price. However, if you are looking for the best sounding in-ear headphones, don't want any compromise, and budget is not your main issue, you really can't go wrong with the Shure SE535. They're worth every penny.

With the new detachable cables, these headphones will last, and keep your ears happy, forever. So, consider them more of a lifetime investment than a temporary gadget.