Shure SE535-CL Triple High-Definition MicroDriver Earphone with Detachable Cable (Clear)

After owning a pair of Shure's previous model in-ears the SE-530's that were very impressive (apart from the non detatchable cable),I was thinking these new phones were going to have a hard time following my previous pair,I did order a pair of the more expensive Sennheiser IE 800's but thought they were pretty overpriced for their sound quality and overall design flaws.
 
The new Shure's are an absolute revelation in terms of both build and sound quality,even on the very first listen with no burn-in they instantly impress in terms of balance and overall soundstage,the previous issues with the 530's ie the cable having it's core exposed will not be as much as an issue with the newer models detatchable cable,although I do not expect as much of an issue this time as the overall build quality seems much better.
 
To round this off I got a great part exchange deal from Shure for my older phones and in total the new 535'S only costed me around £200,when ordering them the very helpful guy at shure said the "Clear" colour 535's had a more sturdy cable (not sure if this is true) but I was opting for that design anyway.

Received these beauties around early february, I then proceeded to initially connect them to my Nokia Lumia 800 and was moderately impressed by the sound quality. Before taking the leap to purchase these, I had read multiple reviews from Head-Fi.org and Google, suffice to say I was not thoroughly impressed with these; it sounded slightly muddy and distorted which prompted the realisation that I had just wasted my money ordering these from a Hong Kong retailer. I refused to give up yet, and my persistence on the web revealed that the Nokia Lumia 800 was infamous for its atrocious music playback quality.
 
I then decided to invest in a high-end portable audio player and after reading several reviews, I purchased the Cowon iAudio 9 and transferred my flac music files onto it. Now I truly understood why so many people had been praising these IEMs, the sound-stage was considerably wider, the lows had a signficant amount more impact and extension, the mids were amazingly clear, the highs were incredibly revealing and lively and the fantastic stereo seperation allowed me to pick out details in the music that I never knew were there - on some tracks, I was so shocked by the new details which I was hearing that I began wondering how I never knew they existed. This provided the perception of being in a live concert due to how lively and incredibly smooth these monitors sounded in my ears. 
 
These monitors are EXTREMELY unforgiving to poor sources and source materials. Put rubbish in; receive rubbish in return. These monitors will reveal ALMOST  everything you give them; providing the source and source materials are up to par. 
 
If the bass seems light to you, mids sound recessed, highs sound bright/sibilant and sound-stage sounds small, then the problem could be one of the following: YOU DO NOT have a good enough seal, you've spent too much time listening to bass-heavy/coloured low-end earphones, you're using the wrong tips, your source is pathetic (YES - that applies to over 95% of all apple 'i' products; be it iPods or iPhones), your source material is pathetic (if you want to listen to low-bitrate music files, then why are you even reading this?!), you're pushing the ear sleeves too low on the nozzle (they should be right at the notch on the nozzle to prevent sibilant sounding highs and improve the sound stage).
 
Obtain all of the aforementioned factors and enjoy pure sonic bliss courtesy of the Shure IEMs engineers
 
The Shure SE535 is simply STELLAR and will NEVER be the limiting factor in one's quest for portable audio perfection!

Comparing a bunch of universal IEMs, I'd rate the Shure se535 as one of the top tier choices.  There are a few issues, but how much these affect you will be dependent on each person's ears physically and audibly.
 
Basically, I find the shure 535 to be a very pleasant smooth sweet sounding IEM with the major points being bass and midrange.  The bass isn't basshead level or really that prominent per se, but it is very nice.  I find that it is relatively level with the mid range, with the mid range standing out a bit as being more "forward".  But the midrange doesn't really interfere with the bass.  It is almost as though you hear through the midrange to the bass.  The bass is relatively tight with a thick sort of "round" note hitting impact.  It doesn't sound incredibly fast or precise, but it also doesn't sound at all muddy and inaccurate.  Overall it is a pleasing, smooth bass that transitions nicely into the mids.
 
The mids, as many shure fans know, have a lusciousness to them that really pulls out information in music that many phones don't really render well.  They do this in a musical almost artistic way.  I say that meaning that they aren't strictly realistic sounding, but rather almost "colored" sounding, in a good way.  Like comparing a painting to a photograph.  The photo looks real, but the painting can still be very beautiful.  Overall, the midrange is really the high point of this IEM, and from the things go south.  Literally.
 
The treble takes a pretty big nose dive right as it starts to become "high" treble.  I sort of drops like a roller coaster.  It slowly starts to fall and then vwoooosh, it's gone down the chart. ha.  To me, this it the crutch of the 535.  It takes away all sense of real airy-ness and depth of soundstage leaving things sounding sort of soft, padded and lacking clarity and pinpoint details.  The 535 still outperform a lot of other IEMs, and surprisingly pull out a lot of details in music despite this setback.  However, for mer personally, the treble is the reason I wouldn't use the 535 as my own IEM.  I'll be honest though, I'm sure some people might not even have the best hearing over 10khz so this may not be a problem for a certain group of listeners, and the positives of the rest of the spectrum would definitely be pleasing for most.
 
However, that is not the case for those who can hear up to at least 16khz.  I think you'll find the rolloff to be noticeable.  Not to say that everyone will steer away because of this.  They are still a very nice sounding IEM, and for some the other areas may outweigh the treble deficiency.  For me, that just wasn't the case.
 
I would rate these are very high quality, very good at retrieving details and just plain fun to listen to.  They only suffer from a lack of true "realism" and a noticeable treble rolloff.
 
As for accessories, the case and tips are pretty nice.  The cables of the IEM seem very durable but add a little heft.  I didn't find this to be a problem.  However, the other major detractor for me is the size of the housings.  They are very very close, but simply don't fit my ears without putting pressure on my outer lobe that very quickly turns into pain.  Not just discomfort.  For that reason, I would recommend these only to those who don't have small ears, or simply try them first and make sure they fit without pain for at least 30 minutes or so.
 
For more details and a visual look at the IEM feel free to check out my youtube videos:
 
Overview and Accessories:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0tkKyz7aRI
 
Sound Review:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbTKgRyYDZQ