JUNE 2019 MACWORLD 127modular design and Shure’s reputation for
exceptional customer service also
render the SE535s practically
damage- and future-proof. They
may cost more than some new
iPads, but their winning
combination of wonderful sound
reproduction, repairability, and
adaptability make them an
outstanding investment.
There may be better-
sounding earphones in the
SE535’s price range, but I’ve
yet to find them.
DESIGN
Shure released the 535s in 2010, and very
little about them has changed since then.
They now cost $50 less and you can buy
them with a far wider variety of
connectivity options—but that’s about it.
Given that a technology company’s
fortunes often rise and fall based on the
success of new products being pushed
out at regular intervals, the fact that Shure
still makes the 535s says a great deal
about their quality.
For this review, we’ll be talking about
the SE535-V+BT1 iteration. Mine were
bronze in color, although you can also get
them in other colors (along with a
transparent version). Testing them over the
course of a week, I found they provided
between six and seven hours of runtime
before they need to be charged.
They come with Shure’s RMCE-BT1
Bluetooth 4.1 communication cable with
inline controls that work with either iOS or
Android hardware, in addition to a cable
you can plug into any 3.5mm port you
have in your home. Why the additional
cable? Because the SE535’s earbuds are
designed to be removable. If you want to
use them with your old iPod, you can. If
you want to listen to music streamed to
your iPad via Bluetooth, you can do that,
too. Just pop the earbuds off their cable
and attach them to a different one.
That means Lightning and USB-C
connectivity is covered as well, and if
Bluetooth 4.1 isn’t enough for you, you canShure’s SE535+BT1 kit comes with everything
you need for a great listening experience.