128 MACWORLD JUNE 2019
PLAYLIST REVIEW: SHURE SE535-V+BT1 WIRELESS SOUND ISOLATING EARPHONESThe SE535 earbuds can be
detatched from their cables
to be repaired or upgraded.pick up Shure’s RMCE-BT2 High-
Resolution Bluetooth 5.0 Communication
Cable for $149. With the RMCE-BT2, you’ll
get about 10 hours of music transmitted via
Bluetooth 5.0, a 30-foot transmission
range, and support for multiple codecs
including Qualcomm aptX HD audio, aptX
HD, aptX Low Latency, AAC, and SBC-
enabled superior digital audio. The cables
themselves are thick and lined with Kevlar
for durability, and (in my experience)
resistant to tangling.
The ability to remove these earbuds
from their wires also means it’s easy to
make repairs. The most common point of
failure for any headphones is their cables.
They wear out, they get caught slammed
in doors, or they get pulled away from the
earbuds themselves.
With the SE535s, you can inexpensively
fix any of these problems by investing in
a new cable. Since you can upgrade
them with improved wireless hardware
like the RMCE-BT2, you can expect a
longer support cycle than you’d get with
many other sets of earbuds and the
advantage of embracing new connective
technology without having to replace
your earbuds entirely.
SOUND
I won’t say these are the best-sounding
earphones out there, as sound is a very
personal experience. But I will say they
sound very,
very good.
One of the
problems I typically
associate with
earphones is that they
don’t pack the same impactful bass you
find in over-the-ear or on-ear headphones.
This isn’t an issue with the SE535s. The
bass isn’t overwhelming, but neither is it
reed-thin. It is rich, robust, and
occasionally it rattles your eardrums.
We can thank the foam tips that
conform to the shape of your ears for
much of this. They provide an excellent
seal that blocks out almost as much noise
as a pair of ANC headphones, and they
allow low-frequency sound to rattle around
in your skull.
Unfortunately, the foam tips do make
the earphones more of a pain to insert into
your ears. I also didn’t like the way the
cables loop over the back of my ears
instead of hanging down like most other
earbuds, but these are minor
inconveniences for the sake of superior
sound. While we’re on the topic of cables,