Shure - SE535 Wireless

Love my IEMs. I use Shure 535 and also Shure 215. Both sound great and very happy i made The change

I had two pairs of TMA-1s. Snapped the band on both. Switched to Shure 215’s in 2018. Upgraded to the 535’s in 2020. They’re not for everyone but they significantly made DJing better for me.

I’d say you did however much you love them (or are disappointed by them I guess?) Though the quality of chi-fi is amazing for the price, I think the fit of the Shure buds - especially with those deliciously foamy tips - are unparalleled. Obviously, results will vary depending on people’s ear shapes/sizes, but getting a good seal in the ear is genuinely transformative for sound quality, and I’ve yet to try anything that beats the Shures in that regard. I’m currently rocking my second pair of 535s. To be honest, I think you get a lot more ‘bang for your buck’ with the 425s, but - as with most things in life - it’s hard to go back, and I’m such a sucker for separation & soundstage that I’m thankful I’m (just about) able to afford the difference in price. Anyway, IEMs are fucking ace, and I’ve no doubt you’ll get a lot of joy from your investment. Don’t let anyone on Reddit tell you you’re not having a good time if you think you are. Happy listening!

Is the low cut because your headphones distort? Because that could be a huge part of the problem depending on how high you’re cutting. If you’re cutting at 40-50Hz, that’s one thing, but if you’re cutting at 100+, you’re cutting the part of the kick that’s gonna cut through the bass. As much as it sucks, we really are one of the instruments that need the multi-driver IEMs with the low bass response. IEMs on par with SE215s are decent enough for most players when starting out, but the drummer and bass player truly need robust sound right where 1-driver and cheap 2-driver IEMs fall off. When I switched from SE215s to SE535s, it made an absolute world of difference instantly. Molded is the way to go for sure, but if you can’t swing a pair of molds, try to grab some overtime shifts, save a bit, help some buddies with odd jobs to get into something like SE535s in the mean time. It’ll be good later also when you can spring for molds because you’ll have a decent quality set of spares.

If you can afford molds you gotta do it. I started with Se215s and then went to the 535s. The 535s were nice but pretty soon after I got 64 Audio A4s custom molds. There was a pretty night and day difference for me and I can’t go back. Isolation is better, the fit is perfect and there no fiddling and sonically they are just more detailed but more importantly, they are so fun to listen to. Get molds if you can. You won’t regret it.

Customs for 500 or less are really difficult. You'd be stuck with the respective beginner models and those usually lack bass. The process of creating a custom IEM is eating a large portion of the budget and there's not much left to add the proper drivers. I would suggest generic IEMs. And not entirely discard the idea of Chi-Fi (KZ Audio), since they are awesome bang for the buck. You can have molds made for every generic IEM. I've had them made for my old Shure 535s, which cost around $160, and really brought up the bass response.