Final thread before i purchase my 1st set of high end IEMs,help pls

[Kyon]

Its strange,the more i read the forums(I spent like 6 hours here reading),the harder it becomes for me to decide on what to buy?Currently,my selection is finalized at either of these:-
Sony MDR-EX700
Shure SE530PTH
Before,all my IEMs cost under $70 so this is my 1st set of high end and i want to make them really worth it.

These are what i found in this forum's threads:
Sony MDR-EX700
Thin cord,Y-cable,
User sid311 says it sounds way better than Shure 500s

Shure SE530PTH
High frequency rolloff??I dont understand such technical terms T_T
Problem with the cord.
Congested and bloated sounding.

Strange,with these and many other faults why do many people still get Shure 530?

What i require:-
Very good noise isolation-I study at fastfood restaurants everyday.
Not too high bass,it makes me feel like throwing up.
I spend up to 3 mins untangling my current sony IEM,my friends Shure E3c doesnt have cord problems.When i tried his E3c,i totally love the noise isolation.

I can get the MDR-EX700 at around $250+$10 shipping and Shure at Ebay at $330+ $30 Shipping.I sent a message to headroom for a shipping and price quote and is currently waiting for a reply.
Is it safe buying from ebay?I asked the SE530 seller and his reply was:-

"
We are not dealers but warranty will not be a problem if purchased from us. The warranty is from the manufacturer but you must follow these instructions FIRST. Manufacturers are against online sales because they want the general public to pay full retail pricing and us e-tailers are here to provide quality goods at a reasonable price. All you need to do is contact us FIRST in the event you should have a problem down the road. We will either exchange it or send it to the manufacturer for repairs and mail it right back to you. Just check our feedbacks and it will say it all about who we are and the quality of service we provide to all of our online customers.
"
Seller at 3384 rating.

Im currently looking for advice and which to choose,not so much of the reviews.thanks in advance,will really appreciate replies.
And i like my music without modding my IEM,changing any EQs or using any amps.I listen to mainly Rock and pop.

[Stelixus]

Is there a way where you could actually test those earphones and not make your decision based on reviews?

[Kyon]

No, none of the shops in my country put them out for testing T_T

Thanks to user:Singapura,he told me where i could try these out at a place i never heard before,going to audition them soon.

[warpdriver]

High frequency rolloff basically means the treble sounds a bit weak. So it's like turning the Treble knob down. You can try this on your car stereo or your home stereo system to understand it affects the sound. All Shures have this to some extent, some more than others.

As far as many people getting the Shure, it comes down to preference. I never found that Shures sound that good because of the frequency rolloff. To me it dulls the excitement and energy of the sound, but some people think it sounds just fine. The 530 isn't bad, but I don't prefer it. I haven't heard the Sonys but based on all of their other IEMs, I'd rather buy the EX700 than the Shures.

[Duncan]

Kyon PM'd me - Am posting my reply in here, hope it will help others making their decision whilst waiting for my three way review (and explain why it isn't up yet!)

Hi Kyon,

As bad luck would have it, my home PC has died (not sure why, powers up for a few seconds, then switches itself off again... strange) - anyway, I've been sourcing solutions to that rather than the review...

What I can say - Hmm, Isolation will go slightly in Shure's favour (The Sony's aren't bad, just that the Shure's are that little bit better)... In terms of bass, the Sonys (oddly) have a more refined / less midbassy bass than the Shures (which kind of goes with what the other reviewer was saying in the thread that I hijacked) so if you're not a bass-fiend, the Sonys would win that... As to overall, if you can be patient, and do not listen 'too' loudly, I am of the inclination to think that the Sonys are the better buy (for the first 20 or so hours, and when pushed hard, the treble can be a bit sharp, but that is in comparison to IEMs where the treble is muted, so if you have not used IEMs before, then you may not even notice this!!)

I am really happy with the Sonys, the sonic signature of the company has improved no end since the days of the EX70/71 where it was all about bass and treble and not a lot inbetween!

...As an aside, if you're not a bass loving person, do not consider the TF10s, as these (imo) are the bassiest of the three...

I hope it helps - Will try to check back in again over the course of the week, but currently only have my work PC, and we're not supposed to be online (one of those whole things about wasting productivity... pah!!)

Anyways, good luck, and - let me know how it goes!!

Best regards,

Duncan.

[jinx20001]

se530 congested and bloated?????

no thats people confusing congested and bloated with being able to actually hear the deep bass their er4's are not giving them

[tstarn06]

Not even considering the Sleek SA6s? Big mistake, in my view. Some Shure owners have sold their E500/530 after trying out the Sleeks. Can't comment on the Sonys, but the Sleeks are $249 and they do ship international. At least read the SA6 thread, or some of it, before deciding. Some TF10 owners also favor the Sleeks. Not all, but some. Of course, the SA6s are much less $$$-wise. And you can get perfectly good iso with the SA6s, especially if you use comply or shure foamies.

[jinx20001]

Originally Posted by warpdriver

High frequency rolloff basically means the treble sounds a bit weak. So it's like turning the Treble knob down. You can try this on your car stereo or your home stereo system to understand it affects the sound. All Shures have this to some extent, some more than others.

As far as many people getting the Shure, it comes down to preference. I never found that Shures sound that good because of the frequency rolloff. To me it dulls the excitement and energy of the sound, but some people think it sounds just fine. The 530 isn't bad, but I don't prefer it. I haven't heard the Sonys but based on all of their other IEMs, I'd rather buy the EX700 than the Shures.

yeh but have you tried turning the treble up with the se530, the response with a good source will blow plenty out of the water! many people complain about treble roll off not realising that it isnt the drivers that limits its sound its the path shure chose for thier sound, being armature drivers in particular they will respond better to some treble EQ than most dynamic driver IEMs

[jinx20001]

Originally Posted by tstarn06

Not even considering the Sleek SA6s? Big mistake, in my view. Some Shure owners have sold their E500/530 after trying out the Sleeks. Can't comment on the Sonys, but the Sleeks are $249 and they do ship international. At least read the SA6 thread, or some of it, before deciding. Some TF10 owners also favor the Sleeks. Not all, but some. Of course, the SA6s are much less $$$-wise. And you can get perfectly good iso with the SA6s, especially if you use comply or shure foamies.

i was very intrigued by the sleeks but just recently (as usual) they have received a cold bashing. same as everything else at some point in the year

[monolith]

Originally Posted by jinx20001

se530 congested and bloated?????

no thats people confusing congested and bloated with being able to actually hear the deep bass their er4's are not giving them

ER-4s give me tons of deep bass.

[Al4x]

not considering tf 10?

[robojack]

I still say get you get the SE530, between the two you've picked out. However, you could get the Futuresonics Atrio M5/M8's for half the price of either, and get equally good performance. See the huge Futuresonics Atrio M5 thread for more comments.

[Matteman]

Heh you guys, you are not really helping him decide here...

[subfocus]

Originally Posted by Kyon

No, none of the shops in my country put them out for testing T_T

Thanks to user:Singapura,he told me where i could try these out at a place i never heard before,going to audition them soon.

Problem solved then ! Just buy whatever sounds best at the time to your ears ,thats within your budget.........enjoy your music !

[rhythmicmoose]

Those Sony ones look really uncomfortable. Is there a reason the Westone UM2 isn't under consideration? It's in your price range, has a proven and respected sound, the best ergonomics of any of the major players (and I've tried Westone, Klipsch, Shure, Ultimate Ears, and Sony), and Westone has great customer support.