As if you needed it, another se530 vs UE TF10 review, (my first)

[Al4x]

ive tried both the se530s and the tf10 i had them at the same time, and i prefered the tf10
why is because of this

the only others around this price are etymotics i havent tried those


Bass
alot of people like the bass of the se530 more because you can hear more of it compared to the tf10, but i found that it was more boom than punch, and as well as swamping other frequencies and at the same time stealing my attention away from the rest of the spectrum
i like the bass to be sharp and powerful rather than bloated, the se530 has more but the tf 10 is more controlled and because it isn’t so strong it doesn’t diffuse into the other frequencies mudding the sound. The tf10 bass response lacks the boom but with that i find i can hear more of the bass range especially the top and middle bass, i tend to reduce the bottom bass a bit EQing so the slight lack here doesn’t bother me
if you do want more boom than the triple fi but less than the se530 add some shure foam tips to the triple fi and it works a treat without spoiling the top end sparkle
Clincher 1 for the triple fi: punchy not boomy bass which doesn’t distract you from the rest of the frequencies, it seems more quality than quantity

Mids,
i found the two about the same here, ie both v good, and not too different from one another, maybe the se530s were a little better here and definitely if the bass didn’t overlap to much over the lower mids, but i found that neither was bad, i dont like the mids emphasised anyway which is perhaps why i didn’t think there was much difference, in fact while EQing i reduce the middle mids, and boost the lower mids and upper mids, and again the bass of the se30 clouds the sharpness of the lower mids
Draw, if it wasn’t for that bass then the se530s would win

Hi
this is the main reason why i went the tf 10. the se530s just sounded noisy and harsh here, where as the tf10 sounded resolved and clear, i liked how i can listen to the tf10 louder than the se530s because they are clearer and less harsh on my ears, i havent heard a headphone with better highs than the tf10 infact. IMO its the hardest area to make clear and resolved without hurting the users ear, and the se530s dont cut it at all.
i hate having to reduce the highs via equaliser but thats what i had to do with the se530s, where with anything neutral i will infact slightly boost them, i like the just below piercing sound.
Clincher 2 for the tf10: clear sparkling highs without the hurt and the noise!

Fit/comfort
i found the tf10 better because of a memory wire near the earphone, its got wire in the cord, so when you bend it, it stays there because of the wire inside, i found that when id move about and bend down the se530 would slip off my ear on one side, but thats probably just cause i have small ears, most find the se530s better here. The se530 was more comfortable when im in my room or still, but thats not what i use iems for, if they had the memory wire they would win hands down as i often have to adjust the triplefi a bit when moving.The combination of the triple fi 10 with the shure foamies fixes this

Clincher 3 for the tf10: memory wire! without this it would be a fail and would definitely not stay in place, and then no matter how good the sound is i would have had to have kept the se530, well done UE for that

to sum up
if you like boomy and lots of bass at the sacrafice of clarity in the highss choose shure, probably for rnb music yuck!

if you like sparkling clear highs at the sacrafice of bass then people recommend the etymotics, probably classical

the tf 10 are very good everywhere (bad nowhere and exceptional nowhere) ie good for all music, sharp punchy bass but not overpowering the other frequencies, good mids, and resolved clear, but not piercing highs, add the foam tips and you have the best of both, i also like how i use alot less EQ adjustment with them than the se530, giving a purer sound.

ultimate ears also have good warranty, mine are being repaired now 

Hope the review is ok for my first

alex

[thread]

Nice review, Al4x. My thoughts on the fit/comfort of these phones differs a bit from yours, but otherwise, I'd say we're at agreement!

Here's my comparison:

Shure E500 vs UE Triple.fi 10 Pro - Threadbox.net

[Al4x]

yeah i think im a bit odd in that respect

[milkpowder]

Thanks for the review. That was exactly the verdict I wanted to read. The E500/SE530 is far too congested and bloated sounding.

[thedauntlessone]

Thanks for the review.

[Al4x]

nice to provide rather than take all the time!

[cooperpwc]

Great review, Al4x. I like the x3-fi's too.

[Al4x]

yep, once you get the fit right, amazing

[omegaman]

Nice review, Not had the pleasure of hearing the UE but I would say your review of the shure's is right.

Great first effort, I have not had the bottle to write one yet, I will one day.

[dkpaul]

Hm... I was about to try SE530 myself...
If that's the case, I will stick to TF10