A SE530 Review(tm)
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So yes, I've had my new Shure SE530's for a few days now and I've finally today gotten around to a proper listening test.
Believe it or not ... microscopic drivers and all ... I did notice a rather marked break-in hump at around 8 to 10 hours use, it was subtle but certainly not placebic and mostly involved the disappearance of an ever so slight amount of grain to the mids which was discernable upon first listening (right out of box).
Since my use of the SE530's is primarily mobile, I did the following listening test with my Creative Zen Vision M > LOD to a Practical Devices XM4 portable amp.
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<sigh ... so pretty>
I've read a gazillion reviews on these IEM's, and since I'm upgrading from a rather trusty and much loved pair of Shure E4C's, I wanted to be as objective as possible with the listening materials so chose a rather wide swath of tracks. Following, find a list of the six or so tracks I focused on with brief comments as to why I chose them.
The Tracks
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Here's the tracks I chose for my few hour listening test; for most, you can click on the linked song to get a few second snippet (zipped MP3 at decent bit rate) to better get a feel for the type of music I used for the listening test; the one track linked to in it's entirety is the Norbert Brainin sonata which was played by and recorded by some personal friends of mine and for which I have permission to post in it's entirety, feel free to enjoy the entire track if you so desire.
Otherwise, all linked snippets are hosted on my own domain and are pulled from albums I personally own; they are posted here for review/education as allowed under the
Fair Use Act of 1976 (pardon the necessary legal verbage).
1. Tool / Album: Undertow / Song: Prison Sex :
Chosen as the quintessential rock piece, very snappy kick drum and super tight snare sounds, all and all, a huge bass presence but with also excellent, slightly recessed mids and nice highs. This song sounds good played very loud and sort of naturally has that 'classic V' EQ sound to it.
2. K.D. Lang / Album: Absolute Torch and Twang / Song: Trail of Broken Hearts :
I can't find anything better to demo midrange smoothness with than K.D. Lang's voice when she really starts to croon. So fine. The instruments throughout this song (and album) take a back seat to her incredibly liquid voice and so it makes a great demo track for midrange purity in the female voice.
3. Norbert Brainin / Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 2 g-min op. 5 :
I'm a huge fan of quartets, quintets and chamber music in general; I'm not so huge a fan of recorded full scale symphonic pieces unless they're recorded with the utmost care and delicacy, too easy to lose in translation what would be very apparent when sitting in the hall. Not so with the smaller ensembles. This is one of my favorite recorded sonatas because one, it was recorded by and for some friends of mine and two because it really conveys a decent and fairly dramatic sense of intimacy and overall an effect of 'being in the room with the players;' at times, the players breathing can get a bit much, as can some of the other room ambients; also, the piano is a bit up front, but all in all, it's a great demo track for room dynamics and midrange performance. Feel free to download the linked .MP3 and demo the track.
4. Radar Brothers / Album: The Singing Hatchet / Song: All the Ghosts :
The Radar Bros. are one of my favorite indie bands. Simple, heartfelt, vague and minimalist. I chose this track cause it reminds me of countless times I've recorded my own music in small to medium sized studios with near zero affectations on the instruments (other than what the amps might produce); this track demonstrates great dynamics among all instruments ... especially the drums (kick butt high hat and splash taps) and piano. The listener is sitting right in the middle of the players.
5. Grant Lee Buffalo / Album: Copperopolis / Song: Hyperion and Sunset :
I like everything Grant Lee Phillips (and his band Grant Lee Buffalo) has produced. He's got an incredible sense of tone in his equipment (vintage guitars, drums, tube amps) and his voice is about as textured and buttery as they come. This particular song is very subdued but a great demo track due to the excellent highs on the splash cymbal taps, the huge huge bass on the kick drum (must be a huge drum) and of course the hypnotic, textured and smooth tone of Grant's 'songbird' voice.
6. JS Bach / Concerto in C Major for 3 Harpsichords
Another small room chamber piece that I chose primarily to get a good grip on the capabilities of the Shure SE530's in the high frequency department. Nothing like a bunch of harpsichords tinkling away as a gauge of a speakers ability to quickly convey high frequencies and the crispness that should come with such ensembles.
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If you'd like a better feel of what types of music I demo'd through the Shure SE530's, feel free to listen to the very short, above linked clips for each piece.
General Thoughts on Build and Look
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At first I was surprised at how incredibly light this set of IEM's is; they weigh significantly less than my previous set of Shure E4C's and are nearly twice the size. Hard to process that one.
According to Shure, these are the lightest IEM's they've ever produced and I would have to reckon that's an accurate statement.
The build quality is top notch and after realizing that light weight doesn't necessarily mean fragility, I realized they are as well put together as my previous E4's ... with maybe just a bit thinner cables on the main ear piece end of the segmented cable assembly.
The other included cable extensions show the same extra thick build quality that I loved about the E4's and I don't see them wearing out any time soon. I am, however (since reading some horror stories online) watching the main (much thinner) Y cable closely over time for wear as I won't stand for any of the notorious cracking of the rubber that you might read about online.
Unlike the E4's, the SE530's come with a main Y cable assembly that represents the main IEM ear piece end of things and then three other interchangeable cable lengths that allow pretty decent flexibility in preferred length of listening cable (depending, I guess, on whether your jogging, or riding a train or whatever).
I just use the main Y assembly with the three foot extension for just about all applications.
Despite other comments online regarding the color choice made by Shure (they only come in the chrome bronze) ... I personally LOVE the chrome bronzed finish. It looks completely fly with my overall dark Zen Vision M and Black line out doc. Couldn't have chosen a better look for my portable setup had I wanted.
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I certainly like it better than the white of my previous E4's ... but then again, when it comes to portable audio equipment, I'm really not that much into the cosmetic side of things.
Suffice it to say ... the chromed out bronze is a hit with me.
The Fit
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At first I found it a bit difficult to quickly to insert the SE530's while obtaining a good seal at the same time.
Being used to the very narrow profile of the E4's, I found the rather bulbous shape of the SE530's to be a bit cumbersome on the insert but over time became accustomed to the change (all things in time!).
The main fit difference upon upgrading to the SE530's has been in acclimating to the change in my preferred tip.
As with all of the Shure IEM's, the user is provided with a huge variety of tips so as to achieve the best air tight seal possible. With the E4C's, my favorite tip was the dark gray 'flex-tip,' sense it really provided an air tight fit and nicely accentuated the snap of the bass.
Yet with the SE530's, I found the huge increase in default/natural bass to be such that the dark grey flex tips were just a tad too much to continue using, just seemed to 'seal off' and muddy the bass a bit; instead, with the SE530's, I found the new black Shure "squishies" to be a much better performer due to the fact that they are a bit porous and plus seem to have a port of sorts built into them to allow a bit of release on the bass hits, making for a more natural and less muffled sound.
With the black squishies, the principle is the very same as high quality ear plugs where you first compress the tip and then quickly insert it into your ear canal, letting it expand to conform to the shape of your inner ear.
Though they do sound much better than the silicon tips, they nonetheless are a bit more time consuming to insert and get right.
But the pure joy of the sound produced is well worth the effort/practice.
The Sound
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Right out of the box, I knew they were The Lawd's Own IEM's; Truly Righteous Sound(tm). All other makes and models aside ... I just love the way Shure's IEM's sound. Neutral, flat ... non-coloring ... and highly highly EQ'able.
The default sound is, frankly, rather beautiful; it's incredibly spacious for IEM's and as detailed as imaginable.
I thought the E4C's (or maybe some Grados I've listened to) were the pinnacle of uber detail but these things take it to a whole other level. Serious 'throw out the bunk MP3's' IEM's. From the soft pivot of valves on the saxophone or flute to fingers on the fret board ... these IEM's put it right up front.
I personally like that trait as I'm a fan of recording music myself ... but it can be disconcerting if your not used to it.
At all default settings, no EQ'ing and with a good fit ... the general sound is best described as warm or, as one reviewer claims, "lush." Extremely warm and smooth ... with the very notorious (and true) slightly rolled off or subdued highs. Some folks online have referred to this as the "Shure sound" ... but I don't think the E4C's were quite so hindered/rolled off in the highs.
If you wade through the majority of reviews online ... you can generally count on most comments being fairly accurate (except for any review that claims these IEM's suck)
The oft-mentioned characteristic of 'rolled off' highs, though true, is very easily remedied with a bit of EQ work ... as is the very shapeable bass presence.
Compared to the E4's, the first thing I found myself doing was reducing the bass in my daily listening EQ settings and slightly increasing the highs.
Being a fan of EQing, I nonetheless will generally settle on one universal setting that generally works for all of my listening and for the SE530's, it required some real attention to the bass settings. The bass capabilities of these IEM's is mind blowing and if you get reckless/crazy with bass boosts and EQ settings, it's quite easy to replace the quite natural and accurate bass of the SE530's with something bloated and muffled ... so only minor EQing is necessary to make them shine in that department.
Once EQ'd (I like some up front treble with my bass, thank you) ... the SE530's proceeded to kick some serious arse across all the listening tracks I had chosen.
Bass, Bass, Bass!!!
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The bass is really sort of unbelievable.
I personally am fascinated by the physics of how such small drivers can send such palpable bass tremors down my brain stem and into my body.
Really ... that's not an exaggeration.
Once set up/EQ'd right ... the bass is as natural and present as anything I've ever heard from speakers or headphones and it positively moves beyond your ears/head and down into your body. It's that pronounced and beautiful.
In fact, I found my brain attempting to convey chest thump to some of the heavier hits in the Tool track which, if listening through a quality home system would be all too apparent. Sort of like the line in The Matrix where they tell Neo, after his surprise to find his mouth bloodied upon returning from training in the matrix, that, "your mind makes it real" ... even though it's not.
With the Grado SR225's, I get a pretty stumbling approach to what I'm hearing with the SE530's, but nowhere near the thump and low frequency presence ... and the drivers on the Grados are always palpably vibrating the pads, which sort of bugs me.
With the SE530's, there is ZERO physical affectations to the driver/IEM assembly ... just HUGE and startling bass that isn't even beginning to break a sweat at volumes that most full size cans simply could never approach with out vibrating off your head or clipping into a distorted racket.
Across all listening tracks (especially the Tool and Grant Lee Buffalo clips) the bass was astonishing.
Tool's "Prison Sex," at the high volume end of things, was so snappy, taut and deep that the only thing that I could dream of to compare would be placing your head between two high end MagnaPlanar type speakers attached to equally high end amplification. HUGE and SLAMMING (which, when it comes to rock, is exactly what I expect my chosen listening gear to be able to convey).
The insanely deep and subtle bass present in Grant Lee's "Hyperion and Sunset" was equally well served though being an altogether different species of bass entirely. An absolute joy to observe through the SE530's.
Sound Otherwise
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Again, the other reviews have nailed it and I really can't formulate a reason for writing so much other than to say you should give these things some consideration, but the Shure SE530's are simply magical in the midrange (and bass) department.
K.D. Lang's voice in the above demo'd track is as smooth and liquid as one could imagine and never once became painful or fatiguing, even at high volumes (though that particular track is not really intended for high volumes).
Similarly, the separation of Cello, violin and piano was superb in the Norbert Brainin sonata, as was the general presentation of room dynamics and soundstage. That particular recording was recorded with the intention of putting the listener in the room with the players as it was recorded at a birthday party in a small to medium sized room and the SE530's communicate the intentions of the producers beautifully (though it's not the cleanest of recordings).
Also, despite the natural limitations of IEM's ... I found the SE530's to have a rather nice attempt at full sized can soundstage though of course mostly falling short of that goal.
From the rather open and 'fifth row' sound of the harpsichord concerto to the much more intimate 'rehearsal studio' sound of the Radar Brothers track ... the SE530's did a rather commendable job of conveying the proper sense of depth and width of the particular venue/room.
Of particular note is the detail and intimacy of the Radar Brothers track, which I myself find uncanny for the fact that I truly got a sense of sitting on a stool in the middle of three to four players going at it in a medium sized studio. Very nice.
Anyway ... I could gush and gush ... but personally, I think these are the Uber PWNing IEM's of All Time(tm).
I am a producer of music though, and a die-hard Shure fan boy, having used their mics for decades now ... but I think the majority of reviews online will echo my sentiments that this particular set of IEM's is pretty much the golden section of IEM's when considering price and performance.
For my listening preferences anyway ... and once EQ'd to my personal taste ... they can do no wrong (other than bug me occasionally while trying to get the right fit).
Compared to the Shure E4C's
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One thing I have to say is that the Shure E4C's, though lacking in the uber detail and bass frequency department are a close approximation of what I have described above in the Shure SE530's.
And truth be told ... having used a set of Shure E4C's for some months prior to this upgrade, and considering one can get a pair of E4's for as low as 140 U.S. ... I would have to say the E4's are one of the best values in the IEM world.
The E4's require a bit more finessing/EQ'ing to get a decent bass image (but they are capable in that regard); an amp with a good bass boost circuit (like the XM4) will really make the E4's shine, though they just can't approach the slam and huge bass of the SE530's.
Also, I slightly prefer the default high frequency performance of the E4's, though the SE530's are just as good once EQ'd.
Anyway ... if you can't afford the SE530's ... then you should seriously investigate finding a set of E4's or even the SE310/410's which I imagine are even closer in performance to the 530's.
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All things considered, and realizing that Shure has about as great of a service and warranty department that one could wish for, I feel rather lucky to have landed a new set of SE530's for the asking price of 350 bucks (a steal!).
I look forward to at least several years of duty before ever having to think of an IEM upgrade.
UPDATE: 1/26/08
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So I've been listening to my new SE530's almost non-stop for a whole week.
One thing that began to dawn on me is that the overall sound is dramatically affected by the type of tip I use.
As stated in my main review, I at first became fond of the black olive tips. These as opposed to my standard E4C listening tips which were the dark gray silicon 'flex-tips.'
The default and dramatic bass output simply is too much for the very 'sealed' fit of the grey flex tips ... resulting in a bass that sort of reverberates and sounds 'woollen,' as they say (and, it really does sound just like that).
So I immediately went with the black olives as they are more porous and seem to be 'ported,' which allows for the drivers to breathe a bit and consequently sound a hell of a lot better in the low end (and across the board, really).
Yet as I listened this week (with black foamy 'olive' tips) ... using the exceptionally natural and pure bass profile that I had grown accustomed to in the E4's as a reference, I nonetheless continued to nit-pick over the bass of the SE530's ... which, at the most critical level is not
quite as natural and tonally beautiful as the E4's; it's close for sure ... and the SE530's are way better
overall simply because the bass stays rather present even at the lower volumes, but my (sometimes problematic) critical Third-Ear(tm) just couldn't stop attempting to devise ways to make the bass even more enjoyable.
So today, as an experiment, I broke out some of my old yellow foamies.
When I mounted them on the nozzle, though ... since the fit is rather tight on the nozzle stem,
I only pushed them up until they TOUCHED the notch on the stem and did not push them over the notch and flush with the back of the nozzle as the manual says to do.
Upon listening I was blown away by the difference in the sound.
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The bass was far far better. More natural, a bit more 'disciplined' and true, if you will. Not that the bass is all that bad with the black olives, cause it's not ... but it does require constant doting (EQ, etc.) depending on the source track and type of music. With the yellow foamy pushed just up to the notch, though ... it was much more natural and enjoyable (more E4-like) but also just as up front and accessible as with the black olives.
The high frequencies as well were dramatically improved, mostly in regards to the default sparkle and sharpness. I had to back my black olive EQ settings down by about 30% on the high end of the EQ as with this new tip setup the highs were just way to bright. I know it sounds hard to believe, and I honestly haven't figured the physics of this out yet, but try it and see.
And finally ... other than the bass improvement ... the other HUGE change was in soundstage.
I'm not sure why this is.
Maybe because only pushing the yellow foamy up to the notch and not over, essentially lengthens the nozzle a bit. Allowing a bit more space between the drivers and the ear drum. Whatever the reason ... it equaled a rather noticeable improvement in soundstage.
Another benefit I found from mounting the yellow foamy a bit further away from the driver housing is that the tips are much easier to insert in the ear canal as the foamy sort of sticks out more and allows for a better grip on the main driver housing as your inserting the tip.
Anyway ... the sound is what I found to be the biggest change though. I was blown away by the difference in bass tone and soundstage.
This is now my daily listening method.
If you have some yellow foamies laying around, try this immediately. Amazing improvement to my ear (but that's my Third Ear(tm) BTW, that mystical sense organ tied wholly to my most nit picky and critical sense of personal listening and so, user results may vary)
[ this review brought to you by Insomnia(tm) ]
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Review: Shure SE530
