Quote:
Originally Posted by 03029174 
Hi all, ive just ordered the SE530' s because i got given a pair of SE210s by a friend and was impressed with them, can someone please explain abou the rolling off of highs? i spent days trying to decide wether to get the SE530's or the UE10 triple hi fis, im going to use them with an imod 5.5 with vcaps dock and iqube amp, do u think il be able to alter the EQ in Rockbox to get the better hi's
thanks
Pete
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Hey ...
When I say 'rolled off' highs ... I simply mean the IEM's default sound signature (that is, without any EQ'ing, etc.) has a high frequency profile that is not quite as sharp or crisp in the 'attack' or finish. Easiest way to think about it is like this: imagine a high freq sound that should be extremely crisp (like the tap of a closed high hat or the pluck of a high E note on a banjo) ... a rolled off high will ever so slightly seem a bit duller than a very crisp, sharp and well communicated high.
The Shure SE530's are only hindered in this fashion in the most nitpicky of ways mind you ... and only folks who spend a lot of time 'staring' at the music as it plays will notice ... and it's really not an unpleasant trait ... just not quite as real as it could be and overall creates a tonal feeling of 'warmth' or 'lushness' to the mix.
This slight and negligeble (IMO) flaw is quite easy to rectify with a few well placed EQ notches on the high end; my own SE530's, now that I've worked out the sound, are just as crisp, fast and sharp on the highs as any other phones I've heard or have ... and frankly, regarding all around sound, are more enjoyable than any other cans I own (grados and senns alike). They're hypnotic in the sense that I find myself wanting to not only enjoy listening to the music ... but also that I'm very concerned with carefully listening to the music, which to me ... makes for a more fun listening experience.
And re: the amp:
No, in the volume department, you do not need to amp the SE530's.
I will however say that a decent amp, fed via a clean line-out signal, will absolutely OWN and sound far superior all around than will the headphone out of just about any portable rig made (barring maybe some of the more expensive kenwood offerings).
The headphone out on Ipods, Zens, Irivers, Arcos's, etc. ... simply incorporate substandard electronics and OPAMPs and a decent amp, even though not necessary for the volume, will nonetheless hugely increase the sound quality (soundstage, tone, bass, etc. are all highly changeable depending on the electronics your feeding your signal through.
So if you can run line-out of your portable (not out of the headphone out, mind you but a clean, unamped line-out) then I personally would highly recommned experimenting with amps. Heck of a lot of fun. The Ipods can run a line out, as can the Zen Vision M and Zen Vision W. There are also a few other players that provide a true line out.
Here's a shot of my Zen Vision M with it's line out doc in place:
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The Zen's headphone out is actually on the side of the player that's resting against the desk.
This way, I avoid the subpar electronics (OPAMPs, etc.) built into the Zen player and instead feed an unamped signal straight into my amps better sounding internals.
Amps: there' not just for volume anymore.
