The first thing I want to say is NO this is not asking for a comparison between the two as I own both and I am writing up a review of both as I found them both to be. All testing was done with a ibasso d2. If anyone needs me to I can post pictures up but I have nothing to really show that would make you understand my review better.

I will first start off with the Shure's

Comfort:

I will not even attempt to attack the shure's in any bad way as the shure's are very comfortable IEM's and compared to most it is not even a competition in comfort.

the pros:
They have many different size tips and styles to try to achieve the most comfortable fit. I personally prefer the foams or olive's for their great comfort and isolation factor. When you have a good seal it is like you are in your own world separate from anyone else.

the cons:
Well for me I had a major issue with the foams. The medium sized ones were too small and gave a poor seal and sometimes would fall out. The large ones (which I ended up using) were in reality too large and gave me a stuffed feeling and became uncomfortable after a period of time. This was a very frustrating issue but I was willing at the time to sacrifice comfort for a better seal and sound quality.

The cable:

Although Shure has had notoriously bad issues with there cable splitting I have yet to have an issue with my cable and it is working fine.

the pros:
The cable is modular so you can change the length to what you need it for during the specific application (such as listening to your computer, listening to a ipod, or jogging with a ipod or mp3 player on your arm). The cable is thick and solid and has very little to none micro-phonics.

the cons:
First off there is no memory tubing on the cable. I have found that the memory tubing makes it much more comfortable to wear over the ears and has a great effect of the comfort of the iem. Secondly the cable does not store that great and can get tangled in the shure case pretty easily. Finally I will say that the non replaceable cable seriously scares me knowing the tendency of cable issues and the fact I cannot replace the cable myself.

Sound Quality:

The 530's are known for their great bass which is absolutely great. But unfortunately the highs do not live up to the great lows.

the pros:
Like I said the lows are sick and have great presentation along with the foams. The sound is not very fatiguing and compared to my triple fi's they are easier to drive and get to a adequate volume though a Ipod is capable of driving either. They have a fairly large soundstage with a laid back feel

the cons:
The highs have a famous roll of which at times is extremely apparent and distracting for the rest of the music. The Shure's have a great bass but the triple fi's in my experience go lower and are better on the low low bass. At times the vocals can seem a little distant and off in the distance.

overall:
You can not go wrong with the Shure's they are awesome Iem's and will not fail to satisfy. My major issue is that they are 100 dollars more then other triple driver IEM's and there is not advantage that the 100 dollars gets you.






The Ultimate Ears


comfort:

it seems a lot of people around head-fi feel that the tf10's are uncomfortable. While using the comply foams now supplied with the tf10's I could not disagree more

the pros:
I find that they are extremely comfortable and fit my ears perfectly using the comply's. I can barely tell they are in my ears and really allows me to focus on the music I am listening to. They are big and stick out a lot but besides cosmetics they have no effect on the comfort of your iem's and do not make a difference.

the cons:
UE's stock tips are not too comfy and are not great compared to the shure's. For those with tiny tiny ear canals I would not recommend the tf10's using the comply's since those are probably going to be a little big for you. But besides those I have absolutely nothing bad to say about the comfort

The Cable:

some have said that the cables are not great but compared to the shure's I would take the tf10's any day. I am ordering a cable from null audio to see if I can get a difference with a 3rd party.

the pros:
MEMORY TUBING! I love the stuff and it has greatly helped me with discomfort of having cable run over my ears. User replaceable cables, nice feature and makes me feel safer if something goes wrong with them knowing 35 bucks and I am good to go. Finally I the mini connector being a lot smaller then the shure's can be a benefit for plugging it into certain things.

the cons:
Non modular cable. You are stuck with the base length of cable. For my intensive purposes this is not an issue but it may be for other people? Not the best stock cable compared to the westones but they are way over the shure's imo.


Sound Quality:

The Tf10's are much more balanced then the Shure's are. No noticeable faults with any particular piece of the audio spectrum.

the pros:
Spectacular highs crisp and clean. Lows have a very deep sound and are crisp and tight. The snare drum has an extremely sharp snap which I love and have only experienced while listening to drums in my band and were non apparent in the shure's. The mids are grand and lovely but do not drown out the high's or low's in any way shape and or form. There is not fatigue for me at all I could listen to these things all day and have minimum to none discomfort.

the cons:
Honestly not much comes to mind when I think about the sq cons. I guess the lows are not as prevalent. For me they sound just perfect and are exciting and not to laid back at all.



CONCLUSION!!!

For me if I had to keep one it would be the triple.fi 10's which seems to be my perfect IEM match. Both are great IEM's and I would not regret recommended either of these great cans. Therefore, for less money and better value I would have to give me hands off to ultimate ears.

Thanks for reading and feel free to comment and ask questions. Remember this is all in my opinion and may vary for others.

reserved

Nice review but I much prefer the Shures and think they are the more balanced IEM. I also could not get over the dark, hazy, veiled presentation of the TFP's but I understand this can be much improved with an amp.

But they are both really good. Best IEM's I have heard.

yeah like I said I am using an amp but how come you find the shure's more balenced if the bass overpowers the rest of the sound?

I have the Shures, and had to try the triple.fi 10's and I was amazed at the difference. As nice as the Shures are, and I could easily live with them and be happy, the triple.fi 10's are much better detailed and balanced in my opinion. I find the sound far more open and realistic in the triple.fi 10's than the Shures, especially with classical and jazz. Also, with the Complys, and the ears reversed, I find them more comfortable than the Shures which surprised me. I just find the triple.fi 10's more musical and engaging than the Shures. I have a Null cable coming too, so I'll see what difference that makes. To each his or her own I guess!

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I am in the same position as you are and I have a null audio cable on the way also

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I agree...the bass on the Shures is impressive, but it's unbalanced and not realistic. The triple.fi 10's go low, but appropriately low and much more accurate and realistic. The Shures almost sound "boomy" to me now.

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I think his point was that he doesn't think that it does.

Also, a quibble:
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From this point I knew what your conclusion was. I'm not fussing about your conclusion -- you have every right to it. But when presenting a review you want people to see as objective, the above seems like you are conceding a point rather than observing it. Again, it's just a quibble.

In reality both the Shure Se530's and TF10's are about $300-350. Although the MSRP for the SE530's is nearly $100 higher, they realistically both sell for the same price through their retailers (both authorized and unofficial)

I am going by amazon pricing which is cheaper then the retail from the websites but still is a authorized deal and the shure's are like 8X.00 more

I returned my tf for se530 but according to my memory triple had much more detail and separation of instruments resulting completely new experiences from my old songs

As much as I like the comfort of new shures I liked triples sq , it felt much more powerful(?) in all audio spectrum
I think I'm going to return shure and buy ue 11 pro
It is funny that i thought i didnt like triple sq back then because of too much details and separations but now I miss ue sq now

hahaha I wanna ue-11 but i am not going to buy it since I need a chance to enjoy my livewires first

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Yea I understand it might be more or less on ONE sight.

But anyone thinking about spending $300-500 on a pair of earphones will definitely be smart and shop around for the best deal from an authorized dealer.

Realistically, they're still the same price

alright well if I walk into a store such as the apple store thats what they cost generally the ue's are cheaper no matter how big that margin is

theres balanced and then theres natural, the se530 offer a much more natural sound. and bass is deeper on shures, i can hear much lower frequencies with the shures just basically because the shures have dedicated bass drivers, if you look into the triple fi you will discover the bass drivers are actually not dedicated.

however the triple fi tweeter is dedicated and the shures isnt, hence this is why triple fi manages to nail highs better and the shures nail lows better. no question in my mind about that.

and the midrange is also no contest, the shure mids are more forward and clearer, its stronger, thicker, fuller and more detailed.

thats 2-1 shure. not only this but the shures are built much more thoughtfully, fitting 99% of ears effortlessly. they are a better design inside and out, nicer looking.

i think this easily merrits the shures extra $100 or so.

and for those saying the bass on the triple fi is deeper thats just not true. everyone knows the shures ups the bass volume, this is the only way to hear bass in headphones and the shures simply have louder bass hence you can hear it when it goes deep, the triple fi certainly roll off in the lows.

the whole 10 hz response is a hoax because its impossible to hear sounds that low, anything below 25hz is all about feeling and i can hear the shures easily between 27-35 hz.

i can hear 30 hz with the triple fi but its accompanied with a slight rattle or distortion of some kind. all of this was with a max power bass test cd