Hello,

I am looking at buying some new in ear monitors and was wondering what the difference was between the Shure SCL5's and SE530's? On the sure website they have the SCL5's in the Pro Audio section and the SE530's in the personal audio section. Not sure what that means but other than that they seem to have specs that are really close. If anybody can give me some info on the difference between these 2 and which they like better that would be awesome. I plan to use them for on stage monitoring while playing drums.

Thanks in advance!

SCL5 is also known as E5c. It is a dual drive IEM. There is also the SE420, which is an revised/upgraded dual drive model based on E5c/SCL5. AFAIK, SE420 (which has low impedance) doesn't sound the same as SCL5/E5c. SE530 is also known as E500, it is a triple drive IEM. Use the google search on top of each page and search for 'e5c se530' and you'll find plenty of comparison threads.

Quick reply:

SE530: Great bass, great Shure midrange, clear but somewhat rolled off treble. Excellent fit, possibly troublesome cable that may break over time (no issues with mine, but lots of threads on this well-known issue). Very very comfortable.

E5c/SCL5: Good bass, great Shure midrange, sparkly highs, a cousin (but better sounding to me) to the Westone UM2. Best cable in Shure's range (although it will oxidize and turn green, but no other issues except for the cosmetic one). Good fit, but with a stiff memory wire, and very very durable. Sound not quite as coherent or clear as the SE530, but still a very good IEM.

After about 40 hours of listening comparisons, the SE530s are inferior to the SQ of the e5c. I wa not impressed by the SE530 at all.

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Both of your total posts here are only about how you were disappointed with the SE530. Care to share what exactly displeased you? Maybe you had a bad seal or were using the wrong tips?

Are you kidding me?

I've always thought SCL5 IS E5C?

And E5C IMO has always been sorta equivalent to Westone UM2...which is a distinctly inferior product to the SE530.

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...Was anyone arguing that fact?

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That description of E5c/SCL5 sounds appealing. Then I did a quick Google search and found they are more expensisve than the UM2 and roughly comparable price wise to the SE530 (.i.e., over $300). Too rich for my blood.

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I didnt do a good job setting up my critique... I apologize. It seems that the e5c are more flat than the SE530 which seems to be too dominant in bass and mid...or the e5c were lacking in that department. I have been using my triple flanges (hope that is right...the opaque Christmas tree plugs) and have a good seal in my ear. Either my ears are accustomed to the e5cs or my expectations were more of a total dominance over the e5c sound signature. I have both sets and have been doing A/B comparisons the past two weeks.

The absence of a memory wire make the SE530 very clumsy from a wearability standpoint. Aside from the green oxidation..the e5c wires seems better.

My mp3 collection is 320kbps VBR and I do not want to use an amp with my ipod. I am sure an amp would make any IEM better but I am too mobile to carry an amp.My gut was to go with the UE triple.fi 10 or the Westone 3 but I decided to stick with a Shure brand...I am afraid I am regretting that decision.

Depends on your taste, I can understand why you'll find E5c better than SE530. I don't think many people know this, but I believe E5c is actually designed by Jerry Harvey (ex-UE's CTO, founder) and manufactured by Westone under request of Shure to produce a professional grade IEM for stage monitoring. So E5c is tuned toward stage usage, unlike the more consumer orientated SE530.

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Thanks for the insight ClieOS. Since my tastes line up with more of a stage tuned IEM, what would you advise me to purchase? You have done alot of reviews so I trust your judgement on this one.

My budget is up to $500.

isnt the E5 supposed to be more akin to the se420 in its sound, flat being the key trait