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Shure SE530 vs Westone 2, and the PTH Feature

post #1 of 24
11/19/09 at 6:57pm
Thread Starter 
Hey guys. I've been looking into getting the Westone 2's when they come out. but now I've been considering the SE530. But I also think they westone's might be more comfortable..

Can anyone give me suggestions, or reviews of say there Westone UM2's vs SE530 as the UM2 might be similar to the 2. but not sure.

Also. I see Earphonesolution has the SE530 PTH for $499.. thats a LOT.
and the regular ones without PTH for $449.


I was wondering if that is the average price, or that way off. Because they are on amazon right now for $277. I thought it might be an amazing deal and I was going to snag em.. but maybe not. Also I think the PTH would get in the way, and make them heavy and pull em out of your ears. I wouldn't want that feature.

Thanks for any input guys!
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post #2 of 24
11/19/09 at 7:31pm
I can only answer some of your questions, i own the SE530 without PTH, and i would not have bought it with that feature. Like you say, i think it would only add bulk/price and i have never run into a situation where it would have helped me. Very comfortable and durable. If you like the sound then you'll like them, i don't think you can go wrong with the 530's.

I bought mine on amazon for way less then the list price--don't buy them at list!
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post #3 of 24
11/19/09 at 7:31pm
well the 530 spank the um2 up and down the place, W3 is 530 competition not the W2
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post #4 of 24
11/19/09 at 8:01pm
Thread Starter 
Well I'm thinking the Westone 2, the Triple Fi 10 pro from Mvw2 or getting some Shure SE530. and I might use Fisher in the future to get a Custom, as I have a hard time getting perfect fits with most IEM's and custom's for my sort of small but slightly bigger than most selling Small tips like the ety small's I just got that are to small. I think custom's would work perfect for me.

There's some SE530's in FS section for $250ish and I found some NON PTH 530's Brand new for $256 i am very tempted to snag
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post #5 of 24
11/19/09 at 8:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mark2410 View Post
well the 530 spank the um2 up and down the place, W3 is 530 competition not the W2
No the SE530 don't... they have totally different sound signature and I actually prefer UM2's midrange to SE530. So it is all personal preference and taste.

But it is correct that the 530 compete with W3, not W2.


EDIT: regarding the PTH feature, I have not personally tried SE530 with the module attached, but since you wear them over your ears, the weight shouldn't be a huge problem. And no you need way more force than that to pull them out of your ears from below.
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post #6 of 24
11/19/09 at 8:10pm
Thread Starter 
So the UM2 has a strong midrange.. so the W2 could have a similar soundstage.

We'll here's what I'm thinking. I keep getting and selling these headphones, IEM's. and I have a hard time with many different tips. Why keep getting stuff and selling them when I could just get an expensive, top tier headphone and just keep it for good. and then later down to road get a custom mold for a TRUE fit that I can enjoy... so thats why I'm trying to decide on a good iem
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post #7 of 24
11/19/09 at 11:50pm
Earphone Solutions should be able to sell you SE530 for just over $300. $449 is just a list price. Email them.

Westone UM-series are monitoring IEM's so they will have a more closed in, inyour face, forward presentation with strong midrange presence. The W-series are for pleasure listening and should have a larger soundstage with perhaps a livelier presentation.
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post #8 of 24
11/20/09 at 12:59am
If you do end up getting the se530s, make sure you get them from an Authorized dealer even if it's $10 more expensive or so...The cables on the se530 will break before your warranty runs out, and you will want to get them replaced.
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post #9 of 24
11/20/09 at 3:01am
The Westone 2 are already on sale with a best offer from Audio Vengeance.

Westone 2 Dual Driver Earphone Sound Isolation NEW!! - eBay (item 230400853953 end time Dec-17-09 08:39:41 PST)

It will be interesting to know how these stack up to the SE530s and the Westone 3s.
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post #10 of 24
11/20/09 at 8:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by bee65n View Post
If you do end up getting the se530s, make sure you get them from an Authorized dealer even if it's $10 more expensive or so...The cables on the se530 will break before your warranty runs out, and you will want to get them replaced.
That's simply not true. The majority of people have no problems. It depends on your body's oil type and how often you use them and you well you treat them. I believe the falure rate was in the 6% range before the problem was fixed.
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post #11 of 24
11/20/09 at 1:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mark2410 View Post
well the 530 spank the um2 up and down the place, W3 is 530 competition not the W2
I'm not sure "spank" is a fair description ... before the Westone 3 or UM3x were on the scene UM2 were reguarly hailed as a top tier IEM.

I can remember a poll on this forum asking which was better between the SE530 or UM2 and while it was a pretty evenly matched result the UM2 just about edged it.

Obviously the UM3x and Westone 3 have now become the top tier IEM choice from Westone, so they are more likely to be judged against the SE530, but that doesn't suddenly mean that the UM2 have become crap.
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post #12 of 24
11/20/09 at 1:49pm
Quote:
That's simply not true. The majority of people have no problems. It depends on your body's oil type and how often you use them and you well you treat them. I believe the falure rate was in the 6% range before the problem was fixed.
I seriously doubt the failure rate was 6%, and I haven't heard anything about the cables getting updated, so I can't comment on that.

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/shu...e-poll-248730/

in the poll above, the number of people who have reported cable problems account for roughly 50% of se530 owners. Keep in mind the % should actually be higher since people who did not have problems initially (when they voted) might develop problems in the future.
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post #13 of 24
11/20/09 at 2:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bee65n View Post
I seriously doubt the failure rate was 6%, and I haven't heard anything about the cables getting updated, so I can't comment on that.

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/shu...e-poll-248730/

in the poll above, the number of people who have reported cable problems account for roughly 50% of se530 owners. Keep in mind the % should actually be higher since people who did not have problems initially (when they voted) might develop problems in the future.

Check post #82 on page 6 of that thread. I have to think anything above the 20% range would be considered catastrophic failure and there would be a product recall. I don't believe they recalled any product. "Sugarfried" has always been up front and honest here on Head-Fi.

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/shu...ml#post3124505
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post #14 of 24
11/20/09 at 2:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by digivate View Post
I'm not sure "spank" is a fair description ... before the Westone 3 or UM3x were on the scene UM2 were reguarly hailed as a top tier IEM.

I can remember a poll on this forum asking which was better between the SE530 or UM2 and while it was a pretty evenly matched result the UM2 just about edged it.

Obviously the UM3x and Westone 3 have now become the top tier IEM choice from Westone, so they are more likely to be judged against the SE530, but that doesn't suddenly mean that the UM2 have become crap.
oh i know they were loved but really my ears say the um2 are on custom 3, IE7 sort of level. im not saying the um2 are crap but they certainly are not sitting at the top table.
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post #15 of 24
11/20/09 at 6:18pm
Quote:
Check post #82 on page 6 of that thread. I have to think anything above the 20% range would be considered catastrophic failure and there would be a product recall. I don't believe they recalled any product. "Sugarfried" has always been up front and honest here on Head-Fi.
I still believe the failure rate to be higher than 6% (based on personal experience, and 2 friends who had their cables break...failure rate is 100% amongst people I personally know so my opinions are skewed). If it was around 6%, I think it would have been low enough so that they would not have cared to change cables. All personal opinion of course. Thanks for the info on page 6 btw. It's great to know that Shure will honor cable failures even if the product is past the warranty date.
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