I agree with the previous poster - I find the comply tips to be very comfortable while still producing great sound (YMMV). I use a line out cable from my iPod into a Voyager amp and have no hissing. These are very sensitive (low impedence) earphones and it sounds like they are picking up...

Thanks for the advice Arjisme. I will give that a try.

Sakhai - I was just looking at the Westone 3's as a possible replacement. Thanks for the heads-up on the design issue.

Like many E500/530 owners, I experienced the cracked cable problem. When I contacted Shure about it, I got a very brief canned answer: "Please see Shure - Service Policies for directions on having your product repaired and possible pricing if it is outside of warranty." Unfortunately, my...

Reposted to portable headphones forum. Thanks vkvedam

You may also want to try a website called purplemoo.com. They have screen protectors for just about everything. If they do not have something for your player, they will also quote a custom screen for you. I used them to purchase a screen protector for my camera. Some of their protectors seem to...

obentou - Sorry to see what happened to your PK1's. You might want to try putting some non-conductive epoxy on them. That should help hold everything together and you might get a little more life out of them.

A friend of mine had one and I tried it out. I did not think that it sounded very good. It was loud, but rough. I think you would be much better off buying a good starter amp from someone upgrading their system. Lots of them to be found in the for sale forum.

PK1's leak very little sound unless the volume is WAY up. They are great for the office or for use around a spouse that does not share your love of music

I have the C&C box amp and would say that it is an OK amp. I didn't like it all that well with my Etymotic ER-6's, but do like it with my Shure E500's. I have not heard the Practical Devices amp, but it seems to be a little higher rated in the forums than the C&C. It probably doesn't matter too...

If you are sure that IEM's are right for you, I suggest the Shure e500/530 (same IEM) - especially if you like bass. If you are not sure, you may also want to spend your $300 on a decent portable amp and some Yuin PK1 earbuds. I have both and prefer the PK1's unless I need the sound isolation.

I have the PK1's and the E500's. Both sound terrific in their own way. My choice usually comes down to the environment I will be using them in. If it is reasonably quiet and/or I want to be able to turn off my player and immediately be able to talk to someone, I go with the PK1's. If I want...

Like most of you, I have tried a lot of different tips on my e500's. I had a long trip a few weeks ago and was able to do a lot of back and forth tip comparisons. Overall, I found that the moded bi-flanges provided me with the best sound. However, the large Comply tips were the most comfortable...

In case you are looking for a reference, I purchased my E500's from bobsound1 and it was a good experience. Quick delivery and product just as promised.

I don't know of a list of low impedence phones or even a list of manufacturers that make then. You might try a Head-fi search on a couple of key words such as "low impedence", 80 ohm, 32 ohm, etc. It might be more fun just to browse the web sites of the usual suspects - Sennheiser...

I have the 32 ohm DT990's and am not sure if there are any differences versus the 80, 250, etc. On a few other threads I have read that there is a slight difference in sound - a little more sibilance. I believe it has mostly to do with the ability of the source to drive a lot of current.

I don't listen to a lot of techno, so I can only comment on the e500's in a general sense. I think that they hold up very well without an amp. I just tried them with and without an amp and they don't lose nearly as much impact without am amp as my other phones.

I have the Beyer DT990's in the 80 ohm version and they seem to drive pretty well directly from an ipod. I normally use an amp, but they are pretty good without it. You might want to check out a few low impedence versions of headphones that are available.

I have a pair of ET-6's and the Shure e500's. To my ears, the sound of the e500 is much richer and fuller than the Ety's. While there is some missing treble, I think that the great bass and midrange more than make up for this. Even at twice the price, I think you will be happier with the e500.

If you really enjoy bass, you might want to consider the Beyer DT770. I have the DT990 and find it a little more balanced, but I also had the DT770 for a while and enjoyed it.

You may want to try wiping down the cloth parts with a mixture of liquid soap and a mild oxidizer such as dilute hydrogen peroxide. I have never tried this on headphones, but it works well on dogs that have found young skunks (an annual Spring event around here). If you try this, please make...

I had the er-6 and thought that it was a little lacking in bass, but YMMV. I agree with the other comments that a set of closed cans may be your best value - if you don't mind carrying around the extra bulk.

If you do want to go mobile without an amp, purchase the lower impedence version of whatever headphone you select.

I have a C&C Box amp and it improves the sound of my E500's significantly. Of course, after a few weeks I realized I could get even better sound with a better amp and now have a Reference on order. If you have the cash, I suggest you go for at least a mid-range portable amp ($150-200 range). It...

Somewhere in this forum there is a post with another theory for the rolled off highs on the E500's. The thought was that Shure did this to better match with the sound out of the ipod headphone jack. Having tried my E500's and a few other headphones directly out of the ipod's headphone jack, I...