[JosephKim]

Im considering trading my se530 for Orto eq5. Im really into vocals/midrange and love the se530, but I want to try other IEM and dont have money to hold on to both. Would you say the eq5 is at least as good as the se530? Is it a good trade?

 

[mark2410]

having not heard the eq5 but since no one lese has replied id say no.  the eq7 was on a par but still not quite as good as the 530 in the mids.  so i cant see the eq5 as going te do anything but be a step down

 

[mvw2]

I've only used the e-Q7 too, not the e-Q5.  I'll relate to the e-Q7
 
SE530 ==> e-Q7
-thicker note, more texturing
-less dynamics
-less of a squeaky clean note
-more forward, less laid back
-leaner bass but deeper bass
-more forward highs
-stronger directional cues for sound stage
-less of a pinpoint placement of sounds for the sound stage
-better sense of space, the room, area for the sound stage
-more even, broad response
-less note speed, clarity
-less life-like sound but more believable presence
 
 
That's a few expected changes off the top of my head.  I think both are good in different ways.  I like texture and a broad, flat frequency response.  The SE530 fell short on both of these for me and certain aspects of reproduction suffer from it.  I liked the SE530 for a week, and then I noticed all its shortcomings and happily preferred the UM3X, Triple.Fi 10, or IE8 over it despite the SE530 being the cleanest sound, most dynamic, and most realistic in sound (in a ghostly way (due to lack of texture)).  I find the e-Q7 a better mainstream product in the sense that it's more balanced and better textured, and engaging.  It's not the cleanest and most resolute sound though, but it's pleasant, open, and engaging.  It's a very likable earphone that will impress many.  I still tend to prefer a few other earphones in terms of absolute accuracy though.  I'm still a huge fan of the RE252 and feel it's one of the best earphones out there in terms of accurate reproduction.  I'm a huge fan of the UM3X, more so if EQed.  It's still one of the most revealing earphones on the market.  The Triple.Fi 10 is also one of my favorites, still a very high quality note albeit not the best dynamic range, decently well balanced, outstanding note energy and presence, and it's still one of the most fun earphones I've used with great bottom end and top end presence and detail, and it gets better with EQing.  Treble is heavenly with the Triple.Fi 10, sweet, sparkly.  I haven't used another earphone on the market with a more likable top end.

 

[Pianist]

e-Q5 is a major step down from SE530. If you want a single driver IEM that can compete with SE530 and offer the advantage of a more coherent sound that single drivers have, I recommend Etymotic ER4.

 

[JosephKim]

Hm very interesting. I was expecting different opinions. Other than the er4p, what would you then consider an upgrade from se530?

 

[takoyaki7]

I like the EQ-7 (not sure about EQ-5) but would recommend the UM3x as it's more equivalent (and IMHO better).

 

[Pianist]

Quote:

Hm very interesting. I was expecting different opinions. Other than the er4p, what would you then consider an upgrade from se530?

 
I have yet to hear a headphone better than SE530. JH13 maybe.
 

 

[JosephKim]

Well shoot. Id keep the shure se530 but Im so scared of breaking them lol. jh13 the only step up? Wow.

 

[Pianist]

^ Oh, come on - don't take my opinion so seriously. lol There are lots of people who don't think that SE530 is all that great. Many prefer entry level dual driver customs to the Shures and that's perfectly normal, because SE530 is extremely picky about fit IMO. Put them in the wrong way and the sound will collapse. At least that was my experience with them. However, if you place them in your ears just right, then they may blow you away. I only got that special fit with them only maybe 4-5 times out of hundreds, but when I did, boy were they amazing. I have a really hard time imagining how anything could rival what I was hearing during those moments, because it basically sounded like real life to me or at least as close to it as I have ever heard from anything other than the real life itself. lol
 
But realistically speaking, SE530 is a horrible IEM. Yes, that's right. Most of the time I did not like it at all. I much prefer an e-Q7, RE0, DBA-02, Q-jays, SA6. Simply because it is MUCH easier to get a consistent fit with them for me than with SE530. But the potential that SE530 drivers have is scary. If somehow you can find a way to get that special fit consistently, then SE530 may well replace the Etymotic ER4 as the "next best thing to live music." lol

 

[ClieOS]

e-Q5 is overall a more balanced sounding IEM than e-Q7 and I consider it to be better sounding than e-Q7 and SE530, but it really doesn't have a thick mid like the SE530 and certainly doesn't make it a better vocal performer. In that sense, even SE535 could be considered a lesser vocal performer than SE530 though I also consider it to be better sounding than SE530.

 

[JosephKim]

Hm interesting point pianist. I find the se530s extremely good but they havent really blown me away, perhaps because of fit. I would again have no problem keeping them but this hobby of trying new IEMs would not be possible if I did. Ive heard good things about the hifiman re262 so I might check those out, and the er4 you keep raving about . I had the mc5 and wasnt too impressed by them though (though I know the er4 is a completely different beast). Ah but I keep getting this itch to maybe just TRY the trade in the hopes that I may be pleasantly surprised. This is probably unrealistic because I really focus on vocals and I keep hearing the se530 cant be beat in this sense. I am a bit reassured by clieos tho .

 

[Pianist]

Quote:

Hm interesting point pianist. I find the se530s extremely good but they havent really blown me away, perhaps because of fit. I would again have no problem keeping them but this hobby of trying new IEMs would not be possible if I did. Ive heard good things about the hifiman re262 so I might check those out, and the er4 you keep raving about . I had the mc5 and wasnt too impressed by them though (though I know the er4 is a completely different beast). Ah but I keep getting this itch to maybe just TRY the trade in the hopes that I may be pleasantly surprised. This is probably unrealistic because I really focus on vocals and I keep hearing the se530 cant be beat in this sense. I am a bit reassured by clieos tho .

 
I owned the SE530 for over a year, just because I was hoping to find the secret of that special fit. Well, in the end I just gave up and moved on. Now I have IEMs that I like listening to every time I put them in - DBA-02 and ER4. But the SE530 remains my reference headphone by which I judge everything else.
 
Personally, I did not like RE262. But I tried them unamped and they are hard to drive, so maybe they will improve a lot with amping. Unamped RE262 can't hold a candle against SE530 with that ideal fit though. Actually, it's not even close. If RE262 was a Usain Bolt, the SE530 would be a McLaren F1. lol
 

 

[james444]

My e-Q7 review includes a listening comparison with the SE530. Regarding e-Q7 vs. e-Q5, please read here - but in short, they're very very similar to my ears.

 

[mvw2]

I haven't really heard other earphones that sound like the SE530.  The SE530 reminded me most of an upgraded version of the PFE.  Outside of that, I wouldn't call any other earphone I've ever used sounding like the SE530.  Stepping away from it means stepping to another product that sounds fundamentally different.  You really have to critically analyze the SE530, decide what aspects you like about it, what aspects you don't, and then find a different sounding product that retains the likes and gets ride of the don't likes.  What that may be?  I don't know.  I can't read minds.
 
To call the SE530 or e-Q7 better requires defining your set of likes and dislikes and comparing that list against both.  They are vastly different performers, but I wouldn't specifically call one a step down from the other.  They simply offer a different presentation.  My scale of good to bad generally comes down to blatant faults rather than sound signature.  There are earphones I liked and earphones I didn't like, but I could view them all as generally good or bad depending not on personal preference and expectations but rather by overall performance and capability.  From this overall sense, I don't see the e-Q7 and likely the e-Q5 as doing enough wrong to be not worth comparing against the SE530.  Frankly, I felt the SE530 was a moderately faulty earphone for a high end product.  I think there are a few shortcomings by both products.  However, I also know that personal preference > absolute performance so what's better often comes down to your own personal preference.

 

[EraserXIV]

Never tried the SE530, but I loved the vocal reproduction of the RE262 and it's one of the most engaging and lush IEMs I've ever heard. It also has a very natural sound and maintains clarity through the entire spectrum. The fact that the RE262 can maintain clarity is what gave it good marks in my book, especially since other mid-centric IEMs such as the UM3x seem to lose a sense of clarity due to its warmness. The UM3x still presents all the details (and maybe even more so), but just in a different fashion. The e-Q5 is more neutral and has more airiness to it, but I would still consider it a warm mid-centric IEM. It also has the knack of maintaining clarity, which I personally find is crucial in an IEM. Treble is more present in the e-Q5 than the RE262, but extension is similar. I would say bass might have a little more weight in the e-Q5, but is a tad more controlled in the RE262.