[Depechetraff]

Hey gang. I bought a pair of 530s last week and I'm really trying to like them. I'm finding the midrange overpowering though. I've tried them on my laptop and also plugged into an Airhead amp & iPood Nano. On the laptop I've done a bit of playing around with the eq, and this is what sounds better to me:

It's not perfect, but it's better, and I'm sure I can improve on it. Trouble is, I don't want to spend my life obsessing over eq, and I can't take the eq to the iPod... I'm wondering what to do now. I'm probably getting an iPod Classic and a Total Bithead in the next couple of weeks, and I don't want to be unhappy with the sound. I'm thinking now that I should have just got my Ety Er4's recabled, or maybe I should have bought something else. IE8's perhaps... At the moment I could see me grabbing the HD-25-IIs every morning instead of the Shures.

So I'm asking for some help from people who know more than me. Based on the eq curve that I've applied to the 530s, and my musical prefs of Depeche Mode, Human League, Orbital etc and the two words that would describe how I like my music being "clean" and "fast", should I persevere with the 530s or do you think I'd be happier with something else?

Your help would be greatly appreciated...

 

[alysony]

Not to sound like a jerk or anything...but have you checked how well the flanges are sealing? Also Shure's are really well known for being very bright in the mids. I know that usually I select the Electronic or the Dance EQ setting on my i pod/phone and that really kicks down the mids on my 310's. I know everyone wants a zero EQ config but sometimes it's just not in the cards...Good Luck

 

[rawrster]

What ipod do u have? If its 5.5G or earlier you can rockbox it with good EQ.

So from that EQ you don't like the forward mids and its treble rolloff?

 

[gameboy115]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rawrster /img/forum/go_quote.gif What ipod do u have? If its 5.5G or earlier you can rockbox it with good EQ. So from that EQ you don't like the forward mids and its treble rolloff?

Feel the same way as you, seems you don't like the mid and treble

 

[Depechetraff]

Fit appears to be fine. I've been experimenting with all the tips (well, all except the white pagodas) and I'm currently using the smallest squidgies. Bass is fine (but I could always use more...). Treble is ok, if a bit muted and dry. It's just the midrange...
I could live with the treble rolloff, but I'm not sure about the mid.

Unfortunately rockbox isn't an option as I'll be getting the newest 160Gb Classic.

Gameboy, you've had both the 530s and IE8s... Do you think I might be happier with the Sennheisers? Not that I'm going to make a decision yet - I'll give the Shures at least another week to see if they grow on me

 

[sid311]

I could never really get into my E500s, at least not after hearing the ER4Ps. Just couldn't handle the rolled off highs. I got the APS cable and it really helped the mid/lower, lower frequencies of the ER4Ps.


-sid

 

[choka]

What other phones have you tried to think the mids are too bright on the 530? I am thinking of may be getting the 530 to substitute my triplefi10 because the mids are too... suppressed... is that the right word for it?

 

[ZARIM]

Sennheiser IE8 willbe better pick..........

 

[alysony]

I guess I just like shure or something. I hope everything works out. Keep us informed.

 

[Depechetraff]

After listening to the 530's flat out of my laptop for 5 hours or so today, that eq I posted sounds way too aggressive. I'm still not as happy as I should be for $300, but things are looking up...

Choka, my usual 'phones of late have been Sennheiser HD-25-II on the subway and Grado SR80s at home. Both driven by an old Airhead on the move or a Creek OBH-11 at home (when I could be bothered). In terms of IEMs, I used to be satisfied with the sound of the Ety ER4s, but I was never happy with the fit, or the cable (which died a while ago). I love the idea of IEMs though, so after my Etys died I went through a load of cheapies before finally biting the bullet and buying the 530s

 

[iponderous]

The SE530 is a mid-centric phone, with treble presentation that is slightly rolled-off. That's the nature of the beast I'm afraid. If it's still not appealing to you after you've applied eq, then it's not looking promising. You could always try experimenting with tips as they can change the sound signature significantly.

 

[saintalfonzo]

why so stuck on the ipod classic? The 5.5 gen w/ rockbox is the way to go sq-wise, and it can be modded to have more storage too. Can you explain your aversion to the 5.5 gen, or what you think is better about the classic?

 

[Depechetraff]

I suspect that the missus has already bought me a Classic for my birthday... I've been dropping hints for a while, since my Zen Xtra died, and I mentioned that the classic seems to be the most storage you can get without drifting too far over to video player rather than music player. Hell, I still think album art was a useless luxury. What I really want is a 300gb Shuffle. Oh ok then, maybe a basic lcd screen if you must....

 

[ben4345]

I am not sure if I should laugh at ipod users or just feel sorry for them.

 

[saintalfonzo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ben4345 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am not sure if I should laugh at ipod users or just feel sorry for them.

let us know when you have any pertinent info to share