[iponderous]

^ I have to disagree with the extent of your friend's description. I do find the treble of the SE530 to be harsher than the TF10 and the IE8. This probably sounds contradictory, but even though its treble doesn't extend as far as either of those phones, it has more treble energy to my ears. Its sound signature is brighter to me overall when compared to the other two. This combined with less treble detail makes its treble sound harsher to me comparatively, but I really couldn't describe it as harsh per se.

I haven't heard the CK-710 but from what I've read, I would have thought that it has more piercing treble presentation than the SE530 could ever aspire to have.

 

[iponderous]

You could do a lot worse than invest in the IE8. It may not have a neutral sound signature but it is a thoroughly engaging listen. It is a relaxed, non-fatiguing phone with more extended and detailed treble than the SE530 can offer. I really do prefer it over the SE530 by a considerable margin.

EDIT: Did I say that the IE8 is a bassy phone? I think I did earlier and I wish to reiterate it here. If you prefer a balanced sound across all frequencies and would rather decline the offer of a large dollop of bass in your music, then you probably should steer clear of this phone. I'm not a bass head and I do regard the bass as overdone in the IE8's overall presentation but despite this imbalance, I still enjoy it because it does many other things so well.

 

[jyle_t]

Just don't blast the SE530 at the same levels as TF10pro, IE8, UM3x, etc.. its louder than most, if not all, IEMs. Then you won't get the uber treble energy. Some will argue its the upper mids tho. I too preferred IE8 to SE530.

I'd recommend e-Q7, if vocals is what you want, with decent treble and bass extension, provided you don't need too much bass. I haven't seen a graph of it, but i imagine its hill-shaped (like SE530), but lower.