Hello all, I just got a pair of SE530's back from Fisher. Following are a few initial impressions:
Build Quality
The build quality is more or less what has been reported on Head-Fi. The build is OK. Not perfect, with bubbles and scratches. Overall it's not bad though.
Fit
The fit is pretty good, but the right monitor is sticking out a bit on the top. It's not uncomfortable (yet), but aesthetically it's not perfectly symmetric with the left side. In terms of comfort, it's pretty good so far. I've only logged a few hours on them, but they are indeed pretty comfortable. They don't require as much pressure as the black foam tips on the Shures to create a seal. Relative to the universals they also go much deeper into the ear canal. I had a lot of problems with the universal Shures because my left ear lobe is smaller than my right lobe. I will note that it's quite tricky putting them in and pulling them out. Based on the Youtube videos it requires a twisting motion that I'm still trying to perfect.
Isolation
Isolation is great. I can barely hear myself type with no music on. It's definitely as good as, if not better than, the black foam Shure tips.
Fisher cable
A detachable cable is very cool especially considering how many issues I've had in the past with the SE530 cable. Specifically the Fisher cable feels a bit flimsy and gets tangled somewhat easily, but I'm really digging the memory wire that goes over the ears. Much less pressure on the ears compared to the Shures. My last complaint regarding the cable is that the point where it splits off from one cable to two cables is a bit high. It would be perfect if it were a few inches lower.
Sound Quality
They sound pretty much the same to me, but I'm not as picky and my ears are not as refined as some others on Head-Fi. If anything the low end seems a bit more emphasized, perhaps because of a better seal.
Overall impressions
If anything they make an interesting conversation piece regarding IEMs. At this point it's insanely difficult to pull them out of my ear making random conversations difficult. Overall I think it was worth the cost. It was surprisingly difficult to get by without headphones for the ~2 weeks they were gone.
