[Ton]

Because I was on a budget ( although not very tight of course) a few weeks ago, I bought the Shure SE420, because the SE530 was just a bit too expensive for me. Meanwhile however I could sell my E4P's for a good price and moreover I had a windfall (is that the correct word ?) moneywise, so that the SE530 would be affordable for me now. (I assume that I can get a good price for the SE420 as well, because they are almost brand new and have still warranty).
But how is the sound of the SE530 compared to the SE420, particularly with regards to the bass ?
Is there a chance that it will be too much ? FWIW, I use the Shure's only with my iRiver H320, loaded with high quality mp3's (320kbps) and lossless flacs and without a headphone amp.

 

[Joelc87]

The SE530 might have a little more bass but the primary reason for having two drivers for bass is so that the total load on each driver is less. Think of a sub box in a car. This halves the load on each driver which results in less distortion. I personally have the SE530s (have for about a year) and have never heard any bass distortion to speak of. There is some crackling at times but that's because of lower quality sources. Keep in mind the SE530's also have better high level detail. This is why the addition of added bass doesn't really sound like added bass. Overall though I love the sound. It's no wonder these are among the highest rated earphones custom or universal.

 

[Zephyron]

IME, the SE530s are far bassier in comparison to the SE420. Comparing them directly to the E4 back then, I wasn't impressed, predominantly due to the overwhelming amount of bass quantity it produces. The SE530 is the 2nd most bassiest IEMs I've tried (the most being the 5EB, I have never tried the Atrio m5).

Despite it being refined in terms of bass, it still loses out in overall control in comparison to the SE420 in the lowest regions of bass IMO, not forgetting that it lacks also the treble that the SE420 has as well (and by proxy, the ER4).

The SE420 is every bit as detailed as the 530, and has headstage performance that equals the 530 in width, but not in depth and height IMO.

In terms of balance and tonality, I find that the E4 and SE420 are the balanced ones in the Shure family, and that the 420is more balanced in comparison to the E4. The E5 and SE530 have more in common with one another, and are the more fun sounding earphones in comparison to the rest of the Shure family.

The SE530 might be more synergistic with the H320 however, since IIRC, the H320 is considered a cold sounding player (though I don't find this to be the case, if the 320 is similar to the 120, the truely cold sounding player that I own is the Cowon D2 IMO). If what you seek is basshead kinda bass quantities out of an IEM, I don't think one can go wrong with the SE530.

 

[themyst]

The SE420s have nearly the same quality mids of the SE530, but due to the lack of the third driver, it just doesn't sound as full. The low end is present in the 420s and isn't necessarily missing, its just... eh. For the cost of the SE420s, I'd either spend more and get the 530s or look into other options. I honestly can't justify ANYONE spending $350 retail for the 420s. As big a Shure fan I am, the 310s and 420s are at the bottom of my list in terms of sound quality versus value. The 210s are a good entry-level Shure IEM for the price, and should be seriously considered by anyone looking to spend around $100-130 for an IEM.

 

[ph0rk]

I'd like to add that a bit of eq goes a long way with the 210's - just pull out some midrange and the rest comes together.

 

[antonyfirst]

Hi Zeph, would you say that, using the Shure inline volume attenuator at around 230 Ohm, I will be able to obtain the same results as using your 230 Ohm impedance adapter with Shure SE420?
Or will the fixed resistor sound better now matter what?

 

[Spyro]

I considered the SE420 to have only slightly more bass than E4 (10%) but the SE530 has MUCH more bass than SE420 (30%+).

While SE530 is still a little too bassy for me I still MUCH prefer the overall sound of it over SE420. Very refined, very full and very controlled.

But I know many prefer SE420 over SE530.

 

[pikafish]

the bass of se530 have less distortion.

 

[themyst]

You really have to try hard to make SE530s distort. They take well to EQ adjustments better than any IEM i've ever tried.