Is the Shure SE530 a significant upgrade from E3?
Apr 9, 2008 at 7:39 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 19
keiron99

keiron99

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I've had the Shure E3 earbuds a couple of years now. They only get light use for various reasons (I use Stax at home and don't get out with my portable much!) but I'm looking at changing my setup and possibly upgrading the Shures. They will be used with my home rig, a Sony 818 and iPod.

Now I do like the E3 but always have a hankering for something better. I must confess though, despite 25 years in this hobby I am not that good at identifying upgrades - what seems like night and day to many people can go completely unnoticed to me. Put it this way, I cannot even through my Stax or Dynaudio speakers, readily tell 128 AAC from lossless.
rolleyes.gif
Call me lucky!

So, could anyone with experience comment on whether the E530 would be a significant upgrade from the E3? I'd really appreciate your comments.

(I should add, I'm in the UK and off to Orlando on holiday next month so perhaps looking to purchase over there - the lower price reduces the risk somewhat. So any tips on how to get some for a good price would be welcome too!)
 
Apr 14, 2008 at 9:59 AM Post #8 of 19
Can anyone tell me whether the outer packaging of the SE530 is "sealed" in any way?

I'm thinking of getting them from Play.com (Jersey based) and they accept returns within 7 days as long as the package is unopened. Obviously, if there's any kind of shrinkwrap/seal sticker I'm stuffed if I try them and don't like them!
 
Apr 14, 2008 at 11:38 AM Post #9 of 19
Assuming that Shure are still shipping the SE530s in the same packaging as mine (which I have in front of me) then the only "seal" as such is two circular pieces of clear sticky tape at the sides of the plastic outer. If you're careful you can probably peel these away intact and then the inner goodies will come out relatively easily. There's no blister or shrink wrapping (iirc) so you might be ok to demo them and return if you need to.

On a SQ front, the SE530s are streets ahead of my old E4Cs, so I'd imagine they'll sound better than the E3s too.
 
Apr 14, 2008 at 2:02 PM Post #11 of 19
Quote:

Originally Posted by intoflatlines /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Why not get them from headphone.com, they have a 30 day no questions asked return policy.


I'm in the UK. And in fact, it seems I can actually get them cheaper over here, which is a novelty.

There is a place here called Play.com which accepts things back in 7 days as long as they haven't been opened. I may be able to get away with it depending on how Shures come packaged.

Are they in a kind of blister or shrink wrap which would make it impossible to get them out without taking a blade to the packaging?
 
Apr 14, 2008 at 2:37 PM Post #12 of 19
In my experience, I went through virtually the entire Shure line looking for "something". I was never quite satisfied until I hit on the 530s. Then, the change made me smile and I couldn't stop listening. Still can't get enough of them. That's the best non-technical endorsement I can give. Enjoy.
 
Apr 14, 2008 at 5:52 PM Post #13 of 19
I would second (or third or fourth, I've lost count) the notion that the SE530's are a HUGE upgrade over the E3's. The technology has evolved greatly and the SE's are truly a step above everything that has come before from Shure.
 
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