Lobe
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2009
- Posts
- 43
- Likes
- 11
Hey everyone,
I thought I would share my experience with the se530's that I picked up on the BST forum. I am a noob when it comes to headphones and IEM's, picking up my first semi-decent headphones (denon d1001) less then two months ago, and I thought I would take the plunge into a higher end IEM. After reading around, the consensus would be to buy the se530 or IE8, however I took the cheaper se530.
On the whole they are good, and should be great if I can sort out a few problems. In terms of the sound quality, I quite like the signature. At first I struggled from a lack of any bass, however experimenting with different types of tips helped out, the bi-flanges are currently the best, however aren't very comfortable. Due to the size of my ears, only the flanges and foams fit, while all the others just sit in my ear canal without creating a seal. Once the seal was in place, the sound was balanced to my liking. The bass was nice and strong without being too bloated. The mids seem to have a much more defined separation, just crisper. The highs were the same, however they do have the clear roll off as expected. This is all in comparison to my Denon D1001's.
The biggest thing for me was how forward the music was. One gripe I had with my Denon's was the sound was not as forward. On occasions this was annoying, however after listening to a much more forward sound, there are times I prefer it to be the other way, however it just depends on my mood. Most of the listening is done through my headroom total bithead, from an ipod or laptop as source.
There were a few problems. When I first inserted the IEM's into the bithead, there was an unbelievable amount of static and hissing. It took me a while to realise it was on high gain, however even now on low gain there is still a small hiss, but that seems to disappear after 10 minutes or so of playing. The other issue is the tips. Using the bi-flanges, they are only bearable for short periods of time. The only other option is foam tips, however they can get pricey if you don't live in the US.
So, summing up:
+ Nice sound signature for my music
+ They look awesome
+ Forward sound
- Tip choice; bi-flange uncomfortable, foams pricey
- Noise through bithead amp
- Can take a few tries to get a good fit
I have a few Q's:
1. Will a better amp designed for IEM's reduce the background hissing noise?
2. Would it be worth looking into custom tips, or is the better choice to sell them and buy something like the JH-5's if I am looking for an upgrade?
Overall I am happy with them, however if I can work out the ideal tips and resolve the hissing through an upgraded amp, they would be great.
I thought I would share my experience with the se530's that I picked up on the BST forum. I am a noob when it comes to headphones and IEM's, picking up my first semi-decent headphones (denon d1001) less then two months ago, and I thought I would take the plunge into a higher end IEM. After reading around, the consensus would be to buy the se530 or IE8, however I took the cheaper se530.
On the whole they are good, and should be great if I can sort out a few problems. In terms of the sound quality, I quite like the signature. At first I struggled from a lack of any bass, however experimenting with different types of tips helped out, the bi-flanges are currently the best, however aren't very comfortable. Due to the size of my ears, only the flanges and foams fit, while all the others just sit in my ear canal without creating a seal. Once the seal was in place, the sound was balanced to my liking. The bass was nice and strong without being too bloated. The mids seem to have a much more defined separation, just crisper. The highs were the same, however they do have the clear roll off as expected. This is all in comparison to my Denon D1001's.
The biggest thing for me was how forward the music was. One gripe I had with my Denon's was the sound was not as forward. On occasions this was annoying, however after listening to a much more forward sound, there are times I prefer it to be the other way, however it just depends on my mood. Most of the listening is done through my headroom total bithead, from an ipod or laptop as source.
There were a few problems. When I first inserted the IEM's into the bithead, there was an unbelievable amount of static and hissing. It took me a while to realise it was on high gain, however even now on low gain there is still a small hiss, but that seems to disappear after 10 minutes or so of playing. The other issue is the tips. Using the bi-flanges, they are only bearable for short periods of time. The only other option is foam tips, however they can get pricey if you don't live in the US.
So, summing up:
+ Nice sound signature for my music
+ They look awesome
+ Forward sound
- Tip choice; bi-flange uncomfortable, foams pricey
- Noise through bithead amp
- Can take a few tries to get a good fit
I have a few Q's:
1. Will a better amp designed for IEM's reduce the background hissing noise?
2. Would it be worth looking into custom tips, or is the better choice to sell them and buy something like the JH-5's if I am looking for an upgrade?
Overall I am happy with them, however if I can work out the ideal tips and resolve the hissing through an upgraded amp, they would be great.