[jobski]

Hi guys,

i think its my first time to create a thread here.

i'm deciding on which one to buy, my preference for buying would be comfort and of course sound quality.

as far as sound quality is concerned, i reference my sr 60 as my baseline for sound quality.

which among the 3 will sound more like it?

i like the balance on my sr60 although i find the low end frequencies are quite low (in terms of presence). so a little bit of those for my next iem will be welcome.

thanks in advance!

 

[moonboy403]

With the price tag of those 3, you're entering the realm of customs (think freq or livewires).

 

[jobski]

i'd love to go customs, but i'm from the philippines and i can't get customs here

 

[moonboy403]

There are many international head-fiers who got livewires or freq! Check out livewiresforyou.com or freqonline.com!

I've seen people from Philippine getting customs around here on head-fi too. You just need to find a place that gives ear impressions.

 

[alitomr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by moonboy403 /img/forum/go_quote.gif There are many international head-fiers who got livewires or freq! Check out livewiresforyou.com or freqonline.com! I've seen people from Philippine getting customs around here on head-fi too. You just need to find a place that gives ear impressions.

QFT. I cant remember in which of both sites is but one of them has a kit to take your own ear impressions and it is only 20USD. With their return policies I dont think that it is too bad, although shipping charges for us outside the US might make if better to go to a professional audiologist to take the impressions.

It seems both livewires and the freQ shows (or whatever in the lineup)= are very good and comfortable.

The downside of the customs vs. universals is the fact that you are stuck with them, with their resale price being 0. You must make sure to read a lot of reviews and try to understand the sound descriptions. They have a 30day satisfaction guaranteed that makes it easier for customers to consider them, but the reality is that you really have to make sure the upgraditis will be under control because you wont be able to sell them.

If comfort is your main concern and you are going to stick with universals, then the SE530 is your option and second is not close. I have read more than 50reviews about each the triples and the se530 and I cant remember anybody saying the se530 are uncomfortable and I do remember the only few bad reviews about the triples being EXCLUSIVELY because of comfort issues. It seems to me that most owners are satisfied with overall SQ of the triple fi than the SQ of the SE530 (pretty much like the HD650 vs HD600, the first one most love them, but some hate them, when pretty much everybody loves or likes a lot the HD600), but pretty much everybody talks about the great comfort of the SE530 while SOME (probably a few) people consider the triples to be uncomfortable.

I havent read too much about the livewires but ive read more than one review about the FreQ shows where they say they are in the same category of the UE11s, which basically means they are the best bang for the buck when you think of customs IEMs.

 

[small.solar]

out of the 3 IEMs you listed, TF10 is the most close to your SQ requirement, but other 2 has better fit. I suggest you to try them out before you make up your mind (if possible)

 

[steviebee]

IMHO, TF10 beats out SE530 hands down for SQ (there are oodles of threads debating the two if you fire up 'Search'), and the bonus of a replaceable cable, but the fit/comfort thing is really down to personal trial. It helps that there are two ways to wear them (stock and flipped -again, loads of info in search. Try ' UE flip-flop mod'). A lot of people, like me, find them darn comfortable from the get-go, others need time & a few never get used to them...'fraid it's definitely a suck-it-&-see...

 

[jobski]

thank you so much for the replies.

i think i can get my impressions from a local hearing aid maker. the considerations of having custom iems but without the resale value makes me think twice on getting them. but the sq and comfort that it will give me makes me want to go for them (freq iem's). if its that good i may get them and maybe forget about the resale value when i start using/hearing them play.

i didn't know about freq/livewires before this, i thought they were as expensive as those ue customs. but now i have a choice, and i wanna thank you all again for that!

 

[green_avanti]

Quote:

Originally Posted by alitomr /img/forum/go_quote.gif ..I cant remember anybody saying the se530 are uncomfortable..

I'm having difficulty getting comfortable with the SE530's.

I bought a pair a few weeks ago and initially tried them with the med black olives which everybody seems to love. They were too big and hurt. I tried the small black olives and they were just bearable but after wearing those for a few CD's my ears canals were so sore, and the right one inflamed, that I couldn't wear them again for days. I lightly dampened them before inserting, and only inserted deep enouh to get a good seal. I thought perhaps I had a reaction to the black foam they are made of..

I next tried the thin grey tips in medium, then small and they were better but didn't seal overly well and weren't as good sounding or isolating.

I was, and still am an Ety ER4 user and have never had a problem wearing those with the triple flanges for 2-3hrs or more. So I did the obvious and tried the SE530's with the Ety triple flanges and that was 90% better and makes them usable for me, but not perfect. The Ety tips don't quite protrude far enough on the Shure body to get a reasonable range of insertion depth.

Note here that the Shures also come with their own triple flanges (1pr), a similar design to the Ety's and they have a longer 'tube' or body which will give a greater range of insertion depth. Shure offers that these can be trimmed to give a custom fit, eg make them into twin-flanges if you want (you'd probably want more than 1pr before you start cutting them up though).

I've only just got to this point now so haven't tried the Shure triple flanges yet, std or otherwise, but that's not the point. The point is that not everyone finds the Shures super comfortable, perhaps the new tips will be my Nirvana, perhaps they won't. Comfort is in the ear of the beholder. I can tell you though, that it is impossible to enjoy music with IEMs when your ear canals are hurting.

Despite all that I like the sound of the Shures, they are a nice alternative (not substitute) to the Ety's.

Kind regards

g_a

 

[Duncan]

Hi Green,

You'll be pleased to know that I had a similar experience (lack of comfort / inflamation etc etc) when I first started wearing IEMs... Why would you be pleased? - Well, I think its probably just your ears getting used to something being there that shouldn't be...

It passed with me after a couple of weeks, and hasn't effected me since

Fingers crossed, and good luck!

 

[green_avanti]

Quote:

Originally Posted by green_avanti /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm having difficulty getting comfortable with the SE530's. I bought a pair a few weeks ago and initially tried them with the med black olives which everybody seems to love. They were too big and hurt. I tried the small black olives and they were just bearable but after wearing those for a few CD's my ears canals were so sore, and the right one inflamed, that I couldn't wear them again for days. I lightly dampened them before inserting, and only inserted deep enouh to get a good seal. I thought perhaps I had a reaction to the black foam they are made of.. I next tried the thin grey tips in medium, then small and they were better but didn't seal overly well and weren't as good sounding or isolating. I was, and still am an Ety ER4 user and have never had a problem wearing those with the triple flanges for 2-3hrs or more. So I did the obvious and tried the SE530's with the Ety triple flanges and that was 90% better and makes them usable for me, but not perfect. The Ety tips don't quite protrude far enough on the Shure body to get a reasonable range of insertion depth. Note here that the Shures also come with their own triple flanges (1pr), a similar design to the Ety's and they have a longer 'tube' or body which will give a greater range of insertion depth. Shure offers that these can be trimmed to give a custom fit, eg make them into twin-flanges if you want (you'd probably want more than 1pr before you start cutting them up though). I've only just got to this point now so haven't tried the Shure triple flanges yet, std or otherwise, but that's not the point. The point is that not everyone finds the Shures super comfortable, perhaps the new tips will be my Nirvana, perhaps they won't. Comfort is in the ear of the beholder. I can tell you though, that it is impossible to enjoy music with IEMs when your ear canals are hurting. Despite all that I like the sound of the Shures, they are a nice alternative (not substitute) to the Ety's. Kind regards g_a

Update:

I've been using the SE530's for the last few hours with the the Shure triple flanges and am very impressed - no soreness. The Shure triple flanges are comfortable, easily adjustable for insertion depth, sound terrific and provide a high level of isolation - very much the same as the Ety's. If anything I prefer the Shure triple flanges to the Ety's as they are a little bit softer silicon or plastic or whatever it is they are made of.

The only neg's with the Shure triple flanges is that the SE530's stick out of your ears a bit further with them than with the other tips that come with the SE530's, and cable microphonics are a bit more noticable. The first could be easily fixed by triming the length of the 'tube' at the back of the triple flanges. The second is possibly due to greater isolation but could also be the nature of this style of tip (or both). Isolation is not quite as good as the Ety triple flanges but on the flip side cable microphonics are not as bad as the Ety's either.

Very happy with the SE530's now I can wear them comfortably. They sound terrific and a great companion to my Ety ER4's.

Kind regards

g_a

 

[green_avanti]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jobski /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi guys, i think its my first time to create a thread here. i'm deciding on which one to buy, my preference for buying would be comfort and of course sound quality. as far as sound quality is concerned, i reference my sr 60 as my baseline for sound quality. which among the 3 will sound more like it? i like the balance on my sr60 although i find the low end frequencies are quite low (in terms of presence). so a little bit of those for my next iem will be welcome. thanks in advance!

If SR60's are you baseline then SE530's will tele-transport you to the higher end of the spectrum. If the rest of your gear is up to it, the SE530's won't be lacking..

Kind regards

g_a

 

[DARKHAVEN]

My preference goes to the SE530s. The TF10 Pros are also excellent, but the SA6s don't belong in the same sentence as the other two...

 

[hatethatgiraffe]

Triple fi sound great are tad uncomfortable and stick out quite conspicuously!!
Shure are not quite as sharp but im wearing them typing this and are just so comfortable!!
Buy both!!
You know you will eventually once upgraditis kicks in coupled with a little curiosity!!

 

[channum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DARKHAVEN /img/forum/go_quote.gif My preference goes to the SE530s. The TF10 Pros are also excellent, but the SA6s don't belong in the same sentence as the other two...

I couldn't disagree more. I had both SA6 & TF10, I kept the SA6 and sent the TF10 back. They both have things they are better at and it's a matter of personal preference. The SA6 are very much in the same class and anyone who pretends otherwise is looking at the price tag instead of listening with their ears.