[Torula Yeast]

This reply may seem kinda random, but here goes...

So far as the Shures seeming uninvolving, I can think of two things that might be contributing to this impression.

One, if you're used to full-sized headphones, IEM's may have a hard time measuring up. IEMs pump sound directly into your ear canal, whereas headphones rest on or around your ear, thereby involving the pinnae (the folds of your outer ear) into the shaping of the sounds you hear, which is much more as nature intended. Not that some don't prefer the sound of IEMs. But there ya go.

Second, the Shure e530s are a rather neutral sounding monitor; that is, they feature less of the sound coloring that gives the "sizzle" to many personal listening devices such as headphones. The e530s were meant more for pro artists and recorders to get a sense of the sound of a performance/recording sans the tints of portable and home listening systems. To many, this type of sound will come across as boring.

Where I become concerned is where you desribe the Shures as uninvolving yet quickly fatiguing. This makes me wonder if you aren't in fact listening to these IEMs with the volume too loud. A neutral a device as the e530s should perhaps sound dull after as spell to the uninitiated ear, but not tiring. Check your volume level while listening to your phones. You should be able to hear (somewhate) normal conversation with these on if you're not listening too loud. When you hit that volume level, apply it to your Shures.

So far as the comfort level, well, I am also inclined to think you'd find a ported IEM such as the UE super.fi 5 EB preferable, as their ability to deliver more bass rests on their ability to allow air to circulate between your ears and the outside world, thus allowing for less pressure difference between your inner ear and the outside world.

Me, I'd prefer a pair of Grado SR60s to the Shure e530s any day unless sound blockage was the majore requirement; in the latter case, I prefer the e530s to any other IEM I've heard.

 

[Dexter Morgan]

To the OP - I've become a big cheerleader lately for yellow-foamies, basically because I prefer the sound quality, but it might help you out with your comfort issues as well. Since you say you listen at a low volume, I will assume you're talking exclusively about the physical aspect. Most people around here will think you're talking about the sound itself when you use the word "fatiguing." Anyhow, not only are your ear canals probably small, it also sounds like they're reacting to the "outward" pressure of the olives. What I mean is, the olives contour to the shape of the ears, but they exert a fair amount of pressure inside your ear canal from trying to "reset" to their natural shape. So they push against the walls of your ear canal a bit. I eventually got used to this, but it bothered me for a while.

I suggest you try the yellow-foamies for the very reason that they are exert much less of this pressure. The material itself is pushes back much less... it conforms to your ear and just feels like it rests in that shape. You will notice it takes them much longer to completely reset to their normal shape once you take them out. I didn't notice you mentioning that you tried these tips, so that's my suggestion. The only down side is that you might notice a drop in bass. I actually preferred this because I found it to make the 530s less muddy. The bass was still powerful enough, but just more clear and blended with the sound of each instrument, rather than an overall coloring.

Since you just got your 530s, they probably didn't ship with the foamies, but I know you can get them from EarphoneSolutions. Or even Shure's website, I believe. Good luck!

 

[Kosmic]

Go for Livewires T1.

They are the coolest looking customised in ear phones around; you can choose faceplate and body colour.

They produce amazing sound, and are so comfortable you can wear them all day without fatigue. They have great isolation.

They are the best bang-for-buck in ear phones around at the moment.

 

[michaelbe3]

Quote:

Originally Posted by no1likesme /img/forum/go_quote.gif sell the shures and get ue super.fi 5 eb like many have said. If you like the bass from the 770's the 5 eb's will be as close as you can get. (and i have seen them go for pretty cheap)

Ditto...I agree, and did exactly that...I like my bass and the fun factor is overwhelming!

 

[mister__big]

Quote:

Originally Posted by slattikarma /img/forum/go_quote.gif Maybe I'm just not suited to IEMS.

I think you just answered your own question there. IEMs are very subjective and some people just can't stand having things in their ears, no matter how good the sound may be. I would recommend you try over-the-ear phones and see how you like those.

 

[Kosmic]

LivewiresT1 are designed to fit your ears perfectly. I hate anything on, or in my ears but these "disappear". Livewires are not "off the shelf" iem's, but are custom made to be a perfect comfortable fit. For the price they're the bargain of the year.

 

[Bisco82]

One thing I just noticed as I am on Day 2 of these IEMs is that they appear to be the most sensitive to the "perfect fit" than any other IEM I have owned, even the ER6i. I know that for example, the ER6i fit insertion is much deeper than most other IEMs, and it takes getting used to and some experimenting, but since owning those, I have moved on to several other IEMs before settling on these Shure's... My point here is that I normally get an excellent seal with silicon and I really did with these, both the super soft grey and the semi soft clear... but the seal didnt really help the sound... something was off, quite badly. But with the large black foamies, I finally get some decent (but not to the point where I would say these are "bassy") bass and a much warmer sound than I was getting with any other tip. The tip matters for these more so than any other IEM I have tried...

 

[jgonino]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bisco82 /img/forum/go_quote.gif One thing I just noticed as I am on Day 2 of these IEMs is that they appear to be the most sensitive to the "perfect fit" than any other IEM I have owned, even the ER6i. I know that for example, the ER6i fit insertion is much deeper than most other IEMs, and it takes getting used to and some experimenting, but since owning those, I have moved on to several other IEMs before settling on these Shure's... My point here is that I normally get an excellent seal with silicon and I really did with these, both the super soft grey and the semi soft clear... but the seal didnt really help the sound... something was off, quite badly. But with the large black foamies, I finally get some decent (but not to the point where I would say these are "bassy") bass and a much warmer sound than I was getting with any other tip. The tip matters for these more so than any other IEM I have tried...

This is EXACTLY what happened to me. My solution was to just sell them.

 

[slattikarma]

The sound is definately starting to improve for me..... it is just the discomfort is still bad. It's hard to enjoy what you are hearing when your ears are aching....

Going to give it another week, but I think they will have to go unfortunately. I really wanted to like them.

 

[leng jai]

I'm also having a lot of trouble figuring out which tips are the best. With the E4s there wasn't much difference. At the moment I'm actually a bit disappointed with the sound. There is virtually no treble at all and it sounds somewhat distant. Still experimenting with mine but at the moment I prefer my old E4s for everything except for bass.

 

[kloan]

I was really happy with mine when I first tried them. After about 20 hours of listening, I'm starting to notice the deficiencies in these, mostly the lack of treble/clarity... just a wee bit too soft...

I didn't realize the Livewires were only $249! I might have to try them next (in a year or so, can't be spending big bucks all the time on 'phones). Def gonna have to do some more reading on those though, because I want to be sure they'll have the bass I'm looking for.

I really wish the EQ in iPods actually worked without distorting, because I've been playing with the different settings, and a couple of them would actually make the e500/e530 sound much better, if the frickin source would stop putting out distortion!!

I tried that trick where you pull up on your ears once you've achieved the perfect seal, to relieve pressure, it seemed to help a little bit with that 'congested' sound, but something still sounds like it's lacking.

I have to admit though, the way I'm listening to them right now they sound fantastic... but that's because I have the EQ adjusted in iTunes, Sound Enhancer is turned on, and I'm running them through my DIY cmoy.

But from my iPhone, they need help.

 

[slattikarma]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gtp /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sounds like you really like bass...sell the SE530 and get the Atrio M5 or SuperFi EB.

Isn't the SuperFi EB harder to get a good fit with? If I'm experiencing fit difficulties with the se530, won't these problems be more pronounced with the SuperFi?

 

[kite7]

I found my previous Triple.fi a lot harder to get the fit compared to E500.

 

[blehmann]

I am not sure I am not adding anything of value since others have made comments that resonate with me. The SE530 is reasonably neutral but that does not sound like the problem. If it is fit --- and it sounds like it is fit --- the new contoured foamies made all of the difference in the world to me. Originally, however, I was pretty disappointed until I inserted them a bit differently one day, pushing them upward into the canal while pulling my earlobe down so that that the wire is right at the uppermost point at which it can then be pulled around the ear. The difference is night and day, I would have returned the 530's if not for this. I am not saying this insertion technique will work for you but it is worth experimenting with different methods to see if there is one that works. Oh, and I listen to lots of different types of music, including music that requires lots of accurate bass (this is what I expect when listening to Jimi Hendrix) and neutral clarity (which is what I expect when listening to piano sonatas).

 

[Pianist]

Personally, I agree with folks over at headroom (www.headphone.com) in that IEMs are perfectly capable of competing with quality full-sized cans. I believe that if you get the right fit, even the entry-level UE Super.fi 3s can put most sub-$100 full-sized cans to shame in sound quality, while the Shure SE530s can easily compete with high-end cans such as Senn HD650s and AKG K701s. However, I realize that getting a good seal with universal-fit IEMs can be a real pain in the butt for many people and that's why they cannot appreciate the sound of these tiny, but awesome headphones. For those who still think that high-end universal fit IEMs sound disappointing even after trying all the different tips and different ways of inserting the phones into the ears, or for those who think that Grado SR60 sounds better than Shure SE530, than you should try customs. I guess the Livewires are a great way to start, while Ultimate Ears UE-10/UE-11 Pros are what you should upgrade to later.