[Jabada]

Ok, we have tons and tons of reviews about how good the Westone 3, triple.fi 10, IE8, SE530 and so on are great "high end" IEM, but I think one of the most important thing is almost aways forgotten: how do they sound in the real world?
I mean, inside the mall, bus, subway...
People seems to review their IEMs in very calm places (own house?), while I think that one of the big goal of these kind of phones are to be used on the go.
I know isolation DO make a big difference (my EX700 sounds like ibuds inside Sao Paulo subway. Over 90dB of noise!!!!); but I must say: I love the ER4, and I even customized them into full custom shell, but while they are wonderfull in my bedroom, I don't find them so brilliant on the go. And I get about as much isolation as I got it with the stock ER4 and Ety big yellow foams.

I read about 2 years ago from another headfier that the E500 was the best choice for noisy places (SQ wise), but at that time I think the E500, ER4 and the triples were the only choices we had at the top (universal). But from my memory that was a solo comment, guess not many people paid attention.

Any comments on these new universal top end phones?

 

[Hoeboe2k]

This is actually kind of interesting. I notice that when I listen on the go, bass is the first thing to get drowned out. I guess EQ can tweek it but I'd be interested why people like certain ones better than others on teh go too.

 

[CMasten]

maybe its the build quality on the W3s but I find them to be the best isolating IEM I have owned, over the E530.

I used the olives on the Shures and I use the grey softflex tips on the W3s.

I ride a train (very loud by itself but add 125 people all talking over ea other) 3 hours+ a day.

In the last week, I put the W3s in and kind of forget Im there after 15-20 min. I used the E530s for 2 years and never felt that way. They isolated well, but never well enough to forget your in a really noisy environment. I also dont find that I need to change the EQ (tri boost for my taste) so Im guessing its not leaking in either...

 

[synaesthetic]

It is not good for my wallet to hear that the Westone 3 has superb isolation... >.>

 

[qusp]

yep I own the SE530 and the W3 (since this morning) and they are def the best isolating IEM's I have ever tried. also the bass is rich enough to overide the outside world without issue. I love'em

 

[Genocide]

i own both SE530 and w3, even with the um56 for both of them, w3 definitely gave me the best sound isolation.

 

[AgainstTheGrain]

as a se530 owner i can attest and praise this fact. when i tried the triple fi, i wasn't sealed away from the world. with my se530s as i ride the bus or trains stareing out the window i feel like i'm in a movie with my own personal soundtrack. sometimes i pause the music just to hear how loud it is and i am soooooooo thankful i have my shures in my ears. best investment i ever made. if the W3s isolate better than the shures then i'm sold already. living in the bustling tri-state area with millions of people u need your own piece of isolation so u don't go mad. but on the flipside u do miss out on alot like rowdy bums, or fights, or just overall funny/crazy people lol.

 

[antonyfirst]

No, they aren't the best for the real world. Apart from the serious issues with upper midrange and treble (heavily recessed upper mids + a narrow spike in the lower treble + rolled off after 10kHz), the congested midbass and upper bass, and their distant/plasticky vocals, the SE530 have:
-a heavy pod that is unconvenient
-a sucky cable that is hard, stiff and very distracting
-the fit isn't really better than Ety ER4P or UE IEMs, provided you use the right tips with these too (i.e. shure olives or comply foamies).

Even the Etys, if the cable is not microphonic -stock cable, braided version, looped around the ears OR Apuresound cable) don't suffer from a bass loss when being outside, provided that the isolation is good enough, and with the right foamies there are hardly any issues.

Sorry for being so direct, but it's quicker.

 

[hypoicon]

I find the SE530s so light and comfortable I feel like I'm not wearing anything at all. The bass is tight and not overwhelming, and the isolation is good enough to make me not hear the crew pounding on my window three feet away with pneumatic tools at all. Uh, I don't know what antonyfirst is talking about.

They are a little rolled off, but that makes them more comfortable to listen to for long stretches. I'd say they are rolled off in the same way that Sennheiser 650s are-- which is to say it's a matter of preference. I like my Grado RS-1s better for overall sound, but they are harder to listen to for long sessions than the Sennheisers. I wouldn't want a bright IEM, myself.

 

[antonyfirst]

Note to self: never talk bad of the Shure SE530 in a Shure SE530 thread.

 

[Bisco82]

I thought my E500's were the best in the REAL world, until the cable cracked in 4 or 5 places on each left and right side.

 

[prscustom]

having tried both iems,i must say both have about same isolation and its very dependant on tips you are using...w3 has shorter tube and need longer foams for proper seal.

with w3 after some time you almost totally forget that you have iem in your ear because its overall lighter and flimsy cable..
shure fits more flush into ear and its very comfortable but you always feel the presence in your ear..which is better imo

i use my iems only on-the-go and i prefer shure


and tf10 isnt even worth mention only because it looks dumb in ear.

 

[Beyerfan70]

Out of all of the Shure Se line up the 530 isolates the worst.
For me personally it doesn't matter whether i use black foams or grey silicone the isolation factor is poor,really poor.
When they are sealed i can still hear everything albeit slighty muffled,but certainly nowhere near the amount that shure state.
My 310's do a much better job of isolating,and if memory serves me correct the pair of 420's i had blocked nearly everything out.

 

[Balor NG]

Custom-made acryl tips (+100$... at least in Russia, heh) will make any IEM provide enough isolation to listen to music in subways w/o distraction (you may have to listen to it a BIT louder, but that's about it).
The only thing about custom tips is that it's recurring investment - your ear canal changes shape over time, and your eartips don't. However, 100$ in course of 2-3 years (unless you have abnormally "shifty" years) is quite OK in my book, for ultimate comfort and isolation.
Or you can buy lifewires or alternative.
Right now I have recabled triple.fi with custom tips - and while SQ is a bit lower then Senns HD600 from Dr.DAC2, I have absolutely no issues with isolation - and those are obviously different 'weight' categories.

 

[majkel]

Both the Triple.Fi 10 and the Sony MDR-EX700LP have better SQ and build quality than the Shure SE530. See Antony's comment, nothing else to say.