[ssjgoku101]

Hi people

Im new to this site but have been reading various forum topics for a few weeks now and need a little assistance from you audio pros!
Yesterday I took a plunge and ordered the SE530s after reading many great reviews on them. My problem is this, I havent been able to achieve great bass from these headphones, they have been extremely disappointing in this department, very weak. The mids and trebles are ok but not as great as I expected. I was told that many newbies struggle to get the right fit with the 530s and that may cause the low bass but ive tried all of the sleeves provided and im pretty sure ive got the right fit with the foams!

Can anyone suggest what may be wrong? Its connected straight to my laptop and im using lossless audio, ive tried with a fiioe5 and tried on my sound system but the problem still persists. The sound is better on my cheap £35 headphones. Could they be faulty?

Thanks alot

 

[baka1969]

Hi, I've always gotten good bass from my 530. However I picked up a good tip here on Head-Fi. Make sure your ears are clean and coat a thin film of petroleum jelly on the tips (sleeve) of the Shure. It really works. Thanks, Ross

 

[jyle_t]

either you've gotten a bad fit despite what you think, or you haven't read enough. SE530 doesn't have as much bass as most ppl think, its the 2nd most bass light IEM among the top ones (w3, um3x, IE8, TF10pro, CK100, SE530), just above CK100.

 

[ssjgoku101]

Thanks for the tip Baka, the jelly helped a bit and the trebles a bit better but the problem hasnt changed.

Jyle, I cant see how I can improve the fit. There really tight and deep in, even a bit sore in my ears. Ive even tried pulling my ear upwards whilst putting them in. I think my ear canals may be a funny shape or something.
From what ive read people say the shures are well balanced and have good tight bass, now your saying that the're quite low in comparison to similar priced earphones. Alot people contradict each other when it comes to these babies!

I tested them with a bit of pendulum, the sound was terrible. Im thinking that the laptops onboard sound card isnt up to scratch, its an old vaio. Maybe thats the problem, anyone got a suggestions?

Thanks

 

[jyle_t]

apparently you mis-interpreted "good tight bass". usually that means "not a lot, but clearly heard and sufficient for me". you should have asked around what IEMs suit you, as well as what genres you listen to mostly (Pendulum is a good example NOT to get SE530 for).

if they continue to disappoint you, i suggest you return them before the 30 days run out, assuming you got it from an authorized dealer.

 

[ssjgoku101]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jyle_t /img/forum/go_quote.gif apparently you mis-interpreted "good tight bass". usually that means "not a lot, but clearly heard and sufficient for me". you should have asked around what IEMs suit you, as well as what genres you listen to mostly (Pendulum is a good example NOT to get SE530 for). if they continue to disappoint you, i suggest you return them before the 30 days run out, assuming you got it from an authorized dealer.

Yeah, I think I mis-interpreted the bass comment. I dont have a preference to a particular genre of music I listening to alot of different styles.
Thought these IEMs would be a good all rounder handling all genres well.

Can you recommend one with a slightly richer sound and a bit more bass maybe? The westone 3s have a good rep for this I think, not fully sure though. The senheiser 650 seems great too, I dont mind the full cans, hopefully they will be more comfortable, they have a high impedance apparently so im not sure if the fiio e5 can drive it.

Maybe ill stick to my Z5500s

 

[FYDave]

The problem is that Westone 3's, from what I've been told, are much more unforgiving on the music than IEM's like the SE530's are. Perhaps if you want more bass, try the Super.fi 5 EB's if you REALLY want some thump in your head (God it's like installing two giant subwoofers to my brain) or maybe the Sennheiser IE8's, I've heard good things about those as far as bass goes.

Do remember though that the IE8's are dynamic so they would need burn in time to settle.

Hope I helped you some.

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FYDave /img/forum/go_quote.gif The problem is that Westone 3's, from what I've been told, are much more unforgiving on the music than IEM's like the SE530's are. Perhaps if you want more bass, try the Super.fi 5 EB's if you REALLY want some thump in your head (God it's like installing two giant subwoofers to my brain) or maybe the Sennheiser IE8's, I've heard good things about those as far as bass goes. Do remember though that the IE8's are dynamic so they would need burn in time to settle. Hope I helped you some.

Actually my Westone 3s make the music sound better (at 256 kbs) and are very forgiving and musical. Their soundstage is enormous (especially when compared to the SE530s) and no one would every be disappointed with their bass. Honestly, they rival my Grado SR325is full size headphones...

 

[jyle_t]

all rounders: westone 3, um3x, IE8

IE8 has the most bass among the 3, with pretty good mids and treble, although a lot claim westone 3 is better in clarity. there's the burn in thing about IE8 that varies among users, between 24 hrs and 240 hrs and above.

UM3X is the most easy sounding, with warm sound signature and not so pronounced treble, compared to even SE530, which makes it non-fatiguing. the treble extension is there, just not as clearly heard.

if you like sparkly treble with great bass, TF10pro can be considered too, however most ppl are not fond of the somewhat vague mids, "too sparkly" treble and the fit of it 'cause it has a big earpiece. if you have big ears good for you.

 

[Jensen]

The bass is awesome on the SE530s with the correct fit. Especially if you are listening to pendulum through the E5 with the bass boost on. I wouldn't take one guy's opinion on them being "light on bass" as fact.

Unfortunately most people new to IEM's don't understand how the seal works and have this same complaint. OR:

1. You listen on other systems that are extremely bass heavy - so your point of reference is skewed. The bass is not over emphasized like it is on some playback devices.

2. You just don't understand what bass sounds like in IEM's. It's a bit different from "car subwoofer" bass that you feel more than hear.

I say keep playing with the tips - it took me about 2 weeks or so to get the method down for insertion.

If I put on Visions from the in silico album and hit the bass boost on my portable amp - which is much leses than the Fiio E5 bass boost... the bass is so heavy it's borderline overbearing.

 

[rbrierle]

I find the bass fine on my 530s but I don't like bass to be at all overwhelming of the mids. The most important thing about bass for me isn't its strength but clarity.

However, I went back to an old pair on Sony fontopia earphones for a trip recently (where I didn't want to risk my 530s) and found bass much more present, although utterly lacking in clarity.

What I'm getting at is your problem is one of:
- poor fit (altho you seem fairly confident this is ok)
- doesn't suit your tastes (i.e. you just like more bass)
- moves away from what you're used to (maybe old phone overemphasised bass?)

Can you try any of the other options out?

Rob

 

[mark2410]

if your sure you have a good seal then its just that you are used to something with shed loads of fat bloated bass

like eat an opal fruit then have a glass of coke, i bet the coke tastes very unsweet.

its s the same thing, you are just used to tons of overpowering bass

 

[VoLTaG3]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mark2410 /img/forum/go_quote.gif if your sure you have a good seal then its just that you are used to something with shed loads of fat bloated bass like eat an opal fruit then have a glass of coke, i bet the coke tastes very unsweet. its s the same thing, you are just used to tons of overpowering bass

Nice analogy!

 

[ssjgoku101]

Yeah im thinking it may be because im used to alot more bass from the Z5500s. I thought I would feel the bass a bit but none of that comes through so when I listen to pendulum the sound comes out a bit muddy and plain to me. The mids and highs are actually pretty decent now, I put my old phones back on and noticed the lack of clarity in them I didnt know existed. Not too fond of the virtually non existant soundstage though. Im considering the IE8s as an alternative but dont like the idea of destroying my eardrum with the well known bass they produce. Doesnt anyone else wish there was a place you can test all these headphone before you buy? It makes it a kind of guessing game to an extent. The westone 3s are alot more pricey and hard to get in the UK so now I just have to decide between keeping the se530s or getting the ie 8s instead. This is a very hard decision for me!

BTW Does anyone think an external soundcard for my laptop would improve the source?

Thanks alot for the responses guys

 

[twylight]

I think you are having seal issues - the 530 will rattle your skull a little when sealed correctly. The mids and bass are very good.

The black shure foamies should be slightly snug if you try to pull them - if they come out with ease put in a bigger one. If they are pushing themselves out over 10 minutes, try a smaller one.

2 additional points:
1. I have to use 1 medium and 1 large to get great seals
2. Only put them on to the barb - little bigger sound stage and deeper insertion

Good luck - if you got them cheap I would say keep them - if you paid full retail I would return them as they arent the best for $500, but for 200-250 they are damn good.

Most external cards are better - I have tried the ones I had until last week off 7-8 amps with internal sound cards always being the worst. But the difference between a 80 dollar amp and a 400 amp - I was not able to tell on an IEM, but I can tell with ease on full headphones. Well tubes colored the sound as they should, but not the amp phase...

Ipod 2g no amp is fine for an IEM as is most internal sound cards, but even an pcexpress sound card in a laptop stomped the internal one.