peter312
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2005
- Posts
- 157
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- 0
To cut to the chase, go to Listening
Background
Having been given a 64GB iPod Touch for Christmas, I wanted some new IEMs to use with it. Having heard on Head-Fi that the headphone output on the Touch sounded different to the 120GB iPod Classic I was used to, I decided to see how my existing IEMs faired, before deciding what to buy next.
I tried some CX500s that were in a drawer only to find that they sounded as bad as I remembered - bloated bass and cheap sounding, splashy treble - like someone had knocked one of the sliders on a graphic equalizer up way too high. I then tried my SE110s that I use with a cheap Sony MP3 stick. Compared to the shrill and anaemic sound I was used to from the Classic, the Touch gave me a clear mid-focused sound, with a slight lack of bass and treble extension. Using the loudness EQ setting on the Touch helped to fill in the blanks.
There then followed a period of dithering, researching, asking questions on Head-Fi and the more dithering about the answers. I then decided to take the plunge and try the SE310s, partly because the price on Amazon looked quite good and party because I could try them with the SE110's tips and if I didn't like them, I could always sell them as nearly new with a full set of unused tips.
Arrival and Opening
I ordered the 310s at 6.30pm on Friday night and they arrived at 7.06am on Saturday morning. Good service! Needless to say, I went back to bed and got up at a more reasonable time - after a long and stressful week at work, I was having a lie in!
Shure must have shares in a glue factory, because when I came to open the box, it was quite a challenge to do it neatly. However, once I was in I was greeted with these tiny black IEMs (without putting them side by side, they seem so much smaller than the SE110s), a myriad of tips, an extension lead and an apparently upgraded hard case (when compared to the standard soft case that came with the SE110s).
The SE310s had the medium foam tips on already and as they are my preference, I put them on, plugged them into the touch a pressed "play".
Listening
On comes the "Concerto for a Rainy Day" by the Electric Light Orchestra and wow, how clean the sound is. Very clear, noticeably more so than the SE110s and damn it, I must have left the EQ on the loudness setting. No, I haven't, the EQ is switched off! The treble extension on the 310s is so much better than the 110s.
Now, where are the Cellos and Bass Guitar... any second now? Oh yes, we have bass. Not earth shattering, but clean, accurate and with more depth than the SE110s. Whilst it might be nice to have a touch more of the deepest bass, that often comes with too much mid bass and personally, I would rather have neither than both.
Switching to classical with Karajan's Adagio album, I can hear that deep bass is definitely there, again not over emphasised. The treble is sweet, not aggressive and the sound again is so clear. In a way, they remind me of the clarity I heard when I tried some Grados a while but without the more emphasised treble that I personally found fatiguing. Having said that, the 310s seem to be clearer than I remember the Grados being. (I was comparing the Grados to some HD650s at the time).
George Harrison's Brainwashed is next and the SE310s show this to be a slightly bright recording - which it is. This is one album where a touch more deep bass wouldn’t go amiss but again, maybe a touch less treble.
Finally, onto Evanescence's Fallen and again I'm hearing a good tonal balance, with as much clarity as that recording can muster. (They don’t make ‘em like they used to).
Overall
I am very pleased with my SE310s and I think they are excellent value for the £119 I paid. I did not think the Touch warranted spending £250 on the SE530s and the SE420s at £170 don’t seem to get universal praise. In any case, I would rather spend the extra money on something else. The SE310's have clarity, sweet treble and good but not overpowering bass. They are a big step up on the SE110s and nowhere near as reliant on EQing.
I sense a slippery slope, though. The cheap and cheerful Sony MP3 stick I have sounds very nice through the SE110s with a touch of EQing. I have no doubt the SE310s would sound better, probably better than through the Touch. (The Touch is as much a toy to play with as a music player). I know from past experience that there are much better Sony players and I suspect the SE310s would sound awesome through one of those. Hmmm and I have some money left from not buying the SE530s.
AHHH, STOP IT!!!!
Background
Having been given a 64GB iPod Touch for Christmas, I wanted some new IEMs to use with it. Having heard on Head-Fi that the headphone output on the Touch sounded different to the 120GB iPod Classic I was used to, I decided to see how my existing IEMs faired, before deciding what to buy next.
I tried some CX500s that were in a drawer only to find that they sounded as bad as I remembered - bloated bass and cheap sounding, splashy treble - like someone had knocked one of the sliders on a graphic equalizer up way too high. I then tried my SE110s that I use with a cheap Sony MP3 stick. Compared to the shrill and anaemic sound I was used to from the Classic, the Touch gave me a clear mid-focused sound, with a slight lack of bass and treble extension. Using the loudness EQ setting on the Touch helped to fill in the blanks.
There then followed a period of dithering, researching, asking questions on Head-Fi and the more dithering about the answers. I then decided to take the plunge and try the SE310s, partly because the price on Amazon looked quite good and party because I could try them with the SE110's tips and if I didn't like them, I could always sell them as nearly new with a full set of unused tips.
Arrival and Opening
I ordered the 310s at 6.30pm on Friday night and they arrived at 7.06am on Saturday morning. Good service! Needless to say, I went back to bed and got up at a more reasonable time - after a long and stressful week at work, I was having a lie in!
Shure must have shares in a glue factory, because when I came to open the box, it was quite a challenge to do it neatly. However, once I was in I was greeted with these tiny black IEMs (without putting them side by side, they seem so much smaller than the SE110s), a myriad of tips, an extension lead and an apparently upgraded hard case (when compared to the standard soft case that came with the SE110s).
The SE310s had the medium foam tips on already and as they are my preference, I put them on, plugged them into the touch a pressed "play".
Listening
On comes the "Concerto for a Rainy Day" by the Electric Light Orchestra and wow, how clean the sound is. Very clear, noticeably more so than the SE110s and damn it, I must have left the EQ on the loudness setting. No, I haven't, the EQ is switched off! The treble extension on the 310s is so much better than the 110s.
Now, where are the Cellos and Bass Guitar... any second now? Oh yes, we have bass. Not earth shattering, but clean, accurate and with more depth than the SE110s. Whilst it might be nice to have a touch more of the deepest bass, that often comes with too much mid bass and personally, I would rather have neither than both.
Switching to classical with Karajan's Adagio album, I can hear that deep bass is definitely there, again not over emphasised. The treble is sweet, not aggressive and the sound again is so clear. In a way, they remind me of the clarity I heard when I tried some Grados a while but without the more emphasised treble that I personally found fatiguing. Having said that, the 310s seem to be clearer than I remember the Grados being. (I was comparing the Grados to some HD650s at the time).
George Harrison's Brainwashed is next and the SE310s show this to be a slightly bright recording - which it is. This is one album where a touch more deep bass wouldn’t go amiss but again, maybe a touch less treble.
Finally, onto Evanescence's Fallen and again I'm hearing a good tonal balance, with as much clarity as that recording can muster. (They don’t make ‘em like they used to).
Overall
I am very pleased with my SE310s and I think they are excellent value for the £119 I paid. I did not think the Touch warranted spending £250 on the SE530s and the SE420s at £170 don’t seem to get universal praise. In any case, I would rather spend the extra money on something else. The SE310's have clarity, sweet treble and good but not overpowering bass. They are a big step up on the SE110s and nowhere near as reliant on EQing.
I sense a slippery slope, though. The cheap and cheerful Sony MP3 stick I have sounds very nice through the SE110s with a touch of EQing. I have no doubt the SE310s would sound better, probably better than through the Touch. (The Touch is as much a toy to play with as a music player). I know from past experience that there are much better Sony players and I suspect the SE310s would sound awesome through one of those. Hmmm and I have some money left from not buying the SE530s.
AHHH, STOP IT!!!!
