[Eternalmetal]

I just bought a set of the Shure SE530s for my iPod on the go, and was wondering what I should be aware of once I get them. I just want to make sure im doing everything right, these things are a bit pricey for someone like me who isnt a huge audiophile or anything.

Do they have a break-in period? I know that my cans had like a 200 hour break-in time, but I dont know anything about the IEMs and break-in.

For my iPod, will I need an amp to power them? I am sure that it would sound better if I got one, but what should I expect without it? Should I be fine?

Any other advice is appreciated, im just excited about my recent purchase and cant wait to hear them. I have one of the entry model Shure IEMs and they sound great, so I am psyched to see what these have to offer.

 

[member1982]

awesome purchase, there is a breakin, iPod dont need amp, and improvements will be from amp

 

[Eternalmetal]

What type of break in and how long? Am I not allowed to crank them for a while, or is it just a bunch of playtime before their sound is at its peak?

 

[Gberg]

An amp would improve the SQ

 

[Eternalmetal]

While im at it, what type of amp would be good? And what kind of prices would I be looking at if I were to do that?

So what about that break in? lol

Thanks for the advice so far

 

[radlux]

I've used my SE530s over 150 hours. I dont see much of a change at all. So no burn-in for me. I had a friend replace his and in fact we compared his new ones and mine and I couldn't detect any difference.

You might want to get a few more opinions on this though since there are some who say they have noticed difference with time.

Advice ? Hmmm... TAKE CARE OF THE CORDS. Somehow they have a tendency to fray at the very top where the wire goes into the phone casing. Sadly this seems to happen even when you take good care sometimes

I use two amps a LD MKIII and now a portable D3 python. The SE530 does definitely benefit from amping but since they are low impedance you ipod should be able to drive them well enough. I just prefer the soundstage airiness etc when amped. No great dealbreaker IMHO

Enjoy your new IEMs

 

[qusp]

no burn in required I didn't notice any change most IEMs dont need break in at all. as for the amp. adding an amp will bring out the highs a bit more, tighten up the bass and rid you of the slight hiss that can be apparent with the ipod HP out on some models. itr will also widen the soundstage too. no cheapie amp will do this though, the shures are quite efficient so they dont NEED an amp to sound great, but they sure do benefit from one. I use a pico with mine and they sound wondrous now; I can hardly take them off

. for a good but slightly cheaper amp option you could get the RSA tomohawk the tom was voiced with the E500 (old se530) in particular in mind so they pair up fantastically. one other upgrade and a cheap one at that, is getting yourself some comply T400 foam tips instead of the shure black foams. the shure tips can have a tendency to muddy the bass a bit and since the bass/mids are the shures strong point its a waste to ruin it with the olives. just changing the tips will give an increase in SQ that is probably about 30% as much increase in quality as getting an amp so for 14 buck you cant go wrong there. you can also get some UM57 or sensephonics custom moulded tips; because if you are planning on keeping them for a while foams can add up over time so a 1 off purchase of about $120-130 both saves you money in the long run and also brings out the highs and tightens the bass even further. plus the isolation is improved massively. if you like the way they sound already then these are your best options; they wont turn them into a whole new IEM but they bring out the strengths more and compensate for some of their weeknesses to some degree. its not night and day like some people say but it certainly is worth it to me. in the mean time when you get an amp you dont have to spend mega buck ona LOD just dont get a crap one. cables should be the last thing you spend lots of money on and thats where I am now. just check my sig

hope that helps

 

[myinitialsaredac]

I didnt find too much of a burn in, I am a burnin believer in dynamic phones but I do believe it took me an hour or so to get used to the bass the 530s are capable of (reference the 701s). They dont need an amp, but when I hook em into the micro their bass becomes less muddy, soundstage benefits a bit, and it is far darker/clearer/more refined. I dont find it is enough of a diffeence to burn through batteries and add all the bulk of the amp to carry it all the time, but on long car rides (5-10 hours) ill usually bring an amp along.
I have the se110s, and the se210s and they both sound like doo-doo compared to the 530s. You'll enjoy them greatly, especially if you like bass.
Dave

 

[Nicolas2305]

For the SE530, you don't need an amp but it offer greater soundstage, HDD hiss reduction, and other.

Be sure to have a good fit since it's been a common problem with new owners, they don't put em on properly and complain about a lack of bass(wich is impossible with shures).

For amp suggestions: see there

your best "bang for the buck" option amp-wise would be a Mini³.

 

[Choral_Inc]

I've got some SE 530's coming to me in the next few days. People here talk about getting Comply tips. Are they really much better? How would they compare to the olives or the triple flanges? I always imagined the triple flanges having the best isolation, but I don't really know much about this stuff yet (which tips offer the best SQ, like silicon or foam, etc...)

 

[myinitialsaredac]

IMO out of the tips included with the 530s the silicons offer the most ease of use (if you need to put em in and out cuzpeople cant take a hint) but they cause the bass to bloat a little. I like the foams for more isolation, better sq, but they take a while to expand so in and out is a pain in the arse.

Dave

 

[Choral_Inc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by myinitialsaredac /img/forum/go_quote.gif IMO out of the tips included with the 530s the silicons offer the most ease of use (if you need to put em in and out cuzpeople cant take a hint) but they cause the bass to bloat a little. I like the foams for more isolation, better sq, but they take a while to expand so in and out is a pain in the arse. Dave

Have you tried comply's? how would you compare the shure foams to the comply ones? Is it worth my 15 bucks? Thanks

 

[Arjisme]

No burn in needed, except you may need a few hours of listening to get your ears accustomed to them. The IEMs themselves are ready to go out of the box.

Definitely play around with the tip options. As was stated above, you can get significant differences in sound just by the tip you choose. Personally, I settled on the triple flanges several months ago. Loved the black olive tips, but found that once I got a good fit with the tri-flanges they offered almost as much bass as the olives and noticably brighter highs.

I use a lowly cMoy with mine, just to get rid of the hiss with my H-120. I would love to hear how the sound changes with a better amp. As it is, these already sound outstanding!

 

[Illidan]

The SE530's itself don't need an specific burn-in period imo.
For the SQ wise, they are easy to drive so use them straingt out of the iPod is ok.

 

[myinitialsaredac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Choral_Inc /img/forum/go_quote.gif Have you tried comply's? how would you compare the shure foams to the comply ones? Is it worth my 15 bucks? Thanks

I havent used them sry, mostly because I found no need to, the sound with the included tips is already outstanding and fulfills my wants/needs/desires in my portable setup.

Dave