[bonem]

Quote:

Originally Posted by illini /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think the source has alot to do with the sound. The 530's sound like crap through the sansa clip and any ipod or iphone. Way to dark or soft no sparkle at all. When i use the sony nwz a728 the 530's really shine.

That's such a good news to know they can sound even better with a Sony Walkman... I'll be able to verify that tomorrow.

 

[Spyro]

I disagree. Relative to other high-end IEM's I find SE530 very forgiving and excellent right out of the box. A couple years back I owned a nano and the Sony 818 player at the same time and thought the nano walked all over the Sony. Main difference being the nano had better amplification.

 

[robm321]

I just wanted to post to this thread. I have been listening to the PFEs and not to my Shure E500s for a while now. I finally started to listen to the Shures and have a new appreciation for them.

They are so open sounding and have one of the best midranges. I wouldn't want this as my only IEM, but the PFEs which do all the technical stuff right are a perfect compliment. The Shures are about midrange and being invited in by that. The PFEs are about precision while still remaining musical.

I'm wanting to DIY and make customs out of the Shures. We'll see if I get the courage to do it.

 

[Naim.F.C]

If Shure re-released the SE530, but with slightly better sound separation and better high's, I think it would be near enough the perfect IEM.

The only thing that's left a smidgen of upgraditus in me whilst using the SE530's are the high's. They just lack the detailed sparkle. I'll be upgrading to the UM3X once they are released in the UK, so I'll see how they fair, but thus far, the SE530 has performed admirably. I eagerly await Shure's successor to the model.

 

[VoLTaG3]

Pair them up with a RSA tomahawk portable amplifier and the highs will be bought out. Try my mod and the highs will be brought out. EQ them and the highs will be bought out.

 

[Spyro]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Naim.F.C /img/forum/go_quote.gif If Shure re-released the SE530, but with slightly better sound separation and better high's, I think it would be near enough the perfect IEM.

Yea, that's exactly what the UM3X is so it will be interesting to find out what Shure is cooking up after SE530.

 

[dkaplan74]

Anyone use their 530's amped? What was the result? I am seriously considering a p-51 with my 530's and ipod.

 

[charlie0904]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dkaplan74 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Anyone use their 530's amped? What was the result? I am seriously considering a p-51 with my 530's and ipod.

tried this combo b4, no synergy IMO.

 

[VoLTaG3]

Quote:

Originally Posted by charlie0904 /img/forum/go_quote.gif tried this combo b4, no synergy IMO.

The RSA Tomahawk is what's made for the Shure SE530, perfect synergy there.

 

[SoundBlaster]

Shure SE530 is one of the top IEM along with sennheiser IE8 and westone 3.
I think you can not go wrong with either one. It is just the matter of sound preference and music genre you listened to.

 

[redaxis]

having SE530 for a year, got too tempted with W3 and bought a pair of those after reading all the great reviews. result is a big disappointments.

while i get better detailed and extended highs, the mid has recessed and "smoothed out" big time. I lost the textures of vocals, the highs and the mids seems to be separated. Vocals are far away yet with minor sibilance. The worst part is the mid bass was too much, drowning the already recessed mids... The bass was deep (or was it the overwhelming mid bass that gives me this illusion of them going deep), they do not have the "tone" of how se530 reproduce the bass. IMO se530 has better bass quality as they are much faster than W3. I sold the W3 off after a week.

To me, W3 isn't really a step up of SE530. Of course it has better highs, but with the overwhelming mid bass and recessed mid, the draw back is too huge to be accepted.

BUT, all in all these are only my opinion as there are so many W3 users prefer them over the SE530, so its totally personal preferences. This makes me wonder how the UM3X sounds like as they were famous with great mids and better highs than the SE530, and whether they have the mid bass hum?

 

[Jensen]

I had pretty much the same reaction to the W3 as you did. I felt that the detail/resolution was better with the W3's, but the sound signature was a massive step down from the way the SE530's presented the music. I also gave them about a week of time before selling.

I realize the mids on the SE530 are emphasized, but that's where the music is. If you suck out the mids and boost the bass and highs, all you have is a BOOM TISS sound in your ear. Unless you mostly listen to percussion, I don't see how you could prefer that sound sig... but thats preference for ya.

I would love to hear the UM3X though as it sounds like it is more my cup of tea.

Quote:

Originally Posted by redaxis /img/forum/go_quote.gif having SE530 for a year, got too tempted with W3 and bought a pair of those after reading all the great reviews. result is a big disappointments. while i get better detailed and extended highs, the mid has recessed and "smoothed out" big time. I lost the textures of vocals, the highs and the mids seems to be separated. Vocals are far away yet with minor sibilance. The worst part is the mid bass was too much, drowning the already recessed mids... The bass was deep (or was it the overwhelming mid bass that gives me this illusion of them going deep), they do not have the "tone" of how se530 reproduce the bass. IMO se530 has better bass quality as they are much faster than W3. I sold the W3 off after a week. To me, W3 isn't really a step up of SE530. Of course it has better highs, but with the overwhelming mid bass and recessed mid, the draw back is too huge to be accepted. BUT, all in all these are only my opinion as there are so many W3 users prefer them over the SE530, so its totally personal preferences. This makes me wonder how the UM3X sounds like as they were famous with great mids and better highs than the SE530, and whether they have the mid bass hum?

 

[K_19]

I'll most likely be forever satisfied with my SE530's custom tipped as my primary IEM. Comfortable, decent isolation, nice upfront and clear mids, deep bass, decent soundstage for an IEM, and good instrument separation. Highs are obviously lacking, but it is in most part made up well by my S639's EQ (which is decent) boost in treble region. Whatever IEM I buy from now on are going to be backups (though I don't see many IEM's dethroning PFE's for that either)/specialized use.

 

[robm321]

K19, I have pretty much settled on the same IEM combo as you. I have the PFEs for highs and balance from top to bottom - very good clarity, and the Shures for that open inviting midrange. I really don't see a reason to upgrade unless I get into customs down the road, but those are pricey.

They both compliment each other well. How much did you pay for custom tips? I was thinking of getting that done on the Shures. Was it worth it?

 

[K_19]

Quote:

Originally Posted by robm321 /img/forum/go_quote.gif K19, I have pretty much settled on the same IEM combo as you. I have the PFEs for highs and balance from top to bottom - very good clarity, and the Shures for that open inviting midrange. I really don't see a reason to upgrade unless I get into customs down the road, but those are pricey. They both compliment each other well. How much did you pay for custom tips? I was thinking of getting that done on the Shures. Was it worth it?

It was definitely worth it for me. I had to get a refit once (common with any kind of customs), but since I got the refit the seal is as good as the yellow foams, soundstage is expanded considerably, mids are clear as ever, and bass is more controlled and punchy (so bit less warm overall). And most of all, there are no longer any issues with channel imbalance that usually come with bad seal in one ear and the comfort is impeccable. It cost me $120 CDN for the whole package (impressions plus the actual tips) and IMO was worth every penny. I'd definitely look into it if you are ready to settle down with SE530's as your long term primary IEM's!