[Aevum]

the drop in dollar value is making me think about ordering a pair of triple-fis from ES, the only thing thats really worring me about Ultimate ear products in general is the detachable cable, so im kind of worried about losing a speaker,

how strong is the plug and how easy it is to detach the cable ?

 

[tk3]

The earpieces are connected very sturdily, there is no chance of them accidentally falling off unless you have a faulty unit that is loose.
You really have to pull and twist the connector with moderate force to get it off, so it's not like they will fall off when brushing against something in your pocket or something.

 

[Spyro]

Great post from Antonyfirst. I'll just add that for slower acoustic guitar type music, the Shures are much better. It's that forward presentation thing with the midrange versus it being recessed. I personally could only give the nod to TFP's for classical or orchestral music with many layers and many instruments. I think the SE530 does better at all other music and contrary to most opinions I found the high end detail to be equal. MAny say the TFP's are better but it's open and airy with a longer decay. The Shures may be slightly rolled off but they have a shorter decay and are more precise IMHO so I'd call it a draw.

 

[rodneymjones]

I must be missing something. I recently bought the E500s and while they have amazing detail, they don't come close in bass to my old super.fi 5 pros.

 

[rodneymjones]

Also, the UE 5 pro's have the same removable cable. It's very secure. It takes considerable effort to remove them.

 

[SomeIdiot]

I have owned both and I preferred the sound of the triple.fi to the e500 but ultimately the fit issues of the triple.fi were insurmountable. I have tried every single insertion method, and tip available, but fit always remained an issue. SQ is somewhat meaningless if I have to push in the triple.fis continually (maybe a mod would alleviate this problem). There is no issue with the Shures however. But YMMV.

 

[Tipped_Pro95]

Sorrick - I liked your review. I too, have owned both, but I kept the se530.

I prefer a sound that favors the higher end, which the triple fi definitely does. But, the recessed mids really bothered me and that was a big decision for me in which one to keep. The se530's treble isn't rolled off that much - I think that it's more due to the recording quality of the music. Furthermore, the triple fi's treble imo sounds slightly forced which started to make my ears tired. This was a common occurance for me. Finally, I kept having to push the triple fi's back into my ears because I could't get a flush fit. The se530's dominate in fit and comfort.

Either way, they're both great and it's definitely personal preferenece. But it just seemed that for me the excellent mids, comfort, and flush fit of the se530s trumped the forced treble, fatiguing sound, and inconsistent fit of the triple fi.

Look at it this way. Some like Dom and some like Cristal. Both are high-end drinks with two very different and distinct tastes. Both will get you drunk, but only one is gonna ideally suit your pallet.

 

[ren0nie0]

i got the se530's from cyberworld an amazon marketplace merchant//// i'm thinking i may have made a mistake... what about the westone um2's? or 3's ?

 

[ren0nie0]

i'm sure they'll be just fine though but the rolled off highs is trroubling. i prefer a more detailed iem. guess i may be stuck now... eh.... i'm sure they're awesome considering my last iem was the ath-ck7

 

[Aevum]

the westones UM3 are a bit of a vaporware, and the UM2 might not be in the same league as the SE530 and the TF10

 

[jinx20001]

dual driver earphones boom more than triple driver phones in my experience triple driver phones always have powerful bass and clean but seemingly not as powerful as dual driver.

the um2 are decent but suffer like the shures do with rolled highs and powerful bass.

the super fi 5 are totally different to the shures, it has bright highs coupled with powerful (but boomy) bass.

the triple fi rectifies the super fi's problems beautifully but suffers in the mids and low end bass when compared to the shure e500. i would say the triple fi's highs have a distinct feeling to them giving a great soundstage but thats one of the shures stronger points with much more forward mids.

i am a big fan of both the shure and triple fi but ultimately took shures based on a warmer sound and smooth highs plus overall design. the biggest problem with the triple fi's is design and overall looks, they just dont come across as elegant like shures, but they do sound astonishing without a doubt.

 

[jo427]

I came to this thread looking for the answer this question: What are the best sounding IEM's for under $500? I am still confused. For 2 years my portable setup has been zen-total airhead-ETY 4S. I like the clarity and highs of the ETY's but grew tired of the total lack of bass. I just took delivery of Shure SE420's and was disappointed in the lack of clarity in the high frequencies to the point that I am seriously considering returning them and continuing my search for an IEM that delivers ALL frequencies high and low at the $500 price point. Am I looking for phones that do not yet exist?

The night I unpacked the SE420's I was struck with the idea to slowly insert both ETY's and the Shures together, at the same time. I plugged both pair into the total airhead and did just that. I had the little silicone christmas tree fittings on both and It actually worked! The only issues were; 1. the Shures are more efficient (louder) so bi-amping would be the way to go. Each amp and IEM could be adjusted seperatly to fine-tune the sound. 2. squeezing two fittings into one ear canal closed down the tiny holes where the sound comes out if pushed too far in. I had to hold them in positioned just right to make it work, even then I was losing some of the sound that would have been available if I had a proper fitting to accomodate dual IEM's. I know it sounds like a joke, but together, they sounded better and fuller than either pair did alone. If no single IEM can deliver full spectrum sound, why not blend 2 that each deliver a different half of the spectrum?

I know someone who is friends with the sensaphonics guy, maybe he will build a one-off earpice to accomodate 2 pair of IEM's? Has anyone tried this before?

 

[ren0nie0]

So... i ended up with the SE530's... I like them although the CX3000's seemed to have bit more bass... Should I have got the Livewires instead of SE530's??? Damn... also what is a good amp to pair with SE530's? I'm currently using the PA2V2 w/ a direct out from a 80g ipod classic (is the amp even needed at this point). I was thinking of the RSA hornet...

 

[jinx20001]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ren0nie0 /img/forum/go_quote.gif So... i ended up with the SE530's... I like them although the CX3000's seemed to have bit more bass... Should I have got the Livewires instead of SE530's??? Damn... also what is a good amp to pair with SE530's? I'm currently using the PA2V2 w/ a direct out from a 80g ipod classic (is the amp even needed at this point). I was thinking of the RSA hornet...

where the problem lies here is the shures are actually seen as warm bassy phones, but if you want more bass id certainly go a step down and go dual drivers, they almost always give more powerful bass but never as refined bass, but seems to me you want quantity over quality...if you dont like shures bass the triple fi will seem very light and others above those are not so bass heavy except the ue11.

from your discription and dissapointment i would certainly advise powerful phones along the lines of super fi 5 and maybe westone um2. livewires are pretty flat and have very slightly lighter bass than shures se530.

hope this helps

 

[ren0nie0]

no no no.... i'm not disappointed. the bass is fine. there just seems to be less of it then the cx3000's. i was more looking for advice on whether an amp is needed and if so which would work well with the se530's? i m currently using them with th PA2V2.