[sunshiny12345]

Hello,

I am looking to buy the Shure SE530. I listen to all kinds of music, so I am looking for headphones that is great overall. I had my sights on the Shure SE530 and read great reviews about it.

So before I spend alot of money I want to ask you guys what headphones would you guys recommend? My price range is around 500 dollars. Again if a 300 dollar one sounds better I will of course by that over the Shure SE530.

So what do you guys recommend?

 

[kaldaim]

SE530's get my vote. They are great and I doubt you'll be disappointed. Look around for an authorized dealer with a good price though before you buy. If you're unsure if they're authorized or not, call Shure - they only honor a warranty from an authorized dealer.

 

[tomjtx]

from an authorized dealer you will pay , shipped 350.00 tops and as little as 315.00.

Look around on the web.

You don't need to spend 500.00

 

[darkninja67]

I got mine from SoundEarphones.com (forum sponsor) at a good price.

The SE530s are everything I thought they would be and more. I did not like Shures before these. The mids are to die for, the bass is well balanced and not overdone, and the treble is good without being bright or hot.

I use mine with all types of music. Going from Dimmu Borgir to Porcupine Tree to Natalie Merchant. The earphones do an excellent job all around.

I had mine paired with an 3G iPhone and it was good, paired with a 4G Nano and they are awesome.

 

[wynn]

SE530 is great for all kind of music.
I think you should be focus on the cable issue.
For mine, I have exchanged 2 times from Shure.
The cable end is easy to break.
The good thing is you can renew your SE530 after about 3-4months. =)

 

[BloodSugar00]

Have a read around, other options in the SE530 high-end quality bracket and similar price-range, are the UE triplefi pro's, Westone UM2's, Sleek Audio SA6's, Klipsch Image X10's (X5's aswell, maybe) and ETt ER-4P/s. These phones are generally reported to be considered in the same quality bracket in universal fit IEM's.

That said, I own the SE530's and they are great phone with a very endearing, rich, warm sound signature that makes for a very easy-going and non-fatiguing listening experience. They are warm but still crystal clear with repectable sound stage, excellent instruement separation and detail. Their sound presentation is one notably dark and bottom-end weighted, with a robust, defined, up front bass response, a lush, warm, yet, oddly but not badly, slightly recessed mids section, and, a fairly rolled off upper register (still present just recessed and muted comparatively to the rest of the frequency distribution). They have been good for all music I've fed trough them.

Note// The proof will be in the puddin, but Shure claim to have resolved the cable issues now.

 

[dookiex]

None of BloodSugar00 suggestions are a match for SE530. To me, the SE530 easily blows the SAs, UM2s, Image, and Ety clear out of the water. If $500 is your budget and the SE530s were what you were looking at, go for them. Currently I use the Sony EX700s which has a different taste and a better soundstage and dynamics compared to the SE530s, cheaper too, but due to the slight sibilance, the SE530s wins.

 

[Pianist]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dookiex /img/forum/go_quote.gif None of BloodSugar00 suggestions are a match for SE530. To me, the SE530 easily blows the SAs, UM2s, Image, and Ety clear out of the water. If $500 is your budget and the SE530s were what you were looking at, go for them. Currently I use the Sony EX700s which has a different taste and a better soundstage and dynamics compared to the SE530s, cheaper too, but due to the slight sibilance, the SE530s wins.

I totally agree on the Shure SE530 vs. UM2 vs. SA6 part. I have heard all three and I don't think that neither the UM2 nor the SA6 can touch the Shure SE530 in sound quality. I might also add that Shure SE530 is also superior to the UE Triple.fi in overall SQ IMO. The Triple.fis could have been great too, if they didn't boost the bass and highs so much - the Shures just sound much more neutral and natural to my ears. I think SE530s have better dynamics, imaging and bass/mids definition than the Triple.fi as well, at least when both are running out of my portable players and my PC soundcard. Sure, the Triple.fi might possibly need a good amp to shine, but that just voids the purpose of having a portable headphone.

 

[myinitialsaredac]

SE 530 gets my recomendation also,
Very good phones.

Dave

 

[BloodSugar00]

Both Dookiex and Pianist, your resposnses just go to show how subjective this game is/can be. In my (relatively short) tenure here at head-fi, I have read countless stipulations of personal member opinion and findings that either completely agree with you, partly agree with you or totally disagree with you. Such is the nature of the variability of people's ears, tastes etc etc. I was merely giving an impression I've gleaned from general reading on this forums, of how, generally, things are percieved and held in contaxt. In that regard, the hp's I listed would be regarded in the same league or there abouts/what you would consider as options next to, as the Se530's. For example, I know 2 dignified members that would disagree with both of you and whom actually prefer the UM2's to the SA6's and SE530's and triplfi's, spyro and lewislink. Well, lewislink at least; I'm not sure what other hp's spyro has tried and/or owned ie he may not have sampled the SA6's. I think, once you get to this level of IEM, what generally separates people's preferences is not SQ as such, but the chosen sonic signature, sound presentation and frequency distribution a manufacture has chosen to attribute to its phone. Again, with this in mind, you could herald all the hp's I've mentioned in the same class bracket. It's worth pointing out though, that, as of yet, I have only tried (extensively as I own each model) the SA6's, SE530's and UE triples.

Steve

 

[chilli nimrod]

I must say I am pretty disappointed by them. I use the largest tips available and I still do not achieve anywhere near the amount of isolation required to get any bass or to bring the mids and highs to life. They sound thin and weak to my ears. I will say that if I press and hold each bud into my ear than it is a different story altogether and I get close to what others rave about but this only shows me what I am missing out on. A tough one to trial as understandably few if any will let you stick these things into your ear canal and then put them back on the shelf. Can only say good luck and I hope your ears suit them.

 

[BloodSugar00]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chilli nimrod /img/forum/go_quote.gif I must say I am pretty disappointed by them. I use the largest tips available and I still do not achieve anywhere near the amount of isolation required to get any bass or to bring the mids and highs to life. They sound thin and weak to my ears. I will say that if I press and hold each bud into my ear than it is a different story altogether and I get close to what others rave about but this only shows me what I am missing out on. A tough one to trial as understandably few if any will let you stick these things into your ear canal and then put them back on the shelf. Can only say good luck and I hope your ears suit them.

Have you tried all the varieties of tips that come bundled with the SE530's? In other words the olives, the flexs and the tri-flanges? Also, you could try other tips such as the comply foams, to purchase independently.

Are you pulling your ears up and out as you insert? This might help as it opens up and straightens out your ear-canal. It might just be that you need to find/feel the nack of how to insert these into your ears and achieve a good seal; a specific way for your ears. I had problems finding the way for me for quite a while- after an initial instinctual batch of success (which I suppose gave me a good impression of what I could have and was aiming for and spurred me in my subsequent endeavour). But once I got it down I can achieve a seal with these every time now and it was worth the patience and comitment in the end.

 

[tomjtx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chilli nimrod /img/forum/go_quote.gif I must say I am pretty disappointed by them. I use the largest tips available and I still do not achieve anywhere near the amount of isolation required to get any bass or to bring the mids and highs to life. They sound thin and weak to my ears. I will say that if I press and hold each bud into my ear than it is a different story altogether and I get close to what others rave about but this only shows me what I am missing out on. A tough one to trial as understandably few if any will let you stick these things into your ear canal and then put them back on the shelf. Can only say good luck and I hope your ears suit them.

I very small ear canals but I get a good seal using the small olives.

Try keeping your mouth open as you pull up on the ear. Open mouth widens the ear canal. Give the 530 a twist as you insert.

VERY lightly moistening the tip will also help the tip slide in.

Give it some time before ruling these out.

I wish I had kept the triple fi but I just lost patience with modding to fit the small olives. But the ue universals have a larger barrel and are hard to fit.

The shures are among the easiest to get a good seal.

If all else fails, get customs


I love spending other peoples money

 

[joerossetti3131]

i find them hard to find

 

[david21]

SE530 has served me well, although I do admit that it took me a week and a half to get used to the sound difference. But then again, it was my first headgear that costs more than $20

fyi: I recall seeing the se530 sell for less than $300 on buy.com