[dbgtboy]

im thinking of buying the se530 and got some questions,

1) im not made of money, i worked all summer and got $2000 saved up which is gonna have to last me all this year (i dont spend much tho, i onyl really plan to buy a ps3 and 2 tb hard drives this year along with some games), so this will really put a dent in my wallet, so im gonna be buying from an unauthorized seller from amazon (i cant afford $450 from an authorized seller), so my main concern is whether the wires are still having problems or not, i cant afford $300 if theyre gonna break on me after a few months, i always take really good care of my stuff btw, i have se110 and had them since november of 08 and theyre still workin perfect with no signs of breaking (cable is still nice and soft).

2) i have the se110 atm, is it worth the cost to upgrade? im not really an audiophile or anything, i just always buy the highest quality products if possible and im gonna be using these ear phones every day on the bus when i go to university (im on bus about 2 hours a day so its worth the investment imo), i should also mention i mostly listen to jrock, i also listen to linkin park, and some other random songs from akon, green day, and nickelback. Basically would someone like me notice any huge difference from the se110 considering the kind of stuff i listen to? i actually think the se110 sounds really good lol.

thanks for anyone who can help me, i am planning on buying them this week if possible off amazon, the seller is Meridian Equipment, do you guys think i should take the risk? im also in canada so would that cause any problems if i had to return or anything?

 

[Rip N' Burn]

The newer batches of 530's have a new type of cable formula to prevent cracking of the cable coating. I still wouldn't risk buying them from an unauthorized seller. They are a big investment and in case something does go wrong, you will have to pay some more money to a: get them repaired by Shure (approx $140) or b: convert them into custom molds with detachable cables(approx $180).

 

[Poetik]

Dbgtboy, I was faced with the same predicament awhile back and I ended up just buying some used ones from someone on here (which will save you some money). Make sure they bought it from an authorized seller and have them give you the invoice so you have something to fall back on just in case of returns. Also from what I've noticed on the old batch, even if you take care of them really well it'll still crack eventually.

 

[dbgtboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rip N' Burn /img/forum/go_quote.gif The newer batches of 530's have a new type of cable formula to prevent cracking of the cable coating. I still wouldn't risk buying them from an unauthorized seller. They are a big investment and in case something does go wrong, you will have to pay some more money to a: get them repaired by Shure (approx $140) or b: convert them into custom molds with detachable cables(approx $180).

well the price im getting them at would be $320 canadian after all the taxes and shipping etc. buying them from an authorized seller is out of the question for me, i simply cant afford it and not willing to pay that much for a pair of head phones, do you know what the chances of the new wires breaking are if i take care of them? if they can last 2 years thats good enough for me, by then ill have graduated uni and will be able to afford replacement.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Poetik /img/forum/go_quote.gif Dbgtboy, I was faced with the same predicament awhile back and I ended up just buying some used ones from someone on here (which will save you some money). Make sure they bought it from an authorized seller and have them give you the invoice so you have something to fall back on just in case of returns. Also from what I've noticed on the old batch, even if you take care of them really well it'll still crack eventually.

how about the newer batch, do you know if theyd last ~2 years if taken care of? oh and one thing i forgot, if i buy from unauthorized and they break after a year and i pay $145 for a fix would the fixed one have a 2 year warranty on it? since in case the unauthorized do break, it would still end up cheaper than an authorized one if i paid for repairs.

and one last thing i forgot to ask, what exactly is the issue with the wires? im not too sure what wire cracking is, is it like the wire looks like it was cut with a knife or something like that? and why exactly does a split wire cause the headphone to break, couldnt you tape it shut or something when it cracks?

 

[gore.rubicon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbgtboy /img/forum/go_quote.gif well the price im getting them at would be $320 canadian after all the taxes and shipping etc. buying them from an authorized seller is out of the question for me, i simply cant afford it and not willing to pay that much for a pair of head phones, do you know what the chances of the new wires breaking are if i take care of them? if they can last 2 years thats good enough for me, by then ill have graduated uni and will be able to afford replacement. and one last thing i forgot to ask, what exactly is the issue with the wires? im not too sure what wire cracking is, is it like the wire looks like it was cut with a knife or something like that? and why exactly does a split wire cause the headphone to break, couldnt you tape it shut or something when it cracks?

Don't forget about Canadian Customs

AFAIK the cracking issue was caused by bodily oils hardening the polymer in the cable, causing it to be stiff and brittle.

 

[dragoonf144]

Hmm, not sure about the US system, but here in aus, the distributor just asked for the date code on the input jack and told me to send it to them. Got a brand new one in 2 weeks, and i didnt even tell them where i bought it.

 

[mark2410]

se110 to se530 you will notice a vast difference, seriously huge

 

[noinimod]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mark2410 /img/forum/go_quote.gif se110 to se530 you will notice a vast difference, seriously huge

x2

Strongly consider getting a used set; they typically go for low 200s and some are in great condition with warranty, so if you're okay with buying second hand, that's worth considering

 

[dbgtboy]

ah crap i forgot about customs so that would add even more to the cost

, well anyways there is actually an authorized dealer in my city not too far from me that sells them the cheapest and are canadian authorized dealers at $410 + taxes which is about $480 after taxes so im not too sure if i should get them, do you guys think its worth it considering i only have about $1000 spending money to use this year? is the upgrade from a se110 to se530 big enough to justify spending half my savings for the year? btw that $1000 is mainly gonna be used for games but still $500 is an incredible amount of money for me, the store does have a price match policy but they only price match canadian authorized dealers, if they would price match amazon that would be a no brainer for me but i dont think they will, i guess ill try to do that but if not im gonna have to think real hard about this one.

 

[lostbobby]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rip N' Burn /img/forum/go_quote.gif The newer batches of 530's have a new type of cable formula to prevent cracking of the cable coating. I still wouldn't risk buying them from an unauthorized seller. They are a big investment and in case something does go wrong, you will have to pay some more money to a: get them repaired by Shure (approx $140) or b: convert them into custom molds with detachable cables(approx $180).

I'm *still* having the cable cracking / hardening problem. The last pair of 530's i received under warranty lasted at least a year but i saw a crack a couple days ago. *Sigh* . Wrap in electrical tape, treat gingerly until the inevitable happens.

This is about the 6th time this happened. I bought right after they came out, and the first 5 pairs only lasted 2-3 months each.

=========================
Important Edit: I just called Shure's 800 warranty / repair number in Chicago, talked to the lady and told her all about the 6 pairs that the cables cracked on. She said they would replace them for free!

Woohoo.

 

[DeusEx]

That's why when I get my JH13, I'm going to burn my SE530s......(or not)

 

[Antony6555]

Consider the um3x as well.

 

[talisman42]

I hate to pull a Suze Orman on you, but show me the money, friend! With a $2k budget for the year, there are plenty of sub $150 IEMs to consider. There's a lot of praise about the Phonak PFEs.

 

[dbgtboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by talisman42 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I hate to pull a Suze Orman on you, but show me the money, friend! With a $2k budget for the year, there are plenty of sub $150 IEMs to consider. There's a lot of praise about the Phonak PFEs.

its more like $1000 after buying the ps3 and hard drives, i already have se110 which are good enough for me but i use them every day on the bus for about 2 hours a day which is why im considering the se530 since they are apparently much better, so i consider it a good investment since ill be using them for a minimum of 2 years (possibly 4 years if i decide to do a masters), all the friends ive asked their opinions whether i should get them have called me insane and dumb for considering $500 ear phones lol, and the budget is only until next year, i dont really spend much money so ill still have enough money to buy whatever i need for the rest of the year (i live with parents so the rest of the money is pretty much going towards video games lol, which i only buy once every few months), and next summer ill be working again and will make even more money which i will be saving up and probably wont even use since i already bought everything i wanted during this summer, but still even though i can afford it im not sure if i want to drop $500 on a set of ear phones no matter how good they are since that is REALLY expensive for ear phones even if i will be using them for a minimum of 2 years, anyways im trying to see if the local company will price match them off amazon marketplace, i doubt they will but its worth a shot, if they will price match to about $320 thats a no brainer for me, ill get them in a heartbeat but as it stands now they are gonna cost me about $480 after taxes.

 

[Poetik]

Like me and a few people have said on here go buy em used with a warranty man. Save yourself the extra $100-200 and get them from someone reputable here. There's also the re0's which are a very good bang for the buck iem that's 50 percent off (99 dollars) right now that sound pretty nice.