[K_19]

I was just wondering if this upgrade would be worth it for the amount of improvement it would offer. My main reason for wanting to upgrade is the comfort issue, since I find Shures pretty much unmatched in comfort (at least for my SE210). As many of you know UE's aren't great for fit, and although Complys solved this problem to a degree, I'm not liking the additional cost of having to continually buy them (since they're not designed to be cleaned and reused). SF5 pros also stick out a lot (and I'm not confident enough to do the flip mod), and I heard 530's fit very snugly. I also always wanted to upgrade to the Triple Driver set up eventually (then that'd be it for IEM's for me... I wouldn't go up to customs or anything).

Sound quality wise, I quite like the SF5's, but I do miss a bit of the midrange Shures are famous for. I also like powerful bass, and while I do find bass on 5 pros good, I heard 530s bass is unmatched. Besides, if I really wanna bring it, I would still have my Pro 5 EB's. My one concern with 530 is that I also like good amount of highs, which I heard is 530's biggest weakness.

So, would this be a worthwhile upgrade for the price? I should also mention my source, it'll be mainly from my Ipod Touch first gen... I have no amps as of now but I am thinking of starting off with amps soon with something cheap at first (such as Fiio). Would amp would make much difference in my setup? I'd be new to the whole amp thing.

Oh, and if anyone knows where the cheapest source for SE530's would be, that would be greatly appreciated. I'm in Toronto, Canada, and NOT willing to buy from ripoff places like Bay Bloor Radio or anything. Online would be fine. Would you recommend Ebay route for something as expensive as this?

Thanks in advance.

 

[TheMarchingMule]

Why not go for the triple.fi 10 Pro?

 

[K_19]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheMarchingMule /img/forum/go_quote.gif Why not go for the triple.fi 10 Pro?

The same old fit/comfort issue.

 

[PixelSquish]

if your not confident enough to do the flip-flop mod, do you even leave the house without a helmet on?

 

[btnh47]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheMarchingMule /img/forum/go_quote.gif Why not go for the triple.fi 10 Pro?

Triple.fi 10 Pro's sound great. However, their midrange is abit lower in volume compared to its High and Low frequencies.

 

[Headphile808]

UE Triple.F1 10, Westone 3 & Sennheiser IE8 should all be considerations IMO (see sig). I think you should wait & save up for a quality amp. In the meantime, do your homework and research it a bit. Good Luck.
Aloha

Headphile808

 

[K_19]

Quote:

Originally Posted by idiotekniQues /img/forum/go_quote.gif if your not confident enough to do the flip-flop mod, do you even leave the house without a helmet on?

Dunno, my dexterity has never been the best and I find it pretty nerving to physically mod a $200 (CDN) product. Marshmallow mod is as much as I can comfortably do since they're so cheap and easy. Plus, that'd only take care of one of the fit problems (the other is the tip, and I've tried Complys which need to be restocked which I don't really like, and I hate silicon tips).

 

[Libertad]

Dude go for it

 

[mark2410]

well i think the 530s are awesome, yeah the highs are a bit lacking in oomph but they are all there and frankly are still far better than more or less every other iem its just that in comparison to how they do mids and lows they are lacking. when your talking about the very top end iems you start picking on any thing as when ur talking about se530 triple fi10 etc its not like any of them are seriously deficient in anything.

if i was u id get the 530's, they rock and uber comfy

 

[forsberg]

Sound wise - 530s are better than SF5P. From my short auditioning of the Shures, I can say that Shure's bass had more punch and was deeper.

Is it worth it? Depends on you. If the fit and wire on the UEs bother you a lot then yeah I would say so. For only SQ though, I say no, unless you can sell your SF5P at a killer price.

 

[Young Spade]

Whatever higher grade IEM that you get, you will be greatly impressed/happy that you bought them.

Although I can't say from experience, the Shures do have a great midrange and good highs (TF's highs are better though).

Since you want to get the Shures, I would say look around and see if they will sound good with the equipment you are using and the stuff you are listening to.

 

[cassper]

Just go for it... I did the same - I wanted to upgrade my sf5pro, and I went through Triple.fi 10, IE8, Klipsch Image and ended up with SE530. They hit the sweet spot of comfort (Triple.fi sound good but they're huge, even with the flap mode you can't change the size of the thing), isolation (which IE8 has woeful) and sound quality. Difference in sound between SE530 and sf5pro is undebatable, pretty much every single aspect is better.
Mind you - you may not get too many SE530 recommendations, they're not very popular around here

 

[Bigsy]

My IEM upgrades have gone from e2c, sf5p, tf10, e500, IE8. I still own them all bar the tf10 which I just didn't like the sound of.

Sound wise it sounds like IE8 is right down your street, but I have real comfort and isolation problems with them, and this is coming from someone that didn't have an issue with sf5p/tf10 (apart from I couldn't where a hat or sleep with them).

se530 will fit you the best but still I prefer the bass from sf5p, yeah yeah se530's are more detailed whatever, still the bottom end is not as fun in my book. And if I were listening to dance music I'd go for the sf5p every time, rock se530's... but both not on a par with IE8 imo, shame the ergonomics suck.

 

[J.D.N]

Quote:

Originally Posted by K_19 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Dunno, my dexterity has never been the best and I find it pretty nerving to physically mod a $200 (CDN) product. Marshmallow mod is as much as I can comfortably do since they're so cheap and easy. Plus, that'd only take care of one of the fit problems (the other is the tip, and I've tried Complys which need to be restocked which I don't really like, and I hate silicon tips).

What do you mean by 'physically mod'? The cables are detachable. They pull out and push in with the simplest of ease. If you can change batteries in a remote, you can swap the cables over on the sf5pro's.

I went from SF5Pro's to TF10s and heard a big difference. There is more definition, separation, the low end is punchier and more accurate with a very pleasant high end.

I, however, have never had fit issues, which i can understand is a big deciding factor for you.

 

[Spyro]

I consider SFP to SE530 a significant upgrade. Much more refined and smoother sounding all the way around.