[GosuEric]

Thinking about dropping some money for the 530s, though it's not set.

I love my X10s but lately they've felt more and more... lacking. I've had them roughly a year, so maybe it's just that time, but they seem to be... almost missing the high end and mids. Not entirely, but it just seems as if the bass is slowly becoming more and more apparent, and the rest of the sound is getting lost.

They're slightly damaged as well, even after very good care of them, so I'll probably end up RMA'ing and selling here on HF for a bit more to add to the fund.

As I said, I'm looking at the 530s, as I hear great things about their comfort/mids/overall sound, but it's not set in stone. Budget's roughly ~$300 right now, maybe more assuming I can get the X10s sold / get a few other things sold. Assume my budget's $300, with a max of $400 if it's a great deal.

I like something that can handle the full spectrum, as I tend to listen to a variety of music, though something like the X10s without so much bass and maybe a bit more 'open' with better mids/highs would be fantastic.

Any suggestions would be awesome.

 

[royhendo]

Go custom is my suggestion. The first earphones that really 'wowed' me were the X10s, and since then I've gone SuperFreq (jump in quality in all departments) and now the ACS T1 (again, a big jump in quality in all departments).

The Unique Melody customs seem to be getting a lot of praise for their value mate - that's my suggestion as a starting point, particularly if you're spending the kind of money that would buy a pair of SE530s.

 

[tstarn06]

I owned the X10s, and now prefer the Image S4s if you can believe it. But if the 530 is one of your considerations, I would say highs are not going to be there, not their strength from what I have read here. Customs might be the way to go, like the Unique Melody, or the JH5s. Of course, no resale vale with customs. I have the UM3X with custom tips, and the highs are excellent (though not with foamies to my ears), as is the detail. Much better phone than the X10 in my view.

 

[jyle_t]

i would think UM3X is good for you, provided you like warm sounding IEMs.

 

[royhendo]

There is resale value with customs now, and the market's developing, because there are more companies available who'll re-shell (Uniq

 

[royhendo]

...ue Melody being the best example. The for sale forum has a few sets in there for example.

 

[barleyguy]

I think any universal is going to be a lateral upgrade, meaning that some aspects will be better than the X10's, and some aspects will be worse or just different. The 530's likely have better mids, but roll off earlier in the highs. I get solid highs to 16K on the X10's. The UM3X will have warmer mids and better extension, but the soundstage is much smaller than the X10's. The W3's will give you equal or better soundstage, as well as better highs, but many people consider them slightly recessed in the mids.

I have X10's as well, and sent them to be reshelled as customs. I had considered upgrading to another universal, and listened to several of them at a meet, and came to the decision that I'd be wasting money on a lateral upgrade.

You could try experimenting with different tips. The Klipsch gels, though very comfortable, were bass heavy for me. I ended up going to custom tips. You could experiment with Complys and olives and ety tips.

I think to get an across the board improvement you'll have to go to customs.

 

[tstarn06]

Just as an aside, I use the UM56s I got for my UM3X with the S4s now, and those custom tips enhance the S4 sound sig, bringing out the highs a little more without harshness.

 

[ChroniCali]

With your budget, I would suggest Westone 3 or IE8. Or you could probably try out the Liverwire Trips customs.

 

[GosuEric]

I use the Comply Foams on my X10s, and which it does sound better than the Gel tips bass wise, it also feels like it's still sorta... muffled in a way. Maybe it's just me.

The problem with Customs is that they're going to take me over my budget, even increased budget of $400 (in general). I haven't looked at many customs outside the JH5/UE4 though, so I guess maybe there are cheaper alternatives.

I thought about having the X10s reshelled, but the problem is if I decide not to sell. My brother uses the X10s at school, and I figure getting him the new pair would be a nice birthday present for him.

Currently, the Westone 3 or the UM3X are the leading contenders, leaning more towards the UM3X but I'm not entirely sure. Problem is they're ~380-400 off the Westone site, and I can't find them anywhere else.

As much as I'd love customs, I'm not sure I'm ready to drop the cash for them yet, unless I can find some around $350-400ish.

 

[bee65n]

You can get the UM3X off of ebay (Mike from Freq City) for about $290 (using bing cash back). I just got mine and am really happy with my purchase.

 

[GosuEric]

Actually that sounds amazing, if I can figure it out.

Probably picking up a pair of UM3X if I can figure this bing cashback thing out, though suggestions are still welcome.