Shure SE530 Sound Isolating Earphones

Summary: I decided to buy some ridiculously expensive earphones about a year ago because I travel a lot and work in a loud office. I tried a friend's top of ...

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Summary: I decided to buy some ridiculously expensive earphones about a year ago because I travel a lot and work in a loud office. I tried a friend's top of the line Etymotics and I also grudgingly tried a friend's Quietcomfort Bose headphones (I already decided I'm not halling around those giant things). The Etymotics were quite nice, but I ended up trying the SE530's at CES a couple of months ago and was blown away. I bought them last week and couldn't be happier with them. Absolutely crystal clear in the high and midrange with an enveloping bass. I think the base is significantly better than the Etymotic's, although those are fine phones as well). I was sitting on an airplane today, got lost in sound and actually forgot where I was at for a minute - it was a bit startling to have forgotten that I was on a plane (yes, I've been working too much - you have to to afford these things). Needless to say, the sound isolation is outstanding. My next step may be getting custom molded earplugs for them, the final step in my quest for perfect sound reproduction Bottom line: If I was a Pharaoh, I'd definitely put these puppies in the pyramid for the afterlife, right next to the Anubas statue....

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Summary: I originally purchased an e500 PTH, and my review was posted on CNET for that product. Unfortunately, a cable problem developed, but showing extraordinary service, Shure didn't just repair ...

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Summary: I originally purchased an e500 PTH, and my review was posted on CNET for that product. Unfortunately, a cable problem developed, but showing extraordinary service, Shure didn't just repair them, they shipped me the SE530! No refurbs, like you get with some vendors.

So, the SE530 is supposed to be the same as the e500. It's not. First, they put the PTH out as a more expensive option, which does, in fact, make this a price increase. Second, the sound is different. Whether it's manufacturing variation, or evolution, I can't tell you, and Shure doesn't seem to say. However, what I can say is that everything in my review below still holds true, except that these actually sound better.

The difference? They are a touch brighter from abuot 4KHz up. Maybe 1dB. It's just enough to add some presence, and a little sparkle to cymbals, or presence to violin. The result is quite pleasing, as I noted in my first review that the unit seemed a bit muted.

Two details; the new ear tips are more comfortable. The soft-foam ones can be fitted, and the round soft-rubber tips are textured for a more secure fit. One change for the worse: the product includes a short cord for users with arm-mounted ipods (my config), and for a Nano with the connector on the bottom, it's now about 2" shorter than the e500 cord, making it too short to use.

It's enough to push these little beauties to a perfect "10."

Attached is the review...

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I'm an audio engineer, and have about six sets of headphone and earphones, including Shure e4c, Sony MDR V6, little Panasonics, Bose Quiet Comfort 2.

The fit and finish of the Shure are top of the pack; light, but clearly extremely high quality construction.

The Push To Hear device is way larger than I would have expected, and feels cheap. That's a dissapointment.

Sound: The first impression was that the bass was boomy and a bit over-blown (I'm a bass fan). However, within two days, the sound completely transformed; the bass became taught and well balanced, and blends incredibly smoothly throughout the who range. THere is no discernable gap or hole where driver overlap/interference detracts from the sound.

In listening to old-favorites, on CD, AAC (192K), or 128MP3, EVERYTHING was audible. I have listened to some of my source material for years, on the highest-of high-end gear, and this little beauties were so revealing I was hearing not just a little, but a LOT, or ambience, detail, production overlays (and yes, CODEC artifacts, especially with MP3).

I was simply floored by the level of detail. Not the least of reasons being that, in a sense, these phones are not in-your-face tipped up with sizzly treble (like the Panasonics or Sony's), and the midrange is so clear and free of grain that at first, I thought detail was *missing* from some of my recordings.

This was a surprise, as vocals which used to have a bit of grain, or cymbals and snare drums, sounded almost soft. But, the incredible detail and transparency makes it clear that many of these "details" were sizzle and hash created by the drivers in the other phones.

Needless to say, in comparison to the Bose products, the Shure's provided a more compact travel solution, better noise reduction, and vastly superior, more transparent and extended audio.

The PTH was usefull for knocking about in the office, I could talk to people without "unplugging" myself. I just wish it were more compact and solid. But, this is an extra, it's not the reason for existence for a product such as this.

This is without a doubt the best headphone/earphone I've ever heard. Improve the PTH, and it'd be a 10 for sure. Thanks Shure!

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Summary: There simply are no negatives to these headphones. You can get them for $100 cheaper and brand new on eBay. I have the Shure e4c's. I thought they sounded ...

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Summary: There simply are no negatives to these headphones. You can get them for $100 cheaper and brand new on eBay. I have the Shure e4c's. I thought they sounded great. I bought these and compared the two. Well, I was astonished! Everything sounds better with these. The sound balance is incredible and the bass is perfect (bass sounds a bit empty with the e4c's). The sound isolation is top shelf, especially if you fly often.

The new soft tips are a welcome change (they also fit the e4c's) as is the cord options. The e4c's cord was hideously long and always in the way. The oval shaped carrying case is also very nice.

In short, you will not be disappointed with these in-ear headphones. They are expensive so don't lose them!

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Summary: For this review I have been using nothing but Apple Lossless formats from Sound Garden, Collective Soul, Nine Inch Nails, Pearl Jam, U2, etc.

I bought these primarily for my

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Summary: For this review I have been using nothing but Apple Lossless formats from Sound Garden, Collective Soul, Nine Inch Nails, Pearl Jam, U2, etc.

I bought these primarily for my iPhone. Unfortunately, the problem with these earphones, is if you create an airtight seal, you'll get plenty of bass, but your highs & mids are a bit convoluted. I guess that's the problem with in-ear buds. I even tried using the "treble boost" in my equalizer settings on the iPhone which made only minor improvements. These headphones sound AMAZING when plugged into my mac pro, with "sound enhancer" option checked in iTunes as well as the manual settings enabled in my iTunes equalizer. Unfortunately, you don't have those options in the ipod/iphone. You can only use the preset EQ settings in the iPhone and there's no sound enhancer option. The sound cannot match that of over the ear cans, in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, these are probably the best in-ear buds money can buy, and they do sound great if you have the right equipment. But the combination of only these headphones and an ipod, I have to say I'm not all that impressed. Now, I believe with a portable headphone amp, these headphones will show their true potential. I love bass, but clear highs and mids are equally as important, and I believe that they are a bit lacking because of too much bass. I believe the expense of these headphones for use with an ipod, is not easily justified unless you invest in a portable headphone amp.

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Summary: The sound isolation is pretty good, but there are many cheaper alternatives out there which would provide the same sound-isolation.

As for quality, I wouldn't say it's "$500"

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Summary: The sound isolation is pretty good, but there are many cheaper alternatives out there which would provide the same sound-isolation.

As for quality, I wouldn't say it's "$500" better.

Compared to a traditional earphone (without sound isolation) the sound quality does seem better. For example, normal earphones have a 'dryness' to them, and sounds like the sound is leaking out of them. These earphones dont have that, and so the sound quality is much richer. However... comparing these earphones to other (cheaper) sound-isolating earphones, there is not much difference.

The quality is in my opinion 'normal'. By that, I mean the sound sounds exactly how it *should* sound (coming from an MP3 player), but don't think it will make you jump out of your seat in surprise. The clarity is also normal, I wouldn't say it sounds noticeably better than headphones or other sound-isolating earphones.

Think of padded headphones, but with slightly less bass (if you don't already have sound isolating earphones).

In terms of comfort, they're not that bad, but you can really feel that they are in your ear, unlike normal earphones which just rest in your ear.

Overall, if you already have sound-isolating earphones, you probably won't notice any difference, so it might not be worth it.

If you don't already have sound isolating earphones, buy some for $20-$50 and you will probably get the same quality. I honestly can't *hear* the "2 woofers and tweeter". Just sounds like regular sound-isolating earphones to me.

However, if you don't mind being over-charged for a product that is 'Made in China' which sounds identical to cheaper alternatives, by all means, buy this product.

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Summary: Bottom line is this? I have had Sony Reference Headsets (over ear style), the Shure E310's, the UE Super.Fi Pro 5's, and the Q-Jays (most recently). Each ...

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Summary: Bottom line is this? I have had Sony Reference Headsets (over ear style), the Shure E310's, the UE Super.Fi Pro 5's, and the Q-Jays (most recently). Each were great, with the Q-Jays being the best of that lot, but even the Q-Jays were no where close to what we/I have in the 530's.

I have never in my life heard the balance, smoothness, thorough and complete bass spectrum response, highs that are smooth and sound correct (not ear-piercing or scratchy). The entire mix is crystal clear -- hear the chair move during recording session, finger motion on the fret board, warmest minute nuances in the timber of vocals, smallest definition of a drumstick bouncing or rolling off a drum head, you get the picture, sounds as I have with these babies. It is almost scary how intimate it can feel... like you are next to the musician breathing on you while they sing.

I produce music, manage a band, as well as play and sing myself. These 530's are simply unbelievable. They literally make me want to re-listen to every song I own (about 8134 of them to be precise). I like to call them my aural nirvana. You will not be disappointed period.

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Summary: these earphones are spectacular,im a bit astonished at the cnet review to be honest because the shure e500 got the 8.7 rating also but these offer better foam ...

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Summary: these earphones are spectacular,im a bit astonished at the cnet review to be honest because the shure e500 got the 8.7 rating also but these offer better foam tips which make a great comfort and design difference so why are they rated the same?? i find the sound of these earphones perfect in every way,simply stunning,expensive but well well worth it,i recently tried the super triple fi 10's and these simply have better punch to bass and cleaner more forward mids! im also suprised that cnet claims the earbuds stick out of the ears (have these guys seen those ultimate ears!) these are some of the smallest triple driver earphones available and never stick out of my ears no further than my ears themselves infact the whole earphone body is in my ear but not obviously in my ear canal,honestly there is not anything to complain about,if anything was ever to go wrong theres shures superb no reciet needed warranty,amazing!

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Summary: THESE ARE AN AMAZING PAIR OF EARPHONES!!

Their small size is incredible considering they block out pretty much all noise (I could still, however, hear a tiny dronning noise while

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Summary: THESE ARE AN AMAZING PAIR OF EARPHONES!!

Their small size is incredible considering they block out pretty much all noise (I could still, however, hear a tiny dronning noise while in an airplane), but for normal use they do a magnificant job!

The average iPod and Zune user really doesn't require them because similar quality can be reached by cheaper earphones. The true potential of the SE530's can only be met in a studio.

The best of my songs have been converted to AAC lossless format(iTunes compresses them to about 8-20% at the most). This is of course great, considering they average at about 300-320kbs per song, but it burdens not only my storage capacity but also my time. It takes forever to reconvert over 120gb of music. And since you cant upgrade music (as far as I know), I have to re-rip the CD's.

Overall, a great buy, highly recommended for the serious user, but not the best choice for an average low-quality music listener.

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Summary: As I'm writing this review, I am listening to music with the Shure SE530 earphones. This is my first time using sound-isolating earphones, and I haven't used any ...

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Summary: As I'm writing this review, I am listening to music with the Shure SE530 earphones. This is my first time using sound-isolating earphones, and I haven't used any of the lower Shure model earphones.

While list price on these earphones is $500, I was able to purchase them for $300 from amazon (yes, they are more expensive than my mp3 player, which is kinda ridiculous). I have them paired with the Cowon D2, and they haven't failed to impress me.

The sound isolation is excellent, the highs and mids are clear as crystal, and these earphones are so comfortable that I hardly notice they are in. Even with the music at the lowest levels, they still prevent you from hearing ambient noise.

I'm not much of an audiophile, but I couldn't imagine using any other headphones. Perfect.

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Summary: To start off, once you listen to these In-Ear-Monitors, you would be blown away by the sound isolation and sound quality. However, to unlock the full potential of the Shure ...

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Summary: To start off, once you listen to these In-Ear-Monitors, you would be blown away by the sound isolation and sound quality. However, to unlock the full potential of the Shure SE530, there are a few things that have to be done.
-A high quality music player
-High quality music encoded, eg: 320 Kbps Mp3 or lossless formats.
By not having these "essentials", there is no point of buying these In-Ear-Monitors, as the music that is played would be very distorted and a big "mess". This is how accurate these earphones are being able to pick up the slightest sound played, whereas the cheaper ones cannot pickup certain sounds.
Many of people, may ask 400$+ for earphones is too much and fear of breaking them. Well I have got news. The Shure customer service is EXCELLENT, even if you are outside the U.S like I am. These In-Ear-Monitors, will be replaced in most situations such as broken cables & broken nozzles. However, be aware that if it is broken by major mishandling then it is your own fault.
The sound isolation from the Shure SE530 is impeccable. I would not recommend people to walk on the roads as if they were normal earphones, as you would not be able to hear musc of the ambient sounds.However, the isolation may also save battery power of the player, as the isolation of the ambient sounds decreases the volume at which the player has to produce compared to other earphones which has to be at a higher volume to be cancel out with the outside.
These IEM will not disappoint you, but make sure the music files are highly encoded and a high quality MP3/music player such as iRivers or iPods (I would recommend iMod for even higher sound quality from the iPod). Remember, you are not only paying for the IEM but also the good customer service.

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