Shure SE530 Sound Isolating Earphones
Review by C. Ramirez : Not good enough to justify the price

Just got the SE530. I have used these type of head phones for a few years, namely the Etymotic ER-4P, so I will mainly compare the two. First price, the SE530 are about 3 times as expensive. To my ear while they have a little better bass response, offer a little more detail, they are not 3x better then the ER-4Ps. To be fair, I am still evaluating the SE530, but I am not floored by them like some other reviewers. I have had ER-4Ps since 2002. My first set lasted me till mid 2007, where they finally broke on me. I bought another set of ER-4Ps Jul 2007, but I was torn between buying them or "upgrading" to the SE530. I got my second set of ER-4Ps and noticed this second set, the build quality was not as good. Looks like they were using cheaper parts, but still sounded good.
The holidays roll around and on a whim I decided to buy the SE530s to go with my iPhone, and here I am writing this review. The build quality is alot better then the ER's, but I am not crazy about the actual design. Maybe it has more to do with more practice with one then the other, but I think its harder to put the SE530's then the ERs. THe SE530s look ALOT nicer then the ERs. They sound good, just not as good as I thought they would. Not much better then the ERs, and for so much more dough?

The one thing that I love about these headphones is how well it a pairs up with the iPhone and Shure MPA-3C Music Phone Adapter. Using this set up for phone calls is great, I hear and am heard clearly, modular set up of these headphone make it the perfect length.

So are these head phones good? Yup. Better then the Etymotic ER-4Ps? Yes. Is it worth the money? Maybe if you are looking for the perfect iPhone set up, other wise I think you could get more bang for your buck else where.

Update:
I have a few more observations. The foam tips, usually the most comfortable for me with these types of headphones, suck. They do not form a deep, tight seal in my ear canal. Just to see if it would work, I grabbed some extra foam tips from my ER-4Ps and tried them with the SE530. They greatly improved the fit, and sound quality went up.

The one odd thing was how bad noise isolation is with the SE530s compared to my ER-4Ps. Even when using the same foam inserts on both, the SE530s don't block out much noise. When no music is playing, I can hold a conversation easily. Makes me wonder why they make a PTH model? Very disappointing in that respect, but when music is playing you hear your music only and not the outside world.

I did a little more experimenting with ear tips, and I finally chose the white flange style ones. I hated this type when I used my ER-4Ps, but find them to be the best for the SE530, most likely because they form the deepest seal in the ear canal for me. I MAY try and get some custom ear inserts made by an audiologist, depending how much of a hassle it turns out to be, details are on the Shure website on who to contact.

I have grown to appreciate how detailed the SE530s sound, especially in Rock music. Not so much in Rap/Hip-Hop, but Rock seems to sound better with the SE530s then the ER-4Ps.

Final Update: With a little break in time and the right listening material, these headphones are sounding a lot better. Still doesn't sound 3x as good as the ER-4P, but the detail you can hear with the SE530's is striking, assuming you are listening to a lossless codec or better. I still think these things are too expensive, they do not block out as much noise as the ER-4s, so you lose one star for each and I am sticking with the 3 star rating. And yet, if you don't care about value for your dollar, the SE530s are very seductive.

One final note, those custom ear sleeves are $100 bucks from Sensaphonics, plus the cost of the ear doctor taking an impression of your inner ear. I am told this will make the headphones sound and feel much better, I refuse to use the sub standard foam sleeves that shure makes and have been using Etymotic ones, can't wait to see how much custom sleeves make a difference.

******UPDATE 03/29/08*************
I just had to send these headphones in for service! After 3 months of use, the cables that attach the ear buds to the plug, have developed slits and now the wiring is exposed. If you wrap these buds around your ears (as prescribed in the manual), the wires will develop a crease in them. Over time (like I said, 3 months) this crease will turn into a crack. That crack will progressively get worse, exposing the wires beneath. It hasn't effected the sound quality, but for the amount of money you would expect the wiring not to spontaneously expose itself. Both left and right sides have these cracks. Some one on this review page also commented on the cables quality and at the time I would not have agreed. Now I have proof he was right. I will update this post again once I know how the service center reacts to my warranty request. ******

04/09/08 - Got my response from the service center, they sent me a brand new set of SE530's. A complete new set with all the accessories, even though I only returned the head set with non of the extensions or accessories. I do appreciate the no hassle way Shure handled my request. This almost changes my mind about the price of these earphones, seeing how excellent the customer service response was. Why almost and not completely changed my mind? Because the replacement head set I received still has the same type of cords that broke down on me in 3 months. In the back of my mind I wonder how long till this set breaks down, what will I do when the warranty run out? For now I am treating them like a Fabergé egg, even bought the PTH module so I don't have to remove and insert them as much during the day. The durability of these head phones are tempered by the excellent customer service/warranty, so no change in the three star rating.

I have heavily invested in these headphones, the MPA-3C iphone adapter, the PTH module, and custom molded sleeves from Sensaphonics, have really brought up the total price of these headphones, which were not cheap to begin with. To see them wear out so quickly leaves me worried. I would like to see Shure replace these stock cords with better (more durable) cords in a later revision. I hope they get the message because I would like to continue doing business with Shure.

Shure SE530 Sound Isolating Earphones
Review by David Siegel : Almost perfect

I tried both the Ultimate Ears Triple.fi 10 and the Shure ES530 for an entire weekend, and came out impressed by both but chose the Shures.

Both earphones are exceptional. I had the Super.fi 5 pros and loved them, then when I lost them I wanted to see if there was another level. There is. If you want an entry-level pair of amazing earphones, I would say you get the most bang for your buck with the Super.fi 5 pros. But if you want the best, it's going to be triple-driver.

The Triple.fi earphones are impressive, until you try the Shure ES530s. Both have extremely good resolution. The Triple.fis just come up a bit short against the Shures in every respect. The Shures are more classy, more integrated, more like a good pair of speakers, and the Triple.fis come out more like a pair of monitors - you don't hear the sound as integrated and as finessed.

To get the most out of these earphones, you MUST use the new Shure smooth foam tips, which you have to order separately. And if you're not getting enough bass, you have to pull your ear out with one hand and push the earphones in farther with your other hand. You don't get the full experience until they are DEEP in your ear canal.

I would rate both the Triple.fis and the SE530s as 9.8/10, but the final deciding factor is the comfort. The SE530s are much smaller inside the ear and can stay in longer. They also have a great cable system, giving you more flexibility (for example, if you have an iphone, as I do, they have a special cable with a speaker for that). They are lower volume and stay in the ears better. The one thing I'd like to see on the Shures is a stiff "memory" cable near the earpieces, like Ultimate Ears uses - it's a great idea.

For $200, get the Super.fi 5 pros. For the complete experience, get the Shure SE530s.

Shure SE530 Sound Isolating Earphones
Review by Ron Cronovich "Ron" : A strong but qualified recommendation from two very happy ears

If you've already done your research and only want to know why I am qualifying my recommendation, skip down to near the bottom of my review. Otherwise, read on...

As most everyone says, these earphones are an absolute dream. The sound quality is amazing, better than the average home stereo and better than any headphones or earphones I've ever heard. Each side has two woofers and a tweeter.

It takes a little while to get used to properly inserting the phones and getting them situated just so, for optimal sound quality and noise isolation. But you get the hang of it before long, and then it's pretty easy.

The sound isolation works pretty well (if you have the phones situated properly in your ears). You get a good seal, which greatly reduces the amount of outside sound that can get in. I've found it works very, very well on airplanes and at the gym (the two noisiest environments I'm typically in).

In contrast, "noise-cancelling" headphones do not block outside noise, rather they add an electronically generated noise designed to cancel the frequencies of the outside noise. They require batteries, and I don't like that they are adding noise to what you're hearing. Some work better than others, but none that I've tried (including the famous and expensive Bose QC2s) work as well as the Shure line of sound-isolating earphones (the SE530 is the second pair I've owned in this line).

With earphones that sit inside the ear canal, comfort is extremely important. I find the SE530s comfortable for long periods of time. I often listen to my ipod in bed at night to help relax; if I fall asleep with the earphones in, my ears don't hurt when I wake up later (unlike all other earphones and headphones I've tried). Shure thoughtfully includes 9 different pairs of interchangable tips in varying sizes, so it is very likely most users will find at least one pair that is comfortable for them.

The modular aspect of the cabling is clever and very useful. The phones themselves have a very short cord. But Shure includes a variety of extension cords of different lengths, which allows you to have the right length cable in different situations.

One of these modular cables has a built-in volume control, handy for when your device doesn't have a volume control (or it's not accessible for whatever reason).

If you order the SE530PTH, you also get the push-to-hear module, which has a little mic and volume control. If you turn it on, it transmits sound from the mic into the headphones, allowing you to have a conversation with someone without removing the earphones. (Removing the earphones is easy, but putting them back in and getting a good seal takes a minute or so, especially for newbies.) I find the PTH to be a neat accessory. However, my wife pointed out that I can simply pause my ipod and then carry on a conversation just fine, w/o removing the earphones (the earphones still block outside noise, but not so much that you can't hear someone talking directly to you). So I don't think the PTH is particularly necessary. Amazon sells the SE530s with and without the PTH option. If you get it without PTH, you can always buy it separately, though it's cheaper to get them together.

The build quality is exceptional. The cords are thicker than any other headphones/earphones I've seen, and where they attach to the earphones or accessories is very well reinforced.

I also have a much cheaper pair of Shure noise isolating earphones, the E2c's. A week or two before the 2-year warranty was to expire, a short developed in the cable going to one side, so that if the cable jiggled at all, the sound would intermittently go out for a second or two. This was my fault - I had been using and abusing these things pretty hard - never using the included case, throwing them around, etc. But I sent them to Shure with a copy of my receipt for warranty service, and they sent me a brand new pair, no questions asked! (and quick turnaround!) The SE530s (and all Shure earphones) carry the same 2-year warranty.

In summary, I love the SE530's amazing sound quality, terrific build quality, and generous bundle of thoughtful accessories.

But now here is my qualification:

To know whether they're really worth the money, you'd really need to compare them to the SE420's (the next cheaper model in this line, about a hundred less than the 530s). Most of us who rave about the SE530s have only ever compared them to MUCH cheaper earphones. In my case, the Shure E2c's (about a hundred bucks) and a pair of Sennheiser cans (about half the price as the SE530's). Another reviewer here compares the 530s to the Etymotic ER4's, also much less expensive. It's not surprising that the 530s blow away phones that are so much less costly.

But, what we should really know before spending our hard-earned dollars is whether the human ear can distinguish between the SE530's and SE420's. If not, we would be wasting an extra hundred bucks by purchasing the 530s.

Before buying, I searched for a good, objective review comparing the 420s and 530s. I could not find one from a reputable, objective source. So I had to make a choice between two risks: the risk of spending too much (buying the 530s when the 420s sound just as good) vs. the risk of not getting the best possible sound quality (buying the 420s to save money when the 530s are really better).

I decided that avoiding the second risk was more important to me than avoiding the first risk, so I picked the 530s. I was in the very fortunate position to be able to afford them. In my current situation (newly married, still paying for the engagement ring & honeymoon - though very happy!), I'm not sure I would still pick the 530s (though I would still want them badly).

So there you have it. Good luck with your purchase decision, and enjoy whatever earphones you end up getting!

Shure SE530 Sound Isolating Earphones
Review by Mars : Great sound but poor build up

The sound quality is great. It is also comfortable specially with the new black foam. However, the cable quality is rather poor. After one week of regular wearing, it starts to break. I can see a visible scratch on it. I had a pair of Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5 Pro for one year, regardless of sound quality, I can definitely tell that the overall quality is better than Shure SE530. For a $400 earphone, I suggest Shure spend a little more to build a durable cable.