Customer Reviews

Shure SE530 Sound Isolating Earphones

5 star:		(106)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

***** Initial review - September, 2007 *****

My first exposure to these headphones was through a friend at the office who purchased a set of Shure E500s about a year ago (the E500s are pretty much identical to the SE530s). When he told me (and the rest of us) how much he paid for them ($500+ for the E500PTHs) we collectively thought he was nuts and proceeded to ridicule the decision.

That was before we heard them.

I first heard the E500s when that same friend from the office was going to send his set back to Shure under warranty due to the wires cracking with part of the copper conductors exposed near the ear area. He figured he was getting a new set from Shure, so he may as well let us hear them. Well, I thought I was good with my Sennheiser CX300s. I was wrong. Really, really wrong. I put the SE500s through their paces with my Rio Karma loaded with tunes I personally ripped using CDEX and Lame at a high bitrate. I used material ripped from MFSL Ultradiscs, DCC and Sony Superbitmap discs as well as other good, dynamic recordings and remasters. I never knew IEMs could sound this good! The E500s were audio bliss! There were excellent highs, mids and lows, all crystal clear and accurate without distortion. One of the most amazing things about them was the soundstage. With good source material, I could hear different instruments as if they each had a direct line into my brain. You could easily hear the difference between good recordings and masterings and ones that are not so great. I was sold on the spot. To verify my new opinion, I had certain other guys at the office (who are also appreciative of quality audio) listen to them, and they were just as amazed. We all apologized. He let me borrow them overnight. That evening I listened to them on the train home and then literally went crazy listening to everything I could, including some 24-bit DVD audio on my home system. I listened to them all night. Broken wires or not, I did not want to return them the next day.

So in a nutshell, I loved them, but I could not justify spending the money on the SE530s ($430 at the time)... Here I thought my Sennheiser CX300s were good... errr.. but not SE530 good. Not even close. They were just not in the same league.

So I watched and waited here at Amazon and in about two weeks the price dropped $40 to $390. Alright, I had enough! That was my cue to buy!

That was a few weeks ago and I have no regrets.

The sound isolation is really good, easily blocking out most outside sound when using the supplied foams. Also, the foams are comfortable (for me) and I can leave them in for hours without fatigue. The result is that you tend to listen to the music at a slightly lower volume since the outside noise is so well blocked. But if you do want to crank it, the SE530s can handle it. I use them every day during my commutes on the train. They were definitely worth the money.

My only criticism (other than the price) is with the wires. The wires are too thick, heavy and stiff in my opinion. I wish they were more like the thin, light, extremely flexible silicon type wires like the ones on the Sennheiser CX300s. I don't know what Shure was thinking using these. As I said earlier in the review, my friend's E500's stiff wires were damaged after a year and I can see that happening with these too. Good thing the the SE530s have a two year warranty. I substituted the long extension that came with them with a highly flexible extension that came with a pair of Sonys... so much lighter and better.

Overall the wire situation is a small negative compared to a very big positive of the amazing sound reproduction.

One of the other reviewers here said it, don't listen to these headphones if you don't plan on buying them. If you love audio, once you listen through these SE530s, you cannot ignore them.

***** UPDATE: 10/9/2007 *****

I'm still amazed at just how good these sound. I've been using them every day during my daily rail commute to and from NYC from the suburbs. The isolation level they provide is amazing! Using the supplied foam ear pads, I can honestly say that it almost doesn't matter if the lady next to me starts yapping on her cell phone or if a group of tourists is having a loud conversation - I won't hear 'em. With these on, you are in your own world. You will notice some outside sound between songs or during very quiet passages, but for the most part, if you are using the foams and they are inserted correctly, you will be very well isolated. Highly recommended for commuters. The wires still suck though.

***** UPDATE: 7/30/2008 *****

Its been ten months since I purchased these SE530s and every day I use them, I'm glad I did. I use them on an almost daily basis during my rail commutes to and from the office and the sound quality has been nothing less than outstanding for both music and movies. The fact that you get all this clarity and resolution along with full bass AND that almost all outside noise is blocked makes them truly great. I cannot imagine better sounding headphones for any price. I have to laugh when I see people wearing bulky, full-sized headphones on the train - I would not want to to do that.

So, I've had no regrets regarding the investment... that is, until today. Today I noticed what I knew was inevitable... one of the wires has developed a crack in the insulation near the black molded rubber strain relief and has exposed the copper conductor beneath. Upon further inspection, the other wire is showing signs of imminent cracking in the same area. I have been so very careful as to only pull them out of my ears via the back of the drivers near the strain relief and frankly, I cannot imagine how I could have treated them any better and not had this happen. I know that I predicted that this *exact* thing would happen in my initial review (see above and in the comments section) but it sucks now that it actually did. I still cannot understand how Shure could be using these stiff, inflexible, poorly performing wires on an otherwise fine set of super-premium earbuds. Now I have to return them under warranty for replacement. I called Shure and they want me to ship the 530s back to them, insured, with my proof of purchase from an authorized dealer (which Amazon is) along with their RMA form and I should see a replacement in *TWO WEEKS,* maybe more. TWO WEEKS? For $400+ headphones I expect better service than this. They will not cross-ship me a new pair either as they are "not set up" to do that. Shipping them back will likely cost me at least $20 with the insurance.

The worst part of this is that I fully expect that I'm going to receive a brand new pair with the same issue waiting to happen again over the course of normal use. I know this because my friend from the office, who originally introduced me to the Shures, is now on his... get this... *FIFTH PAIR* of SE500/530s - as four sets have developed the same exact wire cracking issue within a period of only two years. I did some poking around on the internet and there are even other reviews here on Amazon that detail the *exact* same issue. WTF is Shure thinking? I can walk down the street to any electronics store and buy a $30 set of buds with wire that will not have this issue... how is it that a $400+ super-primo set does? You can't tell me that other people aren't returning them... FIX THE ISSUE WITH THE WIRES, SHURE!!!

I'll update this review again when I receive my replacement pair.

***** UPDATE: 4/21/2009 *****

I swapped out for a new pair of SE530s in December, 2008 - I'm not going into the mechanics of that, but I didn't go through Shure. The wire on this pair is definitely different than the wire on my first pair. It is a bit more flexible and a tad thinner. I know with the first pair, I predicted immediately that the wires would fail in the exact manner in which they eventually did fail. With this wire, it's more difficult to predict the longevity. It certainly feels a bit better, but I'm apprehensive to call the issue fixed. I've had this pair for about five months now and there are no signs of the cracking issue yet. The sound quality is still phenomenal and based on that alone, I think you will not be disappointed. As a side note, my coworker sent yet another pair back as the black rubber strain relief separated from the body on his left speaker. You cannot reattach it. I can see how that could happen, but so far I have no similar issue.

***** UPDATE: 9/28/2009 *****

In July I purchased a new 32gb Cowon S9 to replace my aging Rio Karma. The audio output quality of the S9 is truly excellent and the Shure SE530s together with the S9 sound amazing! But now the rubber strain relief on my left bud is separating, just like it did on my co-worker's pair back in April. This doesn't affect the sound at all, but it looks bad and since the wire strain relief is no longer functioning, the wire is SHURE to suffer. This is disappointing as I've only had this pair (my 2nd) for nine months. This kind of thing just shouldn't happen to super-premium, pricey IEMs. Since I've been very careful with them and research shows that these issues are common with the 530s, I know it's not due to mishandling or abuse. My two years of experience with them has shown that the 530s are super delicate and if you use them regularly, no matter how hard you try, they will suffer some kind of premature failure. The fault falls squarely on the shoulders of SHURE who did not see the shortcomings of their design when it came to the usability and durability of the wires or ancillary details. It's a shame because they really do fit well and sound great! I think Shure should have placed some kind of small tab on the sides of each bud to grab between your thumb and forefinger to pull the buds out of your ears, otherwise it's very difficult to pull them out without putting critical stress on some delicate part of the buds. HELLO SHURE? WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? In my experience, form over function almost inevitably fails.

When I first heard these two years ago, I was amazed. I didn't know small IEMs could sound THIS good. Since then I've had a lot of experience with these SE530s and I've also done a lot of reading in various audiophile forums (try head-fi dot org). According to likeminded people who have access to many different super-premium buds, there are competitors to the SE530s. I think if I were looking for new earbuds, right now, today, I would spend some time contemplating the new Sennheiser IE 8s, Westone 3s or the Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10s along with the SE530s. Even though I must emphasize that the Shure SE530s sound absolutely phenomenal, with the wire problem and other minor issues I've had, the many issues my co-worker has had and from experiences I've read, I'm just not SHURE I could pull the trigger on SHURE again. I dunno, maybe I'm just expecting too much.

***** UPDATE: 5/3/2010 *****

It is very likely that this will be the last update to my ongoing review of the Shure SE530s. The reason is that as of December, 2009, I've switched to a set of Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10s! On December 4th, 2009, Amazon had an incredible sale on the TripleFi 10s that I could not pass up - they were on sale for a hundred bucks. No, seriously, one hundred dollars! I figured for that price I would give them a try. Honestly, I didn't expect much and I thought, hey, what is wrong with these TripleFi 10s that Amazon is selling them so cheap? I wasn't even certain that I would receive them at all thinking that the price may have been a mistake. Would they cancel the order? Well, no, they didn't. They were on sale for a hundred dollars and yes, to my delight, I did receive them after a few days.

To my astonishment, after only about 20 minutes of A/B testing the TripleFi 10s with the Shure SE530s, it was obvious to me that the TripleFi 10s were superior. I could not believe my ears! It wasn't even close! I was amazed that the SE5530s sounded downright muddy in comparison to the TripleFi 10s. Muddy! When inserted correctly, the TripleFi 10s had all of the bass and depth of the SE530s, but with superior clarity and a high end that the Shures simply cannot match along with a wider soundstage! (I found reputable frequency response tests of both units on the internet which tell the story very well - as it turns out, the Shure SE530s have a high frequency roll-off which is not gradual as you might think but is more like a rock falling off a cliff at a much lower frequency than you would expect - it's not necessarily obvious unless you have something better to compare them to, like the TripleFi 10s). Using a broad selection of music on my Cowon S9, I conducted more A/B listening tests hoping to either confirm my initial findings or realize some fault with the TripleFi 10s that would put me back in the Shure SE530 camp. But hours of further testing that night and over the next few days only served to confirm my initial findings and solidify my preference of the TripleFi 10s. I could not believe that anything could sound better than the SE530s, especially these IEMs which I lucked into at that incredible price! But, they do! Now I don't want to turn this into a review of the TripleFi 10s, and maybe some day I'll post an official review of them, but I will say a few things...

Are the TripleFi 10s perfect? No, they are not perfect. Is everything about them better than the SE530s? Sound reproduction wise, YES! They reproduce highs, lows & mids better and clearer with more depth and a wider soundstage than the SE530s. The TripleFi 10s also have better socketed user-replaceable/detachable wires! Additionally, they employ moldable "memory wire" near where they wrap over the ears which I like a lot. But there are physical attributes of the SE530s that I prefer - specifically the overall fit and the noise isolation level - the SE530s definitely provide a higher level of isolation from outside sound when correctly using the olive foams - I would rate them as excellent for isolation. I would only rate the TripleFi 10's noise/sound isolation level as good in comparision (also when using the foams). For now let me end this update by saying that I haven't touched my Shure SE530s since December, 2009 and I don't see myself going back to them except as a temporary measure if I break or lose the Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10s.

I hope some of this mess is helpful to you in your buying decision. If I've learned one thing it's to keep an open mind that there may be something better out there, even if you think you have the best already... and it doesn't necessarily have to cost more.

Happy listening!

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!

I had all but given up on finding the perfect earbuds. I had tried everything from Sony earbuds (decent sound, stupid cabling) to Shure E2Cs (disappointing sounds, hate the earwax guards). I listened to a friend's Bose QuietComfort earphones and was leaning towards getting those... but I was hesitant. Were they too bulky? Will I look like an absolute goober when I wear them?

Then I stumbled upon the Shure SE530's. iLounge gave them an "A" rating, which is rare. After much research, it came down to the 530's and the Etymotic ER-4P Portable In-Ear Earphones. I actually bought the Etymotic's first... then started reading reviews of microphonics. Some people came up with some crazy ways to solve this issue... after a couple hours of reading about how bad of a problem it was, I started wondering why am was buying earbuds that were going to need to modification...

I deliberated... and deliberated... and dished out the cash for the 5300's. Then I began to kick myself. "Why would I spend all this money on earbuds? Am I nuts? Have I gone completely off the deep-end? This is a car payment! A trip to LA! 5 great date nights with my wife!"

... And then I got them. I opened them. Hmm. Cool packaging. I stuck them in my ears, plugged them into my iPhone... and was lost in pure musical bliss.

These puppies blocked out the world around me... and I was in a musical wonderland, full of snares and strums and cymbals.

Finally. I found them. The perfect earbud.

I've spent a full day with them now. The true test, at least for me, was how well they blocked out the ridiculously loud subway and PATH trains in the New York City metro area. Bottom line: they do a phenomenal job.

This morning, I'm on the PATH train, heading into the World Trade Center... and I'm listening to a U2 track and notice a slight melodic rumble. "Hmm... must be the sound of the train... but it's odd that it goes so well with the music..." The train pulled into the station and stopped... but the melodic rumble continued. "Wait a frakin' second! Not only is that melodic rumble part of the music -- it was so subtle that I had never heard it before -- AND I heard it over the roar of the train!"


Wowza. If that doesn't convince you to but these, nothing will.

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.

First of all, sorry for my English as this is not my mother tongue.

When you realise that paying a few hundreds dollars for a music player, and only a few for the earphones may not be the best idea, you'll start looking at higher end products.

A few words about the reviewer: not a music addict/producer, nor an sound expert engineer, a bit of a geek yes, definitely Tech aware, business traveler (long haul ).I listen almost anything: classical, jazz, electro jazz, trip hop, lounge, and a lot of nice voices, not only opera ones.

If I guess it right if you're reading this, you already did your homework and you know that the SE530 could be a serious contender for your ideal earphone. You also know what's in the box, you just want to know if it works and if it's worth the price.
Here is why I absolutely recommend it in that it respects all my technical requirement:
- you're sick of the noise of those plane engines after 10 hours of flight, you just want to be in your own world, and get some rest: mission accomplished: I'm going to be radical here: I would almost buy those as ear plugs, even if they didn't produce sound. Yes, isolating is brilliant. Mind though: it's isolation we're talking about, NOT cancellation.So it's passive,no battery, no tricky system, it's just the old earplug principle, but a very efficient one. The box comes with a dozen of interchangeable adapters so whatever the shape of your ears I defy you not to find something that will fit and effectively "close the door" to the outside world.
- your compulsivity will be satisfied with : cord extension, volume control, sturdy travel box, plane adapter, little "thing" to clean the inside of the earphones from ear residue, etc... Two things worth mentioning: Shure, despite being american based, must love the Airbus: their plane adapter is for european made ones: two minijack of equal size. If you fly Boeing, you'll need a short and a long jack (pardon my ignorance of the right terms here). But you got the point: you may want to buy an additional plane adapter plug (it's cheap and small so it didn't loose a star for that, but I was disappointed as we're talking about high level stuff here).
The other thing is that SE530, unlike the SE530 PTH, doesn't have this big device that you plug to the cord to be able to listen the outside world at the push of a button, and then back to normal. I didn't go that route since a) earphones mean "light" and "packaable" to me (this is why I refused to go with normal headphones too) and b) if you need to listen to somebody or something frequently then it's definitely not the most appropriate time to enjoy silence or music, so put this music or video player away, your full attention is needed!
What I can confirm though is that you will NOT hear this flight attendant coming at you saying the plane is going down in flames please fasten your seat belt. You will have to remove the plugs, it's very surprising but it's also rewarding, there you know you made the right choice, sound isolation wise. Putting them back doesn't need an hour either (albeit it has to be done properly) so I think this PTH thing is a bit excessive.
What? music? aah! yep, you could listen to some music with the SE530 if you want :-) Seriously, it is impressive, both because of the quality and because of the (almost perfect) silence you're listening it into. My wife who is more bass aware acknowledged she never heard bass so well displayed. For the rest, what can I say that doesn't sound naive..it's clear, neutral, equilibrated, not "flashy" maybe. One common thing you'll read is that it does discriminate your audio sources. i.e.: with cheap stuff you'll see no difference between your ip..d, HiFi eqpt, computer audio card, compression codec, etc..With the SE530, you'll know why some things are bigger and/or more expensive than others. Plugging this into video games has been a revelation to me, atmosphere, tiny little stuff you never noticed are there. You'll love your HiFi with those. It's not like sitting a few meters away from your speakers, in the sofa, pumping up the volume, but then not everybody lives without neighbours.
So it is very very rewarding to be able to enjoy your hardware as if everything was brand new.
Voila, I hope you got a feeling of what awaits you with that pair of earphones.
I have a recurrent approach over gadgets, I'd say either you stay with the low/average stuff: spend 50 dollars on the Shure entry level for instance, or if you decide to do something, don't stop until you reached the best compromise quality/price. The SE530 are an impressive product, that leaves no chance to the competition. You could go to 5000 USD things if you wished, you won't notice the difference unless you have golden ears. What I tell you if that with those you WILL notice and get at least what you paid for, if not a LOT more.
PS: I don't work for Shure, I had to pay for my earphones :-), I did a lot of research, and although this is my first review, it had to praise the product because it's a fine product. I'm sure many of you will lay back on whatever seat you're on, listening to opera or Britney spears (?) and smile thinking "yep, he was right, this is beautiful"

***UPDATE AFTER THREE YEARS OF USE...and Philosophical digression *** Jan 2011.
Yep, 3 years, time flies. I wanted to share with potential SE530 future buyers, but also with potential SE535 buyers (the upgrade recently launched) my findings:
- sound quality:well, no big change here. As many more expert ears have said already,with nice curves to support it, the sound is fantastic, or dead accurate, whatever. I will confirm there is more bass than on low grade earphones, even though i would say it's appropriate, not banging. the sound is smooth, velvet, seems to disclose all frequencies, etc..I would have appreciated a more "crystalline", or treble packed, or cymballistic sound, but that's a preference only and I know that it would have made the sound less realistic. In short, it's sound fidelity at its finest.I essentially listen to classical and jazz so I believe it's the perfect product for that.
- Now come the reserves:
- I essentially used them in long haul flights, and when at home, on the PC, behind a high quality
Auzentech prelude 7.1 card (hence top notch DAC). Sound is great everywhere. But I mention that to say that these guys didn't suffer my jogging around or my escalating Anapurna etc..they were cherished, taken care of etc..yet, the wires broke inside once (April 09)..twice (May 09)..three times (Nov 10)..that's it, enough for me. the first two times they were replaced by a new pair no questions asked under 2 yrs warranty by Shure (I live near their HQ, great customer service and respect). But then for a replacement warranty is only 1 yr so passed that I am asked to pay 160$ incl to replace them...pff..So that was a great incentive...to give this replacement a second thought.
- I gave up. I do think that 500$ of earphone should last more than 1 or 2 yrs.I'm a geek consumer, I know we're not producing panzers anymore, but 500$ SHOULD buy you a solid product, it's totally subjective I know, but one doesn't expect a Ferrari to go to the garage 15 months after purchase for a wrecked motor. Again, they were never mistreated, and the wire rupture that cut one of the speakers inside one ear did not resuted from a shock or any lasso stunt, niet.
- here my philosophical digression, in view of my true replacement purchase, still from Amazon (a zillionth time kuddo for those guys, for whom I spend time writing this review, and without whom so many customer mistakes would be made every minute).
I just bought Etymotic Research ER6i Isolator In-Ear Earphones (Black) for flying, and Denon AHD2000 High Performance Over-Ear Headphones for staying, total cost for both: 65% of a new pair of SE535 ! My point:
A)you want top notch quality in your armchair, on your computer, i.e. at home: buy cans! open or close whatever, you get much better quality for half the price
B)you want quality for jogging/plane/cafeteria/school i.e. noisy environments: DONT spend too much! ear/head-phone are fragile, know that, and then, what's the point of displaying HiFi quality to compete with honks and Rolls Royce engines at 10000ft??.
That's my lesson learned of the day. I was wrong for the SE530 because I did not analyse my situation too well. It would have been a good choice had the product resisted time, but it obviously did not, hence my change of direction.
I hope it will help others. Thanks to every single one who read, and above all, who posted a feedback at least once in his/her lifetime. happy new year!

I have used over a dozen top of the line IEMs including the UE10s, Sensaphonics 2XS, UE Triple-Fi's, Etymotic ER4P/S, Westone UM2, Sony EX700LP, Shure SE420, etc.

From my experience, the Shure SE530 not only are the most comfortable, but offer the best sound signature for most listening experiences. Their sound reminds me of the vinyl records I grew up with. It reduces the digital harshness of portable players. And is still good enough to be used in a serious audiophile system.

For the most accurate listening experience I refer you to the Ultimate Ears UE10s....and possibly their newer UE11s which I have not heard. These two IEMs are at least 3 times the money of the Shures. And from my experience are not as comfortable. Think about it, would hard plastic shells be as comfortable as supplanting foam into the ear?

Anyway...I've come to prefer the Shure sound signature overall. The midrange is the best I've heard on a headphone. The sound is extremely smooth. The decay of notes seem to melt into one another as if it were real live music. The soundstage is fairly realistic. Moreso than any other IEM I've heard.

One issue you may have with the Shures, is if you listen to classical music and are very used to extremely open and accurate sound presentations, the Shures may be a little dark for you. I listen to a lot of classical music. I'll tell you this, I too prefer generally and open and extremely airy sound presentation for this, but the Shures handle classical music brilliantly regardless of their airy shortcomings.

For rock, jazz, reggae, hip hop, country......I refer you to these monitors as there is no rival for them. Due to a very honest bass response and beautiful midrange the Shures are most pleasing monitor I have heard for that variety of music. I promise you, that if you are coming from a consumer vantage point of Bose products and other Apple Store offerings, the Shures will make you cry of amazement. The Bose products are very dishonest in their presentation and really cloud the music prefering to emphasize a visceral experience....much like a subwoofer. The Shures are quite visceral in their impact but somehow allow for a much more honest and less boomy presentation. I have never heard a single Bose headphone that would please any listener even half as much as these Shures.

If you are coming from a audiophile standpoint where you are already aware of great audio products and are just doing some IEM comparisons, let me say that if you like the sound of Sennheiser's top of the line products (HD600s / 650s) then you will love how similar the Shures are. The midrange presentation of the Shures may even slightly surpass the Sennheisers, but the Sennheisers have a bit more extended treble range.

Let me also say: IEMS are generally not comfortable. The concept of cramming something in your ear canal is just not a comfortable thought. Shures are about as comfortable as IEMs can get. They come with what is known in the audio world as "Black Olive Foams" these foams contour comfortably to the shape of your canal but have a smooth surface that does not irritate the canal. This is also very important: With whatever ear canal phone you buy DO NOT feel the need to cram the monitor uncomfortably in the canal. You won't do damage to the ear canal of course, BUT I truly believe with the right sleeve on the IEM nozzle, you can achieve a seal just by entering the very opening of the canal. As long as the foam or plastic sleeve is covering the entry of the canal, the bass response will not escape, you don't need to force the monitor uncomfortable up the canal.

Overall, I find that the Shures SE530 are great for the digital generation because their sound presentation simply makes the bright sound of digital mastering these days sound more organic and emotional. Something that has to be heard to be understood.

Also....these IEMs are extremely sensitive, meaning they can get really loud.....use caution, they don't need to be blasted and like most other headphones (and especially IEMs) blasting them for long hours will impact your hearing response if you do it often.

Hope I have been helpful in you deciding on your purchase. I will say this.......there may be a better IEM for some needs, but there certainly is no better all rounder, and in my opinion, the Shures handle no music I've thrown at it poorly.

I'm a composer who owns a recording studio and deals with audio for a living. Listening to music constantly is not only a passion, but a requirement of my profession - so I'm understandably concerned with quality sound. But since it IS a business, I must also work within a budget. For this reason, I hesitated to buy these earphones.

First let me say, my iPod is my constant companion. Because I am required to write music in virtually any style at a given moment, I try to immerse myself in a wide variety of material. This makes it difficult to choose earphones by reading reviews. The frequency response of some models is good for some styles, but not for others...too much bass...too little bass...too much midrange, so vocals don't cut through...not enough highs, so cymbals don't sparkle. So for the past few years, I settled on the relatively inexpensive Etymotic ER6i's. They're not perfect for everything, but really, really good for most things. They're extremely light and their noise isolation is excellent. I viewed them as the absolute best solution for the money.

Then one day an unexpected royalty payment showed up...for almost the exact amount of a pair of Shure SE530's. I figured, "This is the universe telling me I should have a pair of these." So I bought them. And how do I like them?

In three words...they're almost unbelievable.

If you're reading this, you're no doubt struggling with the same dilemma I had...how do you guage what something SOUNDS like from a bunch of WORDS? Sound is subjective - at least outside the rigorous monitoring requirments of the recording studio. (And even there, you'll hear lots of opinions about which speakers are "more accurate.) What appeals to one person may sound absolutely awful to another. So, I offer only one humble professional's opinion.

The Shure SE530's are better than my Etymotic's by a factor that I couldn't have predicted. (I must add, I haven't heard Ety's higher end offerings.) The sound of the 530's is open and detailed. The mids are perhaps slightly softer than I'm accustomed to hearing on my studio's reference monitors, but in a very pleasing way. I actually see this as a benefit when listening for long periods. The highs have all the air and sparkle I could ask for, and the bottom end is a revelation - warm and natural. I know it's a cliche', but I hear things in my favorite recordings that I never heard before. The differences between compressed (AAC/MP3) and uncompressed (WAV/AIFF) files are much more noticable. I'll probably have to get an iPod with a bigger hard disk, because I'm going to have to start to using higher bandwidth files!

While I've learned a fair amount about things how work in the studio, I don't know a lot about the mechanism of in-ear monitors. But I know how they sound. I have no idea how Shure does it, but if I HAD to...I think I could mix on these babies. They're that comfortable - and they sound that good.

I won't add to what's already been said about sound quality -- I agree; it's outstanding.

My Shure 530's have been in use all day, every day. They're plugged in to an iPod or else they're plugged in to a cell phone with Shure's adapter/ microphone. Why carry a second hands-free device when you've spent all that money already?

They're resting in my ear canal, just like you'd expect. I'm not "hard" on them -- no yanking them around. No leaving them in a tangled pile at the bottom of the briefcase. They're either in my ears, or neatly coiled.

BUT THE INSULATION HAS PULLED AWAY AT BOTH ENDS -- THE EAR BUD END, AND THE JACK END -- LEAVING BARE WIRE EXPOSED, AND LEAVING THE WIRE ITSELF AS THE ONLY MECHANICAL STRENGTH. I'VE HAD TO REINFORCE WITH ELECTRICAL TAPE -- UGLY, AWKWARD, EMBARRASSING! BUT IT'S EITHER THAT OR SPEND ANOTHER $400 TO HAVE THE SAME THING HAPPEN AGAIN.

HOW CAN YOU CHARGE THIS MUCH, DELIVER THIS MUCH SOUND QUALITY, AND STILL HAVE THE TERRIBLE RUGGEDNESS/ RELIABILITY THAT I'VE EXPERIENCED?

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.

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.