Customer Reviews

Shure SE530PTH Sound Isolating Earphones with Push-To-Hear Control

5 star:		(69)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

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). Of course the 530s will blow away phones that are half the price or less.

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 2 reasons to purchase the SE530PTH: one was to listen to my iTouch iPod, the second was to use it with my high-end stereo system. SO, this is really 2 reviews in one based on what my ears hear. I'll skip what comes with the earphones and I'll skip the PTH operation since the sound quality is what I consider my primary requirement.
I auditioned the SE530PTH with my iTouch iPod first. I played an mp3 encoded selection (purchased from the Apple iStore) and an AIFF encoded selection (supposedly uncompressed). The SE530PTH certainly blew away the tinny "earphones" (earbuds?) standard with the iPod. The audio quality was good in most respects but the bass sounded a little muddy with either selection and maybe even slightly distorted. This iPod source produces reasonably good sound, and though the SE530PTH is certainly MUCH better than the earbuds, it is not audio Nirvana. It's hard to know what the quality of the sound that the iTouch iPod can reproduce is. Unless, of course, you can compare it with an unquestioned audio source. After all, until your audio source is beyond reproach, you can't really judge the SE530PTH.
So, I next connected the earphones to my high fidelity system which includes the following (for those who know or care): Audio Research CD7 Reference CD player, Ayre K-5x preamplifier, Ray Samuels "Emmeline" Headphone Amp. I also have a pair of Grado RS-1 stereo headphones that I can compare to the SE530PTH as well. The result? The SE 530PTH transformed itself from a good performer to an excellent performer.
The audio quality improvement was instantly noticeable: vocals were natural, instruments were rich and dynamic. I actually prefer the Shure SE 530PTH to my old Grado headphones. BUT, here's the "but":
In a high-end system like mine, my ProAc SPEAKERS will easily surpass the Shure earphones for audio enjoyment. But ProAcs cost a LOT more than the SE 530PTH. Such small audio transducers in the SE 530PTH simply must have SOME limitations. As long as your expectations are reasonable for these earphones, you should enjoy them a lot.
Bottom line: an iPod is NOT a high-end stereo system. The earphones that you connect to it can only reproduce the audio information which is fed into them. In this respect, the Shure SE 530PTH does a fine job
with an iTouch iPod and you should not be disappointed with the audio that you hear with these phones,
especially as compared with any other in-ear earphones on the market. But the SE 530PTH is equal to the job of stepping up to even better audio sources (if you have them) to reproduce even higher quality sound.
Afterthought: Not many people can HEAR the slight "muddiness" of bass or the slight possible distortion that I heard when listening through the Shure earphones to the iTouch iPod. As such, these earphones will sound pretty darn good to most people. I will KEEP these earphones and will use then with my iTouch, and they will replace my Grado headphones when I listen to my high fidelity system with phones.

I use these earphones when riding my bicycle and when traveling by air. In both cases I have been extremely impressed with this product. The earpieces fit snugly, and almost completely block any outside noise. While the earphones are snug and come with a clip to attach the cord to the collar, I do not know if they will stay firmly seated during extreme activities like jogging or mountain biking (all my biking is more city/smooth trail rides). The sound quality is phenomenal; with full rich bass, and excellent midrange and upper range as well. I read one review where they said you would have to go back and relisten to you music all over again--they were right! The level of control when using the volume control knob (a separate cable component attached to the headset) and the Push-To-Hear module is excellent. The Push-To-Hear (PTH) component is very useful on the airplane; since I have not used it while biking I cannot say how useful it is during that activity, but it is lightweight and equipped with a metal belt clip so I suppose it would be equally useful (be careful, the slide switch on the PTH module is a little stiff and requires a little practice before getting the hang of it). The product comes with a little round zipper pouch, but this is full of all the extra earpieces and wires. I kept them in there and purchased a separate zipper pouch to store the earphones, PTH module and volume control wire.

Yes, this is an expensive set of earphones. If you can afford it, and you want really good sound quality, you won't be disappointed with this.

I have been using a pair of SE530 for 6 month now I here is my opinion:

Fit: I am using plastic sleeves. They fit very comfortably in my ears and I can keep them in for an hour or longer with no discomfort at all. I commute to work on a train and sometimes after I finish listening to the music I do not take them off, just to keep the surrounding noise down. I have used the foam sleeves at first and they are also good but a bit more hassle to put in, though they provided even better sound isolation.

Sound Quality. My previous pair was Shure E2c and the sound quality for this pair is noticeably better. The bass is very clean and tight, powerful but not overwhelming. The midrange is simply amazing. The treble is more pronounced then on e2c but not as crisp as I would like though, it sounds a bit screechy sometimes. (It could also be a music source issue). Overall the sound is excellent, probably as good if not better
sounding than my pair of floorstanding phase technology speakers. I use them mostly with my IRiver H120 player, and with these earphones I almost always keep the equalizer on the normal, flat setting - the sound is so balanced, it needs no adjustment. Also the headphones are very efficient, you don't need to crank up a volume much, I guess your battery will last longer, too.

Build quality. This is the area I am the least satisfied with. I had problem with the cord on my E2c, connection near the plug broke after about 1-1.5 year of use, I have been repairing it a few times by soldering a different (Sony) cord to them. So this time I was careful to buy from the authorized dealer (Amazon, not Electronica Direct) to make sure I have full two year warranty. The original set I ordered from Amazon came defective, one of the earphones had a sound breaking up intermittently, it looked like a cord problem where it enters the earphone. Amazon handled this great, they shipped replacement right away after I called and the second set had no problems. But I will not be surprised if the cord problem happens again. Unfortunately the cord Shure uses with their headphones is quite stiff and there are only a few individual strands in each wire which are relatively thick and not flexible themselves. (I know this as I had to re-solder the wires a few times on E2c). I think this makes it more likely to break and stiff cord is also not comfortable when handling. For comparison, Sony or Senheiser headphones use much more flexible and comfortable cords, I wish Shure used similar ones.

Value: Are they a good value for the money? You have to decide for yourself. For me the money was not a big issue and I wanted the ultimate sound quality. Do they sound 4.5 times better than a $100 pair of E2c? I don't know, and how do you compare the sound quality? It is very subjective. If you are on a budget I would be careful. Try to listen to them before buying if you can, $450 is quite a bit of money. I, personally would likely buy them again. Even if they last only 2 years (warranty period) that would be about $20 a month: i think it is worth for someone like me who uses them almost every day.

Overall: I am giving them 4 stars (I would give 4.5 if I could) because of the cord quality concerns. Otherwise it is a great pair of headphones and if you have money to spend and demand excellent sound quality - they are for you.

These are very good earphones.

I'm a gadget guy, and typically shoot for the best products - also willing to pay premium $$$ for premium products.

I purchased these to replace the deluxe Apple in-ear earphones for my iPod (the in-ear canal ones, not the ones that come standard with the iPod and rest on the edge of your ears).

The quality is very good, the fit is very good, the sound is very good. However, I wouldn't characterize any component as awesome or be able to identify to you any aspect of these headphones that warrants the price.

I went back and forth about returning them, but did end up keeping them. I'm growing more fond of them, but caution you to consider that there's only so much you can expect to get from these earphones when the audio source (in my case, my iPod, Sirius portable radio, and XM portable radio) isn't high-end or comparable to what these earphones are capable of delivering.

I considered these along with the Bose QC 2&3, looking to drown out airplane and other noise when listening. The Shure's do a good job, and are much more versatile because of their size, but I would NOT go so far as to claim that it silences all outside noise as some other reviews have claimed (and YES, I'm seating them properly in-ear and have tried the other earphone tips that were included).

The case is durable, but a little on the small side.

Haven't used the Push-To-Hear adapter, I can pause the music and have a conversation just fine.

The cables to lengthen the cord are high quality - I find that I only use the long one.

The fit is comfortable. It takes a little getting used to the over-the-ear fit. There are several sizes and styles of adapters, making it easy to select ones that are most comfortable for you.

If you can find these in the $300 price range, you've got deal that's worth the money. At the full retail price, they're just a little more dollars than sense, to me.

If you, like me, work or commute in noisy environments and are looking to replace standard iPod earbuds, read on.

A word of advice before my review, don't try Shure SE530 if you are not ready to spend over $300 on earphones. Seriously, trust me on this. Once you hear music through these earphones, you will know what you've been missing and will want to buy them. My advice: first set aside $350-500, and then try them on. If you are not ready to spend this much on earphones, don't try them (go and try some lower-end models), or you'll either end up buying these anyway (blowing your budget), or will know you missed out.

I first got Shure SE210 and boy they sounded good, nice sound isolation and a significant improvement over standard iPod earbuds. It was not until I ordered SE530 and compared them side-by-side (SE210 in one ear, SE530 in another ear, with the same Dire Straits album playing), that I was really able to appreciate the richness of SE530 on all frequencies (especially lows and mids).

I then compared four headphones side-by-side: Shure SE530 Sound Isolating Earphones, Shure SE210 Sound Isolating Earphone - Black, Panasonic RP-HC500 Noise-Cancelling Headphones, and standard iPod earbuds. Here is my take:

1) Shure SE210 provided the best overall noise isolation, matching Panasonic RP-HC500 for constant-frequency noise (such as fans and air conditioners) and exceeding it for other types of noise such as sound of TV or other people talking.

In terms of quality of sound and frequency response, Shure SE210 were very similar to standard iPod earbuds *if you were listening to them in a quiet room*. However, in a noisy environment they provide a much better listening experience than iPod earbuds, as noise isolation allows them to preserve clean output on all frequencies.

Bottom line: if you are happy with the sound of iPod earbuds, if you tend to listen to music of lower quality (MP3 128 kbps), and you just need earphones for noisy environments, get Shure SE210. They provide the same sound quality as iPod earbuds, and have the best noise isolation of all earphones I've reviewed, at a reasonable price.

2) Panasonic RP-HC500 Noise-Cancelling Headphones provided the best overall sound clarity and richness, but only when noise-cancelling switch was on. They sounded much better than both standard iPod earbuds and Shure SE210, and slightly better than Shure SE530. Their noise-cancellation was also superb, at par with Shure SE210 for constant-frequency noises (such as bus, airplane). You would probably never want to listen them with noise-cancelling circuit off, as the sound was much more "muted".

Bottom line: if you don't mind a pair of large headphones over your head, if you need them mostly for travel (such as subway or airplane rather than loudly talking people), these headphones (Panasonic RP-HC500 Noise-Cancelling Headphones) are your sure bet, they are some of the best-sounding headphones, with superb noise cancellation, and an unbeatable price below $100.

3) When you first try Shure SE530, you are sure to be amazed at how such small earphones can provide such great sound. Feel free to check out other reviews for superlative praises, and yes I also screamed "OMG!" when listening to them for the first time! I could actually hear the difference in quality between MP3 ripped at 192kbps and a CD, so clear was the output of SE530.

And while Shure SE210 provided a better noise isolation (perhaps due to their smaller size) and Panasonic RP-HC500 provided a fuller bass (due to their larger 40mm driver units), I will have to give Shure SE530 the first prize for their amazing sound clarity and rich bass in such a small package.

Bottom line: If you have $350-500 to drop on a pair of earphones, and you crave some of the best sound in a small size, you won't regret getting Shure SE530s.

The Shure 530s are hands down the best all around earphones on the market. Their clarity ranging from bass to highs are unsurpassed. I have owned countless pairs of headphones to include four from Shure, I have a passion for collecting and listening to just about all genres of music from country to Metallica, brodway, classical, top 40 and so on. These earphones handle and accentuate the spectrum of music I run through them. One comment I have for those stating that these dont sound as clear as advertised, if you are listening to music on your computer or MP3 player ripped at a low bit rate (64-128) trying to crush your music so small to maximize space, and increase the amount of songs you carry, yea it probally won't sound so good. try listening to quality ripped music, anything above a 225 bit rate. I guaranty you'll hear a difference then!!

Price. They are indeed on the expense side. A few years ago I would have never thought about paying more than thirity dollars for a pair of earphones, until a friend introduced me to a pair of Shure E2s. The bottom line is this, you getting what you pay for. With the 530s thats a lot!!!

Comfort. I prefer the foam tips because they conform to my ear creating a perfect seal. I have fallen asleep many nights with these in my ears and I have NEVER experienced pain or discomfort. Frankly just the opposite!

These are expensive earphones, however if you are serious about your music, and want to hear, and experience it the way it was meant to be heard, these are the earphones for you. Perfect clarity and comfort, absolute perfect. My hats off to Shure!

I added this review and deleted my previous one as Amazon does not allow me to change my rating.

UPDATE 26-Nov-2008: In less than a year the wires on the Shure 530s have become completely exposed at the base of both the right and left earphone. I tried to remain positive and tried to contact Shure. I was surprised that with such an expensive product, I could not get anyone on the phone or to return my phone calls -- not to mention how difficult it was to actually get the phone number for warranty support.

Ultimately, I relied on email and received a pointer to the form I needed to complete to return the earphones. I followed those directions exactly; feeling all the while very uncomfortable about shipping such expensive earphones to a company without any RMA# or cross shipment. So far, I have to say my concern was warranted as I've yet to hear anything back from Shure and I can't get anyone to answer my questions by phone or by email.

$500 earphones should not need replacement in less than a year. If they do fail, I expect a level of customer service in line with the premium price. My experience with Shure has been dismal and in spite of the excellent sound of the 530s, I will never buy or recommend another Shure product.

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Original review from Nov-2007
I've been an Etymotic user for years. I've had two sets including the ER-4. The Shure SE530s are worth the price premium. Comfort and sound quality are well beyond that provided by Etymotic. Rich open sound stage and life like bass -- better than any others I've tried including the Etymotics and large Bose.

Having moved up from the Etymotic ER-6i, I am extremely pleased with these headphones. I have tried the ER-4 Etymotics in both the Portable and Stereo versions. For a true music head that has a portable amp, the ER-4S would take the cake. If you're on the go and interested in a bit more mustard behind the bass, the 530's are the way to go.

A lot of people will complain about the over-the-ear way the Shure's were built. It only takes a few times where someone accidentally hits your earphone cord that you'll be thankful they were designed that way. Once you have these things in and fitted you'll forget you have them in.

Just like everyone else in this review, I wanted a replacement for my Bose noise cancelling headphone that broke after using it for a little more than two years. I didn't really have much complaints about the headphone, it sounded great, noise cancelling was working beautifully. But once the plastic broke, I just decided to splurge and get the best earphones, since I was thinking that lugging those bulky headphones around was a bit silly.

Reading various reviews, I ended up getting SE530PTH. For some reason the vendor I purchased from had cheaper price on SE530PTH than SE530, so I bought a pair of SE530PTH. When I received mine, I opened the package, connected to my iPod Classic (6G) and started play music. Hmm. The music actually sounded very good, but I was expecting absolute heaven, since most of the reviews raved about these earphones. Thinking that I might have made a huge mistake, I checked Shure website. There, it had a proper care and usage for these earphones. Yes, yes, now I understood, those olive like foam needs to be compressed, and yes I would have to hold them in my ear and wait until the foam expands. Then I properly inserted those earphones in my ear, and the sound improved a lot. Ok, it sounds good, but these things are being sold for $500. I was thinking I would pay $200 for them, but not $500... Feeling disappointed, I used them for a few days using my iPod, and then I realized that I've never tried them with other audio systems. So, I thought what the heck, I'll use the plug converter for my stereo and see if I can hear anything different...

OMG!!!!!!!!!!

The music that came out of my stereo system was absolutely positively the best I have ever heard, everything was clear, bass was so rich, and I can almost visualize instruments playing right in front of me. I was so taken by this revelation, I tried all different types of music, classic, opera, rock, house... They all sounded fantastic! I was discovering instruments and notes that never registered before.

Then I went back to iPod. WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT! I just never realized how much mp3 would deteriorate the sound, and how much CDs retained the quality of music. The same exact tunes actually sounded so different with these earphones. I am actually regretting hundreds of dollars I've spent on buying mp3 or iTune music. With these earphones I can actually hear, and tell the difference!

Now I am in a very strange situation. I have this fantastic $500 pair of earphones with iPod that I use to travel with, but I don't want to listen to iPod with these amazing pieces of earphone. I am actually considering buying another pair of cheaper SE110 earphones so that I can use them with my iPod to not be able to hear the difference.... Noise reduction property of SE530 is superb, but I believe this is largely from the foam earpieces that are blocking the noise from outside during the music playback, so SE110 should do the same trick. I think I'll use SE110 for my iPod and save my SE530 for more serious listening.

Well, I really don't consider myself to be an audiophile, but I was able to, and did hear the difference in the sound quality between iPod and CD using SE530. Now that I know how big of the difference there is, I am not even sure I would ever want to listen to iPod at home. I'd have to dig up my CD collection once again, and listen to them using these wonderful earphones... (Although the cord is a little plasticky and feel like it will fray if I overused them.. And PTH is not that great. It's ok. I can hear my own breathing through PTH... And the carrying case doesn't hold everything but the earphones themselves... I guess nothing is perfect.)