Customer Reviews
Best Headphones You Can Buy! 
2008-05-07
I know this thing is expensive, but honestly I have had several other mid-ranged Shure headphones (lost or eaten by my dog). The extra $100 is well worth it. It's like the difference between a Toyota and a Benz.
The 1st reason is the ear bud covers feel very nice. I always had a slight problem with the lesser models. The 2nd reason is that it comes with every conceivable connector (iPhone, airplane, etc.). And perhaps the most important is the little microphone interceptor hand held thing. Basically, I have these in my ears six to eight hours a day and when ever someone wants to talk to me I have to pull them out of my ears because they insulate outside noise so much. What this microphone thing does is that you push a button and you can hear the outside world. DUDE this is great for an office an I would pay several hundred more for this one great feature.
The people at Shure really did their homework refining their best pair.
Very good earphone with some problems 
2008-05-02
First of all, the sound quality is absolutely top notch and for some people this is all they need. I am satisfied with the earphone. I compared it to my Quite Comfort 3. The overall sound quality is comparable to, if not slightly better than, Quite Comfort 3. When i used the foam ear pieces on Shure SE530PTH, it seemed to offer slightly more noise reduction than Quite Comfort 3. Unlike Quite Comfort 3, you can still use the earphones even when the battery is dead. It's needed only for Push-to-hear feature. The earphones will be as comfortable as the ear pieces you choose. They have put in several different ear pieces in different sizes. I opted for the medium size foam ear pieces. They block enough outside noise without making my ears uncomfortable. After wearing them for several hours, my ears get uncomfortable. My ears got uncomfortable with Quite Comfort 3 because of anti-noise pressure. In terms of extended wear, neither may be suitable.
The earphone came up with several cords and extensions. By far the largest one is the PTH device which cannot be removed. Then there is an optional volume control connector. I tried it without the optional volume controller. There was a slight hissing background sound which the optional volume controller reduced. I think it also dampened the sound slightly. My biggest complain is that it gets quite awkward to carry because of the PTH section which has to be on the outside. One can put it in a pocket, but this simply negates the whole point of having PTH.
Because of the design of the earphone, when used with foam ear pieces, it transmit any vibration or sound on the device. The cords rubbing against clothes can be heard. At the same time, any chewing or drinking sounds are also amplified.
Worth every penny! 2008-05-02
Wow. First impressions are that these are just insane quality! Packaging is great too. Comes with everything you could possibly need. These make music sound new again. So crystal clear and precise. I can't praise them enough, and I'd buy them again in a second! Do not hesitate to spend more money on the last pair of ear phones you'll ever need.
Thought I had hearing loss! 2008-04-28
I am not a musician, nor am I am audiophile. I just like to buy the best product I can afford and I knocked it out of the park with these Shure SE530PTH headphones. I thought I had hearing loss until I put these on. The highs and lows/frequency responses have to be heard to be believed. From Clasical to Classic Rock. Wow! The PTH is well worth it, as I like to go shopping and workout and now don't have to keep hitting the pause button. If you have the dough and these earphones are not at the top of your consideration list, you haven't been reading all the reviews online.
Amazing sound 2008-04-27
As can be imagined, I did some (okay, alot of) research into this style of headphones. I didn't want to pay out this much money just to find out ones half the price would have been just as good.
As has been commented by others, the tips you use on these matter ALOT. I was very impressed with the sound of these right out of the box, and was fully satisfied with them (clarity of sound, the amount of quality I could hear, such as REALLY being able to pick out individual instruments). But after a few days with them, I decided to try the others just for laughs. I didn't think the sound could get better, but it did!
I am not a professional musician, but I do like quality, and if you are the same, these will not disappoint you.
If you're considering buying these for iPod... 2008-07-19
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.)
Quality Sound 2008-07-12
The bottom line is quality costs money. It's why a Lexus costs more than a Ford, and it's why a Montblanc pen cost more than a Cross. If you've ever driven a Lexus or used a Montblanc pen then you know what I'm talking about.
I will leave it to the experts to explain the technicalities of why these earphones are so good. For me, it's the sound. And I think in the end that is what it must be for everyone. I bought some Bose earphones and used them for about a month. The bass was good but the high end was muffled, including the singer's voices. You can really hear the bass, but I knew that this is not what good, quality sound is all about. The high end gets muffled to bring out all the bass. It doesn't sound right.
I listened to both the Shure SE410 and the Shure SE530 before I bought. I got the PTH (push to hear option) when I went for the SE530s. The sound was just better on the SE530 earphones. Some reviewers question whether it is worth the extra money to get the top of the line. Even if the difference is $200 or $300, then I say you have to go for the best, the SE530. The reason is that it is just better sound. If you must justify the cost, then cut out coffee for a month, or walk a few places (if possible, and without any danger of getting killed) instead of driving. It won't take you long to save $300.
I've been using these for my MP3 player, and they are remarkable. And if you look at some of the other reviews -- if you use CDs or higher quality MP3 songs -- then the difference is even more remarkable.
You know you can justify buying these if you want to. Your friends will think you are crazy for spending so much until you let them listen. Then you can rest easy because you just justified what you thought was an insane expenditure. You have the last laugh.
Best IEMs on the market. Period. 2008-06-27
I have been using the SE530PTH for well over seven months now, and I have officially concluded that there is NOTHING else that I would use to listen to music on the go. Once I tried these initially, I instantly used my employee discount to pick up a set and listened to as much lossless and high-bitrate MP3s as I could. I could pick apart instruments in various locations with these earphones on, which I have never heard before. The low-end was pronounced, but not overbearing. The mid-range is untouchable by any IEM on the market today. The highs are precise and clear, a hint of harshness is detectable, but definitely not a deal-breaker. I have used the Triple.fi 10, Klipsch Custom-3/Image, Westone UM1, and Bose Triport IEs since I purchased these. They don't come close.
What you MUST do with these earphones to maximize their potential is get a high-quality source. Plugging these directly into an unamped iPod will net decent results (primarily due to these earphone's sensitive nature), but the lack of a customizable EQ and weak power output will mean that you will not be driving these earphones to their full potential. I personally use a Cowon D2, because of its high power output and FLAC/OGG support. The biggest draw of the SE530 is the fact, you can make these earphones sound any way you desire. EQ these babies any way you want them to sound, they can handle it with no distortion.
If you listen to high quality audio, you can't go without these. I promise.
Excellent product and service 2008-06-19
Shure SE530 Sound Isolating Earphones are all what the 5 star reviewers before me here have stated in terms of the sound. I have owned the e2c, e3c and e4c and other brands (not Etys/UEs)and these outdo them as they should for the price. You can invest in them with full confidence that Shure backs them up with prompt, no hassle service - mine, which I got as present, were replaced with a new pair (incl. all the accessories)very promptly by Shure. All of this has made me a loyal Shure cutomer.
BOTTOM LONE:if you want great sound from your music from earphones as I do, you should seriously consider investing in these.
Excellent 2008-05-09
They're not cheap. You know that, you've got this far. Here's my review...
I upgraded from the E3cs about 6 months ago, so I've had a decent period to bed them in. I use them with my Ipod Touch mostly on planes, around the house and listening in bed.
SOUND QUALITY: Outstanding. Bass and mids much better than ECxs which I thought were weak. Don't mess about and go straight for the foam yellow sleeves. A good fit in the ear canal is essential to generate the highest quality. It's a good idea to order an extra pack of these when ordering as they deteriorate reasonably quickly and 'go hard', causing sound leak and reduced quality. Extras are inexpensive.
Also has an extra benefit for those of you that are modest about your music taste. Others can't hear what you are listening to. My wife in a silent room lying 2 feet from me can't hear when it's about 1/2 volume (which is as loud as you'd want it). Your fellow passengers on trains and buses etc would have little chance of an AC/DC appreciation session.
DESIGN: The ear buds are great. Unlike my E3cs, they lie flush in your ear, meaning that if you are lying down (in bed or on a plane - for you lucky first class passengers) it's comfortable and you don't ram them down your ear canal.
The Push to Hear (PTH) gizmo seems unnecessarily large and a bit "plasticy" to be honest. Shure could have done a bit better. The switch requires more a than reasonable effort, but I guess it does avoid accidental switching. That said, it works as advertised. You can hear what's being said through the mic easily enough. For the avoidance of doubt, it doesn't pause your music, just shuts the sound off to the headphones.
PACKAGING: They give you a neat little zip case for them. Problem is that it's a tight fit to get all the bits in. I recommend just using it for the phones and sticking the PTH device in your bag separately.
SUMMARY: They're great. No "buyers regret" on my purchase. I've got plenty of use out of them and will continue to enjoy them for many years to come. Thoroughly recommended.
P.S To the guy that gave them one star without ever hearing them...You Rock!!!
