Home > Consumer Reviews > Shure SE530 Sound Isolating Earphones

Originally gave 5 stars for great sound but after using these for over a year plus another Shure model for over a year they have a major problem with the quality of the material used to make them. I have had to send both models, including this one, back to Shure within the 2-year warranty because of the insulation around the earbuds begin cracking badly showing the copper wiring. Shure sent me a new set with now problem but after the warranty they will charge $125 to repair them. Not worth it. Shure needs to use more flexible wiring. So new rating, if I could change it would be 1 star.

WOW! What a difference qualitiy makes. I have used earbuds from several different manufactures, V-Moda Vibe, Maximo i-Metal, etc. Nothing can compare to the Shure SE530's. I have never heard sound like this before. I tend to listen to Heavy Metal and find these are perfect for this. All the base you could want with perfect balance between the high and low ends. I will never go back to anything less.

Finding the right headphone for the iPhone can be a little challenging because of its awkward-size headphone input jack. I had previously bought the more popular V-MODA VIBE Duo Nero (w/call button). The audio was good, but not enough to justify the $100 upgrade over the stock headphone. My old Sony MDR-EX71 paired with the Shure Music Phone Adapter sounded almost as good as the V-Moda in terms of bass level. I returned it after a week partly because of hearing durability issues about the earphone. I then seriously contemplated on getting the Ultimate Ears super.fi 5Pro, but opted for the Shure because of the triple driver technology and the iPhone cable adapter that compliments it. I'm hardly an audiophile, but I can say that the sound reproduction is exceptionally clean. Basia's "Copernicus" with its rich jazzy instruments was a delight to hear and Enrique Iglasias' "Bailamos" bass-thumping tune was intense with absolutely no distortion.

In short, if you're budget-minded, get the Ultimate Ears super.fi 5Pro, but if you can afford or crazy enough to shell out this kind of money on one of the best headphones on the market, look no further.

I know it will sound crazy that the $500 triple driver is almost equal to the sound quality of a $70 single driver but it truly is.

By accident, I discovered why: I was trying to figure out why I was not happy with my SE530 in comparison to my ER6 so I went to my workshop in my basement trying to rig the sleeves to attempt better sound isolation. (this was 3 days after I recieved it ). I was about 5 feet from my furnace when it turned on and I was wearing the ER6 with foam sleeves. When I took the ER6 off and had the SE530s with the same size foam fittings, I could clearly hear the furnace but when had the ER6 I barely heard it. I haven't had the guts (yet) to open the se530s but inside the round hollow plastic shell is space for the 3 square drives which will leave gaps for air. External sound will pass through the thin plastic shell, then through the gaps of air and straight through the sound channel which explains poor sound isolation. Very bad for a $500 ear phone.

I bet if I crack the shell open and fill it with foam it'll sound better. But like I said, I don't have the guts yet. I may actually just return it..... I'll have to think more about that since the SE530s are actully good in quiet environmets - kinda defeats the whole purpose of having sound isolation earphones.

Anyway, the ER6 on the other hand has the sleeves directly wrapped around the drivers which eliminates air gaps for really good sound isolation. Add to good sound isolation a balanced high fidelity driver and you have a great set of earphones.

The ER6 so far is the best bang-for-the-buck earphones I have. I had a pair of Ultimate Ears Studio Fi 3 that sounded decent but broke in in a matter of months. I also had a hard time figuring out why my UEs wouldn't stay put during workouts when I finally realized that its because the wires were too stiff that it popped it out with slight movements unlike the very soft wires of the ER6s. The ER6s stayed put much better especially when the supplied clip is used on your shirt.

Thats why I was going to rate the SE530s with a 3 for an OK rating but the steep price made me bump it to a 2. ER6 gets a 4 and 1/2 out of five for me.

BTW... my ER6 is actually a step down from the ER6i but I'm still waaaaaaay satisfied with it.

I apolologise if I sounded like an ER6 promo. Just trying to help buyers make a more informed decision.

I've listen to a lot of different earbuds and headphones and most of them are top-high end products. I will compare the se530 in relative-ness to the Sennheiser HD650.

Stars: How did I get three stars? I believe that comparison should always be relative. Exactly what do you base your three stars or four stars on? Mine is relative to the HD 650. If I were to say that the 650 was 5 stars then the se530 would be 3 stars.

Sound quality: When it comes down to it earphones are measured by clarity and the detail-ness (sorry for making up words here). Yes, people go on and on about bass but honestly if you're not a 15 year old listening to hip-hop and rap, a moderate amount of bass will always do the trick.

When I first purchased the SE210 I thought they would sound like what the SE 530 would sound like. Meaning that the SE530 did not live up to my expectations. They are good but not impressive. Many products are like that. You can objectively say that they are good but they don't impress you. It doesn't put that smile on your face or you have to rationalize and justify that they are a good product. This is exactly what I had to do with the SE530, I had to convince myself that this sounded "impressive" although it was subpar and at best "good."

I would say that the HD650 has a much more detailed sound. You can differentiate each instrument with the HD650. However, the SE530 sounds only marginally better than the se210.

Unfortunately like every product, you pay a premium for a marginal difference in performance. Take computer processors for example. The top end is always twice as much in price as the processor that is only a tad bit slower. You pay twice as much for something that is only 10% better. I think thats what happen with the SE210 and the SE530. You'll end up paying a lot more.

Also, the earbuds they put a hook on it so they get stuck and don't come out.

People say you get what you pay for. Unfortunately, you don't what you pay for with the SE530.