1. Posted: Sep 3 2008

   I can't believe these ear buds ever made it out of research and development. Sound: Tinny with no base. The sound that should be base is just scratchy noise. I tried using them for listening to audiobooks, but even that sound quality was unacceptable. I am now using my $9.99 Sony In-Ear Headphones. The Sony sound quality is far superior to the Shure SE530s. What an absolute rip off! The lowest rating I can give this product is one star. If I had the option, I would rate this product a negative five stars.

2. Posted: Aug 30 2008

   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.

3. Posted: Aug 27 2008

   I found the audio a bit dampen. It's not as crisp as the Audio Technica ATH-ANC3 which I own. In fact, I found that to have better audio quality, at about 4 times cheaper the price. Yes, it looks cool but you're really buying it for the audio ability. Noise cancellation is excellent, via ear buds. It's even better than my Audio Technica, which is using active noise canceling mechanism. It's mandatory to test it before you buy. Listen for yourself. Compare it with other earphones. Reviews can be misleading because people have different standards for audio appreciation.

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