I'd love to read a thorough review of the SE530s, MISch. If you get a chance after listening to a variety of songs feel free to post a more lengthy/critical evaluation.
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Headphones I've tried. My top 10
- Thread starter 4DThinker
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Thanks
avigalante asked for this earlier
- How's your experience been?
It's been good, I use them for my iPhone and have Grado's for at home listening, they have stiffened up, but I really don't care about that much. One of the chords was caught in a zipper really hard and it caused a slice on the wire, but electircal tape has solved that issue
- Is the sound really audiophile-level sound?
This is arbitrary. Are they as balanced as my Yamaha MS80s - no? Are they as good as my KRK V8s - no? Are they going to be the best for the $400ish price range - probably. Do I regret buying me UE10s because of these - yes... I have my music on the highest quality for my iPhone, but Audiophile taste are unique and the taste is acquired. I don't consider myself a high quality audiophile despite the gear...
- Is it necessary to fit them upside down while wrapping them around the ear? (I've seen most people with Shure headphones do this; I just want to put them in regularly)
Yes
- Is the price justified?
eBay
- How's the additional MPA adapter?
Best think ever
- The headphones look rather large... do they stick out much?
No, when using anything buy the white tri-plug earphones, they fit right onto your ear so that if you were to place your right ear on the table, you could balance a cup on your left ear with them in, in both ears. They are probably some of the least obtrusive that are made.
Tell me if you have anymore questions...
I have a pair of Panasonic RP-HC500 (noise canceling) around ear headphones. I love them; almost everywhere I listen to music is noisy, and even places that aren't they reduce volume level I need to comfortably listen to music. Also, the bass is pretty good.
My aging Shure E5's are my favorite.
For over the ears, I like simple and cheap, Sennheiser HD280s. Consistent, cheap, and I can get them if needed anywhere if working on a project somewhere away from home.
For over the ears, I like simple and cheap, Sennheiser HD280s. Consistent, cheap, and I can get them if needed anywhere if working on a project somewhere away from home.
E2cs for itunes music?
I have a question since there seems to be a few people here who know good headphones. I currently have the regular old white ear buds that came with my iPhone. I have been contemplating some upgraded ear buds and saw Shure E2cs on amazon for $60. My questions is #1, if most of my music is bought from iTunes (ie 128 or sometime 256 kbs encoded) will I still see any improvement in sound? And if so, #2, is there a better place to buy these?
edit - I guess the e2c's have been replaced with SCL2 (-cl or -b). Same question as above, but with the newer version.
Thanks,
Chris
I have a question since there seems to be a few people here who know good headphones. I currently have the regular old white ear buds that came with my iPhone. I have been contemplating some upgraded ear buds and saw Shure E2cs on amazon for $60. My questions is #1, if most of my music is bought from iTunes (ie 128 or sometime 256 kbs encoded) will I still see any improvement in sound? And if so, #2, is there a better place to buy these?
edit - I guess the e2c's have been replaced with SCL2 (-cl or -b). Same question as above, but with the newer version.
Thanks,
Chris
4D, That link pulls up a $99.95 price tag for me.
As far as your review request goes, I'm definitely no audiophile, so I'm probably not the best judge, but I'll try...
Sound:
They seem to sound "accurate". They aren't bass-heavy, like Vmodas. They aren't lacking in bass, like the Etymotic hf2s. When a song is recorded with a lot of bass, it's there. When a song isn't, it's not there. If you're a complete bass freak, something like Vmoda is a better choice. However, they tend to bassify everything, which seems to muddle up higher sounds.
These Shures sound very pure. I'm hearing details in music that I didn't know were there.
I previously had the SE210s for a few weeks. I did not care for them at all. Vocals in a certain range seemed very harsh. When I listened to them, even at a relatively low volume, the vocals from my favorite band (Dream Theater) seemed loud. Too loud... Painfully loud. Something I've never experienced with any other headphones, or even speakers, for that matter.
Fit:
With the plethora of buds they include, everyone should be able to find something that fits their ears. I haven't experimented with all of them. Having done so with SE210s earlier, I already knew which worked best for me: The small rubber ones. I know from the SE210s that the triple-flanged ones are a good, albeit a little creepy, fit as well. They go deep. These, I'm sure, provide the best sound isolation of the bunch.
The over-the-ear cable running is definitely going to turn some people off. I have mixed feelings about it. When I'm walking around or running, I really like it. Gravity pulling on the buds keep them tight, rather than pulling them out. On the other hand, when sitting, the lack of gravity tends to make the cables come off the ears.
The Mic (MPA Adapter):
I've only made one call with it, but the person on the other end told me it was "staticy". I'll have to give it a few more tries to see if that was just the one call or not. If it is "staticy", I can probably live with that. I don't talk on the phone that much, so I use mic adapters for the pause/resume button more than I do for talking.
As far as your review request goes, I'm definitely no audiophile, so I'm probably not the best judge, but I'll try...
Sound:
They seem to sound "accurate". They aren't bass-heavy, like Vmodas. They aren't lacking in bass, like the Etymotic hf2s. When a song is recorded with a lot of bass, it's there. When a song isn't, it's not there. If you're a complete bass freak, something like Vmoda is a better choice. However, they tend to bassify everything, which seems to muddle up higher sounds.
These Shures sound very pure. I'm hearing details in music that I didn't know were there.
I previously had the SE210s for a few weeks. I did not care for them at all. Vocals in a certain range seemed very harsh. When I listened to them, even at a relatively low volume, the vocals from my favorite band (Dream Theater) seemed loud. Too loud... Painfully loud. Something I've never experienced with any other headphones, or even speakers, for that matter.
Fit:
With the plethora of buds they include, everyone should be able to find something that fits their ears. I haven't experimented with all of them. Having done so with SE210s earlier, I already knew which worked best for me: The small rubber ones. I know from the SE210s that the triple-flanged ones are a good, albeit a little creepy, fit as well. They go deep. These, I'm sure, provide the best sound isolation of the bunch.
The over-the-ear cable running is definitely going to turn some people off. I have mixed feelings about it. When I'm walking around or running, I really like it. Gravity pulling on the buds keep them tight, rather than pulling them out. On the other hand, when sitting, the lack of gravity tends to make the cables come off the ears.
The Mic (MPA Adapter):
I've only made one call with it, but the person on the other end told me it was "staticy". I'll have to give it a few more tries to see if that was just the one call or not. If it is "staticy", I can probably live with that. I don't talk on the phone that much, so I use mic adapters for the pause/resume button more than I do for talking.
Thanks. They must have changed it today. I edited it. It was $119.95 when I made the post.
Also, thanks for your review of the Etyms.
4D
Hey Guys,
You want a plethora of headphone opinions? Seriously, go to www.head-fi.org. There are threads on the E500/530s that have hundreds upon hundreds of responses. Not only that, you can pick up used versions of these phones in the $250-300 range from a very active marketplace forum. Head-fiers are among the best, most courteous people you may ever hope to purchase from.
Every headphone has its strengths and weaknesses. The achilles heel for the big Shures is their treble roll-off... this is well-known and a maligned issue. Some people don't seem to be affected or care much about it. Some have such a big issue (myself included, who has had some E500s for a couple years now) prefer other, sometimes much cheaper options. For my IEM duties I use Q-Jays, which can be had for $180. They seem to occupy the sonic specturm between the Shures and the Ety ER-P/S... Strictly speaking from a sound perspective for a portable solution, to my ears the Koss KSC-75s annihilate every IEM I've owned, and they only cost $20. That may sound strange due to the price disparity but seriously, these things are unbelievable and you'll find they are at the top of many head-fiers lists, even besting some full-size cans that cost 5x as much.
You want a plethora of headphone opinions? Seriously, go to www.head-fi.org. There are threads on the E500/530s that have hundreds upon hundreds of responses. Not only that, you can pick up used versions of these phones in the $250-300 range from a very active marketplace forum. Head-fiers are among the best, most courteous people you may ever hope to purchase from.
Every headphone has its strengths and weaknesses. The achilles heel for the big Shures is their treble roll-off... this is well-known and a maligned issue. Some people don't seem to be affected or care much about it. Some have such a big issue (myself included, who has had some E500s for a couple years now) prefer other, sometimes much cheaper options. For my IEM duties I use Q-Jays, which can be had for $180. They seem to occupy the sonic specturm between the Shures and the Ety ER-P/S... Strictly speaking from a sound perspective for a portable solution, to my ears the Koss KSC-75s annihilate every IEM I've owned, and they only cost $20. That may sound strange due to the price disparity but seriously, these things are unbelievable and you'll find they are at the top of many head-fiers lists, even besting some full-size cans that cost 5x as much.
Most of us know about head-fi, a lot of us our members and you really can't do a google search without a link coming up pretty soon. However, they are known to have some users (with a lot of post and a lot of headphones) that are not as nice to those asking blind questions. Response are often "you really have to try them" or "why would you buy those" or "iem's are for idiots" The users on here that ask questions a lot of time have been to head-fi, or are not ready for the onslaught of technical answers head-fi has to offer.
With that said, I love head-fi, but referring all questions about IEMs to there is maybe not the best option. People on here have opinions too and I myself, check head-fi, but do not really post on there often, where as I answer tons of headphones questions on here.
See, the great thing about those white earbuds is that they mask any audible distortion by being so crappy! If you've got an amazing pair of headphones/speakers and good ears, 128Kbps may bug you. 256Kbps shouldn't be a problem, as much less people have good enough hearing to distinguish between that and lossless.
I actually agree with this theory... In theory.
I have some really old live jazz albums that, let's face, aren't available in anything resembling "good" quality.
However, I've yet to listen to any of those old albums with my awesome new buds. I will try over the weekend, and post results.
I insist that I can tell the difference between 256 and Lossy, and I rather go all the way to Lossy over 320. I say I can tell the difference but its almost non-existent, to me it appears to be the overall depth of the music and how it handles complex parts. Take for example Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd, I have the CD, the 256 iTunes+ versions and a compressed 128kbps version just for the sake of it. 128 is the clear looser, 256 can't seem to perform as well when the bass,drums,voices and all enter in a highly complex scenario, Lossless can. It could be psychological, I insist not. I do own a proper high fidelity system and some "high-end earphones" (not the bose, for those that know I have a pair of bose cans). Also in electronic music when all the beats synths and such enter all at once the Lossy one seems to work better and "distort" less if it makes any sense.
Victor
I would agree _but_ I'm not seeing much of a critical response in this thread (except for talking about the skullcandys having overwhelming bass).
When one of the most popular IEMs out there is mentioned here with nothing but praise despite having a very well known issue, I find that kind of troubling.
Yeah, it can take some time to separate the wheat from the chaff on Head-fi. There are some hard-core audiophiles over there and that's to be expected. OTOH, when you're preparing to blow some $300+ don't you want to have a balanced viewpoint? Every single headphone out there has issues, even the $7k Orpheus, and people have different tastes. Isn't it worth spending a couple hours of research?
Anyway, you don't have to ask questions and get slaughtered. Just use the search.
Do you have a model number, kperrone? Also, when you state they are the best you ever had, what does that relate to? How many other around-ear headphones have you tried? The best bluetooth headphones I've had are my Sony BT50s, but the only other bluetooth headphones I've tried to compare them to are the $50 typical Insignia style. As such, please take my recommendation of the Sony's with that in consideration.
Bose Around-Ear Headphones = $125
Best i've ever had.
I've used them and find them unimpressive. My old Sony MDR-something 50$ cans sounded much better. Those ones carry Bose's exclusive ultra-mega-uncontrolled-bass-monster, something apparently the QC's don't but ALL and I've tested them ALL, lack the finesse and the high-end spark one would desire. A pair of let's say Grado will do much much much better, or Senn's HD or Audio Technica, or Beyerdynamics, or M-Audios, and others.
Victor
I agree that the Grado's sound much better... I do have a slight niché for the Tri-Ports for some reason, they are just comfortable...idn, don't own but, they don't seem that bad of an investment...
Today I finally received my JBL reference series 610 bluetooth headphones. I'm impressed with what they came with:
- Bluetooth adapter for iPods
- Dual Airplane adapter
- AC battery charger, with interchangeable plugs for various countries.
- USB to 3.5mm headphone plug 1.75m cable, in case the battery runs out.
- Stereo Phono adapter
- Carrying case
I haven't been able to use the ipod adapter with any other bluetooth headphones. Not a big problem. The 610s paired fine with my iPod Touch and both my Samsung P2 and my Instinct phone. I'm assuming they'll also pair with my Philips and Insignia players.
Great sound. I could clearly hear the bass tracks of my favorite songs. They do an excellent job of blocking external noise. Very comfortable. Easily adjustable. The right earcup has all the normal remote controls on it. The power button is on the left cup.
For $120 now at amazon, I'd rate these an excellent buy.
- Bluetooth adapter for iPods
- Dual Airplane adapter
- AC battery charger, with interchangeable plugs for various countries.
- USB to 3.5mm headphone plug 1.75m cable, in case the battery runs out.
- Stereo Phono adapter
- Carrying case
I haven't been able to use the ipod adapter with any other bluetooth headphones. Not a big problem. The 610s paired fine with my iPod Touch and both my Samsung P2 and my Instinct phone. I'm assuming they'll also pair with my Philips and Insignia players.
Great sound. I could clearly hear the bass tracks of my favorite songs. They do an excellent job of blocking external noise. Very comfortable. Easily adjustable. The right earcup has all the normal remote controls on it. The power button is on the left cup.
For $120 now at amazon, I'd rate these an excellent buy.
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Okay, so I've had some time with my SE530's now, and I've been able to critically listen to crappy rips, and compare them to my good ones.
I was surprised by the findings. Like a big, nice TV shows off imperfections in low-quality video, I expected the same thing from poor quality music. This was not the case. It did not make bad music sound worse that mediocre headphones do. Obviously it sounded bad compared to the good rips, but relatively so.
I was surprised by the findings. Like a big, nice TV shows off imperfections in low-quality video, I expected the same thing from poor quality music. This was not the case. It did not make bad music sound worse that mediocre headphones do. Obviously it sounded bad compared to the good rips, but relatively so.