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SE530's finally broke! What to buy?

T

The-Noid

Diamond Member
Thanks to an unfortunate brush up with a woman in the Denver airport that resulted in the ear piece ripping apart my long lasting SE530's have finally given up the ghost.

I called Shure today to see what the replacement cost would be, it is $200.

At this point I am considering simply buying a new pair or not.

I can get the SE535's for roughly $400, overnighted to my door or I can try another brand. I would like to have something sooner rather than later as I am still in need of something to work out with and the AAPL iBuds simply don't do it.

Anyone have any ideas of what to buy?

These are gym/running headphones, I have a pair of HD800's and a pair of Grado PS1000's for home/work.

Thanks for the help!
 
We're oddly in the same situation - mine, however, just eventually got badly frayed cables as happens all the time. The quote is $244 or something, right? They replace them with brand-new SE535s, which have the replaceable cables...and I also wondered if I should shop around, but at that replacement price, I don't think we'll find too much that'll compare.

But, that said, I haven't listened to anything recently in the $200-300 range.

I'll be interested in seeing what you do.
 
I have been using a pair of Audio Technica CK-10, which is up there with the SE-530 in terms of price and class. I've been very happy with the sound (great mids with relatively balanced sound across the board) and it has remained sturdy in its 3+ years of use.

I recommend checking out this model (or the pricier CK-100), if you are looking around for something new.
 
How broke are they? Maybe look into having them made into customs?

Personally, I'd probably just go with replacement via Shure. Unless you're wanting a different sound, but if you really like the Shures then I'd stick with them.
 
hd800's, ps1000's, and se530's as gym/running headphones. lolmadeofmoney

i'm too cheap/scared to use anything more than $10 as workout headphones.
 
How the hell did you get get a pair of SE530's to stay in your ears when running? They're heavy as hell, and i know from experience that they do not stay in when they're being jolted about!
 
DirkGently1 said:
How the hell did you get get a pair of SE530's to stay in your ears when running? They're heavy as hell, and i know from experience that they do not stay in when they're being jolted about!
Click to expand...

I guess I never really experienced this problem. I have small ear canals as a whole, loop the cables behind my ear and tighten the connector hard against my chin.

I am sure I look a bit goofy but it works.
 
EvilYoda said:
We're oddly in the same situation - mine, however, just eventually got badly frayed cables as happens all the time. The quote is $244 or something, right? They replace them with brand-new SE535s, which have the replaceable cables...and I also wondered if I should shop around, but at that replacement price, I don't think we'll find too much that'll compare.

But, that said, I haven't listened to anything recently in the $200-300 range.

I'll be interested in seeing what you do.
Click to expand...

$244 including overnight. Just got off the phone with them.

Summary: Bought the 535's.
 
For $244 the 535s are a no brainer. But if you were looking at spending $400, I would say go custom. In fact, with the amount you've spent on headphones for the house I'm surprised you're happy with SE530s. I've heard both of your full size headphones and the JH16 (and I would imagine also the Westone ES5) are much better.

If you get a pair, you'll quickly discover that you only need 1 headphone 🙂
 
uhohs said:
what equipment are you using with the hd800 and grados?
Click to expand...


This is another point of disadvantage, with IEMs you don't need anything besides a DAC. I listened to both the HD800 and the PS1000s out of a $1K+ Peachtree integrated amplifier and neither was comparable to my JH16. The Grado's in fact were terrible, complete lack of bass. The HD800 sounded very good (much better than my HD650), but still not as good as my JH16.

But anyway going back to the topic, non-equalized SE535s are pretty horrible compared to the rest of the OP's gear, but for $244 they are a pretty good deal overall. I'm just saying, he doesn't seem afraid of the price tags, so I would go for a top of the line IEM like UERM, JH13, or ES5. JH16 if you like bass emphasis, but I don't think he does since he enjoys the PS1000... :|

He might discover that 1 headphone makes all the other ones useless.
 
JAG87 said:
This is another point of disadvantage, with IEMs you don't need anything besides a DAC. I listened to both the HD800 and the PS1000s out of a $1K+ Peachtree integrated amplifier and neither was comparable to my JH16. The Grado's in fact were terrible, complete lack of bass. The HD800 sounded very good (much better than my HD650), but still not as good as my JH16.

But anyway going back to the topic, non-equalized SE535s are pretty horrible compared to the rest of the OP's gear, but for $244 they are a pretty good deal overall. I'm just saying, he doesn't seem afraid of the price tags, so I would go for a top of the line IEM like UERM, JH13, or ES5. JH16 if you like bass emphasis, but I don't think he does since he enjoys the PS1000... :|

He might discover that 1 headphone makes all the other ones useless.
Click to expand...


I remember reading that the Peachtree had a mediocre at best headphone amp. And something is seriously wrong or mismatched for the ps1000 to have a "complete lack of bass".

I have UERM's with a pico slim and I often/usually prefer using a full-size, open air headphone.
 
uhohs said:
I remember reading that the Peachtree had a mediocre at best headphone amp. And something is seriously wrong or mismatched for the ps1000 to have a "complete lack of bass".

I have UERM's with a pico slim and I often/usually prefer using a full-size, open air headphone.
Click to expand...

A $1200 integrated amp has a bad headphone amp?
http://signalpathint.com/index.php/Nova/For-the-Headphone-User.html

But this is exactly my point, UERM/JH13/ES5 will sound amazing out of any source. Look at the OP... $1K just for a headphone amp. Even if there was something mismatched for the PS1000 (which I doubt since the PS1000 is only 32 ohms), you can't fix having no bass at all. Amplification and impedance do make a slight difference, but not that much.

But anyways, my initial point to the OP was that SE530/535 suck ass compared to his other gear, and since it seems he can afford it he should get something better. He might discover once he gets used to a high end custom IEM, that it sounds much better than his full size headphones.

Having listened to the same music on very expensive reference speakers I can tell you that my JH16 reproduces that experience much more than any headphone, and I have a pretty good spectrum of comparison (the only headphones I haven't heard yet are the T1 and Audeze). The Denon D7000s come the closest to that representation, HD800 and PS1000 are far far behind.
 
Ha! After years of spending $150-$400 on IEMs and then having them last maybe a year with normal, babied use, I have more or less given up on the high-priced models. I have definitely given up on Balanced Armature (BA) IEMs.

I recently bought the Audio Technica ATH-CKM50 IEMs from Amazon for $35. They have Dynamic drivers and perhaps the best IEM I have used:

Very nice, punchy bass. Makes BA IEMs sound dull.
Trebble is quite good but not as magical as the UE TF10s.
Mids are more present than the TF10s but still a little recessed.
They are the most comfortable IEMs I have ever used.
They isolate quite well.
A big CON: Cable length is too short. Cable microphonics are okay.

Anyway, I am VERY happy with them for the price.

The Sennheiser CX200 for only $25 are also quite nice I think but not as good as these.

IEMs I have owned:

Audio-Technica ATH-CK7 ($75-$100)
Klipsch X5 ($125-$175)
Phonak Audeo PFE 112 ($125-$150)
Ultimate Ears UE 700 ($150-$200)
Ultimate Ears TF10s ($300-$400)
Sennheiser CX200 ($25)
Audio Technica ATH-CKM50 ($35)

I have also auditioned many top-tier IEMs from many other brands like Westone, Monster, Sennheiser and Shure.

The Audio-Technica ATH-CKM77 may also be worth a try at $130.

(My un-amped source is a Cowon iAudio 10.)
 
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Does anyone have an experience running with a custom IEM in?

I would be interested in buying some if I knew they weren't going to move around and be comfortable on a long run.

Thanks!
 
SE535's arrived.

What a downgrade they are to the SE530's. What was at one point an extremely comfortable headphone is now absolutely awful.

I can't have them in my ears for more than a few minutes without feeling in pain. Between the hard ends to the cables to the much sharper edges of the actual headphone, they have simply become incredibly uncomfortable. I will be selling them shortly.
 
The-Noid said:
SE535's arrived.

What a downgrade they are to the SE530's. What was at one point an extremely comfortable headphone is now absolutely awful.

I can't have them in my ears for more than a few minutes without feeling in pain. Between the hard ends to the cables to the much sharper edges of the actual headphone, they have simply become incredibly uncomfortable. I will be selling them shortly.
Click to expand...

I'm surprised. My girlfriend found the 535s to be a welcome upgrade to her 530s. The 530s are truly a poorly built product, the 535s are bullet proof in comparison, and they have slightly better highs.

It's weird that they are not comfortable...

The-Noid said:
Does anyone have an experience running with a custom IEM in?

I would be interested in buying some if I knew they weren't going to move around and be comfortable on a long run.

Thanks!
Click to expand...


Yes. Overall they are more comfortable than universals, but they have one con vs. my old SE530s that I noticed. When your ears get sweaty, you start to hear a "ticking" noise for each step you take. It's caused by the moisture between your ear and the acrylic shell, you're not breaking the seal, it's just the moisture sticking. It's not so noticeable at high volumes, but it's noticeable at lower volumes, so depending on what your preference is you may find it irritating. This might be alleviated if you get the half acrylic half silicone shell that Westone offers on the ES5, but I have no first hand experience. I just know that with my JH16 it's noticeable at low volumes, but this isn't really a problem for me since I like music loud while working out. Even though most people say the half silicone shell is more comfortable, personally I wouldn't choose it. It's a very expensive product, and the only material that will last forever is acrylic, silicone will inevitably degrade.

Anyways, they are a HUGE upgrade from SE530/535s.
 
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Interesting - I'm in New Orleans right now and head to Florida for a few days on Wednesday, but I'll be getting my SE530's replaced before I travel to Taiwan for a month. I hope I don't have the same response you did to the 535!

(BTW, did they have an option for replacement other than overnight shipping? I'm in no rush to get them as long as it's before the end of March.)
 
Interesting - I'm in New Orleans right now and head to Florida for a few days on Wednesday, but I'll be getting my SE530's replaced before I travel to Taiwan for a month. I hope I don't have the same response you did to the 535!

(BTW, did they have an option for replacement other than overnight shipping? I'm in no rush to get them as long as it's before the end of March.)
 
Standard shipping was free. Overnight was $20.

I ended up buying the Westone UM3x after some fairly good reviews on head-fi.

They seem like a great iem, fit is comfortable, bass is a bit quicker to respond than the 535's as well.

Overall, I like them better.

Cheers!
 
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