As far as in-ear systems go, the SE500s are it. Sound quality and isolation are great, and their comfort is good enough for an album’s length. If you’re spending the money for the SE530s, you might as well spring for the SE530 PTH ($50 more) and get the Push-to-Talk feature.
Despite their invasiveness, the
SE530s deliver great sound and performance.
The SE530s are deemed sound isolation earphones. When worn correctly, they do block out a
significant amount of noise from the outside world. However, when you plug the ear canal this
tightly, your bodily functions come alive.
Breathing, swallowing, and even footsteps can become annoyingly loud— something noise canceling headphones do not
expose. Plug your ears with your fingers
and you’ll get the same result.
Shure obviously poured a lot of thought into the design of
these phones. They come with four
different foam sleeves for different sized and shaped ears. They also explain how to find a comfortable
fit and even provide contact information for custom-fitted ear pieces. The cords leading from the buds are fitted
with a small sleeve to tighten the slack to your head. This also helps keep the buds in place.
For the Legos generation, everything is broken into
component parts. Where the earphones’
wires meet (just below the chest), there is a male 1/8-inch jack. This allows users to connect shorter or
longer cables, or insert the volume slider or the PTH’s Push-to-Talk device.
Once the right fit is found, the SE530s sound great. There is really no need to push the volume because these phones are naturally a little loud. Shure’s Triple TruAcoustic MicroSpeakers
produce a nice and balanced sound, just as they’re designed to do. There are three separate drivers in the
enclosures (one tweeter and two woofers), all given their designated workload
by crossovers. Sounds are generally
distinct and clear.
At high volumes, some timbres can become dangerously
loud. Transient hits in mid to high
frequencies (especially snares and piccolos, around what sounds like 1 or 2kHz)
can easily peak to the threshold of pain.
So, watch your level when listening to Drum Corp performances or
snare-intensive bands like 311.
The SE530s are available at Amazon.com, but you’re better
off getting the E500 PTH system. At just
$50 more, the PTH includes the SE530s (though they’re called E500s with this
package) Push-to-Talk component.
The Verdict
