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Shure SE530 Sound Isolating Earphones | 
 enlarge | Brand: Shure
Category: CE
List Price: $499.00
Buy New: $271.95
You Save: $227.05 (46%)
New (23)
Avg. Customer Rating:  57 reviews
Color: Black
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 4.5 x 4.3 x 3.4
The SE530 and SE530PTH mark the bridge from the classic E Series line, to the new line of Sound Isolating Earphones from Shure (SE Models). Evolved from personal monitor technology road-tested by pro musicians and fine-tuned by Shure engineers, the SE530PTH and SE530 earphones deliver unparalleled acoustic accuracy. Triple TruAcoustic MicroSpeakers, one tweeter and dual woofers, deliver an expansive sound stage with full-bodied bass?for an auditory experience rivaled only by live performances.
Warranty: 2 years warranty
MPN: SE530
Model: SE530
UPC: 042406143219
EAN: 0042406143219
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW FACTORY SEALED- EXCHANGES ONLY IF IT IS DEFECTIVE. IF YOU DO NOT INTEND TO BUY IT AND KEEP IT, PLEASE LOOK ELSEWHERE AS TOO MANY PEOPLE ARE BUYING TO TRY AND RETURNING.
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| Features:
| • | Triple speakers for sound that rivals live performance | | • | Triple TruAcoustic MicroSpeakers: Dedicated Tweeter and Dual Woofers | | • | Sound Isolation Technology reduces background noise better than noise-cancelling headphones, without batteries or added hiss | | • | Premium Fit Kit including a selection of interchangeable sleeves for personalized, comfortable fit; 3' extension cable; 9" cable; premium carrying case; volume control; " adapter; airline adapter | | • | Modular Cable Design lets users choose different cable lengths to suit different music player locations (armband, pocket etc.) |
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Product Description
Pure audio precision--the SE530 uses Triple TruAcoustic MicroSpeakers to create an expansive sound stage. A dedicated tweeter ensures that highs and mids are incredibly accurate and detailed, while dedicated dual woofers provide balanced, full-bodied bass. The Push-To-Hear Control (included with the SE530PTH) adjusts levels of external sound for maximum intelligibility.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 52 more reviews...
 A strong but qualified recommendation from two very happy ears August 28, 2007
70 out of 75 found this review helpful
If you've already done your research and only want to know why I am qualifying my recommendation, skip down to near the bottom of my review. Otherwise, read on...
As most everyone says, these earphones are an absolute dream. The sound quality is amazing, better than the average home stereo and better than any headphones or earphones I've ever heard. Each side has two woofers and a tweeter.
It takes a little while to get used to properly inserting the phones and getting them situated just so, for optimal sound quality and noise isolation. But you get the hang of it before long, and then it's pretty easy.
The sound isolation works pretty well (if you have the phones situated properly in your ears). You get a good seal, which greatly reduces the amount of outside sound that can get in. I've found it works very, very well on airplanes and at the gym (the two noisiest environments I'm typically in).
In contrast, "noise-cancelling" headphones do not block outside noise, rather they add an electronically generated noise designed to cancel the frequencies of the outside noise. They require batteries, and I don't like that they are adding noise to what you're hearing. Some work better than others, but none that I've tried (including the famous and expensive Bose QC2s) work as well as the Shure line of sound-isolating earphones (the SE530 is the second pair I've owned in this line).
With earphones that sit inside the ear canal, comfort is extremely important. I find the SE530s comfortable for long periods of time. I often listen to my ipod in bed at night to help relax; if I fall asleep with the earphones in, my ears don't hurt when I wake up later (unlike all other earphones and headphones I've tried). Shure thoughtfully includes 9 different pairs of interchangable tips in varying sizes, so it is very likely most users will find at least one pair that is comfortable for them.
The modular aspect of the cabling is clever and very useful. The phones themselves have a very short cord. But Shure includes a variety of extension cords of different lengths, which allows you to have the right length cable in different situations.
One of these modular cables has a built-in volume control, handy for when your device doesn't have a volume control (or it's not accessible for whatever reason).
If you order the SE530PTH, you also get the push-to-hear module, which has a little mic and volume control. If you turn it on, it transmits sound from the mic into the headphones, allowing you to have a conversation with someone without removing the earphones. (Removing the earphones is easy, but putting them back in and getting a good seal takes a minute or so, especially for newbies.) I find the PTH to be a neat accessory. However, my wife pointed out that I can simply pause my ipod and then carry on a conversation just fine, w/o removing the earphones (the earphones still block outside noise, but not so much that you can't hear someone talking directly to you). So I don't think the PTH is particularly necessary. Amazon sells the SE530s with and without the PTH option. If you get it without PTH, you can always buy it separately, though it's cheaper to get them together.
The build quality is exceptional. The cords are thicker than any other headphones/earphones I've seen, and where they attach to the earphones or accessories is very well reinforced.
I also have a much cheaper pair of Shure noise isolating earphones, the E2c's. A week or two before the 2-year warranty was to expire, a short developed in the cable going to one side, so that if the cable jiggled at all, the sound would intermittently go out for a second or two. This was my fault - I had been using and abusing these things pretty hard - never using the included case, throwing them around, etc. But I sent them to Shure with a copy of my receipt for warranty service, and they sent me a brand new pair, no questions asked! (and quick turnaround!) The SE530s (and all Shure earphones) carry the same 2-year warranty.
In summary, I love the SE530's amazing sound quality, terrific build quality, and generous bundle of thoughtful accessories.
But now here is my qualification:
To know whether they're really worth the money, you'd really need to compare them to the SE420's (the next cheaper model in this line, about a hundred less than the 530s). Most of us who rave about the SE530s have only ever compared them to MUCH cheaper earphones. In my case, the Shure E2c's (about a hundred bucks) and a pair of Sennheiser cans (about half the price as the SE530's). Another reviewer here compares the 530s to the Etymotic ER4's, also much less expensive. It's not surprising that the 530s blow away phones that are so much less costly.
But, what we should really know before spending our hard-earned dollars is whether the human ear can distinguish between the SE530's and SE420's. If not, we would be wasting an extra hundred bucks by purchasing the 530s.
Before buying, I searched for a good, objective review comparing the 420s and 530s. I could not find one from a reputable, objective source. So I had to make a choice between two risks: the risk of spending too much (buying the 530s when the 420s sound just as good) vs. the risk of not getting the best possible sound quality (buying the 420s to save money when the 530s are really better).
I decided that avoiding the second risk was more important to me than avoiding the first risk, so I picked the 530s. I was in the very fortunate position to be able to afford them. In my current situation (newly married, still paying for the engagement ring & honeymoon - though very happy!), I'm not sure I would still pick the 530s (though I would still want them badly).
So there you have it. Good luck with your purchase decision, and enjoy whatever earphones you end up getting!
almost perfect - but definite issue with the wires (see my updates) September 24, 2007
43 out of 46 found this review helpful
My first exposure to these headphones was from a friend at the office who purchased a set of E500s about a year ago (the E500s are pretty much the same as the SE530s). When he told me (and the rest of us) how much he paid for them ($500+ for the E500PTHs) we collectively thought he was nuts and proceeded to ridicule the decision.
That was before we heard them.
I first heard the E500s when that same friend from the office was going to send those same E500s back to Shure under warranty due to the wires cracking with part of the copper conductors being exposed near the ear area. He figured he was getting a new set from Shure, so he may as well let us hear them. Well, I thought I was good with my Sennheiser CX300s. I was wrong. I put them through their paces with my Rio Karma loaded with tunes I personally ripped using CDEX and Lame at a high bitrate. I used material ripped from MFSL Ultradiscs, DCC and Sony Superbitmap discs as well as other good, dynamic recordings and remasters. The E500s were audio bliss on a stick. Excellent highs, mids and lows, all crystal clear and accurate without distortion. One of the most amazing things about them was the soundstage. With good source material, I could hear different instruments as if they each had a direct line into my brain. You could easily hear the difference between a good recordings/masterings and ones that are not so great. I was sold on the spot. I had to have some of the other guys at the office hear them and they were just as amazed. We all apologized. He let me borrow them overnight and I listened to them on the train and then went crazy listening to everything I could including some 24-bit DVD audio on my home system. I listened to them all night. Broken wires or not, I did not want to return them the next day.
So I loved them, but I could not justify spending the money on the SE530s... my Sennheisers CX300s were good... errr.. but not SE530 good.
So I watched and waited here and in about two weeks the price dropped $40. Alright, I had enough! That was my cue to buy!
That was a few weeks ago and I have no regrets.
The sound isolation is really good, easily blocking out most outside sound when using the supplied foams. Also, the foams are comfortable (for me) and I can leave them in for hours without fatigue. The result is that you tend to listen to the music at a slightly lower volume since the outside noise is so well blocked. But if you do want to crank it, the SE530s can handle it. I use them every day during my commutes on the train. They were definitely worth the money.
My only criticism (other than the price) is with the wires. The wires are too thick, heavy and stiff in my opinion. I wish they were more like the thin, light, extremely flexible silicon type wires like the ones on the Sennheiser CX300s. I don't know what Shure was thinking using these. As I said earlier in the review, my friend's E500's stiff wires were damaged after a year and I can see that happening with these too. Good thing the the SE530 have a two year warranty. I substituted the long extension that came with them with a highly flexible extension that came with a pair of Sonys... so much lighter and better.
Overall the wire situation is a small negative compared to a very big positive of the amazing sound reproduction.
One of the other reviewers here said it, don't listen to these headphones if you don't plan on buying them. If you love audio, once you listen through these SE530s, you cannot ignore them.
******* UPDATE: 10/9/2007 *******
I'm still amazed at just how good these sound. I've been using them every day during my daily rail commute to and from NYC from the burbs. The isolation level they provide is amazing! Using the foam ear pads, I can honestly say that it doesn't matter if the chick next to me starts yapping on her cell phone or if a group of tourists is having a loud conversation - I won't hear 'em. With these on, you are in your own world. You will notice some outside sound between songs or during very quiet passages, but for the most part, if you are using the foams and they are inserted correctly, you will be very well isolated. Highly recommended for commuters. The wires still suck though.
******* UPDATE: 7/30/2008 *******
Its been ten months since I purchased these SE530s and every day I use them, I'm glad I did. I use them on an almost daily basis during my commutes to and from the office and the sound quality has been nothing less than outstanding for both music and movies. The fact that you get all this clarity and resolution along with full bass AND that almost all outside noise is blocked makes them truly great. I cannot imagine better sounding headphones for any price. I have to laugh when I see people wearing bulky, full-sized headphones on the train - I would not want to to do that.
So, I've had no regrets regarding the investment... that is, until today. Today I noticed what I knew was inevitable... one of the wires has developed a serious crack in the insulation near the black molded rubber strain relief and has exposed the copper conductor beneath. Upon further inspection, the other wire is showing signs of imminent cracking in the same region. I have been so very careful as to only pull them out of my ears via the back of the drivers near the strain relief and frankly, I cannot imagine how I could have treated them any better and not had this happen. I know that I predicted that this *exact* thing would happen in my initial review (see above and in the comments section) but it sucks now that it actually did. I still cannot understand how Shure could be using these stiff, inflexible, poorly performing wires on an otherwise fine set of super-premium earbuds. Now I have to return them under warranty for replacement. I called Shure and they want me to ship the 530s back to them, insured, with my proof of purchase from an authorized dealer (which Amazon is) along with their RMA form and I should see a replacement in *TWO WEEKS,* maybe more. TWO WEEKS? For $400+ headphones I expect better service than this. They will not cross-ship me a new pair either as they are "not set up" to do that. Shipping them back will likely cost me at least $20 with the insurance.
The worst part of this is that I fully expect that I'm going to receive a brand new pair with the same issue waiting to happen again over the course of normal use. I know this because my friend from the office, who originally introduced me to the SE500s (which are almost exactly the same as the SE530s), is now on his... get this... *FIFTH PAIR* of SE500/530s - as four sets have developed the same exact wire cracking issue within a period of only two years. I did some poking around on the internet and there are even other reviews here on Amazon that detail the *exact* same issue. WTF is Shure thinking? I can walk down the street to any electronics store and buy a $30 set of buds with wire that will not have this issue... how is it that a $400+ super-primo set does? You can't tell me that other people aren't returning them... FIX THE ISSUE WITH THE WIRES, SHURE!!!
I'll update this review again when I receive my replacement pair.
Incredible September 12, 2007
29 out of 31 found this review helpful
I had all but given up on finding the perfect earbuds. I had tried everything from Sony earbuds (decent sound, stupid cabling) to Shure E2Cs (disappointing sounds, hate the earwax guards). I listened to a friend's Bose QuietComfort earphones and was leaning towards getting those... but I was hesitant. Were they too bulky? Will I look like an absolute goober when I wear them?
Then I stumbled upon the Shure SE530's. iLounge gave them an "A" rating, which is rare. After much research, it came down to the 530's and the Etymotic ER-4P Portable In-Ear Earphones. I actually bought the Etymotic's first... then started reading reviews of microphonics. Some people came up with some crazy ways to solve this issue... after a couple hours of reading about how bad of a problem it was, I started wondering why am was buying earbuds that were going to need to modification...
I deliberated... and deliberated... and dished out the cash for the 5300's. Then I began to kick myself. "Why would I spend all this money on earbuds? Am I nuts? Have I gone completely off the deep-end? This is a car payment! A trip to LA! 5 great date nights with my wife!"
... And then I got them. I opened them. Hmm. Cool packaging. I stuck them in my ears, plugged them into my iPhone... and was lost in pure musical bliss.
These puppies blocked out the world around me... and I was in a musical wonderland, full of snares and strums and cymbals.
Finally. I found them. The perfect earbud.
I've spent a full day with them now. The true test, at least for me, was how well they blocked out the ridiculously loud subway and PATH trains in the New York City metro area. Bottom line: they do a phenomenal job.
This morning, I'm on the PATH train, heading into the World Trade Center... and I'm listening to a U2 track and notice a slight melodic rumble. "Hmm... must be the sound of the train... but it's odd that it goes so well with the music..." The train pulled into the station and stopped... but the melodic rumble continued. "Wait a frakin' second! Not only is that melodic rumble part of the music -- it was so subtle that I had never heard it before -- AND I heard it over the roar of the train!"
Wowza. If that doesn't convince you to but these, nothing will.
 Not good enough to justify the price December 24, 2007
28 out of 32 found this review helpful
Just got the SE530. I have used these type of head phones for a few years, namely the Etymotic ER-4P, so I will mainly compare the two. First price, the SE530 are about 3 times as expensive. To my ear while they have a little better bass response, offer a little more detail, they are not 3x better then the ER-4Ps. To be fair, I am still evaluating the SE530, but I am not floored by them like some other reviewers. I have had ER-4Ps since 2002. My first set lasted me till mid 2007, where they finally broke on me. I bought another set of ER-4Ps Jul 2007, but I was torn between buying them or "upgrading" to the SE530. I got my second set of ER-4Ps and noticed this second set, the build quality was not as good. Looks like they were using cheaper parts, but still sounded good.
The holidays roll around and on a whim I decided to buy the SE530s to go with my iPhone, and here I am writing this review. The build quality is alot better then the ER's, but I am not crazy about the actual design. Maybe it has more to do with more practice with one then the other, but I think its harder to put the SE530's then the ERs. THe SE530s look ALOT nicer then the ERs. They sound good, just not as good as I thought they would. Not much better then the ERs, and for so much more dough?
The one thing that I love about these headphones is how well it a pairs up with the iPhone and Shure MPA-3C Music Phone Adapter. Using this set up for phone calls is great, I hear and am heard clearly, modular set up of these headphone make it the perfect length.
So are these head phones good? Yup. Better then the Etymotic ER-4Ps? Yes. Is it worth the money? Maybe if you are looking for the perfect iPhone set up, other wise I think you could get more bang for your buck else where.
Update:
I have a few more observations. The foam tips, usually the most comfortable for me with these types of headphones, suck. They do not form a deep, tight seal in my ear canal. Just to see if it would work, I grabbed some extra foam tips from my ER-4Ps and tried them with the SE530. They greatly improved the fit, and sound quality went up.
The one odd thing was how bad noise isolation is with the SE530s compared to my ER-4Ps. Even when using the same foam inserts on both, the SE530s don't block out much noise. When no music is playing, I can hold a conversation easily. Makes me wonder why they make a PTH model? Very disappointing in that respect, but when music is playing you hear your music only and not the outside world.
I did a little more experimenting with ear tips, and I finally chose the white flange style ones. I hated this type when I used my ER-4Ps, but find them to be the best for the SE530, most likely because they form the deepest seal in the ear canal for me. I MAY try and get some custom ear inserts made by an audiologist, depending how much of a hassle it turns out to be, details are on the Shure website on who to contact.
I have grown to appreciate how detailed the SE530s sound, especially in Rock music. Not so much in Rap/Hip-Hop, but Rock seems to sound better with the SE530s then the ER-4Ps.
Final Update: With a little break in time and the right listening material, these headphones are sounding a lot better. Still doesn't sound 3x as good as the ER-4P, but the detail you can hear with the SE530's is striking, assuming you are listening to a lossless codec or better. I still think these things are too expensive, they do not block out as much noise as the ER-4s, so you lose one star for each and I am sticking with the 3 star rating. And yet, if you don't care about value for your dollar, the SE530s are very seductive.
One final note, those custom ear sleeves are $100 bucks from Sensaphonics, plus the cost of the ear doctor taking an impression of your inner ear. I am told this will make the headphones sound and feel much better, I refuse to use the sub standard foam sleeves that shure makes and have been using Etymotic ones, can't wait to see how much custom sleeves make a difference.
******UPDATE 03/29/08*************
I just had to send these headphones in for service! After 3 months of use, the cables that attach the ear buds to the plug, have developed slits and now the wiring is exposed. If you wrap these buds around your ears (as prescribed in the manual), the wires will develop a crease in them. Over time (like I said, 3 months) this crease will turn into a crack. That crack will progressively get worse, exposing the wires beneath. It hasn't effected the sound quality, but for the amount of money you would expect the wiring not to spontaneously expose itself. Both left and right sides have these cracks. Some one on this review page also commented on the cables quality and at the time I would not have agreed. Now I have proof he was right. I will update this post again once I know how the service center reacts to my warranty request. ******
04/09/08 - Got my response from the service center, they sent me a brand new set of SE530's. A complete new set with all the accessories, even though I only returned the head set with non of the extensions or accessories. I do appreciate the no hassle way Shure handled my request. This almost changes my mind about the price of these earphones, seeing how excellent the customer service response was. Why almost and not completely changed my mind? Because the replacement head set I received still has the same type of cords that broke down on me in 3 months. In the back of my mind I wonder how long till this set breaks down, what will I do when the warranty run out? For now I am treating them like a Fabergé egg, even bought the PTH module so I don't have to remove and insert them as much during the day. The durability of these head phones are tempered by the excellent customer service/warranty, so no change in the three star rating.
I have heavily invested in these headphones, the MPA-3C iphone adapter, the PTH module, and custom molded sleeves from Sensaphonics, have really brought up the total price of these headphones, which were not cheap to begin with. To see them wear out so quickly leaves me worried. I would like to see Shure replace these stock cords with better (more durable) cords in a later revision. I hope they get the message because I would like to continue doing business with Shure.
Sorry, we're not in the same league anymore December 18, 2007
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
First of all, sorry for my English as this is not my mother tongue.
When you realise that paying a few hundreds dollars for a music player, and only a few for the earphones may not be the best idea, you'll start looking at higher end products.
A few words about the reviewer: not a music addict/producer, nor an sound expert engineer, a bit of a geek yes, definitely Tech aware, business traveler (long haul ).I listen almost anything: classical, jazz, electro jazz, trip hop, lounge, and a lot of nice voices, not only opera ones.
If I guess it right if you're reading this, you already did your homework and you know that the SE530 could be a serious contender for your ideal earphone. You also know what's in the box, you just want to know if it works and if it's worth the price.
Here is why I absolutely recommend it in that it respects all my technical requirement:
- you're sick of the noise of those plane engines after 10 hours of flight, you just want to be in your own world, and get some rest: mission accomplished: I'm going to be radical here: I would almost buy those as ear plugs, even if they didn't produce sound. Yes, isolating is brilliant. Mind though: it's isolation we're talking about, NOT cancellation.So it's passive,no battery, no tricky system, it's just the old earplug principle, but a very efficient one. The box comes with a dozen of interchangeable adapters so whatever the shape of your ears I defy you not to find something that will fit and effectively "close the door" to the outside world.
- your compulsivity will be satisfied with : cord extension, volume control, sturdy travel box, plane adapter, little "thing" to clean the inside of the earphones from ear residue, etc... Two things worth mentioning: Shure, despite being american based, must love the Airbus: their plane adapter is for european made ones: two minijack of equal size. If you fly Boeing, you'll need a short and a long jack (pardon my ignorance of the right terms here). But you got the point: you may want to buy an additional plane adapter plug (it's cheap and small so it didn't loose a star for that, but I was disappointed as we're talking about high level stuff here).
The other thing is that SE530, unlike the SE530 PTH, doesn't have this big device that you plug to the cord to be able to listen the outside world at the push of a button, and then back to normal. I didn't go that route since a) earphones mean "light" and "packaable" to me (this is why I refused to go with normal headphones too) and b) if you need to listen to somebody or something frequently then it's definitely not the most appropriate time to enjoy silence or music, so put this music or video player away, your full attention is needed!
What I can confirm though is that you will NOT hear this flight attendant coming at you saying the plane is going down in flames please fasten your seat belt. You will have to remove the plugs, it's very surprising but it's also rewarding, there you know you made the right choice, sound isolation wise. Putting them back doesn't need an hour either (albeit it has to be done properly) so I think this PTH thing is a bit excessive.
What? music? aah! yep, you could listen to some music with the SE530 if you want :-) Seriously, it is impressive, both because of the quality and because of the (almost perfect) silence you're listening it into. My wife who is more bass aware acknowledged she never heard bass so well displayed. For the rest, what can I say that doesn't sound naive..it's clear, neutral, equilibrated, not "flashy" maybe. One common thing you'll read is that it does discriminate your audio sources. i.e.: with cheap stuff you'll see no difference between your ip..d, HiFi eqpt, computer audio card, compression codec, etc..With the SE530, you'll know why some things are bigger and/or more expensive than others. Plugging this into video games has been a revelation to me, atmosphere, tiny little stuff you never noticed are there. You'll love your HiFi with those. It's not like sitting a few meters away from your speakers, in the sofa, pumping up the volume, but then not everybody lives without neighbours.
So it is very very rewarding to be able to enjoy your hardware as if everything was brand new.
Voila, I hope you got a feeling of what awaits you with that pair of earphones.
I have a recurrent approach over gadgets, I'd say either you stay with the low/average stuff: spend 50 dollars on the Shure entry level for instance, or if you decide to do something, don't stop until you reached the best compromise quality/price. The SE530 are an impressive product, that leaves no chance to the competition. You could go to 5000 USD things if you wished, you won't notice the difference unless you have golden ears. What I tell you if that with those you WILL notice and get at least what you paid for, if not a LOT more.
PS: I don't work for Shure, I had to pay for my earphones :-), I did a lot of research, and although this is my first review, it had to praise the product because it's a fine product. I'm sure many of you will lay back on whatever seat you're on, listening to opera or Britney spears (?) and smile thinking "yep, he was right, this is beautiful"
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