Wanting to buy new headphones for my ipod, in doubt between these two..heard very nice things about both, but really can´t choose.
Any help?
Thanks
Any help?
Thanks
Klipsch Image X10 vs Shure SE530
- Thread starter da_grudge
- Start date
Neither. Try Ortofon E-Q7 instead - you can get them from iheadphones.co.uk for as few pence shy of £200. I use them myself - absolutely bloody brilliant.
If you google them, you'll find lots of rave reviews in certain forums.
The Shures and Klipsches are mainstream high-end iems, which means they get far more coverage, but both have pretty big faults compared to the latest iems on the market.
If you google them, you'll find lots of rave reviews in certain forums.
The Shures and Klipsches are mainstream high-end iems, which means they get far more coverage, but both have pretty big faults compared to the latest iems on the market.
Shures are stunning. Best ive eaver heard. Ive just brought a pair of UE triple fi 10s which are excellent also. Not as good as the shures but have replaceable wires which is a big advantage for me. Heard very good things about the Ortofons, but never heard them myself. Klipsches are good also but imo inferior to both shures and triplefis.
Just found the Seinnheiser IE8. Heard they are great and can find them cheaper than others.
What do you think?
What do you think?
da_grudge:
Just found the Seinnheiser IE8. Heard they are great and can find them cheaper than others.
What do you think?
Great IEM's if you like strong bass and very wide soundstage. But they don't offer the same degree of isolation of their rivals. If this is important you might better look elsewhere.
The Ortofon e-Q7 is an excellent choice if you want a more accurate, detailed sound with faster bass. Another strong contender is the Westone UM3X. I have this IEM and preferred it to the Ortofon because it's more comfortable and because of its amazing treble (detailed but without any hint of sibilance). Of course these two arguments are highly subjective.
Just found the Seinnheiser IE8. Heard they are great and can find them cheaper than others.
What do you think?
Great IEM's if you like strong bass and very wide soundstage. But they don't offer the same degree of isolation of their rivals. If this is important you might better look elsewhere.
The Ortofon e-Q7 is an excellent choice if you want a more accurate, detailed sound with faster bass. Another strong contender is the Westone UM3X. I have this IEM and preferred it to the Ortofon because it's more comfortable and because of its amazing treble (detailed but without any hint of sibilance). Of course these two arguments are highly subjective.
On my ipod nano I have the klipsch X10 and to my ears they go very well together. They sound is superbly musical and tonality just right. Highly recommended.
I have not heard the Klipsch X10's, but have had the pleasure of owning a pair of Shure SE530s for about a year now. These were preceeded by the SE420s and E3Cs before that, so you could say that I am a Shure fan...must be all those years of watching singers with Shure mics and more latterly Shure in-ear monitors on stage.
So I am biased. That caveat aside, I am filled with nothing but admiration for the se530s - they are more than a league above the SE420's, which are incidentally very, very good. I use the 530s with an iPod Classic and now iPhone to listen to mainly 320kps Apple lossless rips, but also a few downloaded movies and TV shows. Yes, the earphones cost more than the iPod, but boy do they transform the listening experience. I also have an oldish pair or Sennheiser HD 600s - but the Shures have made these redundant.
Getting the right fit for the Shures for some is a challenge. That gets easier, and a good fit is key to 1. the best bass response and 2. full exterior noise isoloation. It is the isolation that I feel is part of the reason these earbuds are such an involving, detailed and revealing listen. Once fitted properly the 530s amaze straight out of the box with a wide spacial soundstage and depth to the music that belies their tiny size. Bass registers lower than any other ear budsI have tried, but also extends and decays at the just right rate and with a lovely reverberation where the recording needs it. Bijork's "All Is Full Of Love" contains the sort of sub bass that is very hard for some sytems to reproduce, let alone control. The Shures are spot on. The detail in the mid range is clear as a bell and never tiring but always involving. WHiFiI think mention some sibilience in the treble in their review which I have have failed to detect. Of all the hi fi bits I have bought, these ear buds definately most improve their performance after a few weeks use. Cons? Playing with ipod EQ they can bottom out on some heavy rock and Massive Attack type stuff, but this is occasional and more about the physics than product design/build, plus I generally listen with EQ controls set at flat. I have US spec (derestricted vol controls) iPod 160gb Classic, and you could definately do some damage if you listem near maxium on a modern dynamic recording.
What is still thrilling about these is that I am still hearing 'new' bits in old familiar recordings and more cohesion in many old favourites. Ryan Adams "Harder Now that It's Over" from the 'Gold' CD comes up trumps every time witha new register to the tom tom drum fill just after first chorus. Makes me smile. The Red Hot Chili Peppers "Hey" from Stadium Arcadium thrills with just a fantastic-sounding two string harmonic bass line, with the lead guitar just fizzing around it, before it's Hendrix-like solo rips away. Listening nirvana for me. Richard Hawley's "As The Dawn Breaks" from his great 'Truelove's Gutter' CD, my current fav go to sleep sound, has so much engaging timbre and ambience that just allow his soft vocals to wash me to slumber. Bliss.
On long haul flights, in cars (as passenger...), trains etc, I can now isolate the world and transport myself away with really high quality sounds. A downside is that I can't always hear our 3 year old yelling, or the 13 nd 15 year olds squabbling, but there you go.
I have been catching up with 'The Wire' series and really got hooked into the excellent theme music. I had to stop watching Paranormal Activity in bed on the iPhone whilst whole house was asleep, 'cos the eerieness of the sound and building tension through the Shures was scaring me.
I bought the Shures without demo - hard to find somewhere who can/will demo in ear buds (cost, hygiene etc) but have never onceregretted it. I have spent more on a cable in pursuit of less sonic gain. I paid £250 for mine on line. I believe they were the thick end of £500 when first released. I would happily pay £500 as the sonic thrills are worth every penny. They are a bargain at £230. I say this to myself (in a non-mantra way) everytime I put them on.
10/10 for the Shure 530s. Best VFM piece of HiFi I bought in a while (next to Squeezebox Classic and Audioengine A5s for my office). I am now off to listen to the new God Is an Astronaut "Age Of the Fifth Sun" recording on my Classic, whilst I do my diary for this coming week. I feel no need to upgrade. But never say never.
So I am biased. That caveat aside, I am filled with nothing but admiration for the se530s - they are more than a league above the SE420's, which are incidentally very, very good. I use the 530s with an iPod Classic and now iPhone to listen to mainly 320kps Apple lossless rips, but also a few downloaded movies and TV shows. Yes, the earphones cost more than the iPod, but boy do they transform the listening experience. I also have an oldish pair or Sennheiser HD 600s - but the Shures have made these redundant.
Getting the right fit for the Shures for some is a challenge. That gets easier, and a good fit is key to 1. the best bass response and 2. full exterior noise isoloation. It is the isolation that I feel is part of the reason these earbuds are such an involving, detailed and revealing listen. Once fitted properly the 530s amaze straight out of the box with a wide spacial soundstage and depth to the music that belies their tiny size. Bass registers lower than any other ear budsI have tried, but also extends and decays at the just right rate and with a lovely reverberation where the recording needs it. Bijork's "All Is Full Of Love" contains the sort of sub bass that is very hard for some sytems to reproduce, let alone control. The Shures are spot on. The detail in the mid range is clear as a bell and never tiring but always involving. WHiFiI think mention some sibilience in the treble in their review which I have have failed to detect. Of all the hi fi bits I have bought, these ear buds definately most improve their performance after a few weeks use. Cons? Playing with ipod EQ they can bottom out on some heavy rock and Massive Attack type stuff, but this is occasional and more about the physics than product design/build, plus I generally listen with EQ controls set at flat. I have US spec (derestricted vol controls) iPod 160gb Classic, and you could definately do some damage if you listem near maxium on a modern dynamic recording.
What is still thrilling about these is that I am still hearing 'new' bits in old familiar recordings and more cohesion in many old favourites. Ryan Adams "Harder Now that It's Over" from the 'Gold' CD comes up trumps every time witha new register to the tom tom drum fill just after first chorus. Makes me smile. The Red Hot Chili Peppers "Hey" from Stadium Arcadium thrills with just a fantastic-sounding two string harmonic bass line, with the lead guitar just fizzing around it, before it's Hendrix-like solo rips away. Listening nirvana for me. Richard Hawley's "As The Dawn Breaks" from his great 'Truelove's Gutter' CD, my current fav go to sleep sound, has so much engaging timbre and ambience that just allow his soft vocals to wash me to slumber. Bliss.
On long haul flights, in cars (as passenger...), trains etc, I can now isolate the world and transport myself away with really high quality sounds. A downside is that I can't always hear our 3 year old yelling, or the 13 nd 15 year olds squabbling, but there you go.
I have been catching up with 'The Wire' series and really got hooked into the excellent theme music. I had to stop watching Paranormal Activity in bed on the iPhone whilst whole house was asleep, 'cos the eerieness of the sound and building tension through the Shures was scaring me.
I bought the Shures without demo - hard to find somewhere who can/will demo in ear buds (cost, hygiene etc) but have never onceregretted it. I have spent more on a cable in pursuit of less sonic gain. I paid £250 for mine on line. I believe they were the thick end of £500 when first released. I would happily pay £500 as the sonic thrills are worth every penny. They are a bargain at £230. I say this to myself (in a non-mantra way) everytime I put them on.
10/10 for the Shure 530s. Best VFM piece of HiFi I bought in a while (next to Squeezebox Classic and Audioengine A5s for my office). I am now off to listen to the new God Is an Astronaut "Age Of the Fifth Sun" recording on my Classic, whilst I do my diary for this coming week. I feel no need to upgrade. But never say never.
thanks all for the posts. Just one last question. Does anyone knows how the seinnheiser ie8 are for running? I intend to run and use them but want to know if they are secure enough for it.
thanks
thanks
I have the IE8, and find them to be fit and forget, very secure depending on which tips you use. The foamies are best for isolation and IMO also offer the best sound. Also dont be too critical of them straight out of the box, they take a bit of burn in to be at their best!
I have actually done the Shure olive tip mod on mine and find these to be the best of all worlds, best isolation, best sound and very comfotable. They really are fantastic headphones. The bass is fantastic with the tuning port turned all the way down so i dont mess with that. They remind me of my B&W speakers in many ways so i love em!
Happy listening
Dan
I have actually done the Shure olive tip mod on mine and find these to be the best of all worlds, best isolation, best sound and very comfotable. They really are fantastic headphones. The bass is fantastic with the tuning port turned all the way down so i dont mess with that. They remind me of my B&W speakers in many ways so i love em!
Happy listening
Dan
cassper
Well-known member
I've gone through UE Triple.fi10, super.fi5pro, Klipsch x10, Sennheiser IE8 and I've kept Shure SE530, for me the best all-rounder. I liked also Senn's IE8, but they have poor outside noise isolation. You have to try yourself what you prefer, IE8 have one dynamic driver, SE530 have 3 pressure armatures, they have a very different sound.
I'm using the Sennheiser IE6 on my iPod. Will I get much improvement by upgrading to the IE8 (or the Shure SE530; or Ortofon E-Q7; or Klipsch Image X10)?
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