Hands-on Review: Shure SE530PTH Earphones

The folks at Shure—manufacturers of earbuds that are literally worth their weight in gold—just rolled out their latest line of high-end earphones. Tech Advisor Christopher Null had his way with the mid-range Shures, including the $250 SE310 and $350 SE420 models, and I just finished testing the company's new flagship, the SE530, which retails for a whopping $450 (or $500 with a bundled "Push-to-Hear" microphone). After spending the weekend (and a couple of coast-to-coast flights) with these stellar in-ear babies, I can safely say these are the best earbuds I've ever heard—and that I'll never, ever buy.

First off, let's talk about the packaging. I'm not talking about those clear plastic casings that you have to rip apart with a pair of scissors; oh no, the SE530 comes encased in nothing less than a four-inch, stainless-steel cube. Slide the top off and you'll find the earbuds tucked inside molded foam rubber, along with a tough zippered travel case that includes a potpourri of earpieces and extension cords. Nice.

The earphones themselves look pretty impressive. The curved, glossy earbuds are slightly bigger than those of the SE420, and the plastic-coated wires felt satisfyingly solid-as one would hope, given the SE530's lofty price tag. You also get a couple of extension cords, including a nine-inch cord good for fitness buffs and a longer, 38-inch wire for everyday use, as well as an adapter for the quarter-inch headphone jack on your receiver. While a wide selection of plastic earbud sleeves comes in the package, I'm in total agreement with Chris—the yellow foam earpieces make for the best fit.

And how do the SE530's sound, you ask? Let's just say that my ears were in heaven. According to Shure, the SE530 packs in three "microspeakers" per earbud, including a dedicated tweater and a pair of woofers. While I didn't have an electron microscope to verify the existence of said speakers, my ears certainly heard the difference. The deep bass and high-end bleats of Photek thundered in my head, and for once, I couldn't detect any low-end distortion, even when I cranked the volume. Next I slipped the DVD of "Casino Royale" into my PowerBook and sat back as the bullets whizzed convincingly by my ears, and I could practically feel the individual trumpets blare the James Bond theme. The foam earpieces had no trouble blocking engine noise during my flight, and the Push-to-Hear add-on made it easy to switch over to the in-line microphone for announcements from the cabin.

Alright then, a rave review—so why won't I be buying the SE530 for myself? Simple: there's just no way I could ever justify spending $500 on a pair of earbuds, no matter how amazing they sound. I'd say that $200 is my absolute ceiling for a pair of earbuds, and according to Chris' review of the $250 SE310, its sound doesn't even measure up to the $350 SE420 earphones, which are a step down from the top-of-the-line SE530's. Believe me, I love great sound as much as the next geek, but personally, I'd rather spend $500 on, I dunno...a next-gen gaming console, or an HDMI receiver, or even a new flat-screen display—with money to spare.